New to the site and looking for some help designing a cutout Monogram font

[David DiPietro]

Hi group...
I am new to the site and was looking for some help or insight on how to create a cutout graphic that would be lasered out into acrylic.
The image shown represents a solid material, acrylic. The red area is what should remain and the white would be the cut outs.
I am not sure if there is a particular font that does this automatically or if I actually have to create cut paths?
The issue with creating cut paths is that it is very time consuming. Keep in mind that a standard Monogram font will not work as it would produce a total drop out
Image one is perfect, image two is not so perfect.

Monogram good.pngMonogram bad.png
Thanks again for you help.
BTW, I am using Illustrator CS6 and Corel X5 and have a few Universal Lasers and a few Gravograph systems.
I also may have posted this into the wrong area so I am sorry for that and will repost in proper place.

[Ian Stewart-Koster]

Interesting question: you say you have several Universal lasers, Illy CS6, and Corel X5.

That implies you know how to use them, and have some experience, and therefore should be able to solve your own question which is a very, basic one.

Fonts don't do anything automatically, but different fonts have different characteristics.

Just use a stencil type font, or make your own stencil type font with centres joined to outsides. Chop or weld bridges in where needed, then laser away...
The laser will normally cut the outlines of the shapes you tell it to. For a ULS, we usually make the outlines red...



P.S. With respect, it sounds like you might need to do a bit of research & learning... try Youtube, if you don't have any books on the subject, and look up 'welding'

[Bert Kemp]

I guess I dont understand the ? if you unfill image 1 make it all hairline it should cut out just the way you see it.

[John Lifer]

Agreed. I have a monogram font similar and it is easy to make work as it should. And if you are having issues, you need to LEARN how to use the software. Corel takes some time, but this is easy stuff.....

[David DiPietro]

Interesting question: you say you have several Universal lasers, Illy CS6, and Corel X5.

That implies you know how to use them, and have some experience, and therefore should be able to solve your own question which is a very, basic one.

Fonts don't do anything automatically, but different fonts have different characteristics.

Just use a stencil type font, or make your own stencil type font with centres joined to outsides. Chop or weld bridges in where needed, then laser away...
The laser will normally cut the outlines of the shapes you tell it to. For a ULS, we usually make the outlines red...



P.S. With respect, it sounds like you might need to do a bit of research & learning... try Youtube, if you don't have any books on the subject, and look up 'welding'

Yes Ian I agree, when doing a few dozen of these I may have thought there was a font designed to automatically join, chop and weld... thanks for the help

[William Adams]

Fonts don't do anything automatically, but different fonts have different characteristics.

While technically correct, OpenType fonts, when used in applications which support them, allows one to have fonts which will do lots of things automatically --- it's just a matter of coding things up in the font. Advanced typesetting systems will allow even more to be done.

That said, for this, the best thing is to just get out a #2 pencil, or a pen, or marker and draw up something which suits the customer's needs.

Or see specialty fonts such as: creativemarket com/Medialoot/1594657-Circle-Monogram-Font-Kit

[Bill George]

There was nothing special about the OPs design. If someone who indeed had all those machines and using all that software?