Reference photo (previously adjusted for perspective in Photoshop)
Week II: Vinyl Cutting
Assignment: Cut something on the vinyl cutter
Goal: Create a dusted vinyl cut decal for my coworker's office door
Resources
Software
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Roland CutStudio Plugin
Equipment
Roland Camm-1 GS-24
Helpful Links
Project Files
Creating a Decal for Kelsey's Office
Context
When I got my new office over the summer, I celebrated by creating a large dusted vinyl decal for my office sliding door. The project received a lot of attention, particularly from my office neighbor, Kelsey.
So, for this project, I promised Kelsey I would add some decorative vinyl to her door, too.
Design and File Prep
Kelsey requested a silhouette of the Boston skyline. Several years ago I traced the Boston skyline in Adobe Illustrator from a photo, so I used the design I had on hand to get things started. I remember when I first started tracing photos in Illustrator by hand the Pen Tool took a while to master. I've liked to a couple Pen Tool Games in the resources section which I had found helpful.
The following images chronicle my process. Hover over each image for a brief description.
Tracing over the photo in Illustrator
Traced silhouette in isolation
Using Path > Offset to add thickness
Using Object > Expand and Pathfinder > Unite to clean up geometry
Design with text
Using Type > Create Outlines so the vinyl cutter will recognize text as vector paths
Mirroring design using Object > Transform > Reflect since design will be applied to reverse side of door
Individual letters are intersecting each other
Using Pathfinder > Unite to merge overlapping letters
Cutting and Application
At this point the design was ready to be cut on the vinyl cutter. I had some dusted vinyl left over from my previous project. I ended up cutting this design twice; I forgot to check the force setting on the vinyl cutter since the dusted vinyl is thicker than what we typically work with, and had to re-cut since it didn't cut all the way through the first time. Once the design was cut successfully, I weeded away the excess vinyl, applied application tape, and applied the decal to Kelsey's door.
Orcal dusted vinyl
Choosing "Edge" setting to find the front edge
The vinyl cutter is loaded
Giving my rolled vinyl some runway. I find this helps when cutting long designs on rolled vinyl without a spool.
Rotating the design so it will cut the long way
Cutting!
Vinyl after weeding
Applying application tape
Translucent vinyl is very difficult to see under the tape, but can be revealed using the side of a pencil
Trimming off excess tape
Placing the vinyl on the door
Adhering the design one half at a time (right side first)
Peeling the 2nd half
Squeegeed 2nd half to door
Peeling off the application tape, revealing the vinyl
Even after firmly going over the design with the squeegee several times there are still some air bubbles, but you can't tell from the front
Results
Overall I think it came out pretty well. It's possible to see some remaining air bubbles upon close inspection, but when viewed from the front they become nearly invisible, even at a close distance.
