Removing cutlines and just cutting outline on CS4?

[gasper44 0]

I have the same issue everyone else probably has had when they started, however I cannot find any good steps or instructions as far as how to remove them, just some people referencing a tool or two, or something that doesn't match up with CS4.

I have text, it overlaps, and yes, cuts out the full letter, then the next, instead of just doing the outline. 

Can anyone give me some more detailed steps on how to highlight all of it, more or less "flatten it" as one, and make it so I do not have this issue.  After 20 minutes of playing around with all sorts of things I got it to work, but that only helped me on one graphic, not the rest I designed and have to fix.

Thank you so much, I prefer to use Illustrator because I have a plugin for it to go right to the cutter. 

[sarconastic 29]

I don't have illy anymore but the process your looking for is called Welding. It takes all the same colors that are touching and bonds them as one with no cut lines in between.

In illy I believe I used to use the pathfinder tool, and may UNITE? not for sure though, it's been a while.

Kevin

[gasper44 0]

Yea, and I mean, my letters are all the same color, so just looking to merge them together. Hopefully someone can come here with a good explanation of what to do speifically in CS4.

[midwaste 4]

Right click on your text>Create Outlines.  This will create a group of individual letters that will be overlapping in places.  Ctrl-Shift-G to ungroup all this, leave all the letters selected. 

With them all selected, go to Effect>Pathfinder>Add.  This will "weld" the letters together and remove overlaps.

This is probably the most useful tool in Illustrator for vinyl.  If you don't already, I would open the Pathfinder toolbar and put it under your layer toolbar.

[gasper44 0]

Will give it a try, thank you sir

[convictedthruChrist 0]

Go to your pathfinder and select merge ( make sure you have everything selected you want to merge). That will bring everything together and will make your 2 objects the same color, yet gives you an outline for cutting. If your image disappears you need to check your grouping and or layers. Once I figure out my alignments, I think the merge will work great for cutting the joining objects, yet be able to print it out with different gradients and shadows prior to merging then sending to sign cut as a merged object

[Xw00dsrac3rX 0]

Im sorry. I have a thread going for the same thing (hard to believe).  I have just tried your directions 5 times with no results any way I tried it.  Are these specifically for CS4?  Maybe Im just missing one important step that everyone is taking for granted and a newbie like myself doesnt know to do?  Frustrating as all hell though thats for sure.  Any help would be great.

Thank you

[hockeygirl 30]

Im sorry. I have a thread going for the same thing (hard to believe).  I have just tried your directions 5 times with no results any way I tried it.  Are these specifically for CS4?  Maybe Im just missing one important step that everyone is taking for granted and a newbie like myself doesnt know to do?  Frustrating as all hell though thats for sure.  Any help would be great.

Thank you

This was in versions as early as Version 10, if not earlier... if it doesn't work, try selecting all, ungroup, before you use merge. I can't remember exactly, I'm not in front of my laptop right now, but if all else fail, try ungroup, outline, and then merge again.

[MecH 0]

The most overlooked and under explained problem with this is actually VERY simple...its color. If your objects are different colors...even so slightly that you cant see it..then the MERGE command in pathfinder wont work right. And definately will not cut right. For CS4..the very simple fix to this is to use the UNITE function instead of MERGE. It is the first button in the pathfinder box. Also if you do not have all of the objects selected..of course it will not unite them. (sometimes it looks like its selected, but its not)...So basically use your selection tool (the solid arrow) and click and hold and draw a box around everything that you want to unite...Then just to make things simple, go ahead and click a color while you have them all selected (this makes them all the exact color) Then, in your pathfinder box...just click UNITE..like i said, its the first button. This will take everywhere that is overlapping, and make one outline out of it. To verify that it did what you wanted...click VIEW/OUTLINES and it will show you the exact lines that the cutter will cut. If you see extra lines...It WILL cut them. So go ahead and fix it before you try it..I promise you that whatever it shows you in the outlines view..is what the cutter will cut...EVERYTHING lol.

Another ghost problem, is when you try to cut it and it shows you more colors that you should have. For instance if you are cutting a single color design, but it shows you 2..even if its 2 of the same color..it means that it sees it as a multicolor design...and wont cut it like you want. It could be as simple as a single node that you didnt know was added. So as a rule of thumb..ALWAYS check your VIEW/OUTLINES and watch for the number of colors that is shown when you get ready to cut.