Contour Cutting with a Laser Pointer, Vinyl Cutter

Contour Cutting

On This Page

•	Print then Cut with a Laser Pointer Vinyl Cutter
•	Contour Cutting - The Step-by-Step Process
•	Set the Laser Pointer Offset
•	Open the Contour Cutting Wizard
•	Step 1. Build Cut-Contours (outline)
•	Set Output Options
•	Select a Printing Device
•	Select a Cutting Device
•	Set Source Options (optional)
•	Set Quantity (optional)
•	Step 2. Print the Artwork
•	Step 3. Cut the Artwork

Contour Cutting with a Laser Pointer, Vinyl Cutter (Contour Cutting Wizard)

Contour Cutting Wizard

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Print then Cut with a Laser Pointer Vinyl Cutter
SignMaster Cut comes with a dedicated Contour Cutting Wizard which has been designed to work with a Desk-top or Large Format Printer and a Laser Pointer Vinyl Cutters.

It is unnecessary to create a Contour Cutline before sending your artwork to the Contour Cutting Wizard as the wizard is designed to undertake this step as well.

Contour Cutting - The Step-by-Step Process
To create a Contour Cutfile around your artwork, print then cut it out - requires you to follow a series of simple steps. Each step must be undertaken in order to proceed to the next step and these are presented in order when using the Contour Cutting Wizard.

These steps are as follows with optional settings:
Step 1. Build Cut-Contours (outline)
Step 2. Print the Artwork
Step 3. Cut the Artwork

Laser Pointer Offset
Some Laser Pointer Vinyl Cutters need to be calibrated i.e. using a simple tool in SignMaster Cut you can work out the offset of the laser pointer to the cutting blade i.e. the position of the Laser Point relative to the cutting blade.

Working with a Laser Pointer Vinyl Cutter and the Contour Cutting Wizard

Do the following

Set the Laser Pointer Offset

To set or adjust a Laser Pointer's offset which can vary from Cutter to Cutter, Open the Vinyl Spooler from the File menu → Cut/Plot → Vinyl Spooler;

Click on the Connection tab → Setup Device and the Device Setup tab will come up (click on this);

Click Laser Offset and follow the instructions.

If it is not already, switch Use Laser to On from the Units options in the Device Settings which you can access from the Settings menu in the Vinyl Spooler or press F2.

Open the Contour Cutting Wizard

In SignMaster Cut click on the Pick tool

Click on the Object or Objects that you wish to Contour Cut (outline);

From the top toolbar, click on Contour Cutting Wizard (as shown directly above) and Contour Cutting Wizard will open.

Check Manual to use the Laser Pointer.

You can also click on the File menu → Contour Cutting → Contour Cutting Wizard.

Step 1. Build Cut-Contours (outline)

Click Build (as shown directly above) and the Create Cut-Contour module will open;

Create a Contour Cutline as explained here: Create a Contour Cutline (outline);

Once the Contour Cutline has been built, go through the view modes (as shown directly above) to check the Contour Cutline has been satisfactorily created;

Proceed to Set Output Options (next).

Set Output Options

This includes several small and related steps with some being optional, as follows:

Select a Printing Device

Select which Printing Device (method) you wish to use to print the artwork out, outlined as follows:
The contour cutline will be cut out after the artwork has been printed.

	Print Direct	Sends the artwork (with the registration marks) to the selected Printer from the Dropdown list i.e. via a Windows printer driver (suitable for desk-top printing).
		- Click Properties to adjust your Printer's settings

	Print PDF	Sends the artwork (with the registration marks) to Adobe® Reader® and brings up the Print dialog.

	Save Image	Saves the artwork as a high-resolution .tif image which can be imported into another program to print out the artwork.

	Save PDF	Publishes the artwork to a PDF file. The PDF file is normally used by another program to print out the artwork or Adobe® Reader®.



		- To adjust the PDF Output click on the PDF Options tab (as shown directly above);



		- Preserve Spot Colors sets any Spot Colors within the artwork to retain the color's detailed information within the PDF file.
		- Convert vectors to CMYK sets any vectors within the artwork to be represented in CMYK within the PDF file.
		- Quality Settings are used to set the level of detail to retain or to set the file size on disc smaller.

Select a Cutting Device

Select the Vinyl Cutter you wish to use;

If required, click Spooler to adjust your Cutter's Settings in the Vinyl Spooler e.g. Blade Compensation or to Switch the Laser option to On, see tip directly below.

Switch Use Laser to On from the Units options in the Device Settings which you can access from the Settings menu in the Vinyl Spooler or press F2.

Auto Detect Marks will only be available for Vinyl Cutters with built-in Automatic Registration Mark Sensing (ARMS).

Set Source Options (optional)

The Source Options (as shown directly above) refer to the artwork and are optional, explained as follows:

	Selected Objects	when checked sets the Objects that were selected in the designing area to be Contour Cut, all other artwork is ignored.
	Clip to Page	when checked sets the boundary of the the page's border from the designing area as the artwork's extent.
	Include Full Bounds	when checked sets all of the artwork to be included in cutfile (including any masked areas).
	Tiled Copies	when checked brings up the quantity settings (see below).

	Mark Position	sets the distance the marks are set away from the artwork. Note: setting this to less than 1 inch or 25mm may cause the artwork to intersect the marks and spoil the artwork.
	Full Width	when checked sets the marks to the match the width of the artwork allowing the artwork to take up more of the media, which is ideal when printing on small page sizes.
	Weedbox	when checked applies a Cutline as a perimeter around the artwork.
	Job Name	sets the name of the Job for PDF, the RIP and the Vinyl Spooler to assist in managing your work.

Set Quantity (optional)

Set the number of copies you require and any spacing by using the up or down arrows or typing in a a value (as shown directly above);

The wizard will indicate when the Contour Cut Job will not fit within the Printer's media size in the Preview window on the right-side.

Step 2. Print the Artwork

Click Print (as shown directly above) and depending on your selection in Printing Device above your artwork will either Print (from your selected Desk-top Printer), or you will be prompted to save a PDF or TIF file.

Once you have successfully printed your artwork and if required laminated it, proceed to Step 3. below.

Step 3. Cut the Artwork

Load the printed artwork into your Vinyl Cutter in a position that fits within your Cutter's maximum cuttable width (as shown directly above) - Note: you can adjust for any rotation in the Align Cutfile Wizard, as explained below;

Click Cut (as shown directly above) and the artwork will be sent to the Vinyl Spooler as a Cutfile waiting to Cut or the Align Cutfile Wizard will automatically open;

The Align Cutfile Wizard is designed to assist you to align the printed Registration marks with your Vinyl Cutter. It guides you step-by-step with detailed instructions in the top left corner of the module which is much easier to follow while performing a Contour Cut rather than referring to a manual.

Important
Even a small misalignment is likely to result in poor results. So it is important to use a magnifying glass when aligning the laser pointer with the printed Registration marks to obtain the best possible results.

To learn more about Contour Cutlines (outlines) and how they work see Contour Cutting Overview.