Printer / Plotter icon

[VRLR]

Hi everyone,
I try to make a plotter icon (basically a printer that cut the paper), and I would like to draw a letter (or any path) that gets out of it, cut, with the rest of the paper flowing out.
This is my best try so far, with a "bend effect" applied to the shallow letter, but I'm not that satisfied, any idea?


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[Moini]

If it's just this one letter, and neither bend nor the pattern along path lpe nor the pattern along path extension with 'ribbon' option selected does the job, just do it manually.

I'd try the ribbon thing first, though.

[brynn]

Welcome to the forum!

I'm curious why you show the cut out object pushed up to just the end of the paper.  Is it because that's how a cutter works?  I've never actually seen any kind of cutter working.  Does it cut things out of a long roll of paper?  I've always assumed the paper or card stock, or whatever would be 8.5 x 11 inches (or smaller sometimes, I guess).  But I never imagined it would be a long roll of paper. 

I like what you've done so far.  It's just that the cut out part is so small.  To me, it seems like it might be more effective to show something cut out of the whole paper.  Or at least half the paper, if you really like sort of a "tail" of paper coming out.  If the letter (or whatever) was bigger, it could also have a little bit of a curve.  It could actually have the same curve, except the tail end would be sort of raised up relative the the paper.

I wonder if showing the cut out part (the letter or whatever) the same color as the paper, except with a thin border, might help to show the effect?  I don't really know if it would help, but it's something I would probably try, at least.  It also might help to use a gradient for the "hole", because I guess you could actually see through the hole as it comes out of the machine??  So I wonder if a gradient might help to make that effect?

Yeah, I think I would try to make the hole more black, and the cut out letter more white, like the paper, and maybe with a thin outline.

As for how to do it, Bend LPE seems to be ok, to me.  But as Moini mentioned, Pattern Along Path is another way to go.  Possiby Envelope Deform LPE, but that would be the last thing I'd try.  Bend or PAP should do the job.

[VRLR]

Hi, thanks for the ideas! Here are my last tries:

I first tried to put more letters:


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but the "paper roll" looked a bit too wide.

So I tried an envelope deformation before the bend effect:


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And then bend the cut out letters too:


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I didn't manage to get a nice effect with the Pattern Along Path...

The plotter is often used for small sheets of par, but can cut any length. I just thought that  a long piece of paper would be more self-explaining.

[brynn]

Nice!

I just had another idea looking at those.  I wonder if it's necessary for the cut out letters to be in a straight line, or even like they are on a sheet of paper.  What if some of them were just kind of floating away, here and there??

I like the effect with the long sheet, actually.  I just didn't know the machines could use long sheets.  I also like the letters being the same color as the paper, and the gradient behind helps a lot too.

Pattern Along Path can be kind of tricky sometimes.  But if you're happy with Bend and Envelope Deform LPEs, then that's great!

[VRLR]

Hi, here is the final version, I'm quite happy with it!


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Thanks for advices!

[brynn]

Nice, I like it too!