Skip to main content
T
totallockout
Known Participant
July 31, 2024
Question

Drawing circles to represent drill holes.

  • July 31, 2024
  • 2 replies
  • 656 views

I use Adobe InDesign to design wall-mounted shadow boards for tools.


The individual shadow images are created in Adobe Illustrator and placed in the InDesign file where required.


The finished design incorporates a number of drill hole marks which we show as red circles. Some of the holes originate in the AI file. Some are added straight into InDesign.

 

The finished design is exported to pdf and sent to our printer.

 

Recently our printer told us when they open the file, the drill holes are represented as a double or triple line with a fill. As such their router tries to cut the hole twice.

 

How do I create the drill holes (circles) as a single line entity?

 

This topic has been closed for replies.

2 replies

John D Herzog
John D Herzog
Inspiring
August 5, 2024

It looks like the circles were expanded (Object->Expand....) in Illustrator which takes a stroked path and makes it a filled compound path.  You can get multiple cuts from having multiple paths stacked on top of each other as well. You would need to go back and see how each of the bad cut paths were made. You will not be able to unexpand them. They will just need to be remade.

I'm guessing the circles were made correctly originally but then were altered after they were made. They were probably caught in a process that was done on other items in the design. Personally I do not add the cut paths until the end or lock the layer with the cut paths so they are not messed with.

    T
    totallockoutAuthor
    Known Participant
    August 6, 2024

    Thanks answers so far. To create the circles, I simply used the ellipse tool, entering the circle size. I then edited the line weight (width) tool, color and fill.

     

    No cut paths were added by me. I wouldn't know how to do this.

    Robert at ID-Tasker
    Robert at ID-Tasker
    Legend
    August 6, 2024
    quote

    Thanks answers so far. To create the circles, I simply used the ellipse tool, entering the circle size. I then edited the line weight (width) tool, color and fill.

     

    No cut paths were added by me. I wouldn't know how to do this.


    By @totallockout

     

    In Illustrator or in InDesign? 

     

    James Gifford—NitroPress
    James Gifford—NitroPress
    Legend
    July 31, 2024

    Vector images should be vector images and a circle — drawn with a single stroke — should be a circle. That said, the way vector elements are managed in art programs and the way they are managed in CAD can be two different things.

     

    It may simply be that AI -> INDD -> PDF -> the engraving controller doesn't handle these elements correctly. I'd start by going directly from AI, with all elements carefully reviewed to make sure there's no "complexity" to them, to PDF.

     

    That is, I don't think ID has anything to do with this problem except multiplying faults or being incompatible with vector-driven production systems.

    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
    Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices