Need Help CutContour does not show up with gradient?

[phototec]

Is there a trick to make the CutContour show up when printing a gradient in a PDF with VersaWorks?

When I load the file in VersWorks for my Roland SP540V, the CutContour does NOT show up.

The gradient was made in Illustrator, how do you the CutContour show up and work?

Do you have to do something to the gradient to make it work?

Thanks for any help.

 

[C5 Service&Repair]

screen shot. what youre saying isnt very clear....

 

[SignMeUpGraphics]

 

[Gino]

Send a second file to do the cutting. Return to origin.

 

[Modern Ink Signs]

Not familiar with Rolands but do you have your cut contour path on a separate layer?

We design in Illustrator and artwork is on separate layer(s) from our cut layer. Using Onyx we change the color from a process color to a spot color (using color pallet options) No problems

 

[phototec]

Send a second file to do the cutting. Return to origin.

Gino, the job is to be laminated, so I have to take it out of the printer and let it out-gas 254 hours, print other jobs and then the next day after laminating put it back in the printer/cuter, let it find the registrations marks and contour cut. It works fine for everything except any PDF which includes a gradient (transparency) from illustrator.

I was just wondering how others handle this?

My work-a-round was to open the AI file in Photoshop and make a flattened TIFF file and then place the CutContour file in the top layer (and yes I use the proper layer name and Roland color for the CutContour layer. The thing I don't like is I lose the Roland Color System Library vector colors doing this.

 

[phototec]

screen shot. what youre saying isnt very clear....

See the video posted by SignMeUpGraphics below, it shows the issue and most importantly how to resolve it.

When converting the Illustrator file to PDF, you have to select a specific type of PDF (1.3) and make sure to unselect "Convert All Strokes To Cutlines".

I know there should be a way to be able to print gradients and transparencies as well as coutContours in Versaworks.

A BIG shout out to SignMeUpGraphics for adding the video.

 

[phototec]

A Big THANK YOU, this video showed the exact problem I was having and how to fix it. I have experienced this problem for many years, I was using a later version of PDF, you have to use an older version.

 

[SignMeUpGraphics]

If you can upgrade to VersaWorks 6, apparently this has been finally fixed but we had these issues all the way back in 2011 when we bought our VS-540.
We recently upgraded to a new machine and went with Onyx, so haven't had to deal with this for a while thankfully.
Happy to be of help... I knew it'd be the solution. So many people in the same boat.

 

[Jay Grooms]

I always just save the file as an eps and it works. I've never had solid luck with cut files in a pdf. sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.