Circle- Decal Cutting problem

[morty87]

Hello, I am trying to do a circle both print and cut. When I print using my mutoh 1624 the edge seems really good and clean but when i go to cut them using the kona 1400 the edges are no longer smooth and the cutter "stutter steps" while cutting it. So it takes a lot longer for it to cut and its not as clean as it should be, or rather as i hope it would be. Anyone have this issue and if so how do I fix it? I use flexi 12.

Thank you

 

[ChicagoGraphics]

Check to make sure your cutting strip on your plotter is not all gouged up.

 

[morty87]

Check to make sure your cutting strip on your plotter is not all gouged up.

Hello, no i can actually see the edges on the vector an they are all jagged. Just not sure how to make them smooth. I'm sure there must be some sort of setting either in flexi or photoshop. Thanks though

 

[Fred Weiss]

Assuming it is a true circle but with too many nodes, try selecting the circle and then click on Arrange > Convert to Shape > Circle. Next click on Arrange > Convert to Outlines. This will convert it to a four node perfect circle. Then see if the cutting is improved and that it is lined up well enough with the print..

 

[morty87]

Assuming it is a true circle but with too many nodes, try selecting the circle and then click on Arrange > Convert to Shape > Circle. Next click on Arrange > Convert to Outlines. This will convert it to a four node perfect circle. Then see if the cutting is improved and that it is lined up well enough with the print..

Hello, thank you for the reply. I tried your instructions but it is still giving me the jagged sections. I have uploaded the image in case u can see something i am missing. Sorry about the reflection from pc screen

 

[Fred Weiss]

Insomuch as that is a four node oval, one must rule out your data as the problem. Also, it's not likely to be your software either. What happens when you send a different job to cut on the plotter? If the problem is the plotter, then it should show up with different jobs.

 

[morty87]

Insomuch as that is a four node oval, one must rule out your data as the problem. Also, it's not likely to be your software either. What happens when you send a different job to cut on the plotter? If the problem is the plotter, then it should show up with different jobs.

I'm going to have to recheck everything. Thank you for your help and time.

 

[bob]

Hello, thank you for the reply. I tried your instructions but it is still giving me the jagged sections. I have uploaded the image in case u can see something i am missing. Sorry about the reflection from pc screen

That's not necessarily a 4 node oval. What you show are just the eight object control nodes, not the actual nodes on the path. You need to select the object for path editing and see how many nodes it has. Be sure you're sending actual arcs and not a series of straight lines. Then, if you are sending 4 arcs, make sure your plotter is set to do arcs and not converting arcs to straight-line segments. Back in the dim recesses of what passes for my mind I seem to remember just such a setting on my Graphtec. Your mileage may vary.

 

[morty87]

That's not necessarily a 4 node oval. What you show are just the eight object control nodes, not the actual nodes on the path. You need to select the object for path editing and see how many nodes it has. Be sure you're sending actual arcs and not a series of straight lines. Then, if you are sending 4 arcs, make sure your plotter is set to do arcs and not converting arcs to straight-line segments. Back in the dim recesses of what passes for my mind I seem to remember just such a setting on my Graphtec. Your mileage may vary.

I guess I'm getting confused because when using flexi and I make it into a vector I can actually see the flat spots/jagged edge on the circle. Even after i do the image as circle etc, there is still edges. I am not a designer so I don't know if there should have been something setup in photoshop? It was saved an sent to me as a .pdf. Maybe something got changed when i dropped pdf into flexi? I'm not sure.

 

[bob]

I guess I'm getting confused because when using flexi and I make it into a vector I can actually see the flat spots/jagged edge on the circle. Even after i do the image as circle etc, there is still edges. I am not a designer so I don't know if there should have been something setup in photoshop? It was saved an sent to me as a .pdf. Maybe something got changed when i dropped pdf into flexi? I'm not sure.

Making something into a vector does not necessarily preserve any arcs. Some objects end up with a bazillion nodes. Select the object, select the Select Point tool from the Path Edit toolbar. Then click on any portion of the path and it should show you all of the nodes. Sometimes Flexi can be cantankerous and you have to select the entire object with the selection box. This can be annoying because it tends to select any nodes on any object within the selection box. Whatever. What you should see are tiny little boxes at each node. See what you have and clean it up as necessary. Or, if it's a regular oval, do Arrange->Convert To Object->Oval. Or any other suitable regular shape.

 

[unclebun]

I guess I'm getting confused because when using flexi and I make it into a vector I can actually see the flat spots/jagged edge on the circle. Even after i do the image as circle etc, there is still edges. I am not a designer so I don't know if there should have been something setup in photoshop? It was saved an sent to me as a .pdf. Maybe something got changed when i dropped pdf into flexi? I'm not sure.

The answer is in here: "...if there should have been something setup in photoshop". If the original file was created in Photoshop, it is a raster image. The stepped (jagged) curve you see in the ellipse is because that's how raster files approximate curves. The image is made of square pixels. The cut line was created from that raster curve, so it shows the pixelization (stairstepping). If you want a smooth curve, rather than having Flexi "make it into a vector", you will need to draw an ellipse the right size using the ellipse tool, and place it over the Photoshop image as a cutline.