Stopping Illustrator From Turning Every Stroke Into A Cut

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
March 25, 2024
3 replies
1444 views

I have a vector image of a star shaped logo with different details and strokes within the store. I only wish to use the outline of the star as a cutting line and cutting master. When I look at the image and the outline mode of illustrator, it's showing all of the details with in the store as outlines or cutting lines

How-to

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Bobby Henderson

Community Expert

In straight vinyl cutting operations it is usually best to use vector shapes that have a solid fill and no live line strokes. Any live line strokes on shapes may end up being expanded when imported into vinyl cutting software. You'll have the original star shape as well as parallel vector lines running inside and outside the star shape. Those parallel lines will overlap each other at any corners. It's not vinyl cutter friendly. If any kinds of outline effects are intended to be cut out of vinyl those effects need to be expanded and cleaned up within Adobe Illustrator before the art is exported to use in a vinyl cutter.

The one exception to this involving line strokes is with print and cut operations. Large format RIP applications typically require cut lines to be defined using a line stroke set in a custom spot color (most often named "CutContour").

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Mark36311068tq1uAuthor

Participating Frequently

Thanks for all the replies

. So let me expand. I have a star shaped logo that I am printing on adhesive backed material along with registration marks. Then I use my cutter to die cut (or perfect cut depending what you want to call it)

while I have some experience with photoshop, I have zero with illustrator. But I have found several tutorials on that process. They all say when I'm illustrator just use outline mode to see where the cut lines will be. All of those tutorials show only the outermost line or contour lnes. Mine shows the outline plus all the interior lines. I have tried adding a contour cut like but it's still showing all of the interior lines (strokes).

Preview mode

outline mode

@Bobby Henderson wrote:
In straight vinyl cutting operations it is usually best to use vector shapes that have a solid fill and no live line strokes. Any live line strokes on shapes may end up being expanded when imported into vinyl cutting software. You'll have the original star shape as well as parallel vector lines running inside and outside the star shape. Those parallel lines will overlap each other at any corners. It's not vinyl cutter friendly. If any kinds of outline effects are intended to be cut out of vinyl those effects need to be expanded and cleaned up within Adobe Illustrator before the art is exported to use in a vinyl cutter.

The one exception to this involving line strokes is with print and cut operations. Large format RIP applications typically require cut lines to be defined using a line stroke set in a custom spot color (most often named "CutContour").

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Bobby Henderson

Community Expert

yes but it's still showing every stroke within the vector as a cut line. I am told I should be able to add a contour cut line in a layer in illustrator and the cutter will use that. They tell me I can see if I did it right in illustrator by just looking in VIEW - OUTLINE. But when I do all the interior strokes show up as well.

The outline/wireframe view you showed of the artwork looks correct. There are vector lines (or "paths") to define the positive solid areas of the star and then there are other lines to define the negative areas where holes are being punched thru the art. If you send the whole thing to the vinyl cutter the knife blade will cut anywhere it sees a vector line present. If you only want to cut the outside shape you'll have to break apart or ungroup the star graphic in order to only select the outer shape. But I get the feeling that might not be what you want. Is this a print and cut job where the star graphic is being printed and the outer shape is being contour cut? Or is all the details of the star simply being cut out of vinyl?

Mike_Gondek10189183

Community Expert

Not sure what you mean by "store".

Sounds like you have a logo using a star as a mask. Try option clicking with the direct select (white arrow, or 2nd tool) on the edge of the star to get the star only. You can then copy that and paste on a new layer, assuming it is one shape.

Monika Gause

Community Expert

Please show a screenshot.

You will probably have to name the stroke that you want to use for cutting in a special way so that your Cutting application recognizes it. The documentation should tell you how.

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