Setting Contour Cut Options

When a print job containing one or more contour cuts is opened in the RIP and Print dialog box, you can set the cutting options for the contour cuts in the Contour Options dialog box.

Open the Contour tab of the RIP and Print dialog box.

Adjust the following parameters:


	The cutter that will be used to cut the contour.
Send	Specify how the job will be sent to the output device:
	As hybrid job	Sends both printing and cutting data as a single job. This option is available for hybrid printer/cutter devices.
	As separate jobs	Sends printing and cutting data as separate jobs. This option is available if you use different devices for cutting and printing. This is also known as virtual hybrid output.
	Print job only	Sends only the printing job.
	Contour job only	Sends only the cutting job.
	Media size
		Material width
		Material height
		Poll Size: polls the size of the media loaded in the cutter. This feature only works for devices that are capable of two-way communication, such as serial or USB devices.
Registration mark	Select the type of registration mark to help you align the printed media in the cutter for contour cutting. Some cutters are equipped with sensors that detect the registration marks automatically. The Print Marks Color setting in the Advanced tab of the RIP and Print dialog box determines the color of the registration marks. For best result with an automatically aligned cutter, use the registration mark for that manufacturer and device.
		4 Points Horizontal	Places registration marks along the upper and lower horizontal edges of the job.
		Vertical	Places registration marks on the right side of the image. The arrow in the registration mark indicates the media feed direction for cutting.
		Horizontal	Places registration marks on the bottom of the image. The arrow in the registration mark indicates the media feed direction for cutting.
Weed border	Cuts a border around all objects in the selected color.
	Panel margin	For a single object, Panel margin sets the amount of space between cut lines. For multiple copies, Panel margin sets the amount of space between cut lines.
Cut page crossings	Cuts the borderline of a page when the output is tiled into several pages.
Auto-weld	Removes intersections of overlapping objects of the same color.
Pause between colors	Sets whether the Production Manager should pause after each color is processed, allowing you to change the pen or the media. This option can only be selected when Send all colors is checked.
Overcut	If selected, when the software is cutting around closed curves, it will continue cutting around the curve a second time, for a specified distance. This ensures that the curve is cut out completely.
	Extra cut length	The distance the tool will overcut.
Optimize cutting order	When this option is not selected, the objects are cut or plot in the order they were created. When selected, the software processes the objects within the specified section of length before moving to the next section.
	Optimize distance	The specified section of length before moving to the next section.
Use same driver options for all colors	Check this option to force all of the contour cut colors to use the same cutter driver options.
	Edit	Opens driver settings for before and after the job. You can change the values so that the settings will be sent to the output device, overriding the settings in the output device.
		Before Job tab
		After Job tab
		Macro tab
		Before Job	Defines commands that will be sent before the job is processed.
		After Job	Defines commands that will be sent after the job is processed.
		Macro	Allows you to execute common tasks that you are usually required to do from the device control panel.
		Save	Saves the changes you made as a new command.
		Delete	Deletes the selected command from the list. You can only delete commands that were added using the Save command.
		Reset	Reverts all settings to the default settings. Any custom commands you add will be deleted.
		XY Velocity	Speed at which tool cuts material.
		Spindle RPM	The speed at which the cutter rotates.
		Dwell-time	Amount of time the cutter pauses before changing path direction.
		Motor Control	Turns cutter motor on and off.
		Start Delay	Delay before cutter begins cutting.
		Cutting speed	Speed at which tool cuts material.
		Spindle Motor	Turns cutter motor on and off.
		Keep clear of the output device when sending the macros, since the cutter may move and injure the operator.
Advance after plot	Check to lift the knife and advance the media after output, then reset the origin.
Passes	Number of passes the tool will make along the path. The Passes value sets the number of times the tool will follow a path before moving onto the next path. This value differs from Stepdown in that Stepdown sets how deeply the tool will cut on each pass.