The dreaded double cut issue

[gabagoo]

I set the cut line up in Flexi for about 900 small individual decals and then painstakingly aligned each decal into the cut boxes. Now it is cutting and it cuts the box one way then reverses direction and cuts it the opposite way... to me that sort of indicates the way it would cut something with an outer line and an inner line, but I am examining the print file and I can't break a path or see 2 lines...How is this possible and how does one detect it so it does not happen again?

 

[iPrintStuff]

What file extension are you using? I seen someone converting to EPS that had “convert all strokes to outlines” checked and that was their problem.

I’d probably just suggest PDF anyway

 

[bannertime]

I'm confused by the "aligned each decal into the cut boxes." Did you not just add a contour cut to the decals?

 

[iPrintStuff]

I'm confused by the "aligned each decal into the cut boxes." Did you not just add a contour cut to the decals?

if you’re doing anything painstakingly you’re probably not doing it the right way lol

 

[gabagoo]

OK client has pdf files with multiple pages, but that is not important here... the files are just the graphics with no outer box. I created the box in Flexi and the stepped and repeated the boxes to cover all the decals and then actually aligned each decal up to be centre /centre in each cut box. I am sure there are easier ways but it took about an hour so all good. The cut line I created and then turned the black box into a contour cut and it turned grey as it always does. I have seen cut line cut twice before in the odd job over the years but usually it cuts the box in the same direction twice...this one is cutting clockwise the first time and then counter clockwise the second time. That usually suggests possible stroke data that converted into 2 shapes, an inner and an outer...but I hav examined the cut line in Flexi and I can't ungroup it or break the path which means to me that its good...but apparently not. Reprinting the job again as all the decals were basically cut right through the paper backing.
This time if it does the double cut I am halting and readjusting the cut weight to half....and then let it cut twice.

 

[bannertime]

Ahh, yeah, some times you have to do weird stuff like that. It's probably have taken just as long to setup a batch action in Illustrator or something.

Without having the file, I really don't know. I'd say to go into the Fill/Stroke editor and clear all strokes in the Pencil tab.

 

[iPrintStuff]

For multiple page PDF files I usually just make a contour cut Stroke in a pdf file then use acrobat to set that contour cut pdf as a watermark in the customers PDF. Voila.

That’s only for circles etc though. Onyx has the ability to create a cut line for any job you import quickly and easily so this would just be a case of checking a box lol

 

[rjssigns]

Check the width of the cut line. When I ran WinPlot anything over 0.25pt would tend to cut twice. Maybe Flexi does it intermittently too?

 

[ikarasu]

Is there a transparent image in the file? Such as a PNG? Transparencies cause double cuts... Rips don't like transparencies and It does weird things to them.

 

[Signature Graphix]

I set the cut line up in Flexi for about 900 small individual decals and then painstakingly aligned each decal into the cut boxes. Now it is cutting and it cuts the box one way then reverses direction and cuts it the opposite way... to me that sort of indicates the way it would cut something with an outer line and an inner line, but I am examining the print file and I can't break a path or see 2 lines...How is this possible and how does one detect it so it does not happen again?

I set my cut contour paths in illustrator (CutContour/Spot Color) with a stroke of .0001, once you open the .ai file in flexi and you open up the job properties, navigate to the plot dialogue tab and go down to where it shows your color layers. There should be two layers, one being the image and the other the cutcontour layer. I always change the image color layers default plot to: none. ive found that doing those work arounds eliminates the double kiss. May not have worded this precisely, but im in my first cup of coffee this morning. lol

Another option is to use a FILL instead of stroke on your cuts for basic shapes, boxes, circles, etc.

 

[Brett Groves]

maybe a stupid question but was the pdf imported with a mask?

 

[eahicks]

Sounds like maybe you set the contour cut up correctly, but then maybe the RIP was set to cut a weed border that was .0" off?

 

[gabagoo]

I have never used that option...in fact I have never even seen it lol

reset the cut square...stepped and repeated... deleted old cut and realigned everything grouped to the new cut line... we shall see what happens

 

[gabagoo]

maybe a stupid question but was the pdf imported with a mask?

Yes they were...I did unmask the first layer to seperate all the individual decals but left them masked as individuals. I decided the size of the cut box...if they were masked there is no way it had a cutline identical to the one I created

 

[stxrmxn]

Second what Ikarasu said. But with transparancies the job will cut one way then cut along the same path going in the opposite direction.
Make sure the cut files are actual strokes with one path, it doesnt matter the thickness of the stroke because the rip will cut directly in the centre. Check the stroke has not been outlined. This will cause it to cut then cut again in the same direction but a fraction off the previous cut.
You can check this by selecting your cut path and zooming as far in as you can, with the cut path selected you will see 2 lines very close to one another.
Footnote, once strokes have been outlined (by mistake or otherwise) you cannot change them back. In illustrator anyway.

 

[stxrmxn]

A stroke in illustrator is what flexi will use to determine the cut path so you have fills and strokes but have a specific spot colour name for the stroke like "CutContour". Not sure what they are called in Corel, but yeah i presume it works the same way.

 

[gabagoo]

so with new boxes created for cutlines it worked....has to be a Flexi problem. If you had a double cut would it not make sense that if you delete one box that a second will remain...that was not so, therefore it is a glitch!!!