Digital Patternmaking Formats: Which Fits Your Workshop or Factory

You choose the format by how you cut and how often you repeat each style. If you cut by hand, A4 PDF suits samples and small runs, and plotter PDF is the production standard. If you have a CAD system or an automatic cutter, ask for DXF/AAMA (any program imports it) or your system's native file (PDS for Optitex, ADS for Audaces), and if you cut from a fabric spread, an MRK marker already nested to your fabric width.

Modeltex production guide. Updated on Sep 6, 2026.

The six formats at a glance

Every format carries the same pieces with the same size range; what changes is how they reach the cutting table.

A4 PDF: numbered sheets you print on a regular printer and tape together. Samples and small runs.
Plotter PDF: the pattern at true size, on a 90, 120 or 150 cm roll depending on the pattern. Production by hand cutting.
DXF/AAMA: universal exchange; any textile CAD imports it to modify, grade and make markers.
PDS and ADS: native Optitex and Audaces files, with editable grading rules, notches and seam allowances.
MRK: Optitex computerized marker, with the pieces nested to the fabric width and the quantities per size.
PLT and CDR: vector layouts for cutting plotters and sublimation.

A4 PDF: samples, development and first runs

An A4 PDF splits the pattern into sheets with joining marks that you print at 100 percent (never with "Fit to page") and tape together. It includes a test square so you can check the scale with a ruler before printing the rest. It is the cheapest format: at Modeltex it starts at US$23 with every size in the size range.

The limitation is assembly: an adult t-shirt in a single size generally takes 12 to 20 sheets, and a long dress or a coat can run past 40. It makes sense for a sample or for 10 or 20 garments; if you will cut all eight sizes every week, plotter PDF is the better choice. A very practical use is development: you print the base size, make the sample, correct it, and only then move to plotter or CAD.

Plotter PDF: the standard for workshops that cut by hand

A plotter PDF holds the complete pattern at true size, ready to print at any plotter print shop or on your own plotter. The width (90, 120 or 150 cm) depends on the pattern: a t-shirt fits in 90, a full dress or a coat with all its sizes usually needs 120 or 150. It is printed on bond or kraft paper and billed per linear meter; the print shop sets the price, which varies by location and paper weight.

There is no taping and no error building up at the joins: what comes out of the plotter is the exact piece, to cut directly through one or two layers. It suits workshops that produce from 20 to several hundred garments per style with scissors or a straight knife and no CAD, and it is what an outsourced cutter will ask you for. It starts at US$47.

DXF/AAMA: the universal format for CAD

DXF/AAMA (the ASTM D6673 standard, successor to AAMA-292) is the standard for exchanging patterns between CAD systems. Each line type travels on a numbered layer (outline, notches, grainline, internal lines, text), and the sizes can be graded inside the same file or in an accompanying .rul rules file. Optitex, Audaces, Gerber AccuMark and Lectra Modaris, among others, import it.

It is the format to ask for if you have your own CAD and want to apply your measurement chart, change seam allowances or build your markers, and the safest one to send to a third party without knowing which program they use. When importing, check the unit (centimeters or inches), check that the notches came in as notches and not as little lines, and measure a piece against the tech pack before cutting. Delivered on request.

PDS, ADS and MRK: native files and the marker

PDS (Optitex) and ADS (Audaces) are each system's native files. Unlike DXF, they keep the pattern as intelligent objects: per-point grading rules, parametric seam allowances, notches with type and depth, and each piece's properties (quantity, fabric, grainline). If you work in one of those programs, the native file saves you the cleanup a DXF usually needs.

An MRK is not the pattern but the marker: the pieces of the sizes you will cut, nested on the usable width of your fabric with minimum waste, ready for the marker plotter or the automatic cutter. It pays off when you cut from a fabric spread and fabric yield weighs on cost. To order one, state the usable width, the sizes and quantities, and whether the fabric has nap, shine or print direction.

How to decide: volume, cutting method and equipment

Look at three things: how many garments per style you will cut, whether you cut by hand or by machine, and whether someone works in CAD. In cost the order from lowest to highest is A4 and then plotter; CAD files and markers are quoted on request. In time, the PDF downloads once payment is confirmed or within 24 hours, and plotter printing depends on the print shop. You can combine them: A4 for the sample, plotter or DXF for production. At Modeltex every format includes the full size range.

Sample, fit test or up to 20 garments: A4 PDF.
Workshop that cuts by hand, 20 to hundreds of garments per style: plotter PDF.
Same style repeated for months (uniforms, basics): plotter PDF, reprinted whenever the paper wears out.
Your own CAD and a need to modify or grade with your measurement chart: DXF/AAMA, or PDS and ADS if you use Optitex or Audaces.
Cutting from a fabric spread with a marker plotter or automatic cutter: MRK with your width, sizes and quantities.
Sublimation or cutting plotter: PLT or CDR.

Frequently asked questions

Which pattern format suits a small workshop that cuts by hand?

Plotter PDF: you print it at true size at a plotter print shop, cut straight from the paper, with no taping of sheets. A4 PDF is for the sample or very small runs, because assembling eight sizes sheet by sheet takes hours.

What is the difference between a PDF pattern and a DXF pattern?

A PDF is an exact image of the pattern, but a fixed one. A DXF/AAMA is the pattern as vector data that a CAD program (Optitex, Audaces, Gerber, Lectra) can edit, grade with another measurement chart and use for markers. Without CAD a DXF is no use to you; with CAD it is the one that gives you the most.

Does a DXF/AAMA pattern open in any patternmaking program?

Yes, it is the industry's exchange standard (ASTM D6673, formerly AAMA-292) and practically every textile CAD imports it. What changes is how each program interprets the notch, grainline and text layers, which is why you always check the unit and measure a piece when importing.

What is an MRK file and what is it for?

MRK is the marker format of Optitex: the pieces of the sizes you will cut, already nested on the width of your fabric with minimum waste. It is printed on a marker plotter over the fabric spread or sent to the automatic cutter. To order one you need the usable width, the sizes and the quantities.

How much does a digital pattern cost by format?

At Modeltex, A4 PDF starts at US$23 and plotter PDF at US$47, always with the full size range. CAD formats (DXF/AAMA, PDS, ADS) and MRK markers are quoted on request.

More guides

Sewing patterns ready for production, with the full size range, in the Modeltex catalog.