Pattern Transfer

In most cases when working with glass you will need to take the Pattern and somehow transfer it to the glass to be cut.

There's two major ways of achieving this.

Indirect Transfer

Indirect transfer is where the individual parts are applied to the glass.

Indirect Transfer

Method	Description	Pros	Cons
Part Tracing	Individual parts of the pattern are traced onto the glass.	Parts can easily be reused. Parts can easily be repositioned. Part layout is easily done Only requires a single copy of a part there is multiple of. Nesting similar parts can be done quickly.	Can be slow Requires the parts to be cut out individually. Requires the maker to hold the part in place while tracing. Requires two copies of the pattern.
Part Stickers	Individual parts of the pattern are cut from an adhesive backed material.	Parts can be quickly transferred. Part layout is easily done. Part shapes are easy to follow with the Scoring Tool. The required shape for the part stays in place during the whole process it's required.	Can be more expensive. Limited options if not using a Vinyl Cutter. Parts are generally single use. Parts may deform or tear if they need to be repositioned if not careful. Requires two copies of the pattern, one of them being the stickers. Adhesives sensitive to water will break down during Grinding. Parts made of some sticker materials will break down during Grinding. Every part must be placed onto the glass. Must be scraped or peeled off when no longer needed.
Part Gluing	Individual parts of the patter are cut from some material and then glued in place with easily removable adhesive.	Parts can easily be repositioned before the adhesive used sets. Part layout is easily done. Part shapes are easy to follow with the Scoring Tool. The required shape for the part stays in place during the whole process it's required.	Parts are generally single use. Parts may deform or tear if they need to be repositioned if not careful. Requires two copies of the pattern. Adhesives sensitive to water will break down during Grinding. Parts made of some materials will break down during Grinding. Every part must be placed onto the glass. Must be scraped or peeled off when no longer needed.
Template Scoring	Individual parts have a negative made of them from another material, this is then placed on the glass and the shape is then scored into the glass.	Fastest way to bulk make many of the same part. Shape can't be messed up at all while scoring. Templates have essentially unlimited uses.	Very costly to make. Very time consuming to make. Templates make a single shape at a specific size. Takes up lots of space to store a projects worth of templates. Harder to lay out multiple of the same shape. Not useful for one off or low production projects.

Direct Transfer

Direct Transfer is where the individual parts are not applied to the glass, but rather the whole or partial pattern is used with the glass set on top of it.

Direct Transfer

Method	Description	Pros	Cons
Through Tracing	Glass is directly set on the pattern or project and the part is traced through the glass.	Very fast. Can be done on active projects to match exactly to a required shape. Parts can easily be repositioned. Parts can easily be nested. Positioning of glass shows exactly what the part looks like. Only requires one copy of the pattern.	Requires glass that can easily be seen through. Textures or uneven glass can distort the lines leading to errors. More difficult to get clean accurate lines. Pattern lines need to be well defined and have high contrast.
Lightbox Tracing	The pattern is placed on a Lightbox with the glass set over it and the pattern part is traced through the glass.	Very fast. Can be done on active projects to match exactly to a required shape. Parts can easily be repositioned. Parts can easily be nested. Positioning of glass shows exactly what the part looks like. Only requires one copy of the pattern.	Requires glass that will transmit enough light. Textures or uneven glass can distort the lines leading to errors. More difficult to get clean accurate lines. Pattern lines need to be well defined and not allow light through. Requires a Lightbox that is strong enough.
Direct Scoring	Glass is directly set on the pattern and the part is Scored through the glass.	Very fast. Can be done on active projects to match exactly to a required shape. Parts can easily be repositioned. Parts can easily be nested. Positioning of glass shows exactly what the part looks like. Only requires one copy of the pattern.	Requires glass that can easily be seen through. Textures or uneven glass can distort the lines leading to errors. More difficult to get clean accurate lines. Pattern lines need to be well defined and have high contrast. Requires great accuracy with the Scoring Tool.
Lightbox Scoring	The pattern is placed on a Lightbox with the glass set over it and the pattern part is Scored through the glass.	Very fast. Can be done on active projects to match exactly to a required shape. Parts can easily be repositioned. Parts can easily be nested. Positioning of glass shows exactly what the part looks like. Only requires one copy of the pattern.	Requires glass that will transmit enough light. Textures or uneven glass can distort the lines leading to errors. More difficult to get clean accurate lines. Pattern lines need to be well defined and not allow light through. Requires great accuracy with the Scoring Tool. Requires a Lightbox that is strong enough.