Question No room for cut marks on most boards, Workaround suggestions?

[Terrance the Deuce]

Most boards are 48x96. The majority of board orders we get are 24" x something (24x18, 24x36, 24x24, 24x48, 48x48, etc..) To maximize usage, most full sheets are printed edge to edge, which leaves no room for the automatically added (onyx) registration marks for our Colex table. Apart from printing on precut pieces, does anyone have a clever solution for this? The only solution I've come up with so far is creating a few premade full sheet cut files with the standard sizes and 4 corner dots. We printed out 1"x48" strips with the dots and lay them at the edges of the print on top of the sheet. We send the cut, it reads the dots, pause, remove the dot strips, and let it cut. It's a clunky solution and I'm wondering if anyone else has run into this and has a workaround. Widespread availability of 50x98 sheets would be my best solution, but that's not happening.

 

[balstestrat]

I think Summa can position XY based on the edges of the board but not sure if Colex can do that.

 

[Nate1n22]

All of our styrene is 50x99. Anything else we push to undersize them so we can get the registration dots on there

 

[White Haus]

We've been running into the same issue, and recently looked into oversized sheets of 4mm coroplast for this exact reason.

Was actually pretty quick/easy/affordable to get pricing from our supplier for custom Coroplast brand sheets. MOQ wasn't bad either.

As for other materials, do you have the option to send down a cut only file to your Colex without marks? Less clunky, but also not 100% accurate depending on your bed size and if it needs to move the sheet on the belt.

I created a simple cut file for 24" x 24" signs with just a grid, so you're not duplicating cuts and you're using the factory edges of the sheet.

 

[Maxz3241]

I usually make a working space of 48 x 96 is in Optiscott then under tools there is an option "Set Register marks". Video marks are placed in the corners of the working space, and this gives me a pho edge detect where a quarter of the video mark is on the board. I do a manual detect on the 4 the corners of the board. I never liked the edge detect for Colex

 

[greysquirrel]

Colex can recognize edges of board…do some digging in the manual for set up.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

I do what Nate does.. undersize them a tiny amount and usually no one objects to 23.75" instead of 24"

 

[James Burke]

I do what Nate does.. undersize them a tiny amount and usually no one objects to 23.75" instead of 24"

Yes....this /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\. You can still cut them to the correct size, but maintain your print area to the aforementioned.

JB

 

[CanuckSigns]

We've been running into the same issue, and recently looked into oversized sheets of 4mm coroplast for this exact reason.

Was actually pretty quick/easy/affordable to get pricing from our supplier for custom Coroplast brand sheets. MOQ wasn't bad either.

As for other materials, do you have the option to send down a cut only file to your Colex without marks? Less clunky, but also not 100% accurate depending on your bed size and if it needs to move the sheet on the belt.

I created a simple cut file for 24" x 24" signs with just a grid, so you're not duplicating cuts and you're using the factory edges of the sheet.

EM plastics has 50"x100" sheets of 4mm coro in stock for around $14/sheet, no minimums.

 

[White Haus]

EM plastics has 50"x100" sheets of 4mm coro in stock for around $14/sheet, no minimums.

Thanks Scott, I'll look into this. 100" might be too wide for our flatbed but will do some investigating.

We were quoted a similar price for custom 97" x 49" (or whatever size we want) sheets, MOQ 160 sheets and comes on a nice sealed skid.

Our flatbed is super finicky when it comes to coroplast and printing on sheets that have been handled.

 

[darinmcd]

Most boards are 48x96. The majority of board orders we get are 24" x something (24x18, 24x36, 24x24, 24x48, 48x48, etc..) To maximize usage, most full sheets are printed edge to edge, which leaves no room for the automatically added (onyx) registration marks for our Colex table. Apart from printing on precut pieces, does anyone have a clever solution for this? The only solution I've come up with so far is creating a few premade full sheet cut files with the standard sizes and 4 corner dots. We printed out 1"x48" strips with the dots and lay them at the edges of the print on top of the sheet. We send the cut, it reads the dots, pause, remove the dot strips, and let it cut. It's a clunky solution and I'm wondering if anyone else has run into this and has a workaround. Widespread availability of 50x98 sheets would be my best solution, but that's not happening.

I'm running Onyx & Procut. I've made a separate cut file for sheets like this. Print on whatever substrate, line up on our Zund and give it a reference point

 

[Grizzly]

I have presets setup in Onyx that can put dots only the the top and bottom and left and right that helps maximize sheet size.
I also use oversized sheets when available like styrene, ACM and PVC.
I also have preset templates for items like 18x24 and 24x36 and send just the print file over without marks and place the files on to of my template on the flatbed.
Depending on the type of flatbed you have you might not be able to do this.