PDA

View Full Version : Strange Issue



Kevin Baker
04-26-2012, 6:22 AM
I've got 3 pics attached..

1 = screenshot in Corel draw
2 = screenshot at printing
3 = screenshot of the job inside the Universal Control panel

I emptied the saved jobs in the control panel as well.

Q = Anyone know why this is happening?

Thanks,
Kevin

Mike Null
04-26-2012, 8:16 AM
I think the first issue is that your page size doesn't coincide with your table size.

Scott Shepherd
04-26-2012, 8:17 AM
Check your layers to make sure you don't have one layer turned off from view, but turned on for printing. I've done that a number of times. I have one hidden layer with print turned on, one visible layer with print turned off. So what I see doesn't go to the control panel, it sends the layer I don't see.

It's very confusing when it's happening, but in my cases, it's always been a print layer turned on that shouldn't be.

Kevin Baker
04-26-2012, 7:05 PM
Mike - I checked the page vs table.. 24x12 is what I have.
Scott - checked the layers as well... no hidden ones ..
I'll keep poking around and see what turns up..

James Rambo
04-26-2012, 7:48 PM
On the screen shot for the printing (2nd jpeg) you have 'selection' clicked. In both versions of Corel that I have I use 'current document' could that be the answer?

Kevin Baker
04-27-2012, 5:12 AM
James-
No, these are parts of a larger graphic I'm cutting out on paper and then taping together to make a pattern around 48"x48"

Kevin Baker
04-27-2012, 9:14 PM
Ok, I'm about to pull my hair out over this...

Attached is the file I'm working on. My page size is set to 96" x 48" (plywood), I've already got my "tiles" created (8.5 x 11). The plane is to cut the graphic up into 8.5x11 pieces, cut each piece, reassemble the cut pieces with tape and use the complete piece as a template to trace onto my plywood.

When I powerclip the graphic into the titles, the graphics goes behind the titles, so I not sure what is going on there. I've tried putting tiles in front of the graphic and the graphic in front of the tiles, but always end up with the same result.

If I can figure out this process I have lots of files I plan to turn into "yard art" and using this process makes it easy to trace onto the plywood vs gluing the paper to the plywood.

I have a 24 x 12 laser.

Thanks for the help..

Kevin

Mike Null
04-27-2012, 9:27 PM
I still think it's your page size.

Scott Shepherd
04-27-2012, 9:39 PM
Kevin, I can look at the file from here, but I'll be in the shop tomorrow. I'll help you work it out, no matter what the issue. I'll PM my details first thing in the morning.

We will get it worked out.

Glen Monaghan
04-27-2012, 10:55 PM
Kevin, keep the hair in place, you're almost there...

Having made your grid of boxes, select all of the boxes and group. Then select your artwork and powerclip it into the grouped boxes. Ungroup and each box will have its own part of the artwork which you can print or whatever as needed.

-Glen

Kevin Baker
04-28-2012, 5:34 AM
Glen - Yes that is exactly what I did.. see pics 1 and 2 at the start of this post, however, in pic 3 you will see what happens after I send the "part" to the laser.

Scott - I usually don't work on Sat, but I have to today, so I'll be watching the clock all day to get back home in hope you can shed some light on this for me.

Thanks you everyone for you interest in helping me solve this.

Kevin

Mike Mackenzie
04-28-2012, 11:49 AM
Kevin there are open paths in the vector lines also you may have to make the Oval in the center two separate pcs top section and bottom section. You need to work with closed vector paths. I believe that this is what is going on with the UCP issue as well it may have something to do with the power clipping.

Just a quick look at the file I have to pick up a system today and will try the file later on my VLS to see if I can find the problem.

Glen Monaghan
04-28-2012, 11:57 AM
Ok, I went the next step and tried to select and print one of the tiles and it wouldn't print from there. Try copying the tile, creating a new project with page size set correctly, and pasting the tile into this new project. That printed correctly for me.

Kevin Baker
04-28-2012, 7:58 PM
I love this place!! Scott Shepherd got me pointed in the right direction... he talked me through using smartfill and then doing a little tweaking and it works great. THANKS SCOTT!!! Thank you all for looking and providing input.

Kevin

Glen Monaghan
04-28-2012, 9:15 PM
Please share what you did, why you needed smartfill?

Scott Shepherd
04-28-2012, 9:47 PM
Please share what you did, why you needed smartfill?

Glad I could help Kevin! More importantly, glad you got the job done.

Glen, I use smart fill for this type work all the time. I can create all the panels he wanted in probably 60 seconds, versus all the pain of doing power clips.

Glen Monaghan
04-29-2012, 10:49 AM
Okay, never having used smart fill, what did you do that was easier than group/powerclip/ungroup?

-Glen

Scott Shepherd
04-29-2012, 11:36 AM
Okay, never having used smart fill, what did you do that was easier than group/powerclip/ungroup?

-Glen

Because it's a lot less effort in my opinion.

Take a look. Obviously I didn't do the entire thing, but it shows the concept.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVdotREZ92A&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Glen Monaghan
04-29-2012, 1:36 PM
Never noticed smartfill before, but I can see some interesting possibilities for it. However, it seems like you have to use it about 40 times here, being very careful to get all the little nooks and crannies such as where the upper left arm of the Y leaves a teensie gap at the top-right of the square 2nd from right, 2nd from top. If all you want is the lines in the individual boxes and not necessarily the contrasting fill, then it sure seems a lot easier to swipe to select all the boxes, group them, click to select the graphic, select powerclip option, point to and click on the grouped boxes, then ungroup.

If you need the contrasting fill, it might depend on the initial graphics which is faster. The example graphic has problems with open curves and is drawn a bit strangely, but I tried both ways... your smartfill approach and fixing the curves to allow pre-filling with contrasting fills and then powerclipping. I think the smartfill approach was a bit easier because it was "plug and chug" whereas I had to think a bit about how to fix the graphic. However, if the graphic were decent to start, it seems to me that powerclipping would be faster here because you wouldn't have to fill each and every piece.

-Glen

Scott Shepherd
04-29-2012, 1:45 PM
Never noticed smartfill before, but I can see some interesting possibilities for it. However, it seems like you have to use it about 40 times here, being very careful to get all the little nooks and crannies such as where the upper left arm of the Y leaves a teensie gap at the top-right of the square 2nd from right, 2nd from top. If all you want is the lines in the individual boxes and not necessarily the contrasting fill, then it sure seems a lot easier to swipe to select all the boxes, group them, click to select the graphic, select powerclip option, point to and click on the grouped boxes, then ungroup.

If you need the contrasting fill, it might depend on the initial graphics which is faster. The example graphic has problems with open curves and is drawn a bit strangely, but I tried both ways... your smartfill approach and fixing the curves to allow pre-filling with contrasting fills and then powerclipping. I think the smartfill approach was a bit easier because it was "plug and chug" whereas I had to think a bit about how to fix the graphic. However, if the graphic were decent to start, it seems to me that powerclipping would be faster here because you wouldn't have to fill each and every piece.

-Glen

Trust me, smartfill is a lot faster once you understand how it works. I use it for something just like this all the time. I can make that template, complete, with all the pages needed in about 2 minutes. You can change the smart fill color any time you want too. I purposely didn't zoom in because I was capturing the video on a mac running parallels and it doesn't like my CorelDraw when I zoom in and out. All the graphics will disappear and I can't get them back, which makes it tough when trying to show how something is done. I don't use this computer for Corel, but it has an awesome screen capture program built in, so I used it.

I would never power clip that. Powerclipping has it's own set of issues. This creates new geometry that you can do what you want with.