slice&dice

Letters like S and O, U, C wil not be the same height as the T, A, N, I, L, etc. The rounded tops and bottoms will be slightly beyond the 'straight' edges of squared-off letters. This has nothing to do with what you're experiencing, but is just good info to keep in mind anyway. In any case, the instructions within the above tutorial video show how to calibrate the 'Cutter Scale" (11:30 timestamp)

BigBull, please go to the above posting Bearly Rich has made available with the version that has the patch already done, just remember to disable your security software first, that installer will appear dangerous (it's not). If you still encounter problems, check back with us.

Cliff it.

FILE menu -- Print. (all versions) (or, click on the Printer icon within the upper toolbar, or Use CTRL+P key combo) Simples.

Eh, whatzzup, dach? (doc) Why not just reinstall SignBlazer -- the non-nag version that shows as V7 after install (HELP menu/about) that Rich has kindly provided (linked a few posts above). The Library (DRAW menu) is one of the features that I've always loved about this program. It has a collection of cut-ready graphics that constantly lets me complete designs with just the right accent or flourish or visual item that matches whatever sign I'm making. I once had the opportunity to even insert JesusChrist into an Easter Sunday placard for a church (along with one of the nice mason crosses). Yeah, that Library is filled with surprises, thanks to Jerry, who placed an assortment of things in there which are really, really useful to signmakers. I encourage people who utilize another design/cut program to install a copy of SBE just to have access to the Library! (once you drag a choice from the Library into the pink-outlined design space, just Export as .eps and then Import to your other application to use it as you need)

CuttingPlotterNewbie, hey there! It seems that your machine is failing to pass the start-up self-test procedure. Normally, when you power up the unit, three things will occur: 1} The blade carriage will move along the rail to the far right and stop. (X) 2} The grit rollers will spin back and forth (Y) 3} The blade holder will rise and fall (Z) When this does not happen, the reason can be several things, among them a blown circuit on the motherboard, or perhaps a bad internal cable connection somewhere, or a malfunction of the 'stop switch' (red button) that tells the cutter that the carriage has moved to the home position. We cannot troubleshoot long-distance, so get your philips screwdriver and start pulling the machine apart and take a look inside for anything obviously disconnected or out of place.

VinylMaster has a built-in Vectorization Engine (converter) that will take this raster image and turn it into a cuttable file, use your program's HELP menu to determine the steps required. It's fairly straightforward and simple.

Hey Blake, sorry to hear your machine is having a problem. It's unusual for a cutter to simply decide to cease functioning out of the clear blue sky. What you are describing is a failure of the unit to complete the start-up self test routine. In other words, it doesn't recognize itself. Very hard to troubleshoot a cutter that simply is dead like this. The issue could be related to several points --- One, the power supply may be malfunctioning and not providing correct line output to the circuitboard. Two, the motherboard (primary circuitboard) could have a blown chip on it. Three, there is an internal component that's not working or somehow had a cable get disconnected (anything from the display, to the motors, to the carriage). Here's what you can do right now, as a first option: Remove the left and right panels (end caps) and then release the two forward-most side screws holding the top cover in place (the cover tilts onto the back screws, like a hinge). You are now seeing the entire ribbon cable for the display and the carriage. At the right side, there is a microswitch (limiter switch) that tells the cutter where the carriage has traveled to the end of the line. Verify that this switch is acutating properly and is correctly aligned. Rarely will it break, but it is possible. Let us know what you find.

Since you've already made profitable use from these machines over the years, perhaps just consider donating them to a local high school graphics arts department? Pay it forward.

" weird noise " -- like a grinding noise? Motherboard.

Motherboard.

RIch, that was nice of you. It's good to have a URL that's stable for the download, since as you see in this 14-page thread, over the years so many hosts have come and gone. Between the one you just linked and that MediaFire repository I've created, they should stay available for a while to anyone requiring the program. I noticed you renamed the file to "7" which is smart. Although it shows up as v.6 during installation, after it's opened, the HELP/About menu will refer as v.7.0.0 which was added by whoever applied the 'crack' to get rid of the start-up screens. As far as copyright, it was held by Jerry Bonham (R.I.P.) under his company ColorChrome PTY, Ltd., which no longer exists. Back in 2009 there was some talk about legal wrangling for those rights, but AFAIK, nothing ever came of it. As noted in my post, the biggest problem people will face when trying to download & install is their antivirus getting alerted. It's not a "trojan" or harmful, but it will appear like the kiss of death to those danger-scanning softwares. You may be accused of trying to spread a malicious file, although that's not true. That is the #1 issue with doing what you're doing, and it may even be the answer why USCUTTER stopped hosting the installer. Anyway, good to see ya, and yes, I recall you from way back! I've been around here for a decade now, when I first started my signmaking career with SignBlazer, and still use it.

USCUTTER has disabled their directory/archive containing the SBE software and the user manual. The company has a business arrangement with supported VM software (as noted by Mz. Skeeter above) so they've decided that offering a 'Free" program for download is a conflict of interests (and may even be a contractual violation with regards to FutureCorp., the maker of VinylMaster) Anyway, I do not want to continually keep attaching the .exe download to a multitude of posts and clog up server space with it on these Forums. For one thing, if USCUTTER doesn't desire to offer it, then by extension, this is their domain, and I have no intention of going against their wishes, whatever their rationale is for making that decision to pull it from accessibility on their support pages. Secondly, the installer file itself is problematic from a purely technical standpoint, because of the code it contains to bypass the Registration and "Nag" screens at startup (since there's no way to register it, someone 'cracked' the installer file to bypass the countdown, but as a result, now the file will show up as having a "trojan or malicious code" when it's inspected by Windows Defender or 3rd-party antivirus protection schemes). In other words, people who try to download or install SignBlazer will encounter a warning not to do so, because of the way that file now reads as a threat. If you are still willing to obtain a copy of SBE, and understand all of the forementioned, then go to this post wherein the file was attached and can be accessed (34MB). EDIT: The file will not be allowed to be attached within a posting here on this Forum server, it's too large. Let me try to offer it using MediaFire. https://www.mediafire.com/file/fjk69hgu2cpnr16/signblazer_setup.exe/file Hopefully that works for you?

It's good to see the Forums back up & running. While the server was inaccessible, I even managed to accomplish some work, instead of spending time here! Shave and a haircut, 2 bits. https://youtube.com/shorts/dxU-SgOtVSM

Carbon Steel blades are not going to 'wear down' with infinitesimal contact against vinyl. I have the same original blade running in my SC2 since day one, years ago. Never changed downforce. It's possible your blade tip is broken, have you put in a new CleanCut blade?