Illustrator Plotting Question

I am plotting illustrator work on a plotter.
As you might know a plotter reads paths.........what i need help with is this....i have several overlapping boxes......that form an overall shape that I only want the outside perimeter to plot......so i combined the paths in illustrator....unfortunately it doesn't do away with the inside paths (where the shapes overlapped).
So when I go to plot, I get the shape I want but it has cut lines on all of the paths.  How can I get rid of those inside paths in my group of objects so only the very outside path shows?
Any help would be appreciated..

I responded to a private message on this one
1. Copy the art
2. Paste in front
3. While the copy of the art is selected go to the pathfinder and use the Unite tool
4. Give the resulting shape an offset sufficient to clear the strokes along the outer edges of the origianl art.
5. Use this path as the cutting plot.

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