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why does the cadet leave an edge after contour cutting?
something I`ve noticed.
most of my printing have had contour cut a couple of mm`s away from the edge of printing.
my last job i wanted it to show no white vinyl at all, so i cut -1mm into the print.
left it over nught, came back to it in the morning and where the contour cut ran into the print area, the vinyl has lifted/curled up from the backing.
i take this is due to the vinyl srinking due to the ink/solvent evaporating.
has anyone come up agaist this before and what can i do to stop it, i don`t want problems with the graphic lifting of the suvstrate.
the vinyl used is approved metamark material. it has also happen on kmpf digital.
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5 Replies
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i could be wrong, but i think rodney had a possible solution to this in a back post. then again he may have just raised the issue…
i “think” it only happens with very small stickers that have ink right to edge?
i know there is a time pause when printing/cutting. so you can tell machine to print stickers, pause for 5 minutes to allow drying, then proceed contour cut. having said that, i think this maybe to allow for blade dragging in chewy solvent attacked vinyl. could be wrong though…
it maybe possible to print stickers “with no outline” but with reg marks. let them dry for 3-4 hours (24hrs) then pop back in the machine to contour cut. that way any shrinkage/pulling back happens before its cut?sorry i know no solutions to your answer kev… 😕
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Hi have had a similar problem… mainly on black
I tend to lower the heat a little if doing a contor cut inside on black.
Rodney did mention something about it on one of the posts..
On the Metamark 5 if cutting inside the black I run it at about 43 in and out.
Cheers
Ian -
Hiya , the bad news is that it will ALWAYS happen if you cut on a dark bleed line , worst of all it can happen DAYS after.
Solvent or ecosol its all the same and it doesnt even seem to matter what type of vinyl you use although using thicker stuff helps a little
Happens with big and small stickers tho more noticeable with small
Once the edges have curled , the decals will never stick right. The solvents in the inks attack the vinyls , the darker the inks , the more solvents , the worse it becomes. Even if it cures , the areas where the darker printing is is still under tension due to the solvent and ink drying and shrinking and cutting it then still makes the decal shrink.2 solutions
No 1 might or might not work -print, cure for 24 hrs and cut
No 2 works spot on every time – print , lam , cut
Regards -
Hexis & APS both do a 100 micron vinyl which is great for stickers & much easier for joe bloggs to use and it won’t curl even if you print & contour.
John
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I’ve found this problem is greatly reduce if the printed vinyl is left to “cure” flat overnight in a room at normal working temperature.
Whenever I’ve left prints upstairs where its much colder, the curl occurs.
Peter
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