Materials
There are various materials available for the Graphtec including adhesive vinyl and heat-transfer vinyl. Consult with the Service Desk lab assistant to see a current selection of types, styles, and colors. You can find more information about the Graphtec here.
File Setup
Use the Adobe Illustrator Graphtec template file that is available on the School’s website. This template file is formatted to the maximum width of the cut bed. Please note that not all materials are the width of the print bed. The template has guidelines that indicate the cuttable area of the materials available. The cuttable area is not the same as the width as the media – some space is necessary for the rollers, and cannot be cut.
Tips for successfully preparing your file:
- The cutter will interpret all shape paths as lines to be cut.
- Create Outlines of all text. With the text highlighted, select Type>Create Outlines or Shift+Ctrl+O.
- Type smaller than 20 pt is not recommended, the blade will not be able to make fine enough cuts without pulling up the vinyl.
- Consider adding weeding lines to the document to make it easier to remove negative space. This can be as simple as putting a shape – like a rectangle – around areas of your design where you will be removing large areas of vinyl.
- If you are using multiple layers or multiple colors of vinyl, consider creating marks that can act as registration marks when you are applying the vinyl to line up the various colors.
When your file is prepped, save it onto a USB memory stick and give it to the lab assistant.