Step-by-step guide
WaylandBridge
Export layered, tiled sewing-pattern PDFs from one Inkscape SVG.
For sewing-pattern designers who prepare size-layer PDFs in Inkscape.
See it in use
Export a layered skirt pattern
A screenshot walkthrough with fictional practice data. Select a step to explore.
1. Start with
Export a layered skirt pattern
The fictional Meadow Skirt SVG has four size layers.
Sample files and contents
The bundled examples/meadow-skirt.svg has four size layers. Install the purchased extension before following the interactive lesson.
Practice files and guides are free. The complete app is included only where the product page says so.
2. In the app
Try it in three steps
- Open the SVG in Inkscape and start WaylandBridge export.
- Choose A4 and single-size PDFs in an empty folder.
- Inspect the HTML report, assembly map and size-8 PDF.
Show every click and setting
- Open the SVG in Inkscape, save any changes and open Extensions → Export → WaylandBridge Pattern PDF….
- Choose an empty writable folder, A4 and Single-size PDFs; click Apply.
- Open waylandbridge-report.html and meadow-skirt_A4.pdf from that folder. Use meadow-skirt_size-size-8_A4.pdf if your viewer has no layer controls.
3. The result
Inspect the result
The layered A4 and size-8 PDFs each have 13 pages in the example. Printed dimensions require a physical scale check.
What to check in the practice result
An A4 assembly map and tiles, separate flattened size files and an export report. For this example, the layered A4 PDF and size-8 A4 PDF each have 13 pages. Physical dimensions still require a printed scale check.
This fictional example is shown in the working interface and in the supplied result. Review the guide before using your own files.
See the workflow at a glance
Choose a short explanation, then follow the worked example below. Check the requirements and compatibility before using your own files.
Give each size a usable PDF alternative.
A layered pattern PDF is useful only if the reader can work with its layers. WaylandBridge exports tiled, copy-shop and projector PDFs from one Inkscape SVG with size layers, plus flattened per-size alternatives. The fictional Meadow skirt exercise produces an A4 assembly map and a separate size-8 PDF. Both example A4 files have 13 pages. Verified software use was on Linux; physical printing and pattern geometry remain untested. Print at actual size and check the test squares.
View the illustrated card
Before You Cut, Check the Scale
A successful PDF export is not a physical scale check. WaylandBridge turns SVG size layers into tiled, copy-shop and projector PDFs. In the fictional Meadow example, start with the assembly map, choose actual-size printing and measure the test square before cutting fabric. Physical printing and customer pattern geometry remain unverified. This lesson separates digital output from checks the pattern maker and buyer still need to perform. Read the guide before choosing the $9.99 Inkscape extension.
55-second silent illustrated overview. Reference images and educational illustrations explain the documented workflow; this is not a new recording of it.
Read the complete video transcript · Download MP4
View the illustrated card
Before you start
- Extract the complete WaylandBridge-1.0.1.zip. Linux Inkscape 1.4.4 CLI output and Chrome 152 report views were checked. Fresh extension GUI installation, Windows/macOS, physical printing and customer patterns remain unverified. Always print and measure the test square at 100% scale.
- Inkscape 1.2+; tested with 1.4.4 Linux x64. Python 3.8+ for the optional CLI and installer.
- An SVG with separate size layers; test with the bundled fictional pattern.
Your first result
Install the purchased extension
Extract WaylandBridge-1.0.1.zip. In Inkscape, open Edit → Preferences → System and find User extensions. Create a waylandbridge subfolder there and copy the entire contents of the purchased bundle’s inkscape-extension/ folder into it. Restart Inkscape. Confirm Extensions → Export → WaylandBridge Pattern PDF… is present. The free guide ZIP contains practice files and outputs, not the extension.
Open and save the practice drawing
Open examples/meadow-skirt.svg from the extracted bundle. Use this fictional drawing for practice and save any changes before exporting.
Choose a folder and export
Open Extensions → Export → WaylandBridge Pattern PDF…. On Output, choose an empty, writable Output folder you can find again. Select A4 print-at-home tiles (layered) and Single-size PDFs for viewers without layers, then click Apply. Expect a WaylandBridge summary; Inkscape’s additional-data sentence below the summary is not by itself an export error. Other selected output types can create more files.
Open the report and PDF
In your chosen folder, open waylandbridge-report.html in a browser and review the outputs and warnings. Open meadow-skirt_A4.pdf: its first page is an assembly map with tile IDs and test squares, followed by printable tiles.
Check one size before using a real pattern
Use a PDF viewer with layer controls to keep your chosen size and common pattern information visible. If the viewer has no layer controls, open a flattened file such as meadow-skirt_size-size-8_A4.pdf. Before use, print the first page at 100% / Actual size and measure both test squares. The screen preview does not verify physical scale.
Choose the PDF for your next step
The report links directly to files for a home printer, copy shop, projector or flattened size. Each option explains scale and viewer settings; wide tables scroll within the report on a narrow screen.
A worked example
Export a fictional skirt pattern
Input: The bundled examples/meadow-skirt.svg has four size layers. Install the purchased extension before following the interactive lesson.
- Open the SVG in Inkscape, save any changes and open Extensions → Export → WaylandBridge Pattern PDF….
- Choose an empty writable folder, A4 and Single-size PDFs; click Apply.
- Open waylandbridge-report.html and meadow-skirt_A4.pdf from that folder. Use meadow-skirt_size-size-8_A4.pdf if your viewer has no layer controls.
Expected result: An A4 assembly map and tiles, separate flattened size files and an export report. For this example, the layered A4 PDF and size-8 A4 PDF each have 13 pages. Physical dimensions still require a printed scale check.
Earlier editions and examples
More application screens
See the real workflow
Actual screens from fictional included examples. Earlier workflow screens remain historical; the new 1.0.1 workflow screen was captured in Chrome 152 on Linux.
1. Choose the PDF for your next step
Troubleshooting
Choose the PDF for your next step
The report links directly to files for a home printer, copy shop, projector or flattened size. Each option explains scale and viewer settings; wide tables scroll within the report on a narrow screen.
The WaylandBridge menu is missing
Check the User extensions path in the Inkscape instance you actually opened. Confirm the copied waylandbridge folder contains the .inx file and its supporting package, then restart. Avoid guessed system folders. Alternatively, from the extracted purchased bundle run python3 install.py; the documented Windows command is py install.py. The installer needs Python 3.8+; the manual-copy route does not run it.
The output folder is not writable
Choose another output folder you own and run Apply again. Confirm that its HTML report and PDF appear and open successfully.
The PDF viewer has no Layers panel
Open the flattened single-size PDF, such as meadow-skirt_size-size-8_A4.pdf, or use a viewer with PDF layer controls. Check the size and print both test squares at 100% / Actual size before using a pattern.
How do I remove the extension?
Close Inkscape and remove only the waylandbridge folder you installed in User extensions. If you used the installer, run python3 install.py --uninstall from the extracted purchased bundle. Existing exported PDFs and reports remain.
Compatibility & limits
- Runs locally without an upload. Generated reports may include local file paths.
- PDF layer controls depend on the viewer; physical print accuracy is unverified.
Need a hand?
Tell us the product, host application and version, what you tried, and the exact error. Contact support with a fictional example; keep private customer files and passwords out of your message.