The method decides how pieces may be cut apart, and so how they may sit on the sheet. Pick it in the run bar's Method list; Settings… next to it opens the settings of the method the run will use.
| Method | Use it when | Needs |
|---|---|---|
| Auto | you're not sure | nothing |
| True shape | pieces are shaped, or cut on a digital cutter | nothing |
| N-up (guillotine) | rectangles cut on a guillotine | rectangles, sheets |
| Strips | pieces are slit into strips, then trimmed | sheets or a roll; mixed strips need rectangles and sheets |
Auto#
Auto picks for you each time you run: N-up when every artwork is a rectangle and the job is on sheets, and True shape otherwise. A roll always nests true shape. Once a run has resolved it, the method list shows the choice, such as "Auto → N-up (guillotine)", and Settings… opens that method's settings.
True shape#
True shape nests every outline as it is, at the angles each artwork allows, on sheets or a roll. Pieces interlock, so it usually uses the least material. It suits digital cutters (knife, router or laser) that follow any path.
It has no settings of its own besides the job's spacing, bleed, rotation and time. More time can find better layouts; the Report keeps every layout found. Rotation and time are on Nesting.
N-up (guillotine)#
N-up (step and repeat) lays rectangles out in rows and columns that a guillotine can cut: every cut runs straight across the pile. The layout comes with a knife program, step by step (see The Production tab).
- Rectangles only. A shaped artwork stops the run: "N-up needs rectangular pieces", followed by their names. Use True shape for those, or set their shape to Trim box or Custom size.
- Sheets only. "N-up needs sheets" on a roll.
- Quarter turns only. Pieces are placed at 0° or 90°. An artwork that allows no quarter turn is placed at 0°, and the run says so.
- Several items are ganged on forms. A digital run may print each form a different number of times ("Form 2 × 84"), and the layout counts the pieces made by forms × copies.
The settings choose shared cuts or a gutter between pieces, the number of knife stages (2 to 4), whether to trade sheets for fewer knife strokes or fewer different forms, and the pile height the knife takes. See Settings reference.
Strips#
Strips keep pieces in straight strips between slit lines, for a slitter, a trimmer or a roll slitter. The viewer shows the slits as dashed lines, and the Production tab lists every strip.
- One item per strip (the default): each strip holds a single item, and pieces keep their true shape inside it. Rectangles turn by quarter turns only.
- Mixed strips hold different rectangles and are cut in two knife stages: strips, then pieces. They need sheets and rectangles ("Mixed strips need rectangular pieces", "Mixed strips need sheets"), choose their own direction, and take no gap, row, width or count limits yet.
- Direction: on sheets, horizontal strips (slits run across the sheet) or vertical strips (slits run down it); on a roll, lanes down the roll (slit on a slitter) or bands across it (cut across). Auto tries both and keeps the better.
- On a roll whose cutter keeps parts within beds, strips can't run yet: use True shape, or let parts span beds.
See Settings reference for the gap, rows, width and count limits.
Changing method#
Changing the method doesn't make existing layouts out of date: a layout stays a valid imposition whatever method made it, and it still exports. Run again to get layouts made with the new method. See Run types: Digital and Offset for Digital and Offset.