How Do YOU Weed Text Inside a Border?

[David40]

This is a problem I have not found a solution to. If I create a sign with text inside a border, and then add weed lines, those weed lines will not extent to the text inside the border rendering them useless. Does anyone have a trick or tip for adding weed lines inside a border?
I'm using Flexi 10.5

Thanks

 

[John Butto]

exacto knife

 

[David40]

LOL!! Always a comedian in the crowd. Yes, that is the tedious, time wasting chore I was hoping to somehow eliminate.
You would think that these high end software programs that cost four thousand dollars would have come up with a weeding tool for adding custom weed lines.

 

[Z SIGNS]

Make a few extra clicks and draw your weed lines as part of your plot.

 

[qmr55]

Two options,

1. Use x-acto knife cut the lines yourself post cutting.
2. Z-Signs suggestion and draw the lines as part of your plot.

 

[David40]

If you mean draw in each little line across the spaces between the text that would take longer than using the exacto knife.
I did try an experiment where I placed a line across the text and then moved it behind the text. The cutter ignored the fact the line was behind the text and just cut right through the lettering. I can't believe nobody had figured out a way to do this, or at least some half way efficient work around.
I thought about sending the job to the cutter at two separate jobs, one for the border and one for the text, but the stinking software does not keep the alignment, or at least I have not discovered how to make it so.

 

[John Butto]

I was not trying to be funny, I use SignCut and it has the weeding line that goes between each letter, but by the time all that is being cut and setting up, the exacto will just cut the line below and it is finished to weed that line of copy. It is a faster process believe me.

 

[GAC05]

Set your text
Draw a single line all the way across the line of text with a real small stroke - .001.
On this line "Convert Stroke to Outlines"
Make sure the converted line and text have the same fill color
In the advanced tab of the production manager check the "Auto Weld" button
Flexi will cut the center line right up to the edge of the text and then skip over to the next open space between the letters.

Works in 7 & 8 - should work in 10.

wayne k
guam usa

 

[tsgstl]

With all do respect, clicking one button isn't worth the time. Unless you have a physical disability you should be free handing your own weed border.

 

[David40]

That's interesting I never tried a cut line below. If that works well it would be very easy to quickly insert a line beneath each line of text and let the cutter do it. I'm sure I could add the lines quicker than using the knife. I'll have to try that, thanks.

 

[David40]

Thanks GAC05, I will give that a try.
Time is money, and I suppose if I was just sitting around with nothing better to do, and didn't mind making 3 bucks an hour weeding, I would be happy doing it all by hand. But you can' make a living working like that, or at least I can't. Weeding is probably the most time consuming/wasting task there is. Anything to reduce that wasted time is worth doing.

 

[sinetist]

Flexi is a great program for lots of things but weed lines isn't one of them. I do all my design work in Illustrator and send the cut jobs to SignCutPro which has excellent weed line features ... horizontal, vertical, inside borders, inside text and more.

 

[ChicagoGraphics]

If you knew what you were doing, you wouldnt need any cut lines, weed it in one peice

 

[Tim Aucoin]

With all do respect, clicking one button isn't worth the time. Unless you have a physical disability you should be free handing your own weed border.

Also, with all due respect... I agree with this statement (and John Butto's)! Very quick to freehand once you get practice (and learn a little patience)!

If you knew what you were doing, you wouldnt need any cut lines, weed it in one peice

I also agree with Chicago... I used to have to cut weed lines (and I'll admit... I still do on certain fonts), but as you learn blade pressure and get more practice (and use a good quality vinyl), they become more and more unnecessary!

 

[Mosh]

People still weed? I gave that us years ago!!!! Seriously I have not used a weed boarder in 10-15 years, just weed it in one pull, unless your blade or cutter sucks. I have weeded 1/8" letters without....not anymore I print 99%

 

[qmr55]

If you knew what you were doing, you wouldnt need any cut lines, weed it in one peice

This was my thought exactly.

 

[Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?]

I was not trying to be funny, I use SignCut and it has the weeding line that goes between each letter, but by the time all that is being cut and setting up, the exacto will just cut the line below and it is finished to weed that line of copy. It is a faster process believe me.

We use Sign Cut too. It's simple and affordable and works well with eps files. It doesn't work so well for me with svg files out of Corel Draw though. The weed line feature and step cut feature are great. We can step cut with our Roland GX 24 and I can cut entire 10 yard rolls with no tracking issues at all. If it worked better with svg files I would be really happy.

 

[Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?]

Flexi is a great program for lots of things but weed lines isn't one of them. I do all my design work in Illustrator and send the cut jobs to SignCutPro which has excellent weed line features ... horizontal, vertical, inside borders, inside text and more.

What he said.

 

[FrankW]

LOL!!
You would think that these high end software programs that cost four thousand dollars would have come up with a weeding tool for adding custom weed lines.

Yes they do.

Since Flexi 10.0.3, you could add weed lines inside a border by right-clicking on the area you want to add one in the Cut/Plot-Preview. A popup-appears who asks you if you want to add a horizontal or vertical weed line, select the wanted orientation and a weed line is placed anywhere, inside borders too.

You can add as many weed lines as you want, you can move it manually by dragging it with the mouse, and you can delete it by pointing it with a right-click and select "delete".

Important: if resizing a job in the Cut/Plot-Window, this manual weed lines will be deleted, so resize first.

 

[Jillbeans]

Not to sound like a c*nt but it takes less time with an X-Acto than to diddle around with settings in a program.
Love....Jill