A seam joins two layers of fabric. On the pattern it corresponds to a seam line along which the pieces are put together.
Two edges that get sewn together have to be the same length. On a digitized pattern you can measure that before any fabric is cut, which is harder to do reliably on paper.

Digitize sewing patterns without tracing.
Test PatternScan Pro free for 14 days with the full feature set. You need your smartphone, a printer and one pattern you always wanted digital.