Illustrator Guide

Setup Document in mm

Draw a reference plane rectangle at 1:1 scale to match the size of the material in mm. We recommend setting your document to 1300x900mm so you do not exceed the machines cutting area. Leave a 5mm border as the laser cannot reach to the extreme edges of the cut bed.

Set document to RGB Colour profile.

Laser cutting

Please make any line you want laser cut Red: RGB 255,0,0 with a stroke weight of 0.01mm

Vector line engraving

Please make any line you want engraved Blue: RGB 0,0,255 with a stroke width of 0.01mm

Vector fill engraving

Please make any shape you want engraved Green: RGB 0,255,0

Raster engraving

Set anything you want raster engraved black, RGB 0,0,0. For raster engraving you need to have the fill and stoke applied then separated.
Separate the fill and stroke by expanding it, (Object>Expand>stroke/fill)

Nesting components

When arranging several parts to be cut from a single piece, please ensure that there is at least a 2mm gap between each design. As a general rule the gap should be at least the thickness of the material eg on 3mm acrylic; the gap between each design is advised to be 3mm.

Ensure Vector lines are joined

Use direction tool to ensure the vector lines are not broken. To join points select both end points of the two lines you want to join and select
Object>Path>Join from top menu
We suggest trying to reduce the amount of anchor points to the minimum as it will take longer to process the design. Fewer points normally helps create a cleaner cut design.

Text

Convert the font to outlines. To do this: Select the text, select Type>Font>create outlines from the top menu.

Embed images

If you have images within your illustrator document please ensure they are at least 300 dpi and in grayscale.
To embed an image; import it using File>Place from the top menu bar. Select the image, the linked file editing tools will appear across the top panel bar, select Embed.

Release all live paint groups and clipping masks

Live paint and masks are read differently by the laser cutter to how they appear in illustrator.
Use CTRL+Y to view how the laser cutter will interpret the line in your design.
Releasing Live paint groups: Select all vectors in design and select Object>Live Paint>Release
Releasing Clipping Masks: Select all vectors in design and select Object>Clipping Mask>Release

Ensure your design does not have any duplicate vector strokes

The laser cutter will recut the line if you have any overlapping which could potentially destroy your design.

Please delete any vector strokes you do not want cut or engraved

Ensure you clear all guides and stray vector points within the file
To delete stray vector points select Select>Object>Stray Points
To delete all guides select View>Guides>Clear Guides.

Save File: Select File>Save as.

please save as an .ai file, version CS6

Please use the following name format for your files: Your surname_material_colour_thickness_quantity.