The tiling feature is available starting from PrimeCenter V3.2.

With PrimeCenter, you can cut large-format files into several pieces, making it easier to print and install to cover walls or windows.

This article provides a detailed, step-by-step guide on using the tiling feature to divide an image into several pieces.

You may be interested in facade covering application.

 

Accessing the Tiling tab

 

 

Importing an image file

To start a new tiling project, import an image by clicking the Import button.

 

File Editor | Tiling interface

 

File properties

When you import a file, you will see the file properties, including the file name, format, and original dimensions.

 

Tiling project

• When you start a tiling project, all your settings are saved if you exit and reopen PrimeCenter.
• The Reset button allows you to reset all parameters to their defaults, except for the annotations template, file name template of the exported tiles, and the output folder.

 

Configuring your project

Define total size

Once the file is imported, define the total size of your project by setting the dimensions of the surface you need to cover.

Use the link icon to maintain or remove the aspect ratio of the image for precise adjustments.

 

Setting up the grid

Define the number of rows and columns based on your technical requirements and installation constraints.

 

Resizing tiles

Resizing modes

You can resize tiles using two modes:

• Resize tile: Resize only the chosen tile.
• Resize column/row: Resize the corresponding row or column.

 

Resizing behavior

• Starting point: Resizing always starts from the top-left corner. Therefore, you cannot resize tiles in the last column on the right or the last row at the bottom.

    Recommendation

  Configure your tiling project from top to bottom and left to right to avoid issues with the last column and row.

• Minimum size: The minimum size for tiles is 2% of the total width and height. For example, if the total width is 1000 mm, the minimum width for a tile will be 20 mm.
• Accordion effect: Resizing works like an accordion: enlarging a tile pushes adjacent tiles until they reach their minimum size. If resizing a tile causes the last tile to shrink below the minimum size, the action will be blocked, an error will be displayed and the title will keep its previous size.

 

Print size

This information is available starting from PrimeCenter V3.4.

The print size represents the size of the tile, plus the overlap area. It corresponds to the final size of the printed media. This value is not editable and is automatically calculated based on the tile size and the overlap size.

Tile size = visible part	Print size = tile size + overlaps

 

Adding overlap

Overlap ensures there are no gaps when placing the tiles. White overlap can also save ink by enlarging the sticking surface.

1. Select the tiles where you want to add overlap and click the   button.
2. Define the size of the overlap and select the edges where it should be placed.

 

Adding annotations

Annotations help installers place the tiles correctly.

• Template: Define the template with text and automatic increment of rows and columns.
• Color: Change the font color to avoid readability issues when the background color is too similar to the font color.

    Tips & tricks

  Use the color picker to match colors from the image.

• Opacity: Adjust the opacity to make the annotations readable but not too obtrusive.

 

Annotation specifications

• Text height: 25 mm
• By default, annotations are placed in the bottom-left corner of the tiles.
• A 5 mm margin is maintained between the annotation and the edge of the printed tile.

 

Automatic placement of annotations in the overlap area

This feature is available starting from PrimeCenter V3.4.

When overlap is added to the bottom and/or left side of a tile, annotations are automatically positioned in the overlap area. This ensures they remain hidden once the tiles are installed.

Examples

No overlap	Overlap and white overlap on bottom and left sides

 

Bottom overlap only	Left overlap only

 

Preview your project

All your actions are directly previewed in the Studio, with changes displayed in real-time.

• Tile resizing: Adjustments are instantly reflected in the Studio.
• Annotations
• Overlap
  • Printed overlap is visualized as a pink area
  • White overlap is visualized as a white area.

If you want to view only the image without added elements, you can toggle the display of annotations and overlaps using the   Show/Hide elements menu, located in the bottom bar of the Studio.

 

Exporting tiles

Once satisfied with your configuration, you can export the tiles as individual files. Click Export to open the export options.

 

File name template

Define the template for the generated tiles using text and metadata.

 

Available metadata

Information

• InputFileName: Retrieves the name of the imported file.

Tile identification

• TileAnnotation: Retrieves the annotation template.
• TileNumber: Automatically numbers tiles from top-left to bottom-right.

Versioning

• Timestamp: Differentiates versions if you make multiple exports with the same input file. The format is: YYYYMMDD_HHmmss.

 

Export to

Select the folder where you want to export the tiles.

Finally, click Export to export the tiles.

 

You can then import them into the Layout Creator tab to include them in a recipe to add bleed, apply nesting, add crop marks, and cut marks.

 

⚠️ Cut contours and bleed

If your file contains cut contours, they are kept. However, if the contour spans across multiple tiles, it will be open and cannot be recognized and used by PrimeCenter.

This means that if your file has a contour surrounding the image intended to generate bleed, it will no longer function as expected due to the image being split across several tiles.

To add bleed to your tiles, we recommend using the Print Bleed module with the Canvas type, as the bleed is based on the file's frame, as opposed to the Shape type which is based on selecting a contour, which no longer exists after tiling.

 

Exporting an assembly guide

This feature is available starting from PrimeCenter V3.4.

The assembly guide is designed for tile installers and provides essential information about the final project and details on each tile.

This feature is located in the same location as the tile export settings:

1. Click Export to open the export options.
2. Enable Generate an assembly guide option.
3. Select the desired guide format: A4 or Letter.
4. Choose the output folder where the guide will be saved.

 

 

Content

The guide contains the following information:

• Overview of the final design:
  • The processed file name
  • The final project size
  • The total number of tiles
• Preview of each tile, including:

Tile details: Tile name (based on annotation or tile number, depending on whether annotations are used) Tile number and the total number of tiles Tile size

Overlap details (if applicable): Type of overlap (printed or white) Size Position

Here is an example of a generated assembly guide: Assembly guide.pdf