How do I designate cut lines vs etch?

[gfleener]

I'm BRAND new so my apologies if this has been answered, but I can't find anything on this in any of my searching or videos. I'm trying to make some stencils. I design them in Illustrator, and have been able to export the files to SVG and then import into SCAL. For some reason all my line weights come in all funky and different...not sure if that matters...but anyway, I want some of the lines to be cut clean through, and some lines just to be etched into the plastic (like words, for instance the name and item # of the stencil, company website, etc). How do I tell the machine what to do with each line?

[Gigi]

First of all, you don't have to export from Illustrator to svg etc. You can download the plug in on the craft edge website for Illustrator and then when you design a file you can send it directly to SCAL - makes it easier for more things.

As far as the cut lines and engraving go, you would need to separate into layers - so your cut lines are in one layer and you are cutting through with the proper blade and force, and the words I am assuming you would want to engrave with the engraving tool so those would be another layer. You would want to do the engraving first so it will stay in place and not be a cut piece that could shift. And you will want to cut and engrave with WYSIWYG so the positioning stays the same.

I gave you the overview answer in the hopes that will help you get started. If you need more help, just ask. It may take some trial and error to get the right force for both tasks........ and cutting and engraving plastic does wear down the blades quicker than cutting or engraving other media.

[gfleener]

Thank you!! I read that there was a plug-in but didn't know where to get it! So, I need to buy the engraving tool to etch words on the surface...not the etching tool?

So I have to actually do the etching, then remove the tool, and replace it with the cutting tool, then do the cutting separately? (For some reason I thought I could just use the blade but lower the pressure so it doesn't cut all the way through.) Is there a tutorial or instructions anywhere that show how exactly to tell SCAL that certain layers need to be cut differently than others? Today I was able to send an AI file to SCAL and had it cut, but not sure how to do the layer piece.

Thanks so much!!

[Gigi]

You are asking a lot of questions that go in a few directions so I will try to answer and be clear. The learning center classroom has great tutorials on all things and I recommend watching those again if you have not already done so.

If you are going to "write" words on a material, you either need to use the pen tool with a permanent marker (which works beautifully by the way) or engrave it into the plastic. The engraving tool has a sharp diamond head, but using it on plastic will wear it down over time. You might want to rethink the engraving part - or try it with pen/marker first to see how you like it. And remember that not all fonts engrave the same. You will need to fill some with a cross hatch pattern or use single line fonts. If you use the pen tool you could at least play with that to get the font that you want and then try engraving it. The pen will also give you a faster result - engraving takes time depending on the hatch fill etc. Lots to consider.

You can certainly use the cutting blade at a lower pressure to score a material by creating dashes or even long lines at a lighter pressure to fold. But it's a blade so it isnt going to give you letter detail - you need a pen or etching tool that has a center point and tip to do lettering of any kind. You could also use a labeler and create a tape label for the stencil - again options for you to consider so you can try different things and see what you like best.

The information you are asking about is in the learning center. But if you have a shape like a stencil, that will be one layer if you group it. You may not need to group it - depends on the image. Then if you add lettering that will be a different layer automatically. So you would close the eye of the stencil, just do the lettering however you choose to do it with WYSIWYG, turn off the eye of the lettering and turn on the eye of the stencil, change the blade and pressure and cut the stencil. Make sense? That's the short version.