VLOTHO CAD

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How to print a pattern on A4 at 1:1 scale

Printing VLOTHO CAD patterns: a PDF across multiple A4 sheets, checking the 100 mm size, and verifying the scale before cutting the leather.

The pattern requires a physical size of 1:1. The image scale on screen and the number of sheets do not confirm printing accuracy: measure the printed sheet with a ruler.

1. Select A4 PDF

Open the model, check the parameters, and select “Export patterns” → «PDF A4. The constructor selects portrait A4 (210 × 297 mm) or landscape A4 (297 × 210 mm) for each piece, rotates the piece 90° if necessary, and chooses the option with fewer sheets. A small piece remains intact on one sheet. Large pieces are split with a 10 mm overlap, alignment marks, and row and column numbering. The geometry scale remains 1:1. On model pages, you can download a ready-made A4 PDF for the original example.

This mode is available for parametric models from the main constructor. The “PDF” option with one piece per page is also retained: it is suitable for a plotter or poster printing.

2. Check the settings and scale

  1. Select A4 paper, automatic orientation based on the PDF page size, and single-sided printing. One file may contain both portrait and landscape pages; do not force all pages to the same orientation.
  2. Set Actual Size or 100%. Disable Fit to Printable Area and multiple pages per sheet.
  3. Print one page first. Measure the control segment at the bottom: its length must be 100 mm.
  4. If the segment measures, for example, 96 mm, correct the scale settings and repeat the check. Also compare a known vertical dimension of the piece.

Check the preview and make sure no contours are clipped: printer margins vary. The finished A4 PDF is already split into sheets, so it does not require additional splitting in Poster mode.

3. Assemble the piece using the markers

  1. Arrange the sheets for one piece by the row and column numbers at the top. Different pieces have different sheet grids.
  2. On the sheet being overlaid, trim the outer margins along the gray frame on the side where it joins the previous sheet.
  3. Align the crosses and repeating contour sections within the 10 mm overlap strip. Secure the sheets so they do not shift.
  4. Check the continuity of the contour and the dimensions of the assembled piece. The gray frame marks a sheet fragment, while the solid dark line marks the piece cut edge.

The width along the baseline does not always equal the cut-edge width. How to determine which line to measure. After gluing, make a paper mock-up.

If an ordinary PDF is selected

In an ordinary PDF, each piece is on a single page that may be larger than A4. Print it on a plotter of a suitable format or use poster printing at 100% scale, with overlap and crop marks. Check the result with a ruler.

Test files

Cardholder: small example · Flap bag: large pieces on several sheets · DXF unit check · General instructions