I've been a sign painter for 25 years and I'm making a transition to vinyl sign making.
I have a new Toshiba laptop with Windows 7. It has a 500GB HD, 4GB RAM, 16" screen and CorelDRAW X5 and Summa's WinPlot bridge software installed and I'm outputting the letters from a new Summa D75 vinyl cutter through the Toshiba laptop. It is not a printer, only a Summa cutter. Everything has been running perfectly.
Now I want to be able to create letters and then to create a different colored outlined to be applied over the top of those letters. How to do it?
I believe that I will have to separate the two elements and cut the letter from one file and the outline from a different file.
This morning I created two different files—one the letter itself and another file for the outline which I made by using the Stroke command in Illustrator. I created these files on my MacBook in Illustrator CS3 (I just got CD X5 and am still trying to figure it out.).
I created each file like this: With the file as I want it: Select All > Type > Create Outlines > Save As > Illustrator EPS.
I then took the files on a flashdrive to my Toshiba, opened CorelDRAW and imported them into CD. I then imported each file from CD into Summa's WinPlot bridge software. I cut both files onto vinyl. The file for the body of the letters cut just fine. The file for the outline cut exactly the same way instead of making a double-cut so that once weeded it would be an outline only.
Maybe I'm doing this completely wrong. Please straighten me out on this.
Thanks.
You don't need Illustrator if you have Corel. On the left side panel you have Text Tool. When click on it and than just click on the page you'll be able to write. At the same time, all of tools on Menu bar (tools above the page) will change to support working with text tool. If you drag a box when Text tool selected, you'll got text box for Paragraph text.
Text can be edited (in either situations - paragraph or artistic) or converted to curves (which you'll need probably for cutter).
Outlines can be made simply by selecting object you want and than right click on palette on the right. On the left tool panel is Pen tool where you can set all properties for line (thickness, color, type etc)
Hope that helps a little... at least for start
for use the Outlines as object with CorelDRAW you have -at least- two options: the Contour Tool and the Convert Ouline to objects feature under the Arrange menu (Ctrl+Shift+Q)
Thanks Wache and Ariel. I got it.
I was able to create the letter and also the outline, but I still have to create different files for each of them because this is not for print media, it is for signs.
So I first open the letter file, put the letter color of vinyl into the cutter and cut the letter.
Then open the outline file and change the color of vinyl in the cutter to the outline color and cut it.
Mark
Hello; I’ve been using CorelDraw to make signs for twenty years and find that it is extremely fast to design with. We use SignLab for the cutting drivers and it does a good job of shadows. You can use the contour tool to do the outlines. for what we cut I convert it to curves before editing exporting it as a Adobe ( .ai ) file. To cut a shadow or outline use the contour tool to outline the text and use the handels to shape it the way you want it for a overlay. If it is for a back lighted facing you have to do a double outline so you can cut the two colors separately. Something else to try is to air brush the vinyl with a pattern before weeding. It gives the sign a one of a kind look.
Happy Weeding George
Mark98101 said:one the letter itself and another file for the outline which I made by using the Stroke command in Illustrator
Illustrator not needed...
Mark98101 said:The file for the outline cut exactly the same way instead of making a double-cut so that once weeded it would be an outline only.
create outline on shape in draw, then convert outline to object CTRL+ shift + Q
some other tips...
I press F12 to access numerous outline options in Draw.