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Thread: Laser engraving for a control panel shop

  1. #1

    Laser engraving for a control panel shop

    Hi All...We just purchased a Epilog Mini 24 and CorelDraw X7 to engrave our plastic ID component tags for electrical control panels. These will typically be 1/2" x 2" tags with unique text using the Rowmark LaserMark laminate with adhesive already on. One of the problems I'm having is getting the text to stay centered in the 1/2 x 2 tag. I'm basically drawing 24" horiz hairlines and 12" vert hairlines to get my grid of vector lines and then centering a piece of artistic text in the upper left hand corner 1/2 x 2 tag. This tag is centered on x: 1". I'm then duplicating this text piece 2" to the right multiple times to the far right tag. Im then duplicating this entire row of text pieces down (y=-1/2") to the bottom of the drawing page.

    Now all the tags have the same text piece centered in them and I start to go back and edit each box to the unique tag it needs to be. What I keep finding out is that depending on how many characters I use in each text piece, the center keeps moving on me. Sometimes not very much, sometimes by alot.

    Is there something I'm missing on my setup? Right now I have to keep going back and centering the pieces on X: 1, 3, 5, 7, etc...to get them exactly in the middle.

    Any help would be appreciated!

  2. #2
    I don't use Corel regularly but:

    1. Make sure your text alignment is set to "center"
    2. Use a text box vs free text tool.

    That's where I would start. I'd also suggest you seriously look into the Mail Merge tool. What you're doing is fairly inefficient.
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  3. #3
    Thanks...Will look into Mail Merge.

  4. #4
    Mail merge will work great, just be sure to set your text placeholder to center align before merging into the new document. You should end up with X number of pages based on the number of entries in your merge source. Then use the imposition tool in print preview to fit the proper number of tags onto your sheet. There's a lot of flexibility in this tool, so play around and get comfortable. Just remember to lock your tag size or Corel will size the art to fit the number you select onto your designated page size.
    Bruce Clumpner
    Brandon Services Laser Engraving
    Academy Commemoratives - Personalized Memorabilia for the U.S. Service Academies
    Irvine, CA
    -
    Epilog 75-watt Helix, 40-watt 18-Mini
    Started with Corel Draw V1 now feeling the pain of CorelDraw x7
    CS4 photoshop
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  5. #5
    Don't know if this applies to your application but I when I have a lot of the same things that I want to individualize I have to group everything before I individualize them. Then center the name or number or what ever afterwards.
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  6. #6
    Join Date
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    Billy, How is data sent to you?

    To start I would suggest you look at print merge on Youtube. There is multiple posting from people.
    Roy Brewer at Engraving Concepts has a good tutorial on his site which may be of help. http://www.engravingconcepts.com/ind...d=20&Itemid=67

    I also like copy/paste function in Xenetech program for those who have it. It maintains margins as set in master. something like attached sample.
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  7. #7
    Join Date
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    At least up thru X4, centering CorelDraw text as text, and alternatively after beng converted to curves, puts the center in a different place. Usually not a lot different, but often quite noticeable. It's as if there is some white space at the end of the text line that is part of what is centers.
    Longtai 460 with 100 watt EFR, mostly for fun. More power is good!! And a shop with enough wood working tools to make a lot of sawdust. Ex-owner of Shenhui 460-80 and engraving business with 45 watt Epilog Mini18.

  8. #8
    Most of what we do is control tags for our shop. As the others suggested, learn how to use print merge. Also learn how to use the print layout. Most of what I do is set up the layout as an individual tag, use print merge to import the data to the drawing, then use the print layout to run multiple tags at once.

    You can also check into the table tool. You can create a table with the dimensions and # of cells you need, then right click the table and convert to curves and you get all the nice lines you've been drawing manually.
    ----------------------------------------
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  9. #9
    duplicating to the right as you've indicated should work but your centers should be 1",3",5" ,7" etc. You should set them accordingly then center the column to the top set of characters. You have to check your grid to be sure it's exactly on the marks you have designated. Your method should be quicker than print merge for this job.
    Mike Null

    St. Louis Laser, Inc.

    Trotec Speedy 300, 80 watt
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    Woodworking shop CLTT and Laser Sublimation
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  10. #10
    Thanks everyone for the help! I think I'm moving in the right direction now.

  11. #11
    I've started to use the Text Box instead of the "Artistic Text"/freehand text piece and it does seem to hold center. But now I can't seem to make the text characters wider or narrower. With the artistic text I could grab the side and slide it left or right to stretch or compress the text.

    Can I do something similar with the text box?

  12. #12
    you can change text back & forth between artistic & paragraph using ctrl/F8. Only catch is, you can only change one text box at a time, which can get slow.

    I never use text boxes just for that reason. I'm a 'group-C-E' user-- I draw a matrix batch of boxes, then I type the text inside them, anywhere... when I'm done, with my right hand on the mouse and left hand on the C and E buttons, I group each box then type C-E. I can group and center the text in about 2 boxes per second.

    For LOTS of boxes, say 10 rows x 10 columns, just group a whole row and hit "E"- this vertically centers all the text in that row. When all the rows are done, then group a columm and hit "C", that'll horizontally center the text...

    My BIL uses print merge, and I can usually do a 12x12 sheet of 1x3 tags faster than he can...

    Just have to watch lower case text with tails...
    Last edited by Kev Williams; 04-01-2015 at 4:49 PM.
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