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renesis808

my cuts aren't lining up

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I have a USCutter SC and its hooked up to my iMac via USB. I've already done a few cuts but I've noticed that sometimes the cuts don't line up. Meaning that when the machine starts to cut a letter it does not end up at the original starting point when it ends. When I'm weeding i end up pulling the whole letter out because the letter is not fully cut. I'm using SCALP and just trying to cut plain text. At first I thought maybe the speed was too fast but i set it all the way down to 100 and it still didn't complete the cuts well. I've also got the blade pressure at 26g which seems to be working fine. i cut a half dozen stickers for a friend and even though i copy and pasted the text, when it cut, some letters were skinnier than others. I have no idea what to do. 

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Are mac files compatible with windows? If so, upload the file and I'll take a look.

 

In the meantime, click view and show outlines. Make sure all the cut lines are there. Second, make sure your vinyl isn't slipping..... IE, grit roller pressure, roll off enough vinyl for your job, etc.

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Also check that the grit rollers aren't slipping in the machine. They have a set screw that holds them in place and every once in a while somebody gets one with the screws not tight.

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2 things too - make sure you are pulling slack so the machine isn't pulling the vinyl off the roll - and add to the overcut in you software so it goes a little past the end of the cut.   if you are already pulling slack then i would go to jays suggestion

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Sounds like you are having an SC problem rather than a mac problem. My first thought after checking the screws would be too much blade out. 

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I've tried tightening the screws in the back. also tried rotating the text 90degrees. i don't think i have too much blade out because it cuts the vinyl fine. its just that the start and end points of the cut don't line up. would changing to a keyspan make a different in alignment? 

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Where are you copying and pasting text from?   Just create the text on your layout screen, then cut it..  Also make sure there is enough vinyl slack to do the job.. Never make the cutter pull from a roll. Show some screen shots of your problems.

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well i decided to use the pen so i could take a picture and post it on the forums so people could see whats was actually happening and now guess what?? it perfectly lines up with the pen. which brings me to assume that perhaps theres something wondering with the blade attachment. has anyone had the problem with their cuts not lining up?? maybe I'm just using crappy vinyl? but I'm cutting orcal white glossy. 

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Where are you copying and pasting text from?   Just create the text on your layout screen, then cut it..  Also make sure there is enough vinyl slack to do the job.. Never make the cutter pull from a roll. Show some screen shots of your problems.

 

I'm creating text directly in SCALP and I've made sure there is enough slack in the vinyl. should it matter if I'm using a 45 or 60degree blade? 

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Make sure your blade is set correctly,  This is how.    Also, what is your blade offset set at?   Make sure nothing is in the blade holder like scraps of vinyl . 

 

To start with, you should set your blade depth correctly, by taking the blade holder out of the machine, and firmly cut across a piece of scrap vinyl, you will be cutting. You should only be cutting the vinyl and barely a mark on wax paper backing, Adjust blade to get there, Then put the blade holder back in machine, and use the force of the machine to get there, same results, only cutting the vinyl and barely a mark in wax paper backing.

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Make sure your blade is set correctly,  This is how.    Also, what is your blade offset set at?   Make sure nothing is in the blade holder like scraps of vinyl . 

 

To start with, you should set your blade depth correctly, by taking the blade holder out of the machine, and firmly cut across a piece of scrap vinyl, you will be cutting. You should only be cutting the vinyl and barely a mark on wax paper backing, Adjust blade to get there, Then put the blade holder back in machine, and use the force of the machine to get there, same results, only cutting the vinyl and barely a mark in wax paper backing.

 

ive reset the blade and made sure theres no debris inside and my offset is at 0.64. cutting speed is 200mm and pressure is at 26g

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ive reset the blade and made sure theres no debris inside and my offset is at 0.64. cutting speed is 200mm and pressure is at 26g

start blade offset at 0.25MM then add plus or minus .05 adjustments, to make it look better if you have to.

 

Cut a square, and make sure that corners are sharp and square.

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still having the same problem. i even went as far as setting the cutter to 100mm and although it did cut a little better, you can still see that the O's are still warped. what does increasing/decreasing the offset do? i set it to .25 and it didn't seem to change anything. 

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Have you looked at the blade tip and made sure you have not broken the blade tip off?

Anyway try a different blade.

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Make sure your blade is set correctly,  This is how.    Also, what is your blade offset set at?   Make sure nothing is in the blade holder like scraps of vinyl . 

 

To start with, you should set your blade depth correctly, by taking the blade holder out of the machine, and firmly cut across a piece of scrap vinyl, you will be cutting. You should only be cutting the vinyl and barely a mark on wax paper backing, Adjust blade to get there, Then put the blade holder back in machine, and use the force of the machine to get there, same results, only cutting the vinyl and barely a mark in wax paper backing.

Follow Skeeters advice ^^ with a new blade. Most common error new people make is getting too much blade out. If you can cut (by hand) clear through the vinyl and backing you have too much out. At the end of the exercise you actually won't need your blade holder to physically touch the surface of the vinyl but it will be so close that you can only tell it's not by holding a flashlight behind it while it's cutting to see a skiff of light between there. Any more than that and you are asking for poor cut quality ESPECIALLY on a budget cutter. There is a very good chance that the tip is already broken on the one you have, that's why she (and I) recommend a new one to get started properly. 

 

Those offset settings sound off so. I would trust Skeeters number to start with and once you get the pressure just right to cut though only the vinyl then start dialing in on the offset. It's kind of like mathematics rule of operations. You have to start at the right place in things to get the desired results. Once you get used to your cutter your offset probably won't change (I sometimes adjust mine if I have heavy blade wear but usually not). The pressure will also be running in a general range with only minor adjustments when changing vinyl. 

 

Some where in the literature that comes with the cutters there is a comment to set the depth about 1/2 the thickness of a credit card but that is totally bogus information and has lead to a lot of issues. If you follow the above instructions to the letter then you can safely rule out operator set-up error from the equation and start looking for other things (which will probably include some time spent with a support tech). The amount of blade out is so minuscule that you basically can't see it with the natural eye and the tip is so sharp and skinny that it can break off pretty easy if you have had it out too far and cut through into your cutting strip. 

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Follow Skeeters advice ^^ with a new blade. Most common error new people make is getting too much blade out. If you can cut (by hand) clear through the vinyl and backing you have too much out. At the end of the exercise you actually won't need your blade holder to physically touch the surface of the vinyl but it will be so close that you can only tell it's not by holding a flashlight behind it while it's cutting to see a skiff of light between there. Any more than that and you are asking for poor cut quality ESPECIALLY on a budget cutter. There is a very good chance that the tip is already broken on the one you have, that's why she (and I) recommend a new one to get started properly. 

 

Those offset settings sound off so. I would trust Skeeters number to start with and once you get the pressure just right to cut though only the vinyl then start dialing in on the offset. It's kind of like mathematics rule of operations. You have to start at the right place in things to get the desired results. Once you get used to your cutter your offset probably won't change (I sometimes adjust mine if I have heavy blade wear but usually not). The pressure will also be running in a general range with only minor adjustments when changing vinyl. 

 

Some where in the literature that comes with the cutters there is a comment to set the depth about 1/2 the thickness of a credit card but that is totally bogus information and has lead to a lot of issues. If you follow the above instructions to the letter then you can safely rule out operator set-up error from the equation and start looking for other things (which will probably include some time spent with a support tech). The amount of blade out is so minuscule that you basically can't see it with the natural eye and the tip is so sharp and skinny that it can break off pretty easy if you have had it out too far and cut through into your cutting strip. 

 

I've changed it to a new blade. i have cut the test vinyl by hand to make sure i don't have too much blade. and have called tech support. still having the same problem. the fact that it can plot out the design perfectly with the pen but not with the blade, suggests to them that something may be defective in the blade holder itself. perhaps the blade isn't spinning freely enough when cutting curved edges and circles. hopefully ill get a replacement soon and it will fix the problem.

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I've changed it to a new blade. i have cut the test vinyl by hand to make sure i don't have too much blade. and have called tech support. still having the same problem. the fact that it can plot out the design perfectly with the pen but not with the blade, suggests to them that something may be defective in the blade holder itself. perhaps the blade isn't spinning freely enough when cutting curved edges and circles. hopefully ill get a replacement soon and it will fix the problem.

Could be. Bear in mind you will not likely see the errors with a pen if they are minuscule but they are big enough to cause problems. Good luck with everything. The SC usually doesn't have as many issues as the MH model but you are still just one rung off the bottom of the barrel. 

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Could be. Bear in mind you will not likely see the errors with a pen if they are minuscule but they are big enough to cause problems. Good luck with everything. The SC usually doesn't have as many issues as the MH model but you are still just one rung off the bottom of the barrel. 

 

the misalignment is very noticeable. about 2-3mm with the blade, which is why i yang out the letters while weeding. id definitely be able to see that with the pen. still haven't gotten the new blade holder in yet. hopefully that fixes the problem. 

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2 things too - make sure you are pulling slack so the machine isn't pulling the vinyl off the roll - and add to the overcut in you software so it goes a little past the end of the cut.   if you are already pulling slack then i would go to jays suggestion

didn't read where you tried these - maybe i missed it though

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