Roland BN-20 Vinyl Printer/Cutter

Update:

Inkscape does *not* support "Spot Colors" which, for now, are required for custom cut paths (think circular stickers)

This will be updated further later, but the key is that you need a "Spot Color" (not a process color, etc) for the Roland to recognize it as a cut outline. In illustrator, create a new color swatch named "CutContour" , and make sure to select "spot color". This can be whatever color you'd like - the 'CutContour" name is the important part.

make all oyur cut paths this color, and the roland should recognize them automatically ("marching ants" - moving dashed lines) will appear in the document preview in VersaWorks.

inkscape compatibility? (untested)

this plugin could allow inkscape to make the proper files: https://github.com/mgmax/inkscape-roland-cutstudio

Digitized Scanned Document

Open up Adobe Illustrator
If you have a path/svg and an image already, proceed to step 11.
If not, open up your bitmap file (png, jpg, bmp,...)
Resize it to be within the artboard.
Duplicate the Image so you have one to trace.
Click Window -> Image Trace
Use the tracing to create paths around your image.
1. (The settings I use are: Grayscale (or b/w), 1% paths, ignore white)
Trace!
Select the Image Trace by clicking the small dot to the right of it's name in the layers menu.
Click Object -> Image Trace -> Expand
Delete any extraneous paths you don't want to cut, and align the path over the image you want to cut.
Select the Cutline Path.
Rename the Path CutContour.
Make sure it is in its own layer, one that is above the general artwork.
With the path selected, go to the top left outline color picker and select the pink color named CutContour as the outline color
Save the file by doing File -> Save As
Select filetype Illustrator EPS (.eps) as the file type.
Change the EPS settings to the following:
1. Version: Illustrator CS4 EPS
2. Preset: High resolution
3. Embed Fonts: Checked
4. PostScript: Language Level 2
Export!
To open in VersaWorks, you must be launch the program as an Administrator and add the .eps from the file dialog.
To do this with a perforated cut line, all you need to do is name the color swatch PerfCutContour

If the color does not exist on the device you're using:

Open the color pallette and click New Swatch.
Make sure Spot Color is selected, and it's in CMYK.
Name the color CutContour or PerfCutContour.
Make it any color you want. Ideally one recognizable and different.

Software setup: (name) Roland BN-20 Software

scan of original wall document

Last updated 7 months ago