Preparing files for printing & cutting

[mike boss]

Hi all,

I'll be honest I dont think my printer wants to take my next job.
Getting a clear answer seems to be rather hard for him.
I'm in Canada, him the US, seems email is the best means of contact.
(No long distance or SKYPE)

Anyway...........as I begin my Punch-Out project I want to order the art.
Control panel is custom, designed in Photoshop and sized with no bleed area.
Simply requires that it be printed & cut to size (which I could do as it is straight cuts).
Same rule would apply for my marquee image. I need it custom sized to fit the cabinet.

The printer has the side art images, however I need them custom sized as well.
The side art is not rectangle or square in shape. The printer wants me to provided the image sized. I thought this was odd as he has the file (image). None the less I can do this if needed. However getting info on what is required to ensure it is cut to the correct shape seems to be an issue.

This most concerns me with the bezel, as it has some rounded areas that need cut.
I simply dont trust myself to cut by hand.
Is it a hard process to create a path or map out a section that would need to be cut ?

I realzie different tools and programs work different. But if some general info exists that would be great.

[SlammedNiss]

it totally depends on the artwork and how intricate it is.

[thatpurplestuff]

The printer probably wants it resized by you to limit his liability, meaning that if it has to be enlarged he doesn't want to be responsible for it looking pixelated or otherwise crappy.  It's actually pretty standard for printers to request that all artwork is sized as it needs to be for print (or at least using a scale that can be printed from).

Most print places that cut vinyl prints will accept a "cut line" vector file.  I've found that this is most easily done by creating a vector shape in your design within Photoshop and tracing out exactly how you want the image cut out (make sure that your design has a bleed so that you don't have any white edges on your cuts if the print isn't lined up perfectly before it is cut... also make the shape as simple with as few hard angles as possible since those hard angles will be more likely to peel).  Photoshop will let you export this shape path by simply clicking "File / Export / Paths to Illustrator" which creates an AI file that the printer can pull the vector data from for use with whatever software they are running in their shop.

You'll want to touch base to see exactly what your specific printer wants in regards to the cutting data, but in my experience this should give him something that he can work with.