I scan the patterns, whether quilting, knitting, crocheting, and save them as a pdf file. Then I save them to an external hard drive so that my computer is not bogged down with hundreds of files. The patterns I use the most, I keep in a binder. I find that I am able to "clear out" a lot of paper. I worked the last 4 days on scanning! I have books - magazines - prints off of the internet- collected over the last 40+ years! So I think I'll be scanning 'til the day I die! I'm going to try to sell the books. What doesn't sell, I'll give to charity.