Cannot export my pattern

Exporting, Printing & Plotting
1

I have finished my pattern and I would like to print it in A4 at the moment it does not give me the option to export, print or anything when I press on pice they say i need to create a patter which i did

How do i do it ? I am new to the system

thank you very much for your support

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2

Hello @Arantxa Welcome to the Seamly community! I hope what I write here helps:

It sounds like you’ve plotted out your pattern, but it probably has a bunch of unnecessary for fabric cutting points & lines. I will tell you the “best practice” way to get your pattern printing to A4 paper, using the January 16, 2023 release of Seamly2D. You probably don’t need that one in particular, especially if your copy of Seamly is newer. There may be other legitimate paths.

  • Find Add New Pattern Piece in the Piece toolset, (or use the keyboard shortcut NP.)

With that tool active, you will trace off the main path of the pattern, (seamline or cutline depending on your system.) You can find pictures here: Creating Workpieces HELP! - #2 by slspencer, but some of the terminology had changed since then.

  1. click a point
  2. following the path of your pattern in a clockwise direction click the next object.

for instance, when tracing a top I like to start with the center-neckline point & then select the curve of the neckline

  1. select the next object in the path

you will notice that a red line is appearing, showing what you have traced out so far. It is good for telling when you are done, but due to the nature of the process often fails to accurately show progress when following the path in odd directions.

  1. repeat until you reach, but do not click, your starting point
  2. hit Enter/Return

  • A dialog box will appear allowing you to choose a name for your pattern piece. I recommend doing so. The other options can wait. Click OK.

  • Repeat steps for all pattern pieces. The Last used tool may be reactivated by pressing L.

Okay, now that all your pattern pieces are traced off, proceed to the Piece mode to double check that they’re looking good.

  • Use the button set marked Draft_Piece_Layout, or the shortcut shift-P

For this tutorial I’m going to assume that everything is dandy here in the Piece mode, leaving only the note that you can right-click a piece & choose Properties from the menu to edit labels, seam allowances, notches, & other stuff.

  • Use the button set marked Draft_Piece_Layout, or the shortcut shift-L to proceed to the Layout mode.

Behold the Layout print settings dialog! Do not choose A4, unless every piece of your pattern will fit on A4 paper.

  • Under Templates, choose a “paper” size which will nicely fit your pattern, A0 is fairly popular, I tend to use one of the “roll” sizes. Assuming that you will not be printing at size check Ignore margins

  • Press OK

  • If you don’t like the layout you’re seeing, choose the New Print Layout button (shortcut NL) & play with the settings until you either like what you see or give up on getting it any better. Sadly, manually adjusting the layout probably won’t be a thing for a while.

With your layout in acceptable form: File —> Preview —> Preview tiled PDF. Make sure the Page Setup has A4 as the page size, & play with the settings until it looks good.

That’s all I have to say about it unless you have questions about one of the steps. I’m pretty sure @Grace explained the Layout part better, with pictures, but I can’t find that thread ATM.

Best wishes, & keep asking those questions!

:unicorn:

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HI @Arantxa,
Were you able to print your pattern layout in A4? Let us know if you need anything!

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