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Glossary

Every term, in plain language.

51 words you will meet in a CAD demo, a machine quotation or a production meeting — written the way you would explain them at the cutting table.

A

Alteration allowance
Extra fabric left inside a seam so the garment can be let out later. Digital patterns store it as a separate seam value, so it can be changed without redrawing the block.
Anti-reflective bed
A laser bed surface treated so the beam does not bounce back into the underside of the fabric. Without it, light-coloured lining picks up scorch marks.
Assembly (nesting)
Placing all the pattern pieces of one garment together on the fabric before cutting. Good assembly is what decides fabric wastage.
Auto-grading
Software generating every size from one base size using a size chart, instead of the cutter drafting each size by hand.

B

Base size
The one size a pattern is drafted in first. Every other size is graded up or down from it, so an error in the base size repeats in all sizes.
Bed size
The working area of a laser or plotter, quoted length x width in mm (for example 1300 x 900). Fabric wider than the bed has to be cut in passes.
Bespoke block
A pattern drafted to one person’s measurements rather than to a standard size chart.
Bite (registration) mark
A small notch or cross printed on a marker so two halves of a long cut can be aligned when the fabric is moved.
Block (sloper)
A basic pattern with no style lines — the starting shape from which designs are developed. Every house keeps its own blocks.

C

CAD
Computer Aided Design. In tailoring it means drafting, grading and marker planning on a computer instead of on paper.
CAM
Computer Aided Manufacturing — the machine side. The CAD file describes the shape; CAM turns it into cutter movement.
Chiller
A water cooling unit that keeps a CO₂ laser tube at a steady temperature. Tube life falls sharply if the chiller is undersized.
CO₂ laser
The laser type used for fabric. It cuts and seals synthetic edges cleanly, and is far cheaper to run than a fibre laser for textile work.
Cut file
The final file sent to the machine — usually DXF, PLT or the machine’s own format — containing only cutting lines, not annotation.
Cut order plan
The plan of how many plies and which sizes go into each lay, worked out from the order quantity before any fabric is spread.

D

Digitiser
A tablet and puck used to trace an existing paper pattern into the computer. Slower than redrafting, but the only way to save old blocks.
DPI (plotter)
Dots per inch a plotter prints at. For pattern work 300 dpi is plenty — the accuracy that matters is the mechanical one, not the ink.
Drop (size chart)
The difference between chest and waist in a size chart. A 6-inch drop and a 4-inch drop need different blocks even at the same chest.
DXF
Drawing Exchange Format. The common language between pattern software and cutting machines; the AAMA/ASTM variants add pattern-specific layers.

E

Ease
Space added beyond the body measurement. Wearing ease lets you move; design ease creates the silhouette. They are recorded separately in CAD.
Exhaust / extraction
The blower and duct that pull fumes out of a laser cabinet. It is a safety requirement, not an accessory.

F

Fabric utilisation
The percentage of laid fabric that ends up in garments. Moving from manual to software nesting typically recovers a few percent — which is real money at volume.
Focal length
The distance from the laser lens to its focus point. Wrong focus gives a wide, brown-edged cut instead of a thin, sealed one.
Fusing
Bonding interlining to fabric with heat and pressure. Fused panels behave differently on the cutter than unfused ones.

G

Grade rule
The exact amount a specific point on a pattern moves per size step. A grade rule table is the heart of any graded pattern set.
Grain line
The direction of the fabric’s warp threads, marked on every pattern piece. Nesting software must respect it or the garment twists after washing.

K

Kerf
The width of material removed by the cutting beam or blade. On a laser it is small but real, and precision patterns compensate for it.

L

Lay (spread)
The stack of fabric plies laid out for cutting. A 40-ply lay cuts forty garments per pass on a knife; lasers cut single-ply or very few plies.

M

Marker
The full-width layout of pattern pieces used to cut one lay. Marker efficiency is quoted as a percentage of the fabric used.

N

Nesting
The automatic arrangement of pattern pieces to waste the least fabric while respecting grain line and piece spacing.
Notch
A small cut on a seam edge used to match two pieces during stitching. Notches must survive the digital route from CAD to cutter.

P

Pattern piece
One component of a garment — front, back, sleeve, facing. Each carries its own grain line, notches, seam allowance and cut quantity.
Pitch (grading)
The chosen increment between sizes. Indian ready-to-wear commonly grades on 2-inch chest pitch; children’s wear uses age-based pitch.
Plotter
A wide-format printer that prints life-size patterns or markers on paper. The paper pattern is then used to cut by hand.
PLT (HPGL)
The plotter language most pattern software exports. It stores pen movements, so it holds lines well but no fabric information.
Ply
One layer of fabric in a lay. “Single-ply cutting” means the machine cuts one layer at a time — normal for laser and for made-to-measure.
Power / speed table
The chart of laser power and head speed per fabric type. Building your own table for your own fabrics matters more than the machine brand.
Projector cutting
Projecting the marker down onto the fabric from above and cutting by hand along the projected lines. Cheap, but accuracy depends on the operator.

R

Registration
Keeping the digital layout aligned to the physical fabric. Cameras, notch marks and fixed fabric stops all solve the same problem.
RIP software
Raster Image Processor — the layer that turns a pattern file into the exact dot or motion instructions a specific machine understands.

S

Seam allowance
The margin outside the stitch line. Held as a property in CAD, so the same pattern can be output with or without it.
Shrinkage allowance
Extra size added before cutting to compensate for fabric shrinking after wash. Entered as a percentage per direction in most CAD packages.
Size set
A sample garment made in several sizes to check that the grade works on a body, not only on paper.
Slash and spread
A drafting method — cutting the pattern and opening it — used to add fullness. CAD reproduces it as a single operation.
Spec sheet (tech pack)
The document listing every measurement, material and construction detail of a style. The pattern is checked against it, not against memory.

T

Tension (fabric)
How tightly fabric is held while cutting. Stretch fabric cut under tension comes out undersized once it relaxes.
Toile (muslin)
A trial garment stitched in cheap cloth to test fit before cutting the real fabric.
Tube life
The rated working hours of a laser tube, typically several thousand. Divided into the tube price, it gives the running cost per hour.

V

Vector vs raster
Vector files store lines and curves — what a cutter needs. Raster files store pixels. A scanned pattern must be vectorised before it can be cut.

W

Walking the seam
Measuring two pattern edges against each other to confirm they will stitch together. CAD does it instantly; it is still the first check to run.

Y

Yield
Fabric consumed per garment, usually in metres. The single number a boutique should track before and after any digital change.
Missing a word? Send it to us on the contact page and we will add it with a proper explanation — glossary requests get answered first.