The rules"
When you upload a file to the production pages, our online application will automatically check that the file complies with our "rules". The specifications are simply needed to properly instruct the laser, so you can get exactly what you want.
We suggest that you check the design as much as possible before loading it, to avoid encountering problems later. For more tips, check out the video tutorial on how to control your designs yourself (using Adobe Illustrator).
Do not worry if you missed something: our application usually identifies the specific cause of the problem and shows you an error message useful to find the solution.
If there are several problems in your file, each error will be detected and reported one at a time: this means that you may have to fix and reload the file a number of times before it is accepted.
Below you will find everything you should check before uploading a drawing:
File weight
Rule:
Your file must weigh less than 10mb.
Solution:
If you use Illustrator or CorelDRAW, one way to reduce the weight of the file is to disable 'Preview' or 'Header' (image header) when saving in EPS.
Even the most complex vector design will certainly weigh much less than this limit. If your file is too heavy, make sure you have followed our instructions on saving files.
Non-vector text
Rule:
All the text in your drawing must be converted into outlines or outlines (Illustrator), paths or paths (Inkscape), or curves (CorelDRAW).
Solution:
The way to do this depends on the software used. In general, you must select texts and use the "Create Contour" or "Convert to Paths" command.
It's easy to check if your text has been converted. Click on any letter with the direct selection tool (arrow) and you will see vector lines and anchor points around it. If you do not see them, the text must still be converted.
Non-vector images
Rule:
Each image imported or inserted into your file must be converted into vector paths.
Solution:
The functions for doing this are different in each program. Also you can choose between different settings to get different results. You may want to experiment with different settings before getting the best result.
- In Illustrator, select the image and use the command 'Live trace', or 'Dynamic Trace' in Italian.
- In Inkscape and CorelDRAW, select the image and use the 'Trace bitmap' command.
Fill colors
Rule:
The colors to use for shape fills must be solid, and you can only use black or a shade of gray.
Solution:
Check in your drawing that all fills are black or gray. You can do this using the grayscale palette, or by checking that the RGB values are correct and constant (ie R: 128, G: 128, B: 128 or R: 230, G: 230, B: 230, etc.).
You can use blue, red, green, or magenta as a contour (trace) for your shape to get a cut or engraved path, but you can not use these colors as a fill.
One last thing to check: you can not use patterns or gradients as a fill. Only solid colors, black or gray. You can create a texture or a gradient effect using a series of areas in different shades of gray.
Trace color
Rule:
All lines used in your design must have specific RGB values as colors:
- Cutting lines: Blue - R: 0, G: 0, B: 255
- Deep vector engraving lines (heavy vector): Red - R: 255, G: 0, B: 0
- Medium vector engraving lines (medium vector): Green - R: 0, G: 255, B: 0
- Light vector engraving lines (light vector): Magenta - R: 255, G: 0, B: 255
If you use lines for raster engraving, these must be either black or gray with constant RGB values (such as R: 128, G: 128, B: 128 or R: 230, G: 230, B: 230, etc.) .
Solution:
First, check that your file is set to RGB and not CMYK (this does not apply to Inkscape). After that, make sure that each path has the correct RGB value.
In Illustrator, make sure the "Include CMYK Postscript in RGB Files" option is not selected when the file is saved in EPS format.
In CorelDRAW, exporting an EPS file with the RGB color profile may not be easy. If you can not, choose to export in SVG format, which can be loaded without problems.
Weight of the tracks
Rule:
Our system will ignore cutting lines and / or vector engraving if the thickness (or weight) of their track is excessive. We recommend a weight or thickness of 0.01mm for all files made with any software.
Solution:
Check that all cutting lines and / or vector engraving are in the required thickness.
- In Illustrator, you will need to click in the 'Stroke weight' field and type '0.01mm', including the unit of measure 'mm' and press enter.
- In Inkscape, you will need to select "millimeters" ('mm') from the drop-down menu next to the thickness field.
- In CorelDRAW, you will need to click on the 'Width' field and type '0.01mm', including 'mm' and hit enter.
If all your lines appear to be correct, there may be a problem with anchor points residuals of deleted lines. This can affect your project, even if these points are not visible in preview mode. Here's what to do:
- Change the 'View' (view) to 'traces' (outline) in your application. Each remaining dot will appear as a small 'X'.
- Click on the X with the direct selection tool (arrow) and delete it.
Lines with filling colors
Rule:
Lines (created with the "line" tool in your application) may have trace color, but not fill. This error can be difficult to identify.
Solution:
Carefully review all elements with both a raster fill and a vector outline. Try to identify any line that may have been accidentally selected and matched with a fill. Once found, remove the fill color.
In Illustrator, you can take advantage of the "magic wand" tool: view tool options to select lines with the same track color. If, after making the selection, in the fill box you see question marks it means that among all those lines with the same color there is one (or more than one) with a different fill. You may want to remove all fills: to do this, keep the selection and select the zero fill in the color menu.
If your file still does not load ...
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