Export and Print at Actual Size

What you are trying to accomplish

Create the correct PDF or SVG for the next job. For PDFs, print without resizing, measure the built-in 50 mm check, and assemble pages only after the physical output passes. For SVG, preserve millimeter units and verify a known pattern measurement after import.

Why it matters

True size inside PatternForge does not control the settings in your PDF viewer or printer. “Fit,” “Shrink,” and borderless enlargement can resize a correct file at the final step.

The editor’s Reset view zoom (100%) affects only what you see on screen. It is not the same as 100% / Actual Size in the print dialog.

Step by step

1. Finish Pattern Check and, for a multi-piece project, Arrange for Print.
2. Choose Print or Save in the guided workflow or open Export ▾.
3. Read the export checks before choosing a file. Use every offered repair action. If you continue past a warning, PatternForge creates a file marked DRAFT; that file is not confirmed safe to cut or sell.
4. Choose Print at home for tiled PDF pages. The menu reminds you to print at 100% and measure the 50 mm check bar. Other goals include Send to a copy shop, Save a digital copy, and formats under More formats.
5. If you are signed out, PatternForge explains that a free account is required for download. Complete account and email verification to make the file. The editor itself remains usable while signed out.
6. Read the plan and licence information shown before download. Different tiers may display different watermark and licence labels, but only the formally approved File licence and Terms define usage rights. No PatternForge plan gives you ownership of a source pattern you did not have the right to digitize or sell.
7. Open the downloaded PDF and print the page containing the check bar first.
8. In the print dialog choose Actual Size or 100%. Turn off Fit to Page, Shrink to Fit, Scale to Fit, and any borderless enlargement.
9. Measure the check bar with a physical ruler. It must be exactly 50 mm—just under 2 inches.
10. If it is not exact, stop. Correct the printer or viewer scaling and print the test page again. Do not compensate by resizing the PatternForge project.
11. When the check passes, print the remaining pages with the same printer, paper, viewer, and settings.
12. Assemble pages in order, matching the dashed overlap lines. Recheck important long lines across page joins before cutting fabric.

When you need an SVG

1. Choose For other design software or More formats → SVG vector — millimeter units.
2. A file marked DRAFT is for review only. Fix its named warnings and export again before cutting, sharing, or selling.
3. Import the SVG without resizing it. Set or confirm the receiving document’s units are millimeters.
4. Do not use the design app’s view zoom as proof of scale. A “100%” canvas view can still contain an object that was resized during import.
5. Use the receiving app’s measure tool on a pattern distance you already know. If the number changed, correct the import scale before using the file.
6. Review piece names, cut quantities, grainlines, fold information, seam choices, and construction-line labels. A matching measurement proves import scale, not that the pattern decisions are complete.

What success looks like

• The exported filename and format match the intended use.
• A clean output has no unresolved DRAFT warning.
• The printer paper matches the PDF layout.
• Printing is set to 100% / Actual Size with fit options off.
• The physical check bar measures exactly 50 mm.
• An imported SVG keeps millimeter units and one known pattern measurement.
• Page labels and dashed overlaps assemble in the expected order.
• Pattern lines, labels, grainlines, fold information, and cut quantities remain readable.

Common problems and recovery

• The 50 mm bar is wrong: Do not cut. Find and disable scaling in the PDF viewer, printer driver, or system dialog, then reprint the check page.
• The PDF is clipped: Confirm that its Letter/A4 choice matches the loaded paper and that borderless or enlargement settings are off. Return to Arrange for Print if the project used the wrong paper.
• The file says DRAFT: Return to the named export or Pattern Check warnings. A DRAFT banner is deliberate and cannot be treated as a clean final pattern.
• A watermark or download limit appears: Read the confirmation, the licence inside the downloaded artifact, and the current Terms. Do not promise a buyer commercial permission based only on the plan name or a clean-looking file.
• A copy shop scales the file: Tell the shop to print at actual size and require a measured 50 mm check before the full run.
• Pages do not align: Recheck page order, dashed overlaps, and the physical scale bar. Do not stretch or trim the pattern to force a bad print together.
• The check bar passes but the pattern itself is wrong: The bar proves the printer did not resize the PDF. It does not prove you traced the right size, chose the right line, matched seams, or tested garment fit.
• You are building a seller product: The Instruction Booklet Builder is Beta. A seller ZIP without instructions contains pattern files only, not a complete buyer-ready product; review the current Premium and licence screens before distribution.

Quick safety check

Do not cut fabric until you can answer yes to all three:

• Is this the intended, non-DRAFT file?
• Was it printed at 100% / Actual Size on the paper selected in the layout?
• For a PDF, does the physical check bar measure exactly 50 mm? For an SVG, do the millimeter units and a known measured distance match?

Related tools and next step

The export check bar is separate from the capture sizing card. Review Print and Check a Sizing Card for photo calibration and Arrange Pieces for Print for tiled-page placement. After printing, make a test garment when the pattern is new or substantially changed; software checks cannot replace fit and construction testing.