UserManual:LayoutMode

= Layout Mode=

Overview
A Layout Image contains the final version of your selected pattern pieces as they appear in Detail Mode. It does not include internal hatch marks, points, or point labels.

Each Layout Image has a background size that determines how the pattern pieces will be placed, and how many sheets are included in the Layout Image. FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE, the Layout Image background size can be selected from pre-defined sheet paper sizes, roll paper sizes, or you can create a custom size.

The background size is NOT REQUIRED to be your printer's paper size. The background size must be big enough to hold your largest pattern piece. A multisheet Layout Image is created when the background size can hold your largest pattern piece but can't hold ALL pattern pieces.

A Layout Image can be printed:


 * directly from Seamly2D
 * to a single sheet of paper if your single sheet Layout Image fits within your printer paper
 * across multiple sheets of paper:
 * as a tiled PDF if your single sheet Layout Image is bigger than your printer paper,
 * as shown in your multisheet Layout Image if each sheet matches or is smaller than your printer paper

Create a Layout Image
Select a Layout Image background size from the paper sizes or create a custom paper size. The background size must be able to hold your biggest pattern piece, otherwise this error message appears: "Several workpieces left not arranged, but none of them match for paper." To print a Layout Image as a tiled PDF, the background size must be bigger than the size of the paper in your printer and must be big enough to hold all pattern pieces.


 * Sheet paper size:
 * Best for printing multisheet Layout Images. Multisheets are displayed in the righthand column of Layout Mode. (Example: Your multisheet Layout Image is A0 size. You select File/Layout/Print to print to your plotter which uses A0 paper.)
 * Roll paper size:
 * The width will be the roll paper size, the length will adjust as needed
 * Best option for saving and printing as tiled PDFs. (Example: Your singlesheet Layout Image uses 24" roll size. You select File/Layout/Print as Tiled PDF to print to your desktop printer which uses Letter paper.)
 * Custom paper size:
 * Good option for saving and printing as tiled PDFs but requires time to find best width and length.
 * Begin with width and length larger than you need and reduce to find best size

Review Dialog options before clicking 'OK'. Select your printer to reserve the correct border widths for printer margins Select Unite pages if possible to convert a multisheet Layout Image into a single sheet Layout Image. Select Autocrop unused length to reduce blank space in tiled PDFs.

Print a Layout Image

 * Select File/Layout/Print if your single or multisheet Layout Image background size fits within your printer paper.
 * Select File/Layout/Print as Tiled PDF if your single sheet Layout Image background size is bigger than your printer paper.

Note: If your multisheet Layout Image background size is bigger than your printer paper, then you should recreate your Layout Image

Save a Layout Image

 * Select File/Layout/Save as Tiled PDF to save your single sheet Layout Image as a tiled PDF. When you read or print this tiled PDF, your application must import the PDF at 96ppi and the 'Scale to Fit' print option should be de-selected.
 * Select File/Layout/Export to save and export the Layout Image to a raster (.png, .jpeg) or vector (.pdf, .hpgl, .eps, .ps, .svg, .dxf) file format.