daddycreswell

New to software...need help please

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I just bought an MH-721 with vinylmaster software. I am trying to get used to the software, I had been using Scan and Cut software. Here is my question, it may or may not be able to be done in this software I don't know. I am trying to make a couple of decals for my son's Toyota 4Runner rear quarter panel windows. I have the outline of the window sized to scale in the software. I want to cut out the American flag is the shape of the window. I have both files in one documents with the flag stretched to fit the window with some over hang. What I am hoping to get done is to combine the 2 design so that the flag is the same shape of the window then I can cut it that way, instead of cutting a larger piece and trimming. I hope I made my intentions clear and someone can help me out. Thanks in advance.

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Check out Free Signblazer.  Or Free Inkscape.  And export as an .eps file.   You will find that sometimes you will need different soft wares to get a job done, unless you have the top of the line software.   Free doesn't cost you anything. 

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the stars should be going 'forward'

that the feature you need can be found in SignBlazer.

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on the side in your tools, you should have an icon that looks like a box overlapping another box. If your version has it, that is where it would be. If not, I'd get Inkscape, it's a very powerful free vector editing program. There's not much that it can't do.

Regarding the cut itself, I'd suggest making the windows shape a bit larger so that you'll have a little bit of extra that you can trim exactly to fit the window. It's hard to get the exact cut you need on a value cutter so that it matches the window perfect.

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6 minutes ago, haumana said:

the stars should be going 'forward'

that the feature you need can be found in SignBlazer.

The will be going forward, I just have the whole thing rotated.

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6 minutes ago, darcshadow said:

on the side in your tools, you should have an icon that looks like a box overlapping another box. If your version has it, that is where it would be. If not, I'd get Inkscape, it's a very powerful free vector editing program. There's not much that it can't do.

Regarding the cut itself, I'd suggest making the windows shape a bit larger so that you'll have a little bit of extra that you can trim exactly to fit the window. It's hard to get the exact cut you need on a value cutter so that it matches the window perfect.

Thanks...I plan on making it a little larger, I just wanted the basic shape.

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59 minutes ago, MZ SKEETER said:

Check out Free Signblazer.  Or Free Inkscape.  And export as an .eps file.   You will find that sometimes you will need different soft wares to get a job done, unless you have the top of the line software.   Free doesn't cost you anything. 

Happen to have a link for Signblazer? Everything I have found the link is dead.

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10 hours ago, Motioneffects said:

Ahh the good days of selling American flags to 4runner owners.

IMG_20190719_171152.jpg

Guess I am wasting my time trying to cut it to form? Looks like you just cut it full length and cut it to size. Which is what I am probably going to do, did you have a template to cut from?

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In SignBlazer you have the tool that creates freehand lines (comprised of nodes you define).

It's really very simple, and produces whatever shape is required.

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On 7/30/2019 at 12:11 PM, MZ SKEETER said:

Check out Free Signblazer.  Or Free Inkscape.  And export as an .eps file.   You will find that sometimes you will need different soft wares to get a job done, unless you have the top of the line software.   Free doesn't cost you anything. 

I'm going the INscape way, never really messed with it. And I don't want to ask for a step by step lesson on the forum. Do you know of a video I can watch that shows me how to make a design like the one I attached? I am trying to "inlay" something into an American flag but have the flag go around it. I don't know what the term is called to search it. Thanks in advance...

51Yxfb74gOL._AC_UL436_.jpg

41Ih4KCSSRL._SS332_CR51,51,230,230_.jpg

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I'd take the mountain design, duplicate it, add an outline to it, convert the outline to a path, select the new path, Break Apart the path, then union it together, then do a difference with it and the flag design. Sounds more complicated than it really is, but once you get the process down this would take about 2 minutes to do it.

All the "tools" you need are under the path menu in Inkscape. Try searching for videos that discuss path union/difference and it should get you started down the right path. Feel free to ask questions on here. I use Inkscape for pretty much everything I do and will be happy to help you through it.

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do you have your design with the window outline in .eps format? if so, post it for someone to possibly help you.

no volunteer is going to recreate what you've already done, but if you are willing to share your file, someone might be willing to help you.

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16 hours ago, daddycreswell said:

Guess I am wasting my time trying to cut it to form? Looks like you just cut it full length and cut it to size. Which is what I am probably going to do, did you have a template to cut from?

You can do it a couple of ways -Take a picture of the window and trace it with the pen tool in AI/design software. Or cover the window with a large sheet of paper and trace/cut the shape of the window, then take a picture of the sheet and trace it with a pen tool. 

I no longer do pre cut window decals, but i can if it's a one off job for a friend were they don't have the skill to install decals then precut would make it easier. Look at my picture, it has registration marks, what I do is add it on the design along with the window cutout line. Send the flag design to cutter, weed, apply transfer tape, color in the registration marks. Then put the decal back into the cutter and send the window cutout line as perfcut, your cutter will read the registration marks and cut out the shape. I'm not sure if your cutter has registration marks reader but I would imagine most do now. (Note-the blade will dig into your cutting strip, but it's cheap to replace when it gets worn out, at least for my cutter.)

If you are selling precut decals, get a carrier sheet and apply the registration marks on it. Then you can just put the flag on the carrier sheet as it will take 1/4 of the time. Good luck

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8 hours ago, Motioneffects said:

I'm not sure if your cutter has registration marks reader but I would imagine most do now. (Note-the blade will dig into your cutting strip, but it's cheap to replace when it gets worn out, at least for my cutter.)

The MH do not have a registration reader. It's just a "dumb" plotter.

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As you can probably tell from the varied answers above there are usually several different ways to do things that ALL work fine. Nothing wrong with just making the whole thing and chopping out the part you want like motion effects showed. Pre-cut templates are nice too but require the extra skills which in your case means a few mistakes and do-overs. I did one once that I just applied the graphic over the area and let it hang off the edges and trimmed it before removing the app tape. 

If templates are small enough to scan I have made them with a piece of app tape or paper and scanned them so I had the perfect size. When you start getting to the size of a window where you import the pic and trace it from the pic you can easily get distorted if your angle of the pic is not perfectly straight. If you are just going for rough size and staying away from the edges like when doing business graphics on a car door or window then that works just fine. If you are trying to hit a perfect window size it will take a few tries and tweaks to get it perfect. There are car templates you can buy that the wrap guys use but I don't know how accurate they are and every wrap I have seen they cut things bigger and trim the excess so what does that tell you. 

Whichever way you go it will be a learning curve but learning through doing is the best anyhow. You can watch 1000 videos but until you have some hands on it only goes so far. I would suggest using a graphics software you either already know or one that everyone else uses or you'll be totally on your own. Inkscape you called INscape is a good place to start because its free and compatible with windows and mac alike. I don't use it myself but there are several who do. It is totally capable of doing the type of graphics you are looking at. No matter the design program you choose you will have some learning to do to get a cut-ready file. The design element of this craft is sometimes the achilles heel that some never make it past. It takes some willingness to practice and learn. 

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