Signlab 9.1 help ASAP please

[Robert Lambie]

are you typing in the text from the signlab software itself or importing it in from another software or file?

[Lisa Keenan]

quote Robert Lambie:

are you typing in the text from the signlab software itself or importing it in from another software or file?

I am typing the text in signlab software.

Thanks for adding my profile pic 😀

[Robert Lambie]

No problem 😀

We use signlab also, but ours are older versions of the signlab your using.
I know you ahve just started using it so dont want to give you a load of functions that might be alien to you or maybe different in your version of the software.

anyway, it maybe that the font text path has been broken and its only sending the outline of text to the cutter. a quick test as i cant see what your doing with it is…

put a small bit of text on the screen exactly as you do normally, say an inch high. then hold down "CTRL – Control key" & "A" then select cut.
this should select everything on the screen and cut bot inside and outside cut paths. as in in and outside sections of the text.
if it doesnt, its something else! 😕 :lol1:

sorry, difficult doing it blind and in different software version. 😕

[Lisa Keenan]

quote Robert Lambie:

No problem 😀

We use signlab also, but ours are older versions of the signlab your using.
I know you ahve just started using it so dont want to give you a load of functions that might be alien to you or maybe different in your version of the software.

anyway, it maybe that the font text path has been broken and its only sending the outline of text to the cutter. a quick test as i cant see what your doing with it is…

put a small bit of text on the screen exactly as you do normally, say an inch high. then hold down “CTRL – Control key” & “A” then select cut.
this should select everything on the screen and cut bot inside and outside cut paths. as in in and outside sections of the text.
if it doesnt, its something else! 😕 :lol1:

sorry, difficult doing it blind and in different software version. 😕

That worked thank you! 😀 I knew it would be something very simple which was why i was finding it very frustrating! I went into cut tab then contour cut. Not sure if that’s the same as yours. will it be the same on a image? Will try it now, fingers crossed it’s as simple as that for images!

[Robert Lambie]

good to hear…

is the image being printed then contour cut?
if so you need to create a "vector cut path around the image" this can be easy enough if the image isn’t too complex.

[Lisa Keenan]

Yes i am trying to print an image and then have a cut path around the image so it doesn’t have any back ground.

[Lisa Keenan]

quote Robert Lambie:

good to hear…

is the image being printed then contour cut?
if so you need to create a “vector cut path around the image” this can be easy enough if the image isn’t too complex.

Robert would you mind sending me info on doing that please? I’m still stuck with it 🙁

[Ray Wilcox]

Hi Lisa, not sure if you are still stuck with this.

When you select contour cut, to get the middles also cut you need to look to the top left of the dialog window, you should see a check box for Inside /outside, you need to check this.

For removing the background from images, if it’s simple, you can use the contour cut, then select both the contour and the image and then Arrange> Clipping > Clipping.
The clipping path then becomes a window that you can see the image through, one thing to note here is that it will only look correct when Show Fill is switched on (ALT +S will toggle on/off)

If your image is complex you may need Fluid Mask to remove the background, but this is not included in all packages and is too complicated to explain here, look for the tutorial on You Tube or Cadlink website.

[Lisa Keenan]

Hi Ray,

Thank you for your help. I managed to find a video on the Cadlink website which is done by fluid mask so that’s how I did it in the end. Will try it your way next time as it sounds a lot quicker.

I’m not sure if you will be able to help me with something different?
Today I have been out to look at a digger which I need to sign write and on the arm I need to do BUSSELL with the B starting small and getting bigger to the L and the same on the other side but the opposite way around. Does Signlab have a tool which can do that or do I need to size each letter myself? I’ve been trying to search it in the help tools but not had any luck. I need to do this job ASAP so any help would be very much appreciated!

Kind Regards
Lisa

[Martin Cole]

quote Lisa Keenan:

the arm I need to do BUSSELL with the B starting small and getting bigger to the L and the same on the other side but the opposite way around. Does Signlab have a tool which can do that or do I need to size each letter myself?

Lisa, I have s/lab 8 but should be same

After typing the word go to transformation > transformation then you should see different coloured icons> choose bounding box linear vertical. this will do the job.

[Ray Wilcox]

Select the text, and go to Transform > Transformation > Choose the icon that is top left (Bounding Box Linear Vertical). Now your text will show with 6 control nubs, click and hold the centre nubs, drag them to the right or left end. Now hold CTRL+ALT click and hold on the nub just moved and move it vertically, the text will either expand or contract at that end depending on which way you move it.

If you just move the end nubs without moving the centre ones it will expand from the middle and not along the full length.

You might want to try the Perspective Linear Vertical option too as that will give a similar effect, although subtly different.

edit: if you don’t hold ctrl + Alt only one side will move leaving the other horizontal (try it, you’ll see what I mean.)

[Lisa Keenan]

That’s great thank you very much for your help Martin and Ray I will give it a go now 😀

[Lisa Keenan]

All done now. Massive thank you to you both!! 😀