Cadworx – Invert design

Q:  If you were cutting two crosses, is there a way to invert the second cross, and move it closer to the first cross to conserve materials?

A:  Yes, in CadworxLive.com you can manipulate individual designs to save on materials. View the short video showing the process:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ntxVdEQpDk

Cadworx – Bleed/Overlap

Q:  Should I add a bleed/overlap on layers of cut material when applying over top of other layers? We do this in the sign business to eliminate missed registration.

A:  This is just my opinion but I prefer not to do a bleed for registration mainly because if I apply to a t-shirt the material is not as stable as sign material and is much more difficult to register with the overlap. When cutting material using a vinyl cutter the material has a clear Mylar that makes it easy to register. With the new urethane’s being very thin placing one color on top of the other does not give a heavy feel or hand to the finished graphic.

There are exceptions to placing one layer of vinyl material on top of another and that would be if the design calls for a dark color film (vinyl) for the bottom layer and the top layer is  a light color film that will be applied to just part of the bottom film and the other to the shirt. The film material will be opaque but might show a slightly different shade because of the darker bottom color film. To avoid this situation you will have to cut away the foreground color design from the bottom color and register the top layer.

In the above artwork the apple core is partially on the red heart and partially on the yellow shirt. To avoid any difference in color of the white apple core I made the green of the apple solid and heat applied the white film over the green.