Cutting Contours

To begin with, you need to open your PDF/PS file in a vector graphics editor such as Adobe Illustrator and set a cut path. After saving the cut path as a spot color channel, you open the file in the Manual Job Manager in GMG ColorProof and define the Cutting Settings, as described in the following.

When processing the job, GMG ColorProof extracts the cut path information from each PDF/PS page and generates a cutting processing step which is automatically started after printing. Individual cut channels can be used to combine regular cutting and perforation cutting.

In the following, you will learn how to add a cut path as a vector graphic to a document, using Adobe Illustrator CS4. Of course, this is only an example and you can also use any other vector graphics program.

After adding the cut path to the document, you will assign a spot color to it which is required to allow GMG ColorProof to recognize the path and determine where the cutter is applied. For help on creating paths for more complex graphics, please refer to the Adobe Illustrator Help.

The cut path should have no open ends, but form a closed contour. If you, for example, drew a half circle, the cutter would not only cut along the half circle line, but also close the gap, returning to the start point.

After creating the cut path, take care not to convert the vector object to a pixel based image, for example by ripping the file in another software, because GMG ColorProof needs vector information for the cutting functionality.

1. Open your document in Adobe Illustrator.
2. Draw a vector object as cut path by using the drawing or shape tools shown on the Tools panel on the left.
   (If the Tools panel is not displayed, select Tools from the Windows menu.)
3. On the Windows menu, select Swatches.
   The Swatches panel is displayed.
4. On the Windows menu, click Color and select the Stroke button to be able to assign a spot color to your path in the following steps.
5. Click the New Swatch button on the bottom of the Swatches panel to create a new swatch.
   The New Swatch dialog is displayed.
   
6. Enter any name for the swatch.
   (The exact name is not relevant for GMG ColorProof.)
7. Under Color Type, select Spot Color.
   (Just as with the name, the color is not relevant. GMG ColorProof only needs a spot color assignment to recognize the cut path.)
   
8. Click OK to confirm your changes.
9. Save the file.
   The file is now ready for print and cut processing in GMG ColorProof.

The cutting settings are grouped into Presets. When changing a preset and exporting the associated job, it will not be possible to maintain the preset changes on the other system (the settings will be reset to the default values). Therefore, it is recommended to check the cutting settings after the import.

1. Open a file with cutting information in the Manual Job Manager.
2. Click the Color Management button on the navigation panel on the left and select the Channels tab.
3. In the Color column of the spot color channel with the cutting information, select Define Cutting from the drop-down list.
   The Define Cutting dialog is displayed.
4. Select or create a Preset from the drop-down list.
5. Define the cutting parameters such as the Blade Pressure or Cutting Speed.
6. Click OK to confirm your choice.
7. Repeat step 3 to 6 for each spot color channel with cutting information.
8. Print the job.
   The job is printed according to the selected parameters. After printing, cutting starts automatically. The cutter uses the vector cut paths within a spot color channel as a contour line for cutting.