MARKER PLANNING & MARKER MAKING FOR PARTICULAR GARMENTS.

Objectives of marker planning and marker making:
 -Optimizing fabric utilization through marker making 
 -Understanding the importance of the same in apparel and garments manufacture

Garments manufacturing is very important part of textile production and proper marker planning and marker making is the heart of garments manufacturing. The results of cut order planning are cutting orders that direct marker planning and lay planning. Optimum use of textile material and cutting systems are important considerations in planning cutting orders as more firms incorporate new technology. The purpose of marker planning is to determine the most efficient combination of sizes and shades for each order and to produce the best fabric yield and equipment utilization. One garments cutting order may require several markers to achieve optimum efficiency of marker. Usually one of these is a remnant marker for the short pieces and ends of rolls left over. This helps to reduce fabric waste. Each marker requires a lay of fabric.

A marker is a diagram of a precise arrangement of pattern pieces for a specific style and the sizes to be cut from a single spread. Marker making is the process of determining the most efficient layout of pattern pieces for a specified style, fabric, and distribution of sizes. The process of arranging Pattern pieces in the most efficient manner requires time, skill, and concentration. Markers may be made by manually tracing master patterns onto fabric or paper or by manipulating and plotting computerized pattern images.

THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF MARKER MAKING:
1.Manual marker making
2.Computerized marker making.

1. Manual marker making: Manually produced markers may be created by arranging full pattern pieces on marker paper or directly on the top ply of fabric in a spread. Pattern pieces are traced using a pencil or tailor's chalk. Manual methods of marker planning and making are time-consuming and require a great deal of space. Full-size pieces must be manipulated, adjusted, and readjusted on normal fabric widths. Manually made markers are also subject to errors and inconsistencies that may occur in grain variations, poor line definition, placement and alignment of pieces, and omission of pieces. Accuracy of a manually made marker depends on the skill of the individual who laid out the marker and traced it.

2. Computerized marker making: Computerized marker making is more accurate and provides the greatest opportunity for pattern manipulation, marker efficiency, reuse of previously made markers, and shortest response time. Production patterns may be developed on the computer and/or digitized or scanned into the computer. In addition, parameters for markers are entered into the computer from cutting orders. These might include style numbers, size distribution, and fabric width. Technicians manipulate pattern images on computer screens and experiment with various configurations to determine the best fabric utilization for the marker.

Plotting is the process of drawing or printing pattern pieces or markers on paper so they can be reviewed or cut. Computer-driven plotters may draw pattern pieces, graded nests of patterns, and/or markers with complete annotation, depending on the needs of the apparel firm. New multihead jet plotters are much faster and can print variable line density and width, text identification information, and bar codes. Some garment manufacturers have devices to copy original markers when multiple copies are needed. Plotting is often the bottleneck in the preproduction processes, especially if a firm runs a lot of copies. Many firms run their plotters 24 hours a day to keep up with demand. Firms using computerized cutters may not need paper markers to guide the cutting process and therefore may only print identification information for bundles.

Cut order planning determines how many markers are needed, how many of each size should be in each marker, and the number of ply that will be cut with each marker. Size distribution in a marker depends on the volume of orders for specific sizes, fabric width, how the pieces fit together, and the firm's standard practices for marker making. An efficient size ratio is often 1:2:2:1. For example, an order for one marker may contain one small, two medium, two large and one extra large. Additional markers may include only medium and large, depending on the assortments in the line plan or orders from merchandise buyers. Cutting orders may require making new markers, copying previously made markers, or modifying previous markers.

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