Vinyl Decal Nesting on Roll Stock
Nest vinyl decals to the roll you load: custom sheet sizes, weeding gaps, and long parts rotated into the waste.
The problem: paying for offcuts
Decal jobs come in odd shapes: swooshes, wordmarks, arrows, tags. On a fixed sheet they leave long strips of unusable roll between them, and you pay for that vinyl at the same rate as the parts you keep. The fix is not a better sheet, it is treating the roll itself as the sheet.
What NestPlug does instead
Set the custom sheet to the roll you actually load, say 12in wide by the length of the job, and nest into that. Long parts rotate into the gaps short parts leave behind, and the minimum distance you set is honored between every cut line, which is exactly the gap your weeding needs.
Spacing that matches your blade
Minimum distance is the gap between cut lines: 3mm for hand weeding, less for a plotter that holds registration well. Edge padding keeps cuts clear of the roll edge so nothing lifts on the take-up spool. Kerf allowance adds what the blade removes, so tight gaps stay tight after the cut.
Long jobs, continuous layout
When the order runs past one screen of roll, multi-sheet planning continues the layout onto the next sheet with a clean gap between sheet origins, so you cut, trim, and move on.
How this run was set up
- Sheet: 305×610mm (12×24in roll section), 5mm edge padding
- Minimum distance: 3mm, rotation step 15°, contour packing
- Result: 25 of 25 placed, 56% packed, cluster 11.8×5.3in
Questions
Can I nest to an odd roll width like 12.5in?
Yes. Sheet width and height are free fields in inches or millimeters, and the panel switches units in one click.
Will parts stay upright for grain direction?
Set the rotation step to 0° and every part keeps its angle, or pin them all to one fixed angle you choose.
Does it handle tiny text and thin strokes?
The engine packs the real outlines, thin strokes included. If a part is too small to weed at your chosen gap, increase the minimum distance and re-calculate in seconds.
Related: sticker sheets · laser & CNC · all use cases · Request a feature.