A machine readable file is prepared for use in operating a print line that produces a layer or material (11) having a series of panels (15) printed thereon for quilting. The file includes information on the order in which panels are to be quilted, the amount of shrinkage that will occur to a panel during quilting and the amount of crop to be made between the adjacent panels following quilting. Such information is placed, preferably printed, onto the material at the print line. Such information is readable by a sensor (22) at a quilting station, which reads the information and controls a quilter (21) to quilt in accordance with the information. Shrinkage is also compensated for and appropriate crops are made between panels. A printer (14) is in part controlled by information read from the machine readable file, with other of the information from the machine readable file being placed in the records on the material.
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