Answers
Straight answers to the questions brands ask before their first production run. Written in French first, because that is where the questions are asked.
What a tech pack costs in France
A French freelance pattern maker charges roughly €159 to €594 per garment depending on the piece, or about €116 for the tech pack alone. Here, a production pattern starts at $29 and the factory spec sheet is a $10 add-on.
ReadA DXF a factory can actually cut: what the plant checks
A factory opens your DXF and looks at four things: closed pieces, notches that correspond, a grainline on every piece, and a piece name with a cut quantity. A DXF exported from a general drawing tool opens and carries none of that.
ReadMaking a flat sketch from a photograph
A flat sketch is a line drawing, front and back, laid flat with no body in it, showing seams, topstitching and closures. You can get one from a photograph of the garment, and it is the normal starting point for a tech pack.
ReadTechpacker alternative: what is missing once the tech pack is filled in
Techpacker and tools like it organise tech pack information very well. What they do not produce is the pattern: the cutting file the factory imports. That step is still on you afterwards, and it is the one that stalls production.
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