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Cutting Master cutting twice?

GoodPeopleFlags

New Member
I've printed 100 decals, 2 color, a simple circle graphic in red and a word in black. The customer doesn't want a rectangle background so we're contour cutting the whole thing. That's not the problem. The problem is, I've just started to cut them and noticed that it was starting to cut it twice, right over the top of the first cut. If it cut everything once then went back to cut it again, that would be fine; I could just stop the plotter at that point. But it's going through and cutting all the A's first, then all the R's, etc. Then it's repeating some letters before it's finished with the first cut on all of the letters. It's only a 6 letter word but this is taking forever! Luckily I didn't print all 100 at once; I have them in smaller sections, so I hope to figure this out before I have to get them all cut.

In Gerber Omega, there was a "sequence plot" option that would cut everything in order. Is there anything in Cutting Master like that?

I've looked at the file and there aren't 2 cutlines on top of each other. I do have a stroke on it to fill in any gaps in case the registration got off a little.

I'm cutting from Illustrator.
 

ionsigns

New Member
Happens sometimes with EPS or AI imports in various software.

I set contour preview to wireframe, click on contour and DELETE.

If the contour is still there you had multiple paths sitting on top of each other.
The software sees all and cuts twice. Let me know it this is a fix.
 
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phototec

New Member
Happens sometimes with EPS or AI imports in various software.

I set contour preview to wireframe, click on coutour and DELETE.

If the contour is still there you had multiple paths sitting on top of each other.
The software sees all and cuts twice. Let me know it this is a fix.


+1

Yep, the only time it has happened to me, this was the fix!:goodpost:
 

GoodPeopleFlags

New Member
I don't see where you guys are talking about this: "set contour preview to wireframe, click on coutour and DELETE"

In Illy? There's nothing like that in Cutting Master. Or Illy either as far as I can find. I used to use Flexi and Corel a long time ago and that sounds like something from that.

I promise I don't have 2 lines on top of each other. I have triple checked that.

I didn't import the file; it was created in Illy.

Any ideas on what to do now? I have to leave soon so I'll have to check in later this afternoon. THANK YOU!!!
 

ionsigns

New Member
Yeah, dunno for CUTTING MASTER. Thought there would be some commonality in the software with Corel, Illustrator, Flexi...where paths are displayed in wireframe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMfSCDq2KUY

Graphtec Cutting Master - orientation. Certain that there is an instruction in your the code that is repeating the contour. No other ideas at this point.

[embarrassed]
 

Bill Modzel

New Member
You problem may be that you have the graphic AND the cutting layer visible when you send the cut. I know it shouldn't make any difference but it seems to. Click the eyeball on all layers but the cut layer and give it another try.
 

GoodPeopleFlags

New Member
I just realized it's Cutting Master 2. Don't know if that helps.

I've been using this for over a year so I'm pretty comfortable with it. Since I'm cutting everything that I'm printing, they're on the same layer. In wireframe in Illy, I selected a part (by clicking on it - not dragging over it) and deleted and there isn't another line there. In Cutting Master, it's in wireframe. I zoomed in and everything looks normal. You can choose to cut by layer or by color and since everything is on the same layer and it has 2 colors, I'm cutting by layer. I'm stumped! It has to be "operator error" but I have no clue what I'm doing wrong. Like I said, I've been using it for over a year and never had this problem.
:covereyes:
 

Bill Modzel

New Member
You said that you clicked on a part and deleted it. Which arrow did you use. The solid black arrow would select stacked paths IF they were in the same group. The hollow arrow with the + would only select the top path.

Also, if you've run the merge filter on the object, all of your "inner" paths like the center of the "o" will have a non filled duplicate path underneath the compounded real path.
 

phototec

New Member
Every once in a while I have an Illustrator issue, can't get something to cut correctly. I have found that if you copy only the actual layers you need, paste everything into a NEW file, saved with new name, then it works for some reason.

It somehow gets rid of the gremlins when saved as a new file.

:smile:
 

round man

New Member
This is an inherent problem that has been around since adobe illustrator 3 came out,or even before that,...it seems that illy makes two vectors directly on top of each other when a user adds an outline stroke to a vector illy puts an extra vector directly on top of the existing vector to define the stroke,..it really isn't an issue until you try to use the file in another program and then what looks like one vector is actually two directly on top of each other,..one for the shape and another to define the stroke of the outline,...I wish I had a dollar for every illustrator file I've had to go back into and delete these extra "strokes" and or "outlines" we could all go out and eat a fine steak tonight,...
 

GoodPeopleFlags

New Member
Update: Yep, 2 images on top of each other! I thought I checked throughly, but not well enough obviously! So, I got it fixed. Like Round Man said, it must've happened when I put the stroke on the letters because I sure didn't do anything to add it manually.

Thanks for all the replies, guys!
 

TyrantDesigner

Art! Hot and fresh.
The times I've encountered this has always been an import where I left a hairline stroke and the import created it as a second shape. If no hairline is present and is only a single shape , like others have said ... a cut contour feature might be present.
 
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