Multiple mats from single sheet - MatDesigner

[bobtnailer]

Howdy, y'all!

I called Wizard for help with this some time back, and I *know* that I made notes about it, but I can neither remember it nor can I find my notes. If I had hair, I'd be pulling it out right now!

I need to cut mats for five identical frames, and there's plenty of room on a single sheet of mat for all of them. MatDesigner has a feature that does that, but if memory serves, that feature is tucked away somewhere that isn't very intuitive. When I called Wizard about it last time, they told me that future calls for help would be $$$ (I don't have a service subscription...it just doesn't have enough value to warrant the cost).

Of course, I could just take the easy way out and cut them individually, but I would much rather remember (or be re-taught) how to do it the *right* way.

Would someone mind shedding some light on this for me? Pretty please?

Thanks in advance!!


Cody

 

[artfolio]

I think the feature is called "Nesting" but, for what it is worth, in my 3 - 4 years of owning a Wizard I never used it. Like many computer gimmicks it was fiddly and takes longer to set up than it is worth. Same story with cutting the outside of multiple matts; that was troublesome enough that I reverted to docking them on the Fletcher and cutting them out one by one on the Wizard.

 

[framah]

Yeah, by the time you finally got it all laid out in the program, you would have already cut all of the mats.

Not all "time savers" ARE "time savers".

 

[bobtnailer]

I think the feature is called "Nesting" but, for what it is worth, in my 3 - 4 years of owning a Wizard I never used it. Like many computer gimmicks it was fiddly and takes longer to set up than it is worth. Same story with cutting the outside of multiple matts; that was troublesome enough that I reverted to docking them on the Fletcher and cutting them out one by one on the Wizard.

The nesting feature is kind of similar, but it just lets you cut new mats out of the inner drop-off pieces.

The mystery feature I'm looking for lets you tile multiple identical cuts across the whole sheet. I'll eventually figure it out (if no one chimes in with the answer), but I ended up doing exactly what you described.

 

[bobtnailer]

Yeah, by the time you finally got it all laid out in the program, you would have already cut all of the mats.

Not all "time savers" ARE "time savers".

Very true!!

This feature really DOES save time (assuming you can figure out how to do it), but more importantly, it helps in making the most effective use of the whole sheet...less waste.

Like I said to Artfolio, I ended up just cutting one piece at a time. That didn't add a bunch of time, but I almost didn't have enough mat to cut my pieces. My last piece only had about 1/4" to spare. That's cutting things a little close!

 

[alacrity8]

On the cut screen, 'Tiling' automatically arranges identical mats for you, but only in the same orientation.
Nesting allows you to cut multiple identical mats, and/or multiple sizes of mats. It will allow you to place a smaller mat cut inside a larger mat cut.
Nesting allows you to arrange all of your mats using the same color matboard.
Nesting is pretty time consuming, but if you are cutting 100 mats, and you can fit 5 on a sheet, but only if they are a mix of horizontal and vertical, it is very useful.

Brian

 

[bobtnailer]

Thank you, Brian!

I had been looking for it in the layout screens (everything leading up to the cut screen). Since that gets applied right before cutting it (as opposed to laying it out), I never found it.

Now that you've explained it, I quickly saw how to make it work. I'll make a new note to attach to the monitor for that computer, and hopefully I won't lose it again.

As with one of the awards industry forums I belong to, this forum has the magical ability to provide "nuggets" of information that can make a HUGE difference in how we do things. I truly appreciate the fact that so many folks here are so willing to reach out with helpful information like this!!


Thanks again!!!

Cody

 

[artfolio]

One hack I did use successfully with cutting multiple matts was to design and save a multiple opening matt on a full sheet of card with enough spacing between the openings that I could then separate them on the Fletcher. Again, though, the measuring and marking for the final cuts probably ate up at least part of the time saved.

 

[Hulkachu]

In the Cut menu, there's a tab for Tiling. Put in how many you think you can fit as the Numbet of Mats, then the size of the mat, and Apply settings. Sheet count of 1 is the mat board/s.

 

[wpfay]

When Tiling make sure you get the sequence right so the whole thing doesn't collapse.
You want to start from the upper right and work your way across to the left, always cutting the upper level first.
I think Brian Wolf called it the architecture of tiling.

 

[Rick Granick]

I think Brian Wolf called it the architecture of tiling.

Yes, I like Brian's original nomenclature for things. Many years ago he was teaching a class on mat decorating, and described how to tape-mask a mat for bevel-painting. If you set the mat guide (on a straightline cutter) to your desired border size and put the blank in face up, you can run 811 tape right along the cutter bar and burnish it. Then you flip the blank over and cut from the back. You will end up with a perfectly masked mat with about 1/8" of tape left on the fallout. (This works because of the cutter's geometry and the thickness of matboard.) He called this "almost profound".
Rick