Generating cut contours directly in PrimeCenter

Some files sent by end users are not ready for production, especially for cutting, because they lack a properly defined cut contour. With PrimeCenter, you can automatically generate cut contours without needing a separate design tool. This eliminates the need to open and manually edit each file in design software.

Depending on your needs, you can create cut contours using one of the following functions:

Prerequisites

Before configuring these functions to generate cut contours, you may need to learn how file processing functions are applied in PrimeCenter.

Contour from PDFBox

The organization of settings may vary between PrimeCenter versions.

Prior to V5.0 Starting with V5.0

📌 Area & Adjustments

PDF Box

Choose the PDF box to use for generating the cut contour.
 

Contour name

By default, the contour name is CutContourAuto. You can select another name from your cut contour list to fit your workflow.

📌 Advanced settings

Creation method (starting with V3.1)

Choose when the software should generate a contour:

• Always: Creates a contour even if one already exists.
• If no contour is detected: Creates a contour only if there is no existing one matching a contour in the Cut contours list (formerly "Dictionary").
• If specific contours are not detected: Generates a contour only if the selected contours are missing from the file.

Area & Adjustments

Rounded corners

Apply a radius to round the contour’s corners.

Corner style (starting with V5.1)

Select Rounded or Beveled corners for the contour.

Rounded	Beveled

Adjust

Adjust the distance between the PDF box and the cut contour.

Offset

Move the PDF box.

Adjust page size to contour

✅ Enable this option to automatically resize the PDF page to match the new contour, ensuring correct processing. It is recommended to keep this option enabled.

Contour from content

The organization of settings may vary between PrimeCenter versions.

Prior to V5.0 Starting with V5.0

📌 Mode & Strategy

Contour name

By default, the contour name is CutContourAuto. You can select another name from your cut contour list to fit your workflow.

📌 Advanced settings

Creation method (starting with V3.1)

Choose when the software should generate a contour:

• Always: Creates a contour even if one already exists.
• If no contour is detected: Creates a contour only if there is no existing one matching a contour in the Cut contours list (formerly "Dictionary").
• If specific contours are not detected: Generates a contour only if the selected contours are missing from the file.

Mode & Strategy

Mode

• Smart (default): The software automatically selects the best mode based on detected content.
• Visible Content Excluding White Areas: Generates a contour from visible content while ignoring unprinted (white) areas.
• Visible Content Including White Areas: Includes white areas in the contour but ignores transparent sections (e.g. if the file contains a transparency channel).
• All vector objects: Uses vector elements only to generate the contour, skipping raster rendering.

Rendering resolution

Select the resolution from the available options: higher resolutions improve accuracy but slow down processing.

Lightness tolerance

The Lightness tolerance allows you to adjust the difference between pixel values when rendering needs to include or exclude some parts (e.g. when the image is not sharp and slightly pixelated).

The higher the tolerance, the more areas are discarded from the shape.

• Low (Include All Pixels): Includes every pixel in the shape creation.
• Medium (Optimal Setting): Default tolerance, which is the optimal setting.
• High (Ignore Light Areas): Ignores light-colored pixels.
• VeryHigh (Ignore Very Light Areas): Ignores even lighter pixels.

Adjust the contour placement

Adjust the distance between the image content and the generated cut contour.

Control which contours are created

• All contours: Detects and creates both internal and external contours.

  

• Only external contours: Restricts the detection to external shapes.

  

Curve mode

• Optimized (default): Balances accuracy and smoothness by combining polygons and curves.
• Medium (starting with V5.1): Use polygons for sharp edges and corners, and curves for the rest.
• Smooth: Prioritizes smoothness, using only curves.