Considerable effort has been focused on printing synthetic biodegradable scaffolds for hard tissue applications. The requirements for soft tissues, in particular cardiac tissue are somewhat unique since the cellular arrangement is more essential for achieving function. The goal of this study was to develop a technique that allows aligning of cardiomyocytes in printed channels.A fabrication chamber was filled with a 2% alginic acid solution, a liquid that is known to crosslink under mild conditions to form a biodegradable hydrogel scaffold. An ink cartridge was filled with calcium chloride cross-linker. By printing a variety of concentrations of cross-linker, the fabrication process could be optimized by comparing the fidelity of the printed pattern to the designs.Adult feline cardiomyocytes were added to the biomaterial and the resulting cardiac constructs were electrically stimulated. In response, the cardiac constructs contracted rhythmically and synchronously. The shortening extent of the edge was up to 7.0% of the total length of the constructs compared to 3.5 % in constructs without channels. In this study printed alginate gels demonstrated that by engineering the microstructures of the printed alginate scaffolds improved function can be achieved.