Align artwork after it's been moved

I’ve used this technique to add components to a design, which is what I will demonstrate here, but you could possibly use it to re-cut a design that did not cut all the way thru.

Here’s an example where an outer circle was not added to the overall design, and needs to be scored:

First, you need a couple of pieces of scrap that are the same height or a VERY tiny amount thicker than your original material. In this example, I’m using chipboard, so I just grabbed a couple of scraps.

Line them up on either side of your work piece, in such a way that you can slide it side to side. Make sure you leave enough room on the sides of the bed so that it does not “foul” the carriage rails when moved away. If you need more room, you can rotate the “slide” so that it runs front-to-back, and plan to remove the original piece before the next step:

Place another piece of scrap over the work piece so that the original design, or the portions that need to be amended, are covered. Use your method of choice to hold everything in place - I use magnets, I’ve never had an issue with them, some people have and prefer to use hold-down pins. Regardless, it must be very secure.

With the work removed or moved aside, set up a job to cut a portion of the “top” piece of scrap that allows good alignment. In this case, I am scoring a circle around the design but if you were going to add artwork within the pentagon, for example, that would be a more precise shape to cut. Make sure you set focus on the higher piece of material, choose ignore for all elements except for this desired cut shape (in this case, an appropriate cut setting, covered up because this is not Proofgrade material), then run the job.

Note that the piece drops down from the higher piece of scrap. Remove this without disturbing the other pieces - in my case, it was easy to slide over to the side where it could be lifted out. You can hold your scraps down for a bit of extra security against anything being moved.

Carefully position your work piece so that the new shape lines up with the previously printed artwork, then run the missing parts after making sure you set focus back to the thickness of the original material:

Remove the original work piece, and you are done! Of course, you might want to check everything over before disturbing the cut template, just in case!

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Brilliant idea!

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Huh, interesting technique. I think we all have our ways of doing stuff like this, I like your spin on it.

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Yep, that’s a new take on a jig for sure. Kind of a Reverse Jig?
(Anyway…cool idea!) :sunglasses:

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Maybe a “drop jig”. Filed for future use!

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That is interesting. Since I always I have a jig in place, mostly when this happens to me I just wedge everything back in there and get away with it. But there are times when even that won’t help.

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nice trick thanks

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Nice tip!