Step and repeat and live repeats in Vectornation by Zaweba
Step and repeat in Vectornation by Zaweba fills rows and columns with label sheet presets; Object, Repeat makes live radial, grid and mirror repeats.
Printing many copies of one design on a sheet is a daily job in print shops and offices: labels, stickers, business cards, tickets, place cards. Vectornation by Zaweba has Object, Transform, Step and repeat for this, and Object, Repeat for live repeating designs that stay editable.
They sound similar but serve different purposes. Step and repeat is for layout. Live repeats are for design.
Step and repeat
Step and repeat makes rows by columns of copies with gaps between them. Choose how many rows and columns you want and how far apart the copies should be, and the command lays them out. A sheet of twenty labels becomes one command rather than twenty pastes.
Version 0.9.8 added A4 and US Letter label sheet presets. Choose one and the command fits as many copies as will go on the sheet. That is ideal when you know the paper size and want to make the most of it without working out the grid by hand.
Live repeats
Object, Repeat offers Radial, Grid and Mirror as live repeats, added in version 0.9.1. Live means the copies stay linked to the original. Change the original and every copy changes with it.
Radial arranges copies around a centre, for flowers, mandalas, rosettes, wheels and clock faces. Grid tiles copies in rows and columns, for patterns, wallpapers and backgrounds. Mirror reflects the original, for symmetrical designs such as logos, faces, butterflies and ornaments.
The great advantage is that you design while seeing the whole result. Draw one petal and watch the flower form. Change its curve and the whole flower updates. That makes repeating designs a pleasure to refine.
Choosing between them
Use Step and repeat when the copies are separate finished items going onto a sheet, especially for print. Use live repeats when the copies make up one design that you are still working on.
A typical case uses both. Design a rosette with a live radial repeat, finish it, then use Step and repeat to put a sheet of rosette stickers onto an A4 page.
Getting label sheets right
Measure first. Label sheets from different makers have different label sizes, margins and gaps. Check yours against the preset or set the gaps to match.
Make one item perfect before repeating it. Any flaw, a misspelt word or a slightly off colour, repeats on every copy.
Do a test print on plain paper and hold it against a label sheet up to the light. It is far cheaper to find an alignment problem this way than on a pack of labels.
Tips for live repeats
For radial designs, draw your element so that it points away from the centre; it will look natural as it repeats round. For mirror designs, draw half and let the mirror do the rest, keeping the join in mind. For grids, check the edges where tiles meet so the pattern flows from one tile to the next.
When the design is final and you need plain artwork, for example to send to another program, expand the repeat. Keep an unexpanded copy so you can still adjust it later.
Related tools
The Repeater maker tool also repeats artwork in a row, grid or circle. Transform again repeats any transform for quick fixed copies. And the mail merge features let you fill each copy on a sheet with different data, such as names on badges, which takes Step and repeat further for event work.
Between them, these tools mean that in Vectornation by Zaweba one carefully made design can become a full sheet or a whole pattern in moments.
