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I have finally joined the 20th century and purchased my first vinyl cutter ( A Graphtec CE5000-60). I'll make it to the 21st century next year. My problem is that I can't figure out how to cut an outline around my lettering. I am working with Coreldraw 11 and cutting directly form that. When I send lettering with an outline from Coreldraw to the cutter the outline doesn't show up there. The convert strokes to outlines button seems to shrink the letter down to allow for the outline. There must be an easy way to do this. Any ideas?
-------------------- Kevin Doehrmann Doehrmann Signs 901 Oak St. Williamsburg, IA 52361 doehrmannsigns@iowatelecom.net Posts: 19 | From: Williamsburg, Iowa | Registered: May 2002
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I have version 8 & 14, a lot more experience with 8. Have you "monkeyed around" with it? That is, try some variables: trim the letters out of the outline. Maybe the outline needs "break apart" or "convert to curves", or, it might have a fill that needs to be removed. Or maybe the outline is too thick, make it hairline. If you don't want to experiment with your original artwork, then copy and paste it onto another page in Corel, and work with it there. Something's got to give.
-------------------- James Donahue Donahue Sign Arts 1851 E. Union Valley Rd. Seymour TN. (865) 577-3365 brushman@nxs.net
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for lunch, Benjamin Franklin Posts: 2057 | From: 1033 W. Union Valley Rd. | Registered: Feb 2003
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Oh wait, before you can trim, I think you need to "separate" the outline from the letter. Sometimes it's a real bear to select the outline, if so, then zoom in, and put your cursor-arrow thing right on the line of the outline.
-------------------- James Donahue Donahue Sign Arts 1851 E. Union Valley Rd. Seymour TN. (865) 577-3365 brushman@nxs.net
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for lunch, Benjamin Franklin Posts: 2057 | From: 1033 W. Union Valley Rd. | Registered: Feb 2003
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If you look at your drawing in coreldraw in the wireframe mode you can see what is sent to the plotter to be cut,....(its under the VIEW menu)
If you want an outline you can control use the contour button on the toolbar,it will bring up a status bar that is interactive and you can add 1 or 100 outlines and or inlines and control the colors and or outline of the outline,...in corel an outline is for print only unless you convert the outline to curves at which point will give you one outline and one inline so it is much simpler to use the contour tool and set it to just one .
-------------------- fly low...timi/NC is, Tim Barrow Barrow Art Signs Winston-Salem,NC Posts: 2224 | From: Winston-Salem,NC,USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Also, if you add the contour outline like Tim says you will need to break it apart to see it in the wireframe view. But I think everyone has given you good advice. If you still are having trouble, give me a call and I can walk you though it.
-------------------- Cody Reich Columbia Signs Posts: 300 | From: Vancouver, WA | Registered: Aug 2007
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Cutting from Corel isn't a problem. We created a template file in Corel which is basically just parallel guide lines corresponding to the widths of the vinyls we use, we then copy/paste the cut elements from the layout file into this template, arrange elements anyway you want to conserve vinyl, and to group by color; then remove fills and add a hairline black outline, (this you can do as one step by selecting all objects). Select items to cut irregardless of where they're positioned within the template, then hit print. Print settings are 'selected items', align print to 'bottom left corner' from layout tab in the print dialog in order to start cutting from the home position.
We're using hpgl print drivers that we downloaded from the graphtec site. In printer properties you can create and save 'paper sizes' that correspond to standard vinyl widths.
As a further note we have made our graphtec cutter a network device simply by using a router with a built in printer port.
We've been cutting this way since Corel 4
[ July 02, 2009, 02:08 PM: Message edited by: Mike O'Neill ]
-------------------- Mike O'Neill
It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value. - Arthur C. Clarke
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