When you order printed fabric by the metre, the repeat unit is one panel: the full width of the fabric by 1 metre of length. Whatever you design inside that panel prints once per metre and then repeats down the roll — order 20 metres and you get 20 identical panels, one after the other. Inside the panel the design is entirely up to you. The one thing that isn’t possible is a single continuous image longer than a metre without it repeating, because panels always repeat.
The short answer: design one panel, and expect to see it again every metre.
What a panel actually is
A panel is a fixed rectangle: as wide as the fabric you have chosen, and exactly 1 metre long. The length is always a metre. The width depends on the base, because each cotton construction is woven or knitted to its own width.
| Base | Panel width |
|---|---|
| Rib 2X1 | 130 cm |
| Percale | 140 cm |
| Half Panama | 140 cm |
| Gauze | 145 cm |
| Sateen | 150 cm |
| Jersey | 155 cm |
| French Terry | 195 cm |
So a metre of Percale gives you a 140 × 100 cm canvas, and a metre of French Terry gives you 195 × 100 cm. Choose the base before you build the artwork — the panel is a different shape on each one, and the base also changes how the print reads. Our base-by-base guide covers what each construction does to a design.
Two ways to use the fabric panel repeat
Both approaches produce the same roll of fabric. The difference is what you put inside the panel.
Option A — design the whole panel
One artwork, built at full panel size, printing once per metre. This suits a photograph, a placed composition, a single large motif, or anything with a deliberate top and bottom. You get a complete image every metre, with the panel edge acting as the frame.
The thing to plan for is the join. Because panel 2 starts where panel 1 ends, the top of your design meets the bottom of the previous copy. If that transition matters — a horizon, a gradient, a background colour — make the top and bottom edges agree.
Option B — design a small tile
A smaller motif repeated across and down to fill the panel exactly, so nothing is cut off at the panel edge. This is the route for classic surface pattern: florals, geometrics, spots, stripes, anything meant to run continuously. Sized correctly, the panel boundary becomes invisible and the fabric reads as one uninterrupted pattern however many metres you order.
The word doing the work there is exactly. A tile that divides evenly into the panel width tiles cleanly; one that doesn’t leaves a part-motif at the selvedge and a visible seam every metre. The method for building and testing a tile is in our post on designing seamless repeat patterns.
What works, and what doesn’t
- Works: any design that fits inside one panel — a photo, placed artwork, a large single motif, or a repeating tile.
- Works: different designs on separate orders. The panel rule applies within one roll, not across your catalogue.
- Not possible: one continuous image longer than 1 metre without it repeating. Panels always repeat — there is no way to print a 3-metre mural as a single uninterrupted picture.
That last point is the one worth checking before you commit artwork. If your concept depends on a design that never repeats along the length, it needs rethinking as either a panel-sized composition or a tile.
Preparing the artwork
Send your artwork as a PDF, TIFF, JPG or PNG and Fabrixa creates the correct print files from it. Build the file at the real panel dimensions for your chosen base rather than at screen size, and aim for roughly 200–300 DPI at that finished size — a full 195 cm panel is a large canvas, and detail that looks sharp on a monitor can soften badly at that scale. More on this in our post on DPI, colour and file formats.
With MOQ 1 you can order a single metre to check the repeat on real cloth before scaling. One metre shows you the panel; two show you the join.
FAQ
Can I have a design that doesn’t repeat at all?
Not along the length of a roll. The panel repeats every metre by definition. A design that must not repeat has to fit within a single metre of length.
Will the join between panels be visible?
With a correctly sized tile (Option B), no — the pattern runs through the boundary and the eye finds nothing to lock onto. With a full-panel design (Option A) the join is visible by design, because each copy starts again.
Do all fabrics have the same panel width?
No. Panel widths run from 130 cm on Rib 2X1 to 195 cm on French Terry, so the same artwork has a different aspect ratio on each base. Pick the base first, then build the file to that panel.
Does the panel rule apply to garments too?
No — that’s a different product. On all-over-print apparel the whole garment panel is printed before cut-and-sew, shaped to the pattern pieces. The 1-metre panel repeat is specific to fabric sold by the metre.
Design one panel well
Get the panel right and the roll looks after itself: pick the base, build the file to that panel’s real dimensions, decide whether you want a framed composition or a continuous tile, and order a metre to see it on cloth. Browse the seven cotton bases on our fabric by the metre page, or read the reactive print guide for the full picture from file to fibre. If you’re not sure which option your design wants, talk to our team.
