Printing on clear static cling

[JY_Designs_919]

We are having issues trying to figure out how to print our customer's graphic on clear static cling. The customer's image is a full color png, but we have to change some of the text in the image using a data merge in InDesign. So, we're trying to figure out how to execute this. I've created a file/template using Illustrator with the primer layer and then copied it into InDesign for the data merge. We've even tried doing a knockout of the text with the data merge, but Onyx is not detecting the cut lines or perf lines. So far the only process that has worked, is exporting each as a jpg/png out of InDesign and back into Illustrator as a solid image...but we're printing over 6,000 of these, so setting them up individually isn't really an option.

Would certainly appreciate some feedback or suggestions! Thanks!

 

[unclebun]

If you were using Corel Draw, it would be easy....the data merge could be done there. Does Illustrator not do data merges?

 

[JY_Designs_919]

If you were using Corel Draw, it would be easy....the data merge could be done there. Does Illustrator not do data merges?

It does, but it's much easier to use InDesign unfortunately. Plus all the CSV files are already setup to use with InDesign.

 

[bannertime]

Would you need to have InDesign export the image as a PDF to include the CutContour spot color that Onyx will recognize?

 

[iPrintStuff]

I take it you’re exporting the indesign file as a PDF? Or eps? Both should work fine.

so the steps are;

1, drop artwork into indesign (are you stepping these up here or using onyx?)
2, drop data merge placeholder and cut/perf lines (saved as specific spot colours etc)
3, merge (single or multiple per page, see question on #1)
4, export document to PDF then use in onyx?

If all the png’s are the same size, you could merge it as individual files in indesign. Export to PDF, then just drop a PDF watermark of the cut line in acrobat. Weird that it’s not working straight from indesign.

before we got onyx I had a folder of different sized templates with cutcontour lines set up that I could just watermark over any customer supplied PDF’s then use that in rasterlink.

 

[JY_Designs_919]

Would you need to have InDesign export the image as a PDF to include the CutContour spot color that Onyx will recognize?

Yeah, we have the CutContour and Perf lines in there, but Onyx doesn't want to recognize them for some reason. And, with static clings on clear it's extra tricky having to lay down a primer first, and then somehow
only put 1 layer of color on top of that with png artwork and data merge text on top of it. Which, I know we can knockout the text, but still not sure if will produce a printable PDF for Onyx. It's giving me all kinds of
headaches trying to figure this one out.

 

[bannertime]

Well, I'm not familiar with InDesign CSV files but it may be worth it to recreate the CSV to work in Illustrator. Shouldn't be that difficult. Especially if it's just text.

 

[greysquirrel]

to y knowledge only photoshop and illustrator can be used for setting up cutcontour layers....if you are using onyx...use layout tab in lieu of job editor and you can set up variable data if all of your test is in csv form

 

[iPrintStuff]

to y knowledge only photoshop and illustrator can be used for setting up cutcontour layers....if you are using onyx...use layout tab in lieu of job editor and you can set up variable data if all of your test is in csv form

we use indesign for this application all the time. Agree with onyx job editor also but I’ve never tried it so can’t vouch one way or the other