Automated nesting packs differing true-shape outlines tightly onto a single print sheet. Cut line, white layer and overprint are handled automatically too, so the whole prepress step runs on its own.
289 true-shape outlines nested onto one 900×600 mm sheet in 52 seconds
What nesting is
Automated nesting packs differently shaped true-shape outlines tightly onto a single print sheet. For products whose outlines all differ - acrylic keychains, stands, korotto, die-cut stickers - how the parts are arranged on the sheet decides how much material is wasted and what the print costs.
Until now an operator filled the sheet in Illustrator, dragging, rotating and aligning one part at a time. With hundreds of parts, that layout (prepress) step alone takes tens of minutes, and the density differs from person to person. Automated nesting hands the arranging to software, which optimizes sheet usage and cuts preparation down to seconds.
Order → print-ready
From the moment a customer finishes a design to the point the sheet is print-ready, it runs as one continuous flow with no repetitive work in between. People step in only where judgement is needed.
Starts from a store order or an image upload.
The customer designs it. Background removal and cut line are automatic.
Cut line, white layer and overprint are set automatically.
True-shape parts from many orders are nested onto one sheet, optimizing sheet usage.
The nesting result carries straight into a print-ready file.
Why it matters
How tightly you fill a sheet decides both material cost and preparation time. Automated nesting takes on both at once.
How it places
Orders differ. A run of hundreds of the same part and a batch of one-offs are packed best in different ways. Pressria Bridge fills a sheet in three passes.
Parts ordered in quantities of two or more are grouped and laid out on a repeating grid first. Identical shapes tessellate tightest, and the largest parts take their place first.
Single-quantity parts are fitted into the remaining area by true-shape outline (NFP), rotated to interlock with each other rather than sit in bounding boxes.
The sheet is swept once more for space still open — the slivers a person would not find by eye.
The offcut after a large job doesn't have to be waste. Place a big part and a lot of sheet is left over. Add small parts — keychains, mini stickers — to the same job and they drop into the remaining area and the gaps automatically. Yield per sheet goes up without anyone rearranging anything.
Scope of automation
Automating only the layout gets you halfway. The repetitive work that goes into print preparation is automated as a whole.
True-shape outlines from many orders are packed tightly onto one sheet. The more parts, and the smaller they are, the bigger the gain.
A die-cut contour is generated along the subject outline and enters the nesting queue as a part right away.
The white ink layer that keeps colour vivid on clear acrylic is generated to match the design.
Overprint and transparency handling are set for you, reducing output accidents.
When nesting finishes, the result opens in the Illustrator you already have running. No export, no save, no reopen. Registration marks, die cut, kiss cut and image arrive as separate layers, ready to print.
When one Illustrator file arrives with several designs grouped inside it, each group is split out into its own print file automatically — cut line, front, back and white layers intact, ready to nest.
Registration marks your cutting plotter reads are placed on the sheet automatically. Pick L-shaped or circular to match your machine, and set size, line weight and margin.
Store orders and web-editor designs flow into the nesting queue on their own, making intake to print-ready a single flow.
Who it is for
If you handle true-shape products and spend time laying out sheets, that repetition is what gets automated.
Less layout time · optimized cost
Order automation · high-mix volume
The nesting engine
The automated nesting and prepress steps above are executed by Pressria Bridge. True-shape nesting built on an NFP algorithm, plus Adobe Illustrator integration, places parts automatically — from acrylic, stickers and PVC foam board to banner and signage stock. For downloads, pricing (Free · Pro), demos and installation, see the Bridge product page.
Fit with your floor
Adding automation shouldn't mean rebuilding your output process. The nesting result comes out shaped the way you already work.
Cutting plotter registration marks. Different machines read different marks. Graphtec and Mimaki families use L-shaped marks, Roland families use circular ones, and you choose per sheet which to place.
Layer names stay yours. You set the layer names in the nesting result — registration mark, die cut, kiss cut, image. Enter the names your RIP presets, Illustrator actions and plotter settings already expect, and the file arrives without you changing any of them.
Cut lines down to spot colour and weight. Spot colour names and line weights for cut and kiss-cut lines are yours to set, and cut lines can be output as filled areas instead of strokes. White under-layer for clear stock and overprint are handled alongside.
| Platform | Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit) desktop app. Nesting runs on the PC in your shop. |
|---|---|
| Recommended spec | Intel Core i5 or better · 8 GB RAM or more · about 500 MB to install |
| Illustrator | Adobe Illustrator 2021 or later for the auto-open integration. The plugin installs with the app. |
| Getting started | Two weeks with every feature unlocked after install. No key to enter, no sign-up step. |
| Network | Keeps working offline for up to three days; after that it needs to reconnect to re-verify. |
FAQ
Automated nesting places the differing true-shape outlines of many orders onto a single print sheet, packed with as little gap as possible. Software takes over the layout work a person used to do by dragging parts into place one at a time, optimizing how much of the sheet is actually used.
Yes. The tighter the sheet is packed, the less material is thrown away, so the same stock yields more product. The manual time spent arranging parts drops sharply as well. In one real result, 289 true-shape outlines were nested onto a single 900×600 mm sheet in 52 seconds.
Yes. The white ink layer that keeps colour vivid on clear acrylic, and the overprint handling for overlapping areas, are both set automatically to match the design. The prepress steps you used to set one by one in Illustrator go away.
Yes. When nesting finishes the result opens in the Illustrator you already have running — no export, save or reopen step. Registration marks, die cut, kiss cut and image arrive as separate layers, and you choose the layer names so they match what you already use. The integration needs Illustrator 2021 or later.
The gain is largest on true-shape products where every outline differs — acrylic keychains, stands and korotto, and die-cut stickers. The smaller the parts and the more of them there are, the more automated nesting is worth.
Registration marks are selectable to match your machine family. Graphtec and Mimaki families use L-shaped marks, Roland families use circular ones, and mark size, line weight and margin from the sheet edge are all adjustable. Cut line spot colour names and weights are yours to set too, so your existing RIP presets don't have to change.
Yes. When one Illustrator file arrives with several designs grouped inside it, each group is split out into its own print file automatically. The cut line, front, back and white layer structure is preserved, so the files go straight into nesting. This works whether or not you use a web editor to take designs.
Yes. Alongside true-shape nesting there is sheet nesting for rectangular work — banners, signage and similar — where layout updates the moment you add a file, with per-sheet utilization shown. Stickers are covered as individual die-cut pieces and as sticker sheets, with die cut and kiss cut generated together.
It installs on a Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) PC. Intel Core i5 or better with 8 GB RAM or more is recommended, and it takes about 500 MB to install. The Illustrator auto-open integration needs Illustrator 2021 or later, and the plugin installs with the app. After install you get two weeks with every feature unlocked, no key and no sign-up, and it keeps working offline for up to three days.
From order intake to print-ready, the repetitive steps are stitched together automatically.