I am using Inkscape V1.
0 (2020-05-01) on a MacBook Pro and am a total newbie to Inkscape and
to graphics software so please bear this in mind as there may be better or easier ways to achieve
the same results. If you are using a Windows platform then I think you only need to replace CMD
with CTRL but I haven’t tested that. I would also suggest that you make a copy of the original file
you are importing just in case anything goes amiss. I also save my file as I am working - Inkscape
does crash on me occasionally so I don’t lose much of my work.
How to combine multiple A4 pdf pages into a single sheet
1. Open Inkscape
2. Set Document Properties page size to A0
3. Select Import (CMD I) and search for file to use
4. Select the first page to merge and import (in some cases if you then select the page and
Ungroup (SHIFT CMD G) x 3 then it will bring in all the pattern pages but doesn’t work for
all patterns)
5. Move the page in Inkscape into the A0 page area
6. Go back to Import and continue to import all the pages if you wish to do this all at once
7. Save (CMD S) the project as a plain .svg file
8. Select the page you wish to merge and move this into position with an adjoining page. Use
zoom in (+) and then select the height and width at the top to nudge the pieces together if
they don’t quite line up.
9. Select both the new merged pages and then Group (CMD G) these to be 1 object
10. Save (CMD S)
11. Continue with all the pages until they are all one group
12. Save (CMD S)
13. Save As (SHIFT CMD S) a copy document so that you now have a complete file to work on
and can go back to that file in the future whilst amending the new file.
How to select only the size you wish to project
1. Make sure you are working on a copy of the first document so as to keep the original in tact
2. Select the object (all the pattern pieces should be grouped as one object if following on
from previous steps).
3. Ungroup (SHIFT CMD G) multiple times until each size is showing as a group and this will
be shown as dotted lines around the shape.
There may be lots of smaller groups - particularly text within the size you are wanting to
select. If so, I try to select all the smaller bits and then group them into a single object and
move them out of the way. Usually this group is needed for every size so by having them in
a single group together, I can then duplicate (CMD D) them and drag them onto each
individual pattern piece.
4. Save (CMD S) at this point.
5. Either select the size required and move this to another area by dragging it, or select all
sizes not required in turn and delete each selection until only the size required remains.
6. Select any text or other information within the pattern that is required and used duplicate
(CMD D) to create duplicates and then move these to the new pattern piece.
7. Once the pattern piece is complete, select all the pattern piece, including any text and then
Group (CMD G) to create one entity.
8. Save the File (CMD S)
9. Select the pattern piece and copy it (CMD C).
10. Open a New Document (CMD N) and set your page size from Document Properties to A0.
11. Paste (CMD V) the pattern piece in the new document.
12. Save As (SHIFT CMD S) the new document and give it a name and plain .svg file
13. Continue to select all the other pattern pieces in the size required and follow the same
steps and save within the file created at the previous step.
14. When all the pattern pieces are in the one file, check to make sure that they all lie within the
boundary of the A0 sheet (Zoom Out -) and move them in if not by selecting and dragging
them. If they are outside the boundary, they may not appear in the pdf document that you
will now create.
15. Save (CMD S)
16. Save As (SHIFT CMD S) the new document and give it a name and .pdf file. A box will
appear and check the option Use Document Page Size and save.
Notes:
I like to rotate my pieces so that they all face the same way so I use either the rotate arrow or the
square brackets ( [ ] ) rotate left and rotate right and I do this once I have the new pattern piece
and any text within it grouped as a single object in the new file (after Step 12 above).
Select any calibration boxes and the text and group (CMD G) as a single object and make copies
(CMD C) and paste these (CMD V) into the new file. Duplicate these (CMD D) and place at points
within the page.
Other shortcuts you may find helpful
Tools
S Selector N Node Editor T Text
3 Zoom in full screen [ Rotate Left ] Rotate Right
+ Zoom In - Zoom Out
Commands
CMD N New Document CMD Z Undo SHIFT CMD Z Redo
CMD S Save CMD D Duplicate CMD I Import
SHIFT CMD S Save As CMD G Group SHIFT CMD G Ungroup
CMD C Copy CMD V Paste
