Font for cutouts have jagged curves

[Amiceli]

hey all,

I've been searching through topics, but can't find anything to help with what is probably a really beginner and silly question.. I have what i assume is a common need to cutout letters where we want to use the letters to glue or tack individually, but I'm struggling to find a font that doesn't cut the curves of the letters oddly, even after I explode and do arc fitting. on 2 inch letters, the Os and Rs always seem to have jagged curves and look poor in flashcut, and of course the cutouts represent it. Is one font better than another to fix this, or is there something simple I'm missing?

[kicktillmonday]

I have never had that issue with fonts, I am sure this will be an easy one to solve.

What software are you using to create your design with these fonts?

Are you using the .ttf TrueTypeFonts on your PC or are you using a .dxf font set?

Let me know and I am sure we can smooth this out.

[Amiceli]

I use flashcut. I tried a couple fonts, including Arial, which seems the worst on the O's. I can cut pretty well lot's of detail, and its clear in CAD that the curves aren't smooth, so I don't think its a cutter setting thing.

[kicktillmonday]

OK, and are you using .ttf True Type Fonts (the fonts preloaded in Windows) or are you using fonts that are in .dxf format (this would force you to arrange all the letters you needed manually)?

[tcaudle]

Its happening in the conversion . I don't know what file format FC takes in but fonts are vector objects with complex arcs and curves that work well in formats like CDR, AI, SVG , EPS and PDFS that maintain arcs and complex curves. Converting ot a format like DXF breaks them inot a bunch of straight lines and lots of nots then trying to move or stretch them makes the raggedness worse. Fonts are nice and smooth in their original format and close objects. Most CAM programs won't handle the Font object but it the file is one that maintains arcs and polylines (like SVG) the font objects convert perfectly.
The problem with a lot off CAd programs is the support for file formats that have true arcs and cirles is limited.

[jimcolt]

The issue could also be due to the complex arcs and generally small dimensions of some fonts Rather than a software issue jagged edges can be caused by machines with drive backlash that can be caused by lightweight construction, loose or mis-aligned gears, weak motor mounts or simply asking too much in terms of acceleration and maintaining the set cut speed. Jim Colt