SicSkinz

Connect to Mac? USB? Not found!

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Trying to connect my SC2 to my Mac running OS X 10.12.3 Sierra. Plug in the USB, turn on the machine, launch software... no cutter. Go to add a new printer in system prefs... no cutter. Use the plug-in in Illustrator... no cutter. Tries to launch the Silhouette software. Anyone?

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Welcome aboard SicSkinz.

Your question should be a good one.  A short while ago the topic (for a Mac) was brought up.  All of the US Cutter info says the SC2 is not compatible with a Mac...

What cutting software did you get with the machine?  For a Mac you would want/need Sure Cuts a Lot (SCALP).  Have you loaded that and attempted to connect with the cutter?

I have a Mac, use AI to design and then import into SCALP to cut on an older SC machine with the USB cable.

Cal

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Yeah, I bought this machine strictly because it says it WAS compatible with the Mac. They forced VinylMaster on me. Which is PC only. Disappointed so far. How much is SCALP. BTW, I JUST got this machine brand new four days ago.

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13 minutes ago, SicSkinz said:

Yeah, I bought this machine strictly because it says it WAS compatible with the Mac. They forced VinylMaster on me. Which is PC only. Disappointed so far. How much is SCALP. BTW, I JUST got this machine brand new four days ago.

Yah ... the lowest model cutter that USC has that IS Mac compatible is the Titan.

An alternative for you now, if you do not or cannot return the cutter is to bootcamp or parallel/vmfusion and put some version of Windows on your Mac to run the software. It can be done.

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Gosh, and the site says it IS Mac-compatible. I feel I kinda got sold a bag of goods. Why advertise a Illustrator Plugin for Mac that works with the cutters. But NOT have the cutter findable by the Mac. Seems dumb. BTW, I downloaded SCALP demo, installed it... it cannot find the cutter either. I'm returning this machine if I cannot use it, and using Windows is NEVER EVER an option for me. It's like putting mud in your Ferrari's gas tank. On purpose.

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Did you purchase the machine directly from US Cutter, or from a 3rd party seller or off ebay?  And you told them you were using a Mac?  And they pushed VinylMaster on you?  I have not seen on the site where Mac compatibility is shown...

 

Which version of SCALP did you download?  I have version SCALP3, so I am not sure about later versions - but here is what I will suggest:

Unplug the USB, unplug the SC2 power cord, restart your computer, hook up USB, plug in and turn on the SC2.  

At this point I would be using plain paper and the pen tool, forget vinyl until the machine is being responsive...

Open up a shape or some such on the SCALP cutting mat (the grid you see on the computer screen).

This is where your version of SCALP may be different from mine.  You DO NOT want to use the menu at the top to "file" & "print", repeat: do not do this!

On my version, between the menu at the top and the cutting mat is a space with picture icons.  One of those icons shows a paper & scissors - that is what you click on.

Do this and see what happens.

I will be back tomorrow to find out...

Cal

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, SicSkinz said:

Yeah, I bought this machine strictly because it says it WAS compatible with the Mac. They forced VinylMaster on me. Which is PC only. Disappointed so far. How much is SCALP. BTW, I JUST got this machine brand new four days ago.

It clearly says that the cutter is for Windows only.  Both on Ebay and the UScutter website.  This is why they gave you Vinyl Master

This offer is NOT for Mac (Apple) Computers.

SC2 Series Vinyl Cutter by USCutter for Windows Only

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If you're going to stick with Mac only, then yah - you need to return the cutter to USC. If you saw some place on their website that it said that it was Mac compatible, I HIGHLY recommend you let USC know the error of their ways and have them correct that information immediately. Take a look at the Titan series and I believe that SCALP will ship with it as long as you select "Mac Software" during the add to cart process. The reason why they forced VM on you is because it's a PC software for the PC-compatible cutter.

Btw - Windows run wickedly fast on a Mac setup, so you might want to try that before slinging the mud. I am more educated and versed in both platforms than the average bear, being as I use, abuse, and fix them- hardware, software, peripherals, and everything else in between on a daily basis.

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Can you post a screen shot of the site page where you see it was mac compatible? That sounds exactly opposite to what I see on the site. The only thing I see that would be misleading is they offer the Sure cuts a Lot program as an option for mac but you say they FORCED you to go with VM. Something just doesn't add up. 

Being a mac user myself I understand your aversion to the pc platform but if you have been a mac user for any length of time you know that you have to do a little extra due diligence when buying anything that is going to be coupled with the system. 

I have seen a few posts where people have gotten the mac to work on the lower end machines. Try downloading the free trial of SignCut Pro (that's what I use in conjunction with Illustrator) and see if you can get it to hook up before you send it back. They have free live tech support as well and might be able to help you figure out if there is something causing the hook up issues.  

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I can do better than a screen shot; here are links to the actual USCutter pages (active 9/30/18) that say SC2 works with Macs:

From the "support" pages:
https://support.uscutter.com/support/solutions/articles/14000030239-do-the-vinyl-cutters-work-with-macs-

Refurb'd SC cutter with SCALP3 included:
https://www.uscutter.com/Refurbished-USCutter-SC-Series-Vinyl-Cutter-With-Sure-Cuts-A-Lot-Pro-Design-Cut-Software

The OLD USCutter SC2 page offered SC2 with a choice of VM or SCAL. In February or March, 2018, the option to include SCAL software with the cutter was dropped from the order page. On March 7 e-mailed support with this question (Ticket 79538):
"I'm about to buy a vinyl cutter, and I've settled on your SC2, but I can't get consistent information about whether it will work with my Mac (iMac/ OSX 10.11 / 4GB memory). Depending on where I look on your site, the SC2 either will or won't work with a Mac."
... and they replied,
"Sure cuts alot is the Mac option. I am working on getting this typo corrected thank you for bringing this to my attention."

The "will it or won't it work with a Mac" inconsistencies persist on their site, but I took the answer from support as true and bought the printer (it came with VM, which as far as I can tell, cannot use my system's fonts). I later upgraded to SCAL5 (not Pro) directly from Craft Edge (as suggested in USC's Aug 31 Webinar), which CAN use my system's fonts. Since my only use for this cutter is the creation of menu boards for carnival concession booths, the use of fonts is not just critical -- it's absolutely required.

Randy
The Zaar

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  Your first post was dated 2016-06-03 ,   The SC2 was introduced 2018.  

The Original SC vinyl cutter was made by Liyu.  It was for a Mac or Windows was sold for many years on Uscutter.    This SC2 cutter was introduced 2018.  It is Windows only and we don't know who it is made by. 

There is NO OLD SC2.   It was a SC vinyl cutter made by Liyu. It was discontinued. 

The refurbed vinyl cutter is an SC still made by Liyu. Which was for Mac and Windows.    Not an SC2. 

Each for sale advertisements say Windows only for the SC2 vinyl cutter.    SC and SC2 are NOT the same vinyl cutter.  SC2 has been upgraded alot as well as the price has been upgraded.   Just like the Laserpointer and the Laserpointer 2 were not even made by the same company.  Creation used to make the Laserpointer, then Liyu  made the Laserpointer 2.  

 Now there is Laserpointer 3, and we have no idea who makes it. But it also is not Mac compatible now. 

Did you ask Vinyl Master about the fonts? 

 

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My first post was less than a half hour ago. This is my second post.

"The OLD USCutter SC2 page offered..." I'm referring to the page on the USCutter Web site that offered SC2 for sale – BEFORE the option to buy it with SCAL was removed. That was around the time that both SC and SC2 were being offered.

I don't know or care who "makes" the cutter. As far as I'm concerned, it is "made by" USCutter, because it has USCutter's name on it. If I buy a Ford or Chevy, I don't care that it was "made by" Joe and his friends at some Detroit factory.

Now, perhaps you can explain why the support page – active right this moment -- says, "With exception the of the MH cutters ... all of the vinyl cutters we sell will work with Mac OSX." USCutter sells SC2; therefore, SC2 (as part of "ALL vinyl cutters we sell") will work with Max OSX.

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Did you ask Vinyl Master about the fonts?

No, but I attended the USCutter's VM Webinar on Aug 30 and asked the moderator about using fonts. He said a design that uses fonts other than VM's own would have to be designed in some other program (Illustrator, CorelDraw, etc) and imported into VM as a vector file. So if I were to use the "free" VinylMaster software that came with the machine, I would have to spend several hundred dollars on a design program to make up for what VM can't do. Instead I spent $60 on SCAL5, which can use the system fonts VM can't.

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You got a bonus with your vinyl cutter, FREE.  Even high end   Graphtec, Rolands, cutters do not come with  design software.  Only "basic" cutting software.  You have to purchase Illustrator or Corel .    Many use Inkscape.org which is a FREE open source, that you can use your fonts with. and import into your cutting software.    I have Flexistarter, there is no designing in it.  Basic cutting.  And I use it on a Graphtec with no problems.   Signcut pro,, no designing, basic cutting..  If we want higher levels, we have to pay for that also.  Were you expecting the equal to Flexisign pro for FREE?  Every level we go up costs us more money also. That is just the game of software sellers. All of them. 

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I can certainly see where you are coming from and agree it is ambiguous saying one thing in one spot and another elsewhere. The support page should be updated with more current info. The problem in part I think is that there is an overabundance of info and hard to track it all down and keep it up to date.

The craft edge guys do have a support portal and hopefully can help get you figured out on the SCAL program.  Inkscape is a good FREE  mac friendly way to design about anything so if your fighting fonts give it a try. 

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For my purposes, that's exactly what VinylMaster is -- a program to move the cutting head around, like a printer driver. OF COURSE printer drivers are free; the printer won't work without it. But the design that the cutter cuts has to be created in a different program – a typical Windows solution. SCAL both creates the design AND  drives most cutters. If it won't drive mine, then USCutter and I need to have a serious conversation about why they told me it would before they sold it to me. For USCutter to "upgrade" an established cutter model with one that "breaks" the established work flow is not a good strategy, and they need to fix it. Simple print drivers are not all that difficult to program. Assuming the same is true of cutters, they need to hire someone and get it done.

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The Original SC was not a good cutter,  very limited memory, tracking problems, static.  Most got it to run better on a Tripp-lite Keyspan Adapter,  we just pretty much kept that statement on a copy and paste out to people with problems.  It didn't cost much more than an MH cutter. BUT it was a step up from an MH.  Buyers want a GREAT cutter for CHEAP.  There is the problem.  and they think a value cutter will cut just like a Graphtec.  So they will buy the cheapest value cutter.   The price of vinyl cutters went up this year on the SC2 and the Laserpointer 3 because they were upgraded a lot this summer. 

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... there is an overabundance of info and hard to track it all down and keep it up to date.

I sent the first page link with my March e-mail. Someone at <support@uscutter.com>  has known about that page since March 8 and not changed it. Pull up Ticket 79538 from that date and you'll see what I mean.

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Okay, here's the deal... I don't need a "workhorse" cutter. I'm not opening a sign shop. Actually, I'm avoiding a sign shop. I went to a couple of sign shops and got prices on cutting the vinyl for my menu board, and I found that I can get a 34" SC2 for about the same price as having a sign shop cut the vinyl for the initial board. My idea is that the price of the cutter would break even at the get-go, then any new menu items, future price increases, etc., would be pennies for the vinyl instead of dollars for a new menu item. Next, I assume that if I spend $400 for a 34" cutter, then it's not in the same league as a toy Cricut. Again, I don't need a big thousand-dollar cutter that will cut vinyl, draw designs, play music, and serve three-course meals. And it doesn't need to be particularly fast. If it takes two weeks to cut the whole thing, that's fine with me. Once my initial menu board is done, it may be 6 months before I fire up the cutter to add a new menu item. But my application for the cutter is font-intensive (like, 100% fonts), as you can see:

476874348_MenuBoard.jpg.b3c5334db2ee1c7c6cb9c153d911c2df.jpg

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Yes, you described fonts,  well maybe they have improved the value cutters a little to cut detailed items like fonts.  because value cutters will take a lot more tweaking, to cut fonts or detailed items, small text period. Because they are stepper motor cutters.  They are not as accurate. No mention of the size of those fonts up on the menu. There is nothing fancy about the font your using.  And you don't want to cut that text fast. 

Your welcome.

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That was definitely an old support thread, and since then, they've come out with newer models and some of the those have since cease to be Mac compatible. It's very unfortunate that when you contacted them directly, to totally skimmed over your comment about specifically selecting the SC2.

That being said, if you want a Mac compatible cutter, it needs to be a Titan series or better if you're looking at new machines. Breaking even on your first job, whether you're a sign shop or not, is awesome, but not always reality. If you have to cut several boards to break even, that's a bit more realistic - even when buying a cheap machine.

As Skeeter said, the lower end cutters have a more difficult time with cutting smaller font. What is the smallest font that you will be cutting, but in all honesty - that's a LOT of weeding, and if it's going to be small font, you might learn pretty quick that you'd rather pay the sign shop to print it. There are other cost that will go into it, not just the machine, the vinyl (is the menu board inside or outside - so you can use the best vinyl for that purpose), application tape, substrate, etc.

If you still choose to fall down this rabbit hole, just remember that those of us here are actually trying to help you the best we can, but at the end of the day - it's still a bunch of volunteer users helping others.

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If your cutter is not showing up when you connect it to the computer Inkscape isn't going to work for you either because you don't have a mac driver. That being said, you should be able to use the comm port. If you don't have a serial port on your computer a Tripp-lite USB2COMM adapter can be purchased that will work with a mac. From there it should be just a matter of setting up the comm port connection correctly.

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