UO-Jeremy

@darcshadow The Cutting Station 1 user is an admin on the machine. I'll check still that the user has w/r/e permissions for the preference files. The temporary fix, I created a small conditions cheat sheet for the wall. Condition 1= regular vinyl please use the following settings. Condition 2, Printable... etc. So, they have to go in and make changes on each cut, which isn't too bad of an idea, in that they get to know the software really well. but it's so damn frustrating. I have 2 iMacs setup the same way, same versions and 1 is working like a champ on the older FC8600 and one is causing issues. But the issue isn't the cutter, if I swap the cutters the issues stay on the iMacs. It kind of reminds me in the past we used to image the lab machines from a single drive image. Boot to recovery, set the image as the source, the internal as the destination. we'd do a lab of 30 machines. There were always 1 or 2 that would have a different wall paper or a different log in image. The ghost in the machine would make Isaac Asimov very proud. LOLOOOLOL I'll update if I ever get a solution. Jeremy

Quick update. I'm starting to feel like I'm in a Paula Abdul song. 2 steps forward 2 steps back. Forward Steps: I tested cabling and that wasn't the issue. I finally resorted to a full erasure and rebuild again (I know do something over and expect a different result, I know. LOLOL). but after 3 days of cutting so far it's still working correctly. 2 Steps back: Now a new wrinkle that we found. Cutting master 5 isn't saving custom cutter conditions. It was saving them before. In the pulldown on conditions 1-8 I have created 3 new condition settings, Regular Vinyl, Printable Vinyl, T-shirt Vinyl. After creating them and saving them, it shows up. If I quit out of CM5 they go away and are back to Conditions 1-8. During the term when trying to get the cutting to work, those conditions were their all term. the conditions isn't the end of the world, as this is in a classroom and students learning how to use the software and set conditions properly is a good thing. But, frustrating as to how/why things just almost work, but don't fully. The software is really feeling 1/2 baked. Thanks all, if the cutting software goes wonky again, I'll update y'all. Jeremy

Hello All, thanks for the replies. To answer Skeeter's questions: Is the image above being done with a pen? Or have you tried the pen? the image I attached is an example of what happens As the vinyl we're cutting doesn't cut I cannot weed it properly to show you the issue. . Have you gotten down eye level with the cutter and watched it while it is cutting? Yes the cutting blade travels along the inner paths but doesn't go out to cut the outer paths at all. I slowed it way down and the cutting software just seems to ignore that there is a path there, even though it shows on screen. What does cut, cuts perfectly with the perfect amount of force. I've done test cuts that span the entire width of the vinyl. I was thinking at first something was bowing or not making contact, but what does cut cuts correctly. What material are you cutting? We're cutting Oracal 631 Vinyl with the graphic CB09uB blades. Have you raised the force of the machine? yes I've played with the force to the point of it almost cutting through the backing materials. In all cases, inner paths cut, outer paths are ignored. To answer Haumana: what length cable are you using from macs to cutters? are you using a hub? no hub 6' cable that came with the cutter. I have been using the same 6' USB cable that came with the cutter, and I did use that same cable when testing with the 8600 as well. So, maybe it's a cable issue. I just got frustrated with that and didn't think that through, as it did cut perfectly for about a day and and half after we erased the machine and set it all back up. I'll swap the cable tomorrow and report back. reply to darcshadow: That would indicate the problem is not the cutter or any of the cutter settings but something on the iMac 1, or possibly the cables being used if they are not the same cables as used with iMac 2. It's also weird that it works at first then stops. The 2 iMacs are both 21.5" late 2017 iMacs. they are both running the same software in terms of Mac OS, Adobe Illustrator, Creative Cloud and cutting master 5 software. So, yes possible cable issue, but my experience on this, makes me think it's not hardware, but I'll swap the cable and report back. It's odd, for about a day and a half the cutter worked perfectly, then again started ignoring the outer paths. I do appreciate the helpful thoughts and suggestions. I hope you all had a good thanksgiving weekend if you celebrate it. I'll report back Jeremy

Hello USC forum folks, Working on another issue with CM5. I've setup 2 iMacs (cutting station 1, cutting station 2). One with the CE-7000 and one with our FC-8600. We're on Ventura 13.6.x running cutting master 5. (before you tell me to change and go on a windows machine I cannot, and I cannot roll back to CM4) Both cutters have updated firmware. Tried cutting from within Adobe Illustrator 2023 and 2024. On Cutting station 1 iMac we’re getting odd cutting quality, where either the CE-7000 and the FC8600 doesn’t cut the outlines of compound and non-compound paths. When I setup the iMac initially it works just fine. All paths we send cut. But after a day or so, the cutter stops cutting outer lines of paths. When the machine stopped cutting the outer paths, I connected the FC8600 and the same result happens. On the 2nd iMac cutting station 2 everything seems to cut properly on both cutters. So, I thought ok, maybe it’s a preference file that got corrupted. I looked for a preference file and couldn’t find one. So, I used the Cutting Master 5 uninstaller. Uninstalled the software, rebooted, re-installed same effect. So, I erased the iMac and reinstalled Ventura, reinstalled Adobe Illustrator and Cutting Master 5. It cut the lines perfectly, but again later in the day, it stopped cutting the outer paths. The issue that we're seeing is incomplete cuts on outlined shapes. We had issues with the cuter cutting outlines on both compound and non-compound paths. I couldn't get a good photo of the vinyl, but I’m attaching a screenshot of what the outcome looks like. Please advise if you've seen this, or have any ideas how to fix it. Thanks in advance, Jeremy Smith University of Oregon

Hello All, I found the issue. The issue is a change in CM5. This is going to have to be a change for our faculty to know in their syllabi for art students. The change in CM5 from CM4 is this. On CM4 in illustrator your art board could be say 24 x 24 and in the file you know to add 2" right and left with no artwork in that space to allow for the grit rollers (1” each side) and an extra inch for the registration marks. If you loaded the sheet into the cutter regardless of the poll size in CM4 it would just find the marks, and contour cut the file. In CM5 Apparently the art board is now being considered when sending the cut job. So, for the last 13 years I’ve always done 24” wide by x length. So, when I had this issue, I assumed it was an issue in CM5, which it is, and kind of I guess, isn’t. So I adjusted my art board to 22” wide by 32” tall. Sent the file to our Canon ImagrPrograf 4000s on a paper size of 24 x 32 so the printer understood the file. Then in illustrator I left the art board at 22”. The poll size on the cutter is 22.5”. When I sent the file, it allowed it to find the marks and cut. But WHY change that setting after 12+ years??? UGH!!. I think this is also why the cutting page was rotating 90° I think the software doesn't know what to do with margins like that and just rotates it to fit. which kind of makes sense. thanks all for the adivce, and options. Now if I can only find a 2.x firmware for my Graphtech FC8600-60 to update so the version 3 firmware will take. but that's a different issue. Thanks again all. Jeremy

Hello DarcShadow, Thanks for the reply. Here's my exact thing. I work in IT department here at the UO. This is a new CE7000 just setup last week. I am on an iMac running ventura,illustrator 2023. I cannot run emulation software of any kind, as it's not supported in our IT MOU's. The file I have is 24" x 30" with an art board of 24x24 with 2 inch margins left and right, and 3" extra top and bottom (thus the 30" length) for the cutter to hold onto while finding the registration marks. I set the marks in illustrator using the cutting master 5 plug in/registration marks. Printed on a Canon 4000s. I have 2 layers I made, not counting the layers cutting master added to the file. the layers I have are "printing" with the art work on it, and "cutting" with paths of ovals that the art work lives in. Think of the marathon 24.2 or the oval white country stickers on cars and you're right with me. On our old cutter the FC8600-60 we use this basic 24x24 with 3" top and bottom all the time. and it's always worked on cutting master 4. Which I cannot run on Ventura as the SAI connect cloud service fails to connect. So we're on cutting master 5. And as the university moves forward with updates, I also have to stay moving forward on the cutting software. We cannot have a machine further back than ventura for our lab machines. So, I'm stuck here. I can cut a page of 24 x 30 without registration marks no issue. So, I'm stuck as to why the software thinks that it cannot do it. I have check and triple checked the document. no paths way out on the art board, everything is on the board and in the right layers. I also notice that when I send any job it's turned 90° counter clockwise. Maybe that's kicking the error as the paths are off the "polled" board showing in CM5? But, I cannot find a way to set a default in CM5 to say don't auto rotate 90°. When I send a file that's not with registration marks and it's turned 90° I can turn it with with the rotate option. but, because of the "Contour cutting" error I get, all the cutter controls are grayed out.

unfortunately classes begin in 2 1/2 weeks. .so I have to get this sorted by then. I can't find a good answer yet. I'll keep digging.

this cutter is in the Art department here at the university. So Mac based it is and we can't use bootcamp and It has to be a Ventura or newer OS, as that is required by our ISO department. So. this is the plan have to keep on .

Hello All, I'm working with a new Graphtec CE-7000-60, Cutting Master 5, Mac running Ventura. Have a file in illustrator it's 24x36 with registration marks. when I send the file to the cutting master 5 it error with Contour cutting is not supported for multi-page design. The file is one art board. I've searched with my GhD. (google doctorate, LOL) and found something from 2011 about the same error that made no sense. I cannot figure out why it's thinking it's multi-page. I went in and tried to poll the cutter and it always says "cutter not ready" so I adjusted the page size manually, then re-sent the file, when the file is in the software, and the error is up, I cannot change the settings as they're all greyed out. If anyone knows how to get around this please let me know, Thanks in advance, Jeremy