Flexi Complete Craftsman Certification

Audience: Operators who already know the interface, can build basic vector files, run simple print or cut jobs, and want to stop guessing in production.

Outcome by Week 4: Shop produces print-and-cut work with predictable color, fewer reprints, less wasted material, and faster turnaround on repeat jobs.

Format: 4 weeks × 4 sessions per week. Each session is 60–90 minutes — roughly 45 minutes guided, 30+ minutes on the operator’s own machine running real shop files. Sessions end with a measurable production exercise, not a quiz. 

Week 1 — Production-Ready File Prep

Production problem this week solves: Customer files arrive as JPEGs, low-res logos, and Word docs. The operator burns hours rebuilding them and still ends up with fuzzy prints, broken cut paths, and reprints. By the end of the week, dirty customer files become production-ready in under 15 minutes.

Session 1.1 — Auditing an inbound file

•       Document inspection: resolution, color mode, embedded vs. linked, font availability

•       The 5-minute triage: keep, rebuild, redraw

•       Setting up a shop-standard document template (units, color mode, bleed, registration)

•       Production exercise: Take 3 customer files from the operator’s actual inbox. Triage each in under 2 minutes; record the call.

Session 1.2 — Vectorization that survives a cutter

•       Tracing bitmap logos: thresholds, smoothing, node reduction

•       Cleaning trace output: removing stray nodes, closing open paths, eliminating overlapping strokes

•       When to rebuild vs. trace — the decision rule

•       Production exercise: Vectorize a low-res customer logo. Cut it on scrap vinyl. Pass criterion: weeds cleanly with no torn corners.

Session 1.3 — Typography and outlines in production

•       Converting text to curves without losing the original layered text

•       Font substitution traps and how to avoid them at receive-time

•       Kerning and tracking on signage at viewing distance

•       Production exercise: Take a 4-ft banner file with live type. Prep it for output with type preserved as editable AND outlined backup on a hidden layer.

Session 1.4 — Contour cut paths the right way

•       Building contour paths around printed artwork: offset distance, corner behavior

•       Compound paths, holes, and interior cuts

•       Naming and color-coding cut layers so the RIP doesn’t guess

•       Production exercise: Take a printed sticker design with complex interior shapes. Build a contour cut layer that the production manager will route to the cutter automatically.

End-of-week metric: Time from “customer file received” to “queued in Production Manager” — baseline on Monday, re-measure on Friday. Target: 50% reduction. 

Week 2 — Color Management and RIP Mastery

Production problem this week solves: The same red prints different on Monday than it did last Tuesday. Reprints for color rejection eat margin. By end of week, the shop produces the same color the same way every time, and can hit Pantone targets without a guess-and-check loop.

Session 2.1 — Why color drifts (and what to actually do about it)

•       The print chain: monitor → file → RIP → printer → media → laminate

•       ICC profiles: what they are, where Flexi uses them, when to rebuild

•       Reading a profile: gamut, black generation, total ink limit

•       Production exercise: Print the same test file through two different media profiles. Document the differences in a one-page report the operator can show a customer.

Session 2.2 — Production Manager deep dive

•       Job properties: media, resolution, pass count, color mode

•       Queue management: priorities, holds, batching

•       Hot folders and watched directories — when they pay off

•       Production exercise: Configure a hot folder for the shop’s most common repeat job. Drop a file in. Job should reach the printer with zero touches.

Session 2.3 — Spot color and Pantone workflows

•       Color Mapping: assigning spot colors to specific ink combinations

•       Pantone library use and the limits of simulation on CMYK + light inks

•       Building a shop spot color library for repeat customers

•       Production exercise: Match a customer-supplied Pantone swatch on the shop’s primary media. Record the recipe in a named spot color the whole shop can reuse.

Session 2.4 — Test prints that catch problems before the customer does

•       Building a shop test strip: gradients, fine type, registration marks, neutrals

•       Reading a test print: banding, mottling, head strikes, color crossover

•       Scheduling test prints into the production day without losing throughput

•       Production exercise: Run the shop test strip on every loaded media. File results in a binder or shared folder dated and signed.

End-of-week metric: Count color-related reprints in the prior 30 days vs. the next 30. Target: cut in half. 

Week 3 — Print-and-Cut Production at Speed

Production problem this week solves: Print-and-cut jobs eat operator attention — registration is off, contours miss, multi-piece jobs require constant babysitting. By the end of the week, the operator can launch a print-and-cut job and walk away.

Session 3.1 — Registration mark theory and practice

•       Mark types Flexi supports and which one matches the shop’s cutter

•       Mark placement, size, and the trade-off with usable print area

•       Calibrating the cutter’s optical sensor — and when to recalibrate

•       Production exercise: Run a 4-up sticker sheet. Measure cut accuracy at all four corners. Pass: within 0.5 mm.

Session 3.2 — Multi-layer and contour-cut decals

•       Building decals with multiple cut layers: kiss cut, through cut, perforation

•       Application tape considerations driven by cut depth

•       Layer order in the cutter and how Flexi communicates it

•       Production exercise: Produce a two-color spot vinyl decal that requires registration between cut layers. Apply it. Pass: registration visually correct after weeding and transfer.

Session 3.3 — Tiling and large-format output

•       When to tile vs. when to push to a larger printer

•       Overlap strategy, seam placement, and color continuity across tiles

•       Numbering and labeling tiles so install doesn’t guess

•       Production exercise: Tile a 12-ft graphic for a 54" printer. Print two adjacent tiles. Pass: seam invisible at 3 ft.

Session 3.4 — Variable data and serialized output

•       Use cases that pay off: numbered decals, serialized labels, location-specific signage

•       Data source setup: CSV linkage, field mapping, preview

•       Output strategy: single long file vs. batched

•       Production exercise: Produce a run of 25 numbered parking decals from a CSV. Measure setup time vs. doing it manually.

End-of-week metric: Operator-attended minutes per print-and-cut job. Target: 30% reduction. 

Week 4 — Throughput, Cost Recovery, and Troubleshooting

Production problem this week solves: The shop is busy but margins are thin. Material goes in the trash. Jobs get re-run because nobody caught a problem upstream. This week converts technical skill into recovered dollars.

Session 4.1 — Nesting and material economy

•       Manual nesting vs. automatic nesting in Production Manager

•       Grain direction, bleed, and gutter settings

•       Calculating yield: square footage delivered ÷ square footage consumed

•       Production exercise: Take a week of recent jobs. Re-nest them as a single batch. Calculate material saved vs. as-run.

Session 4.2 — Batching and queueing for throughput

•       Grouping jobs by media to eliminate roll changes

•       Sequencing by ink coverage to manage dry time

•       End-of-day vs. overnight queue strategies

•       Production exercise: Rebuild tomorrow’s production schedule as a batched queue. Track total roll changes and idle time vs. yesterday.

Session 4.3 — Troubleshooting the production manager

•       Diagnosing failed RIPs: file errors, font errors, transparency flattening

•       Diagnosing failed prints: head, profile, media mismatch, registration

•       The shop’s troubleshooting log — what to record, who reads it

•       Production exercise: Build a one-page laminated troubleshooting flowchart and post it at the RIP station.

Session 4.4 — Pricing the job based on what production actually costs

•       Time-on-machine, ink coverage, media yield, finishing labor

•       Setting a shop minimum and walking away from underpriced work

•       Building a repeatable estimate template for the shop’s top 3 job types

•       Production exercise: Re-price the last 5 invoiced jobs using the new template. Compare to what was charged. Identify recovery opportunities.

End-of-week metric: Material yield % and average gross margin per job. Set these as monthly tracked numbers.