crazy question about how the decals are cut?

[haumana 1,220]

5 hours ago, eprcvinyls said:

It looks like the lines are where the blade is going to cut, not cut on the right side of the line, then the left side (or inside the line, then out). I think it's showing the blade path. And if I am correct, then your letters will but full and not hollow or outlined. Your first pic was the design, and the 2nd pic is the blade path (at least that's what I'm saying in my head ).

[darcshadow 1,626]

Correct, the preview will show you the path that the blade will take. If you look closely at the S in your first photo and this last one you'll notice there is no longer a line going through the middle of the little loop on the left side, that is a result of the weld. Had you not welded the image the cutter would have cut a line through it and made a mess out of it.

One other note, depending on how big you're making this design, that font may not turn out well. You have some very thin lines so unless you're cutting the font pretty big the sliver of vinyl may be too small and not cut well, or if it does, may not stick well when applied. You'll have to play around with your cutter a little to get a feel for how small of things it can do but I usually try to stay away from anything too wispy.

[Cal 393]

It appears to me that you will get what you are seeking - solid letters and solid footprints.  You will just weed out the vinyl around them and the centers of the "a", "d" and such.

Now, if you wanted the reverse of that - picture a large oval shape with the name and footprint inside of it - you would peel out the name an footprints.  Same design as far as the name and footprints go.

 

Now, about the drawing on paper part.  This is a hobby for me, I just use scrap paper mostly.  Regular 8.5 x 11 sheets.  There is usually some type of junk mail I get during the week that is only printed on one side - I use the backside.  Sometimes I have to use new paper - but I am kinda cheap...  I don't know how large those designs are that you are playing with, but I would make them fit inside the single sheet of paper for testing (drawing) and after getting them where I was happy resize and cut.  For larger designs, and I do a lot of mirrors and such full size, I mostly use a roll of brown craft paper I got at Lowes.  It is a pretty big roll and cheap.  I cut it to width on my table saw, and I generally use both sides of that!  Get it at Lowes in the paint department.   A month or so ago I was doing a large design and found a roll of butcher paper at Hobby Lobby.  It was white so the design showed up perfectly, but it was more expensive and only one side was usable - the other side was waxed.  But it is good to know it is out there.

[eprcvinyls 62]

10 hours ago, haumana said:

It looks like the lines are where the blade is going to cut, not cut on the right side of the line, then the left side (or inside the line, then out). I think it's showing the blade path. And if I am correct, then your letters will but full and not hollow or outlined. Your first pic was the design, and the 2nd pic is the blade path (at least that's what I'm saying in my head ).

yes the black bold 1st pic is my design i made on the pad all others was previews. this is how everything ive made looks so wanted make sure i was doing it right.. I will go back and weld everything i guess.

3 hours ago, darcshadow said:

Correct, the preview will show you the path that the blade will take. If you look closely at the S in your first photo and this last one you'll notice there is no longer a line going through the middle of the little loop on the left side, that is a result of the weld. Had you not welded the image the cutter would have cut a line through it and made a mess out of it.

One other note, depending on how big you're making this design, that font may not turn out well. You have some very thin lines so unless you're cutting the font pretty big the sliver of vinyl may be too small and not cut well, or if it does, may not stick well when applied. You'll have to play around with your cutter a little to get a feel for how small of things it can do but I usually try to stay away from anything too wispy.

Such small things changed i guess after clicking weld. i didn't notice that thanks. its 3x10 inches

3 hours ago, Cal said:

It appears to me that you will get what you are seeking - solid letters and solid footprints.  You will just weed out the vinyl around them and the centers of the "a", "d" and such.

Now, if you wanted the reverse of that - picture a large oval shape with the name and footprint inside of it - you would peel out the name an footprints.  Same design as far as the name and footprints go.

 

Now, about the drawing on paper part.  This is a hobby for me, I just use scrap paper mostly.  Regular 8.5 x 11 sheets.  There is usually some type of junk mail I get during the week that is only printed on one side - I use the backside.  Sometimes I have to use new paper - but I am kinda cheap...  I don't know how large those designs are that you are playing with, but I would make them fit inside the single sheet of paper for testing (drawing) and after getting them where I was happy resize and cut.  For larger designs, and I do a lot of mirrors and such full size, I mostly use a roll of brown craft paper I got at Lowes.  It is a pretty big roll and cheap.  I cut it to width on my table saw, and I generally use both sides of that!  Get it at Lowes in the paint department.   A month or so ago I was doing a large design and found a roll of butcher paper at Hobby Lobby.  It was white so the design showed up perfectly, but it was more expensive and only one side was usable - the other side was waxed.  But it is good to know it is out there.

Oh alright, this image is 3inches x 10 inches

[haumana 1,220]

6 hours ago, eprcvinyls said:

yes the black bold 1st pic is my design i made on the pad all others was previews. this is how everything ive made looks so wanted make sure i was doing it right.. I will go back and weld everything i guess.

I'm not sure what everyone else's best practice or SOP is, but I only weld when I have things (designs and/or text) overlapping one another, so I don't get everything cross cutting over one another. There are some fonts, like the one you're using, that I would weld. I only weld when necessary, because it's easier for me to adjust the kerning (spacing between individual letters), when it's still in text format and only one node to control, once I weld it, it because a gazillion nodes on a single letter.

[darcshadow 1,626]

Yeah, I don't weld till ready to cut and often times I'll duplicate the image and weld it so that I have a welded copy and an unwelded copy that way if I need to go back and make changes later it can be done easily.

[eprcvinyls 62]

3 hours ago, haumana said:

I'm not sure what everyone else's best practice or SOP is, but I only weld when I have things (designs and/or text) overlapping one another, so I don't get everything cross cutting over one another. There are some fonts, like the one you're using, that I would weld. I only weld when necessary, because it's easier for me to adjust the kerning (spacing between individual letters), when it's still in text format and only one node to control, once I weld it, it because a gazillion nodes on a single letter.

So on the ones you don't weld does it still cut bold /full ( sorry i don't know the correct word for this)

and or do you Union it? or is union the same thing? Cause i don't see a difference between the two Im sure there is a difference and if i was cutting im sure i would see what it is.

 

[darcshadow 1,626]

Yeah, Union and Weld are the same thing, just different terms for different programs. The purpose of welding is so when you have things overlapping it still cuts as you want.

For example if you draw two rectangles and have them cross each other to create a cross what you see on screen will look like an X. But if you do a preview you'd see the two rectangles crossing each other so that when it cuts you'd have a square in the middle. So when you weld it and cut it, you'll get the X that you intended.

[eprcvinyls 62]

4 hours ago, darcshadow said:

Yeah, Union and Weld are the same thing, just different terms for different programs. The purpose of welding is so when you have things overlapping it still cuts as you want.

For example if you draw two rectangles and have them cross each other to create a cross what you see on screen will look like an X. But if you do a preview you'd see the two rectangles crossing each other so that when it cuts you'd have a square in the middle. So when you weld it and cut it, you'll get the X that you intended.

Thanks. that makes sense. just a thing have to play with a guess. ive got 631/651 bundle coming mostly to play around with stuff.. ive  got some that brown wrap you use to wrap boxes for shipping if you want to hide whats on the box guess i cause it with the pen to see what it look like first.