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Keith Outten
08-07-2004, 7:25 AM
Here is a very simple sign design that can be modified to suit your needs. This sign can be backlighted, mounted in a fitted case or be used standing or wall mounted.

The sign is made from 1/8" clear acrylic with a sheet of Laser Lights on top. Since Laser Lights has an adhesive backing you simply place a sheet of 12" by 24" Laser Lights on top of your acrylic sheet then engrave your design. Vector cutting is done in two stages using the contour tool in Corel Draw you contour the Laser Lights edge then another contour is created to cut the outside edge of the acrylic. You must send the coutour vectors in two stages as the Laser Lights material is cut using a different speed/power setting than the acrylic.

Using 1/4" wood you can use the contour tool a third time to cut a perfect mask to use as a mattboard for mounting in any number of ways. This type of sign is inexpensive and is suitable for exterior use.

Shaddy Dedmore
08-07-2004, 7:56 PM
I'm a little confused with the Contour (I've only played with it a few times). Did you start with what's in white, then create a contour to get the blue, then another to get the cut line?
Or do you mean you started out with the white and blue, then used an outside contour (zero offset?) to cut around the blue, then another for the ourside cut.

I imported a clipart that I wanted to engrave, then cut out using the border as a guideline. I didn't know if using the outside contour was the way to go (it seemed to add fillin where I didn't want it). I ended up pasting a copy superimposed over the the orig, then I deleted every node that wasn't on the outside path, then I took out the fill and poof I had an outline... but the contour thing should be easier.

Keith Outten
08-08-2004, 1:43 AM
Shaddy,

In Corel Draw setup your text and graphics in black then group them together. Remember that everything in black will be engraved so the white text in my sign was black in the Corel Drawing. Using the contour tool select outside and the offset for the area that will represent your laser lights material which is blue/white so the text will engrave as white. This vector contour will cut the laser lights material so you can remove the exterior edges.

Next use the contour tool again and select outside and enter your offset value to create your countour line that will cut the acrylic material. In the sign above we used about 1/2" for both contour values.