artwork

[Geneva Olson]

OH EMM GEEE. I got a customer that gave us clean artwork. But the graphic artist who created it, did a really crappy job with it. They created a hexagon out of rectangles instead of just drawing a hexagon. They layered the hexagon twice. so that when you pull apart the image there is a black background behind a green background. I know the printer sees what it sees, but when I try to plot around the images, it wants to cut the squares in the background. How does everyone else deal with an issue like this?

I mean, I charged a set up fee, but holy moly it's like someone took the long way to make a graphic.

 

[Boudica]

OH EMM GEEE. I got a customer that gave us clean artwork. But the graphic artist who created it, did a really crappy job with it. They created a hexagon out of rectangles instead of just drawing a hexagon. They layered the hexagon twice. so that when you pull apart the image there is a black background behind a green background. I know the printer sees what it sees, but when I try to plot around the images, it wants to cut the squares in the background. How does everyone else deal with an issue like this?

I mean, I charged a set up fee, but holy moly it's like someone took the long way to make a graphic.

I make my cut paths in Illy (I don't use Flexi - so I don't use the RIP to find my cut path). Another thing - if the artwork came from a self proclaimed "designer" then I send it back for them to "show me" where they want the cut path - by creating it.

 

[Stacey K]

Can you weld them together so it's one?

 

[Pauly]

Illustrator, make a new layer on top and create cut paths that way.

if this is a rant about artwork. I get "pros" who think they're too good to read our artwork guidelines to put a simple BLEED in their image. just an additional 3mm on every side.
so a 600x800mm is 606x806mm
how hard is that?
/rant

 

[Notarealsignguy]

It's painful to see how some people build files, artwork, whatever you want to call them.

 

[Solventinkjet]

I usually select all objects, copy and paste in front, merge the new objects together into one shape, and then expand in Illustrator. If I need a bleed or white area around the decal, I use the offset path function. This works in most cases but sometimes you might need to tweek it a bit.

 

[myront]

Keep in mind that the artist may not have any experience with creating "cut ready" art. For years I created artwork for print only. I had no idea how the plotting process worked.
p.s. I do now.
Now if we can get these "wanna be" designers to quit dropping a jpg into photoshop and saving as as pdf thinking that's how you make a vector version.

 

[Aardvark Printing]

Do you have and can open it in Illustrator? Pathfinder should be able to merge the rectangles and outline them.

 

[AndersHerp]

I find that opening files created in a different software have a tendency to do what you described some times. For example I use CorelDRAW, and if I open an .ai file it will do similar things. Sometimes I've even opened .eps files that do the same thing. Just something I have got use to working through I guess.

 

[Geneva Olson]

Can you weld them together so it's one?

When I welded them together it would turn everything all one color (black).

 

[Geneva Olson]

Do you have and can open it in Illustrator? Pathfinder should be able to merge the rectangles and outline them.

we use corel draw. if you have a short cut for that I would take it.
I actually put a contour around the octagons for them to be cut around.

 

[Stacey K]

we use corel draw. if you have a short cut for that I would take it.
I actually put a contour around the octagons for them to be cut around.

If you want to send it to me I can weld it in FLEXI and save it...or at least try

 

[Scotchbrite]

When I welded them together it would turn everything all one color (black).

In Flexi, I would make that black object have no fill and only use it for the contour cut line with the original artwork layered over it.

 

[Geneva Olson]

In Flexi, I would make that black object have no fill and only use it for the contour cut line with the original artwork layered over it.

that rectangle fell outside the graphic. It was hidden until i tried to put a contour cut line around it in flexi.

 

[Scotchbrite]

If I get really desperate, I open the file in Photoshop. I save one copy of the file as a flattened image and then make a second copy that has the areas I where I want the cut line to follow as single black object. Then I use the black copy to create a vector to mask the full color copy with and also make the contour cut line.

I've found that when Flexi just can't properly interpret a file, Photoshop usually gets it right. Especially if there are a lot of gradients and blurs/shadows.