How to Nest Designs in Adobe Illustrator with AccuRIP® Emerald

N-UP (Nesting) in AccuRIP® Emerald helps screen printers optimize film usage by arranging separations efficiently within the selected media size. This reduces film waste and ensures a streamlined printing process.

Enabling N-UP (Nesting) in AccuRIP Emerald

To activate N-UP (nesting) in AccuRIP Emerald, simply flip the N-UP (nesting) toggle switch in the software and click Apply.

• If using roll media, set the media size in AccuRIP to the roll width.
• If using sheets, update the media size in AccuRIP whenever you change sheet sizes to ensure proper nesting.

Tip: The media size settings in AccuRIP must match the actual film size loaded into the printer for proper nesting.

How N-UP (Nesting) Works

With the correct media size set, AccuRIP automatically nests separations when:

• The artboard width is half or smaller than the film’s printable width.
• AccuRIP can fit multiple separations side by side before moving to the next row.

The magic is in the math! AccuRIP maximizes film usage based on the page size of your artwork.

Setting the Artboard Size in Adobe Illustrator

The steps to adjust the artboard size are the same on Mac and Windows:

1. Open Adobe Illustrator.
2. Go to the Window menu and select Properties.
3. In the Properties panel, click Document Setup, then select Edit Artboards.
4. Set the width (W) and height (H) to the desired dimensions (e.g., 6” x 6”).
5. Click Exit to apply the changes.

Printing from Adobe Illustrator with AccuRIP Emerald

When ready to print your separations:

1. Open the Print window.
2. Select AccuRIP Emerald as the printer.
3. Click the Media Size dropdown and select Custom.
4. Uncheck Auto-Rotate to maintain layout control.
5. Illustrator will automatically match the artboard dimensions.
6. Click Output, change Composite to Separations, and select the colors you want to print.
7. Click Print to send the job to AccuRIP Emerald.

(c) Freehand Library Article / AccuRIP / Separation Studio NXT / Spot Process / Dmax / Amaze-Ink / DarkStar