Computerized Marker Making: Your Patterns Nested to Your Real Fabric Width

A computerized marker is the on-screen nesting of all the pieces of your patterns onto the real width of your fabric, using your size mix, so you cut a stacked lay while using less fabric. Modeltex builds it on request as an Optitex MRK file or as a plotter PDF for cutting by hand, and tells you the total length and the consumption per garment before you buy the roll.

Order a marker on WhatsApp · Browse the catalog

What a marker is and what you get back

The marker is a true-size plan: a rectangle the width of the usable fabric and the length required, with the pattern pieces placed inside it along the grainline. The lay is cut on that plan, so the marker defines how much fabric each garment uses and how many garments come out of each cut.

Two numbers come out of the job and you use them every day: the total length of the marker and the consumption per garment, which is that length divided by the number of garments it holds. With them you cost before buying the roll, not after cutting.

Why fabric width and size mix matter

A marker works for one specific width and not another: with a narrower roll the pieces at the edge fall outside, and with a wider one a strip of fabric goes unused. That is why the first piece of data is the usable width measured on the real roll, after subtracting selvedges and edges, and not the one on the supplier's invoice.

The size mix weighs as much as the width. Making the marker for your sales size run, with the sizes together and in the proportion you sell them, nests the pieces better than making it size by size, because the small pieces fill the gaps between the large ones. This is what is done for uniforms and for long runs for a school or a company.

What data to send to order one

With this data, the marker we build works for your real cut:

• The pattern or patterns from the catalog, by name or code.
• The usable fabric width, measured on the roll, and whether the fabric is tubular or open-width.
• The sizes and the number of garments per size that the marker will hold.
• Whether the fabric has pile, sheen, a directional print, stripes or checks to match.
• The expected shrinkage, if you have already measured it on a washed swatch.
• The length of your cutting table and how many layers you plan to spread.
• Which pieces go on each fabric: the main fabric, the rib, the lining and the interfacing each get their own marker.

What you receive: MRK or plotter PDF

The marker is delivered as MRK, the Optitex marker format, to open in your system or send to the automatic cutter, or as a plotter PDF to print at true width, on 80 gsm paper, and cut by hand over the lay. In both cases we tell you the total length and the consumption per garment.

MRK opens in Optitex. If your system is Audaces, Gerber or Lectra, ask for the marker printed as a plotter PDF, or for the pattern in DXF/AAMA and build the marker in your own software; the DXF patterns page explains which format fits each system.

Pile fabrics, stripes and directional prints

Some fabrics force a different marker. With pile (corduroy, polar fleece), directional sheen or prints with a direction, every piece has to face the same way, and a one-way marker always uses more fabric than one that can rotate pieces.

With stripes, checks or a design that has to match at the seams, the pieces are aligned to the pattern and the yield drops. Tell us when you order the marker: it is a piece of data that changes the consumption, and if it is not reported, the figure you receive will not match the fabric you actually use.

From paper to the lay: how the marker is used for cutting

Spreading means laying the fabric in layers the length of the marker, without tension, and cutting the whole stack at once with the marker paper on top. The output of each cut is the number of garments per marker times the number of layers, and how many layers fit depends on the fabric and the blade.

With knit fabrics, let the spread fabric rest before cutting, because it comes off the roll stretched and the pieces shrink afterwards. That rest is part of spreading and affects real consumption.

When to order one and how it is quoted

It pays off when you repeat a style in runs, when the fabric is expensive, or when a school or company order already comes with the breakdown by size. If you have your own CAD and the pattern in DXF/AAMA or PDS, you can build the marker yourself and adjust it every time the roll changes; the on-request marker is for people who prefer to receive it done.

Markers have no listed price: they are quoted on request via WhatsApp, and lead time is arranged when you send the data.

Keep exploring

• DXF/AAMA, PDS and ADS pattern files: If you would rather build the marker yourself in your CAD system.
• Plotter sewing patterns: The pattern at true width, to cut by hand.
• Uniform sewing patterns: Long runs for a school or a company, with the size breakdown.
• Digital patternmaking: Which format fits how you cut.
• Custom design: If the pattern to nest is not in the catalog.
• Sewing patterns catalog: Pick the style to nest.
• Contact and WhatsApp: The way to order the marker with your data.

Related guides

• What a marker (MRK) is and how it saves fabric
• How to calculate fabric consumption per garment
• How to calculate fabric consumption for several garments from the yield
• How to cost a garment to produce and sell

Clothing sewing patterns by garment

• Dress sewing patterns
• Pants sewing patterns
• T-shirt sewing patterns
• Sweatshirt sewing patterns
• Jacket sewing patterns
• Shorts sewing patterns
• Joggers sewing patterns
• Leggings sewing patterns
• Top sewing patterns
• Blouse sewing patterns
• Tank top sewing patterns
• Shirt sewing patterns
• Skirt sewing patterns
• Vest sewing patterns
• Blazer sewing patterns
• Coat sewing patterns
• Bodysuit sewing patterns
• Bikini sewing patterns
• Polo shirt sewing patterns
• Two-piece set sewing patterns
• Uniform sewing patterns
• Bermuda shorts sewing patterns
• Underwear sewing patterns

See all garments

Frequently asked questions

How much does a computerized marker cost and how is it quoted?

It has no listed price: it is quoted on request via WhatsApp, once you send the pattern, the usable fabric width and the number of garments per size. With that we confirm the price and the lead time, and along with the file you receive the total length and the consumption per garment.

Can I use an MRK marker if I do not work with Optitex?

MRK is the Optitex marker format and it only opens there. If your system is Audaces, Gerber or Lectra, ask for the marker printed as a plotter PDF to cut by hand, or for the pattern in DXF/AAMA so you can build it yourself in your own software, with your own roll width and size mix.

Should I make the marker for the whole size range together or size by size?

Make it for your sales size run, meaning the sizes together and in the proportion you sell them. The small pieces fill the gaps between the large ones, efficiency goes up and the cut comes out in the real proportion of the order. It is the usual approach for uniforms and long runs.

What consumption per garment will you give me for costing?

We give you the total length of the marker and the consumption per garment, which is that length divided by the number of garments it holds. With that number you calculate how much fabric to buy for an order and the fabric cost of each garment, and you compare it with the yield you estimated, without waiting to cut.

Does a garment made of two fabrics use a single marker?

No: each fabric gets its own marker. If the garment uses main fabric, rib, lining or interfacing, one marker is built for each of them, with the pieces that belong to it and the usable width of that roll. When you order, say which pieces go on each fabric so that the consumption comes out complete.

Is the marker for cutting by hand, or only for an automatic cutter?

It works for both ways of cutting. Printed as a plotter PDF on 80 gsm paper, it goes on top of the lay and is cut with a straight-knife or round-knife cutter; as MRK, it opens in Optitex and goes to the automatic cutter. The medium changes, not the result: the nesting of the pieces and the consumption per garment are the same.