I’m printing and cutting some decals and I’m needing to add bleed to my art. Typically, I would just offset the path of my art so that it’ll all cuts the same color but I’m experiencing difficulties with my plotter cutting it correctly and I’m not sure if my layer structure or my plotter is incorrect.
So my question is, how do I add bleed to my art if there are multiple colors that cross each other (especially at weird angles)?
Specs of this project and software:
-Adobe Illustrator CC2019
-Graphtec Plotter FC 8000-130
-Cutmaster 4
My layer structure in order is:
-Cutpath
-Art (What the final weeded decal will look like)
-Offset Path
I’ve attached a few screenshots and pictures of my cut outcome. All of the white areas will be weeded out.
No, that doesn’t look right to me. When two colours intersect, don’t cover one of the shapes with bleed from the other, but place a diagonal line from the corner out.
yep do diagonal gussets like Buda says.
However, your machine can be finely tuned and still miss those corners. The media can stretch on printing, especially if you are using heaters and solvent inks.
The way that piece is designed, I’d do it in pieces. Black and green. And assemble it on the object being decorated. but that’s just me…
As Buda said, you need to make the bleed joints split the difference by heading them out diagonally from where they meet. This isn’t just a simple matter of offsetting and expanding the paths. In addition, you’ll need to think it through, layer the shapes correctly, then go in and cut the pieces to get those diagonal joints.
Even with those precautions, a nearly perfectly registered cut would be needed. Personally, I’d avoid the problem altogether by looking for a different solution that didn’t depending on making cuts exactly where colors meet.
