Digital Patternmaking Formats: Which Ones Exist

What you will learn

Learn about the digital patternmaking formats that exist — A4 PDF, plotter PDF, DXF/AAMA, PDS, ADS and MRK — and know what each one is for, depending on how you cut and how much you produce.

Before you start

You don't need to use any CAD software for this lesson. It is enough to be clear on what a base pattern and a size range are.

Concept

A digital pattern always carries the same information: the pieces of the garment with their complete size range. What changes from one format to another is how that information reaches the cutting table: as an image to print and tape together, as vector data that a CAD program edits, or as a marker already laid out on the fabric width. That choice is not a minor detail: it defines how long assembly takes, whether you can modify the pattern afterward and whether your equipment can read it. In this lesson we look at the six formats you will run into and in what workshop or factory each one makes sense.

Lesson content

A4 PDF and plotter PDF: for cutting by hand

The A4 PDF splits the pattern into sheets to print on a regular printer and tape together following the join marks. It is always printed at 100% — never with "fit to page" — and includes a calibration square to check the scale with a ruler before assembling everything. It is simple, but assembly has a cost: an adult t-shirt in a single size can take 12 to 20 sheets, and a long dress or a coat, more than 40.

The plotter PDF solves that problem: it brings the complete pattern at true size, in a width of 90, 120 or 150 cm depending on the piece, ready to print at a plotting print shop. There is no taping and no error accumulated at the joins, so it is the standard for workshops that cut by hand in runs of 20 garments or more.

DXF/AAMA: the common language between CAD programs

DXF/AAMA (ASTM D6673 standard, successor to AAMA-292) is the industry's standard exchange format: Optitex, Audaces, Gerber AccuMark, Lectra Modaris and practically any textile CAD import it. Each line type travels on a numbered layer — outline, notches, grainline, internal lines, text — and the sizes can come graded in the same file or in a separate .rul rules file.

It is the format you ask for when you have your own CAD and need to modify the pattern, apply your own size chart or build your own markers; it is also the safest one for sending a pattern to a third party when you don't know what software they use. When importing it, check three things: the unit (centimeters or inches), that the notches came in as notches and not as loose lines, and measure a piece against the tech pack before cutting.

PDS, ADS and MRK: the native file and the marker

PDS (Optitex) and ADS (Audaces) are the native files of each system. Unlike DXF, they store the pattern as intelligent objects: grading rules per point, parametric seam allowances, notches with type and depth, and properties for each piece (quantity, fabric, grainline). If you already work in Optitex or Audaces, the native file saves you the cleanup that an imported DXF usually needs.

MRK, Optitex's own marker format, is not the pattern: it is the marker — the pieces of the sizes you are going to cut already laid out on the usable width of your fabric with as little waste as possible, ready for the marker plotter or the automatic cutter. To request one you need three pieces of information: the usable width of the fabric, the sizes and quantities, and whether the fabric has nap, sheen or print direction. For cutting or sublimation plotters, vector paths such as PLT or CDR are used instead.

Practical example

A workshop that cuts by hand and produces between 20 and several hundred garments of the same style doesn't need CAD: a plotter PDF is enough. And if that style repeats season after season, the same file can simply be reprinted whenever it is needed.

Common mistakes

Printing the A4 PDF with the "fit to page" option.: Always print at 100% and check the calibration square with a ruler before assembling all the sheets; otherwise the pattern ends up wrongly scaled and the measurements don't add up.

Asking for a DXF/AAMA without having a CAD system to open it.: If you cut by hand or don't have CAD, ask for a plotter PDF. DXF only pays off when there is a program on the other end to edit it and make markers from it.

Importing a DXF and cutting without checking the unit of measurement or the notches.: Before cutting, check whether the file is in centimeters or inches, verify that the notches came in as notches (not as loose lines) and measure at least one piece against the tech pack.

Modeltex tip

You don't have to choose a single format forever. Many workshops start a new style with an A4 PDF for the sample and, once it is approved, move to plotter or DXF depending on how much they are going to produce.

Exercise

Choose a style you have in production (or one you want to launch) and answer three questions: Do you cut by hand or with CAD/an automatic cutter? How many garments of that style will you cut in the year? Will it repeat season after season or is it a one-off run? With those three answers, decide which pattern format you would ask a supplier for and why.

Frequently asked questions

Which format is best if I cut by hand in a small workshop?

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

What is the difference between a PDF and a DXF/AAMA?

The PDF is an exact image of the pattern, but a fixed one: it can't be edited. The DXF/AAMA is the pattern as vector data that a CAD program can modify, grade with another size chart and use to make markers. Without CAD, DXF is of no use; with CAD, it is the one that pays off most.

Does a DXF/AAMA open in any patternmaking program?

Yes, it is the industry's exchange standard (ASTM D6673, formerly AAMA-292) and practically all textile CAD programs import it: Optitex, Audaces, Gerber, Lectra. What changes is how each program interprets the notch, grainline and text layers, which is why it is always a good idea to check the unit and measure a piece on import.

What is an MRK marker and how is it different from the pattern?

MRK is Optitex's marker format. The pattern is the loose pieces of the garment; the MRK marker is those pieces already laid out on your fabric width, with the least waste possible, ready for the marker plotter or the automatic cutter. To request one you need the usable fabric width, the sizes and the quantities.

Summary

All pattern formats carry the same information — the pieces and the complete size range; what changes is how they reach the cutting table. For cutting by hand, the A4 PDF works for samples and the plotter PDF for production. With your own CAD or an automatic cutter, DXF/AAMA is the universal format, PDS and ADS are the native files of Optitex and Audaces, and MRK is Optitex's marker, already laid out and ready to cut from a lay.

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