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How to prepare layered and folded SVG files

A multi-piece SVG is an arranged digital sheet, not a finished assembly. Before changing size or assigning operations, identify every supplied piece and keep the complete design selected so folds, borders, windows, and inset layers remain in proportion.

Select every related piece before scaling

Import the individual design when you need one project rather than the complete pack sheet. Select all pieces belonging to that design before resizing. Uniform scaling preserves the relationship between a base and border, a window and inset, or a silhouette and center panel. Resizing one piece alone changes the intended alignment.

The arranged-sheet dimensions describe the file canvas. Where a pack supplies a modeled assembled size, treat that as separate metadata. For example, each folded place card has a 100 × 90 mm flat bounding box and a modeled 100 × 45 mm folded face. Do not substitute one measurement for the other.

  1. Import the individual SVG or identify every related group on the full sheet.
  2. Select all related pieces and lock the aspect ratio.
  3. Enter one target dimension and confirm the other changes proportionally.
  4. Keep a copy at the supplied size for reference.

Assign cut and fold lines deliberately

Filled closed paths are supplied as contours. Dashed open paths are fold guides. The SVG separates those structures but does not assign a machine operation automatically. In your application, identify the fold-guide group and assign the appropriate score or fold operation if your workflow supports one, or remove the guide before cutting. Never leave the dashed guide set as a full cut by accident.

In the folded place card set, the guide runs horizontally at y=45 mm across the 100 × 90 mm flat design. Fold on that center line after preserving the full design scale. The cable-tag flags and belly bands also include fold guides, but their positions are project-specific; use the pack description rather than assuming every dashed line is centered.

Keep layer order and alignment visible

For the circle card, the opening is 65 mm across and the supplied decorative inset is 57 mm across, leaving a 4 mm radial gap when centered. The inset sits inside the opening as a decorative piece; it is not a backing and cannot bridge the opening by itself. If the project needs the inset supported from behind, add a separately sourced backing larger than the opening or use another bridge design appropriate to your project. Keep the card front, inset, and any reader-added support at uniform scale when resizing.

For round and tall pumpkins, place the separate oval center panel over the matching silhouette and align it on the center axis; the stem remains its own supplied piece. The stacked pumpkin trio contains three overlapping silhouettes named top, middle, and bottom. Keep them separate for a layered stack, or choose a weld operation only when you intentionally want one silhouette. Welding changes the editable structure, so save a copy first.

Layered pantry labels, storage labels, ornaments, and botanical designs similarly pair a base with an optional border or inset. Align at the supplied size before making aesthetic offsets. Select all related pieces for later scaling so inset gaps remain proportional.

Treat a belly band as a perimeter problem

The supplied belly-band examples use a 180 × 24 mm straight band with fold guides at x=40, 70, 110, and 140 mm. Plaque versions add a separate 46 × 42 mm front piece. The straight length is an example, not a universal box fit. Measure the box perimeter, choose overlap and clearance, and use the belly-band calculator before editing the extension.

When length changes, preserve the decorative front or plaque at its chosen scale and alter only the straight extension that wraps the box. Recheck the fold positions for the measured box rather than retaining the example positions blindly. Keep the plaque centered on the intended front panel in the digital layout.

Calculate a belly-band length →

Run a final digital operation check

Before output, inspect every group and make a short operation list: closed contours to cut, open dashed guides to score or remove, and separate layers to align or stack. Confirm that Select All covers the intended design without distant sheet pieces. Check file-canvas and modeled assembled dimensions under their correct labels.

Review native-application operation assignments before output; material settings depend on your setup.

See the folded place card pieces →

See the card window and inset pairs →

See the belly-band examples →

See the pumpkin layer groups →

Design references

References checked September 7, 2026.