Auto layout and shared edges
Arranging many pieces by hand is where material and time disappear. Automatic layout with shared edges packs them tight and cuts one line for two pieces.
What it does
Automatic layout takes a set of objects and rotates, offsets and packs them into the sheet, respecting a spacing you set. With shared edges enabled, neighbouring pieces that end up with a coincident border are cut as a single line instead of two parallel ones.
When shared edges pay off
- Repeated identical parts where the border shape matches exactly — the common case for stickers and labels.
- Dense packing where saving one line per pair meaningfully shortens the total path.
They do not pay off when pieces need a gap for material thickness, or when the border shapes only touch at a corner.
Typical flow
- Group each piece so it moves as one object.
- Set the gap: 0 for shared edges, or 1–3 mm when the material needs clearance.
- Run the layout and check the result at full-sheet zoom — overlaps are obvious there and invisible when zoomed in.
- Send, then watch the first few pieces before walking away.
Gap zero is a material decisionWith zero gap, adjacent cuts run along the same line. On thick or coated material the kerf makes the second piece slightly small. If dimension tolerance matters, keep 1–2 mm between pieces.
After arranging
Check that the outermost pieces still sit inside the machine's working area, and that the arrangement did not rotate a piece with a directional grain. Both mistakes are invisible on screen and expensive on material.