Visit the Tartan DesignerSince the Scotweb free online Tartan Designer was launched, it has been universally lauded for its game-changing facilities and ease of use. It’s the only such DIY tartan design facility in the world that is more than a fun toy, devised from first principles and user-tested to help you design professional quality tartans ready to go straight to the weaver. That’s why it’s the only such facility that lets you order fabrics or garments right from the site. (And it’s still great fun too!)

People were astonished when we released such a sophisticated piece of software, in which we’d invested months of programming time, free-of-charge. After all, it effectively replaced expert services for which previously you’d have paid many large professional fees. But to recoup some of our investment, we initially made it a contractual condition that if you produced a design there you’d ask Scotweb to produce it for you. Fair enough, you’d think.

But now we’ve gone a step further. We’ve removed even that condition, and indeed all restrictions on its use. You can now use the Tartan Designer in any (reasonable) way you like, and have your designs woven wherever and by whoever you wish. If you do so, you’ll retain full copyright, just as if you’d done your design on paper. (And of course if anyone else designs it for you, they own the copyright by law.)

Why have we done this? Well, for one thing we’re confident that our simply unbeatable pricing for woven fabrics means you’ll come to us anyway. Even a single premium quality kilt or corporate uniform made in your own unique design can cost less than a lesser garment in standard stock fabrics elsewhere. That’s the Scotweb way. And for larger volumes prices tumble further. Great news for pipe bands and companies!

But we also know that a few people were uncertain about using the Tartan Designer at all, in case they became locked into a closed system. Well, worry not. You may now use this remarkable tool without restriction. So our hope is that with even more people using the system, we might make enough extra sales to help pay for the business that goes elsewhere. So there’s no catch. No legalities. (And that means we’ve less costly admin to worry about!)

But anyway. It just feels right. We want everyone to have their own tartan, whether or not they ever have it woven. Whether you have Scottish blood or not, displaying our shared identity by wearing a shared tartan is part of our heritage. It’s our joy. It’s our fascination. So please help spread the word!