Print pattern full size + youtube videos..
Hey Guys,
I'm kind of new to Clo 3D, but I'm learning. I'm just stuck to the point where I wanna print my pattern. I seen the topic with the snapshoot, but it just saved my pattern to the size I selected so that's mean that my pattern is either reduce or increase in size to fit the format. I want to print in REAL size. how can I do that please ?
Ps: If a CLO 3D staff member is around, I'm struggling to understand why the Clo3D menbers youtube channel is not available except if you put the link into a topic. I've found 2 videos and I learned more in those 2 videos than in all the others in the CLO3D youtube channel. Is there some topic where we can find all the videos save as not listed so not available for the followers... ?
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There are a few ways to print scale 1:1 patterns.
1.) You can print direct to a connected plotter.
2.) You can create a marker type .png snapshot output direct to the fabric layout for pattern pieces. (plot per fabric layout) This can be used to check grain-line and cutter layout on fabric roll width. Ideal for sending out to express single size marker for a finished sample.
3.) You can output a pdf ( postscript ) for all the patterns as per the layout in the 2D drafting window and send/plot at any digital bureau.
4.) You can save a plot file (hplg) and open up in marker/CAD software to run via batch plot server/spooler.
5.) you could export as dxf/ai graded sizes as sets > import and plot via another software print setup.
You can do all this for a single size grade or you can assign any grade to the print process. Some approaches have advantages over other choices when you are including grading.
Which way do you want to go 1-5 ?
All grades on one snap shot at scale 1:1 per fabric type.
One grade per pdf layout (all patterns)
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Hello, thank you for all the ways you gave me, it's so cool, I think I want to go for the 5th one. But which one would you recommend from your experience, I have 3 grading sizes and I need 1 of each, I will probably have to print it with an A3 printer so that's mean that I will have to join the sheets together.
Thank you for your help
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You can export each grade (you need to do one size at a time) via dxf into your CAD system, but that is best for wide format printing.
How to enable-microsoft-print-to-pdf-option-in-windows-10
If you are printing on A3 one of the best choices is to export out as PDF at 100% scale and use the standard print poster option that MICROSOFT pdf printer has built in - that comes standard with windows 10. That will allow you to print a larger layout with all the registration on A3 automatically put in with handy sheet naming, and it will collate and organize that for you quickly in one click. So that might be the best option for each size otherwise printing a large format plot onto A3 requires setting up registration grid over your garment patterns so they can be re-assembled to size as they are taped together for over lap.
Start by making sure all your pattern fabrics have white as a base color, then proceed to choose the grade garment you want to export at scale 1:1 > then arrange all the patterns in the 2D drafting space so they will fit into a reasonable layout for printing.
Now export > pdf > set to 100% cm > select the details you want to include, eg: grainline, lengths etc. Keep texture off so the fabric texture does not block in the pattern area. And make sure you keep it white with simple line.
Once the 100% plot for that garment grade size is exported > use the free adobe acrobat reader to open it up and proceed to print the extra large format using the poster option with the MICROSOFT print to pdf driver. You will need to set your printer driver device to the right pages size > here I select type to A3 and then a grid at A3 will appear on your large PDF plot with all the pages neatly cropped to register with a handy overlap for taping together.
In this case it creates a second pdf print sequence of 20 x A3 pages. Save that pdf for future use - it can stay as one document nicely collated under that one garment grade size for a .pdf document. This keeps everything simple and tidy in the project archive for outputs.
You now have generated the second .pdf file using Microsoft pdf printer and have used adobe acrobat reader to view all the registration marks and handy page sheet identity naming from your large format pdf that you exported from CLO3D. You can archive this single multi-sheet pdf document for use along with the single scale 1:1 plot.
Run a plot for one A3 sheet with some dimensions on it (DO NOT PLOT ALL SHEETS YET) now check the scale of the measured line with a ruler to ensure all plots are indeed 100% to scale at the desired size and length on the pattern pieces printed line. (TIP- I often place at least a few scale dimension lines on one pattern piece to check this calibration process). When you have checked this is correct to scale > THEN PROCEED TO PRINT all A3 sheets.
Use the sheet identity names to align your layout and pattern pieces so all registration marks are taped together. (I set mine from 20mm overlap to 10mm overlap > you can set this to suit your printer /sheet overlap - pays to check this as it can make the registration marks smaller than they appear in the pdf - that is due to most printers having at least a 10 mm bleed area with no printing, so you may need to set that overlap bleed to 20mm for edge distance for each A3 sheet, dependent on how your printer handles edge to edge sheet printing ) Then cut out your pattern taped sheets into single pattern pieces.
So in this specific case I think PDF export and using the Poster print feature in Microsoft print to PDF driver keeps this process simple, along with saving the documents for re-use at any stage later, ready to run off again.
The DXF export option is okay, but it makes plotting onto a small printer and numbering and registering a pain as that is something you would need to add in manually. So by using that poster print feature in Adobe Acrobat and the pdf format you can avoid all that hassle, and have a record of those plot files.
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Hello,
This is exactly what I was thinking about ! thank you so much for your time !!!!
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Hello,
I have a Mac and am wondering, whether this is the reason I cannot follow the descriptions to prepare a pdf file for plotting to have it in the marker format as in print layout.
When I go on "export" and select pdf - the pattern pieces are not arranged as in a marker. If I arrange them on "print layout" I cannot select pdf when saving, I only see a drop down for png or jpeg. Is there any other option to do this, which I have overlooked?
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No the export as PDF is for the 2D drafting window layout in the simulation workspace, and the plot or print option is using the Printer Layout workspace for nested patterns onto the fabrics (roll) choices. So in that case PDF is not required and thus not an option, you only need the plot file. From the Print Layout workspace you can use the save to 2D image at 200-300dpi > open it up as a raster image in an external app, eg: Photoshop, check it's scale and line weight > save as pdf, then print as poster to A4.
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Thank you for your quick response! The printing shop requires me to send them a pdf file. And I wanted this to be in a marker / print layout, so I could pass it together with the respective fabric meterage to the sample sewing facility. I do not have an App to convert a jpg/png to pdf and check the scale afterwards. That is why I was hoping this could be done straight in CLO.
When I print as pdf or plot as plt in CLO then the pieces are all over the place, so I assume that if I submit this version to the printing shop it will be a huge waste of paper, as it is not in the marker / print layout with the best fabric utilization, right?
Thanks again for your support!
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I thought you might be printing a large pattern onto a small home printer (as that is what THIS thread was originally about), if you are using a large format roll printer get that width and make a plot file - easy. If the print bureau ask for a pdf - tell them you can provide a plot file to their printer width and ask them what that width is. If they complain about that and still want a pdf, run.
If you are going direct to marker plot > that is what you should normally do > use a 'plot' file whether that hardware is connected to your computer on the premises or at some bureau, where you simply send them the exported plot datafile and ask them to plot/print it.
A pdf is not a marker plotter file, so that sounds alarm bells for me immediately. A plot marker file is designed to run on a plotter (to the width of the printer > roll feed is the norm) that uses a moving cutter or marker pen, and that is generally always the HPGL ( Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language) format. So whomever is advising you at this bureau to provide a pdf file for a fashion marker > doesn't know what they are doing and I would be cautious.
The CLO3D print workspace is specifically geared to create these pattern layout plots,and this is easy to do for each fabric type in your design, for running to plot print-markers, and your bureau (if they are familiar with fashion markers and CAD plots ) should be able to take the CLO3D 'plot' output and run that.
If they cannot, go find yourself a good print bureau that can actually do the plot work, and not mess you around with this pdf nonsense, they are simply telling you to provide a format they find easier to do because they maybe don't have the experience to run a plot file, and that is business nonsense, you are the customer don't chase your tail for a service provider - absolute bollocks to that, you make them provide what you professionally need or find another service to do that work, and there are many all over the world in every local location. Maybe time for your fingers to do a bit of walking over the service page to find a better print bureau, or time to start demanding they do what you ask, plot from the CLO3D marker 'plot' file format - which is what it is for, printing and making fashion pattern markers.
Time to stand up to the print bureau and tell them to do the print job from the HPGL ( Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language) plot file. If they cannot - simply don't use them as they sound absolutely rubbish.
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Thank you so much for comprehensive response. And apologize I put the question on this thread - but I was browsing several threads and wasn't able to find what I was looking for... or just didn't understand the tutorials...
You are absolutely right that printing bureau is not experienced - so will trial few more and will figure out with the results, which service is best.
Thanks again!
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I am using 6.0 version and it will not print to PDF with overlapping the pieces and length of the pieces.
I then delete all the pieces until i had 2 of so pieces and did export to PDF Same the length of materials not print.
Next i tried export to DFX and went to a free tool on line and it says unrecognized file type
How do you get to print out a pattern without having to buy another software to do this?
I saved the file as a plotter file, tried https://convertio.co/download/a9c484a0464e292dd8fed95b09b175bad02cd4/ and still blank.Totally confused why i cannot create a pattern
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Hello,
Is there any way you can make a tutorial of how to print your patterns in real size using an actual plotter and not a regular printer?
I have a 24"plotter that I want to use to print out my patterns. The problem that I'm running into is I'm not sure how to change the setting to print using my 24" wide paper. I have my patterns laid out in a marker using a width that is wider than my 24" plotter. I want to be able to break up my marker in 2 sections and then tape them together to have the complete layout that is the width of my fabric. Can you please help?
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