Design one small tile and ShoutCreate repeats it forever — for fabric, wrapping paper, wallpaper, packaging and print-on-demand. You'll learn every repeat type, the live ghost preview, colourways and print-ready export.
The big idea A pattern is one square tile that repeats edge-to-edge. Make the tile seamless — so its edges line up with the next copy — and it tiles forever with no visible joins. ShoutCreate handles the maths; you just design the tile.
0101 · STEP
How a repeat tile works
Open the Pattern tools in ShoutCreate. You design inside a single tile, and the studio shows the repeat live around it.
Start a tile. Pick a tile size — 600 × 600 is a friendly start. Square tiles are easiest to repeat.
Know the edges. Anything that touches the right edge reappears on the left; the top reappears on the bottom. That wrap-around is what makes it seamless.
Turn on the repeat preview so you can see the tile multiplied as you work (more on this in Step 4).
Two safe approaches Either keep your motifs well inside the tile (nothing crosses the edge) for a simple spaced pattern, or deliberately let shapes run off one edge knowing they'll wrap onto the opposite side for a denser, continuous look.
0202 · STEP
Draw your motif
A motif is the repeating element — a flower, a dot, a leaf, a logo. Keep the first one simple.
Place a main motif near the centre of the tile. Use the shape and pen tools, or drop in a piece of your artwork.
Keep it on its own layer so you can recolour and reposition it freely later.
Add one or two smaller motifs (a dot, a small leaf) — you'll use these to fill gaps once the repeat is on.
Scale for the end use Tiny tossed motifs suit fabric and wrap; bolder, larger motifs suit feature wallpaper. You can resize the whole pattern at export, so design at a comfortable size now.
0303 · STEP
Choose a repeat
The repeat type controls how each tile is offset from its neighbours. ShoutCreate gives you four — switch between them live and watch the feel change instantly.
Grid
Straight rows & columns
Half-drop
Columns drop 50%
Brick
Rows shift 50%
Mirror
Flips each repeat
When to use which:
Repeat
Feel
Great for
Grid
Orderly, geometric
Polka dots, checks, logos, tech prints
Half-drop
Natural, flowing — hides the grid
Florals, leaves, most fabric prints
Brick
Relaxed, staggered
Scales, tiles, masonry, foliage
Mirror
Symmetrical, kaleidoscopic
Damask, ornamental, bold feature walls
Pro move Half-drop is the designer's secret for florals — offsetting alternate columns by half breaks up the obvious rows and makes a pattern feel hand-arranged.
0404 · STEP
The ghost preview
The ghost preview shows faint copies of the neighbouring tiles around your working tile — so you can see the repeat as you design, not after.
Turn on the ghost preview. Your tile stays crisp in the middle; the repeats appear softly around it.
Watch the joins. Drag a motif toward an edge — its ghost appears on the opposite side. Position it so the two halves meet cleanly.
Spot the “tram-lines.” If your eye is drawn to obvious diagonal rows or gaps, that's the repeat showing through — fix it in the next step.
0505 · STEP
Balance & fill the gaps
A good repeat reads as even — no big empty holes, no clumps, no obvious lines. This is where the small motifs earn their keep.
Find the gaps. With the ghost preview on, look for empty areas between the main motifs.
Drop in fillers. Scatter your small motifs (dots, leaves) into the gaps. Vary their rotation and size so it looks natural, not stamped.
Break the lines. If you see diagonal tram-lines, nudge or rotate a motif, or switch to Half-drop to scatter the rhythm.
Squint test. Step back (or zoom out) and half-close your eyes — the pattern should look like an even texture with no hot-spots.
Watch the edges Keep checking that anything crossing an edge still lines up after you move things — the ghost preview shows it instantly.
0606 · STEP
Colourways
One pattern, several colour schemes — a "colourway" — is how patterns are sold and merchandised.
Set a palette. Choose 3–5 colours that work together. Because motifs are on layers, you can recolour each part quickly.
Make variations. Duplicate the pattern and try a light ground, a dark ground, and a bright/seasonal version.
Mind contrast. Keep enough contrast between motif and background so the pattern reads from a distance.
Sell the set A motif offered in 3–4 colourways looks like a collection and is far more sellable than a single colour.
0707 · STEP
Export & print
Export the seamless tile. Save the single tile as a PNG — this is the file print services and POD platforms repeat for you.
Export a print PDF. For physical printing, export a tiled PDF up to A0 — large-format ready for fabric, wallpaper or wrap.
Use it. Upload to a fabric/POD service (Spoonflower, Contrado, Printify…), wrap it onto a product in the 3D Studio, or set it as a background in your designs.