Adobe Illustrator Cutlines Automation

[Alluring_Mischief0720]

Can anyone help me automate the cut contour creation for multiple complex designs in Adobe Illustrator? We’ll be using this process on stickers and garments, so an efficient solution would save a great deal of time. These designs are quite detailed, and I’m considering using a script, but I’m not experienced with scripting in Illustrator. Attached is an example of the design we are making and the cutlines that we want to achieve. Any guidance, a step-by-step walkthrough, or an example script would be highly appreciated. Thank you! 

[kglad]

in the future, to find the best place to post your message, use the list here, https://community.adobe.com/

p.s. i don't think the adobe website, and forums in particular, are easy to navigate, so don't spend a lot of time searching that forum list. do your best and we'll move the post (like this one has already been moved) if it helps you get responses.

<"moved from using the community">

[Monika Gause]

What are they? raster images? a lot of different objects (including text, strokes, effects and whatnot)?

Those would require different approaches.

How are you currently doing it?

[Alluring_Mischief0720]

Its a PNG file.... I'm doing image tracing then I use the compound path that has the entire outline, Then will use offset path effect for the cutlines. Hope I answer your question.

[Bobby Henderson]

IMHO, there isn't any good way to automate the creation of cut lines.

Automatically Live Tracing around a pixel-based image will yield a quick and dirty path -a path that is likely to have issues that cause the plotter blade to literally chew up the vinyl. Cut paths need to be clean. Not only so they cut cleanly, but also to make the graphics easier to weed. A live-traced path would need to be edited to remove the tiny kinks, bends, stair-steps and little overlaps that almost always occur in auto-traced paths. It's either that or the path would need to be hand-drawn using tools like the Pen Tool. Obviously creating clean cut paths from vector-based artwork is much faster/easier.

Be careful about making cut paths too intricate and detailed, especially if the graphics are small in size. The cut graphics still have to be manually weeded before being covered with release tape. If the cut details are too intricate and delicate weeding accidents will be much more likely. It also raises the risk that small portions of applied graphics will tear off the final surface when the release tape is removed.

If you don't already have a user defined spot color swatch for CutContour it's easy to create and re-use.

Are you printing/cutting large quantities of the same graphic or nesting lots of different designs together?

[Alluring_Mischief0720]

We are cutting and printing different designs for stickers and shirt. So its not the same graphics all the time. We just want to ensure this will be automated so that we can program illustrator via script to add cutlines to each of the design without manually working on it. Hope this clarifies you question. Or maybe a diffrent approached?

[Bobby Henderson]

I couldn't tell you how to automate the process of creating cut lines around pixel-based artwork yet arrive at an end result that was good/clean and print/cut vinyl graphics that was easy to manually weed.