Abstract: The present invention relates to a procedure for optimizing the processing of cutting material, such as textiles, leather and technical fabrics and the like, as well as to a device to perform the procedure. The cutting patterns (T1, T2, T3) are first contained in the main memory of a computer (1) and then are selected. The selected patterns are projected on a cutting material on a working surface (AF) in their original size by means of direct laser projection, possibly with different colors, and are also projected on a control panel (4) in a scaled down size. The laser projections of the individual patterns are then interlocked on the cutting material by means of a control unit (5) actuated by an operator (P) positioned next to the cutting material. The patterns are interlocked to optimize use of the cutting material by accounting for the conditions of the cutting material, such as defective spots (F1, F2, F3, F4), and the shape of the cutting material.