haumana

I'm wondering the same thing too.

Where did you end up acquiring the cutting strip?

I run both my LaserPoint and Graphtec from an (old) MacPro (intel), MacBook Pro (intel), and Mac Mini (M1). All through Parallels. The Intel-based machines are running Win7, because that's my preference, the M1 runs Win10. The only issue that I've run into, is the LaserPoint on the new M1 machine, but it runs the Graphtec CE6000-60 Plus just fine. I can run the Graphtec Studio natively in Mac OS, and can run Graphtec Pro Studio and SignBlazer in Win7&10.

I have a friend fabricate one on his 3D printer for my LaserPoint, but he couldn't include the hole for the laser because the clearance was so narrow. I did end up finding the exact replacement on a seller in China. But yes, if you can 3D print them, it's so much easier. There are people selling the 3D printed parts on eBay too.

The machine was $60, you've gotten way more than $60 in support out of this volunteer driven forum. I would just move on to a better machine.

Clearly my definition of cutting fine is completely skewed. Cutting fine means no issues, no alignment issues, no point of origin issues, no scaling issues, no media handling issues. Cutting fine means, what I send to the cutter is what I get out of the cutter. Have you tried contacting JSI for support? Point of origin is something that is designated on the machine, via the machine's control panel. Have you checked all the different features in SB, with scaling and such? You can tell us that it's doing strange things, but if you want us to assist, you need to tell us all of the options that you have tried to successfully and unsuccessfully tried.

Um, if it's acting all wonky, then it's it not cutting fine. For $60, it's just time to get a new(er) cutter. Unless you really enjoy going through all this troubleshooting. We're just a bunch of volunteers, but even we will have a tipping point of knowledge, when the recommendation is just to move on to a different machine.

Sounds like a 3-ring circus going on with your machine. Was the machine having all those issue prior to just replacing the z-axis chip? I would just save your pennies, and get a new machine, or if you can find one - a really gently used Graphtec CE6000

can you post your file in vector format?

the millennials, preferred to be chauffeured, never mind getting their driver's license much less learning to drive stick. when i have a stick, i always offer to teach the newer generation family members. they always decline

Have you tried to reach out to GCC for the drivers, or any support?

A little Google will go a long way. https://www.cutterpros.com/creation-vinyl-cutter-ptfe-cutting-strip

Have you turned the strip around? Not upside down, but pull it out, and put the right side on the left, and the left on the right. That's what I did for my LaserPoint to get more mileage out of the strip.

https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20211023162452&SearchText=pcut+cutting+strip

Did you watch the video that i posted, it pretty much walks you through the entire process.

Have you layered colors before? If not, search you tube, there are videos that show different methods of doing it. I use squares are registration marks, because its fast and simple. Here are the steps for I would do if I needed to cut your graphic ... 1. add registration marks (blocks) just outside of the overall graphic, towards the top corner in black (one towards each corner), then copy and paste. Leave the pasted blocks on top of one another. 2. recolor the pasted blocks to be the same color as the bear. 3. cut the black, with blocks 4. cut the bear, with blocks 5. tape up either color, using clear app tape 6. layer the newly taped color over the other color, use the blocks for alignment. set one on top of the other. An added step I would personally do for myself, is to enlarge the bear color just a smidgen, so it's bigger than the inside of the black outline. That will give me a little wiggle room when I layer the black on the bear. Other people may do it differently, or have better suggestions and tips. What is you need is practice, practice, practice.

Is there any way you can just recolor the second panel design, just cut that color?

So you get this error, what happens when you press the FUNCTION button? If you're using a serial cable/USB to connect the cutter to your computer, is the cable a null modem cable? What cutting software are you using? Look for the driver for your keyspan that you're using.

definitely paper app tape.

Try placing your pinch rollers just a smidgen closer to the center - like maybe about 1.5" from the edge, equally spaced on the left and right side. Do worry about pinch roller marks, they will come out. Is your vinyl completely flat, or is there some natural bowing in it?

The cutter will cut any vector line you have on your graphic, so if you want just the bottom to be a square cut out, the vector graphic you send to your cutter should only have a square. Meaning, if there's a design in the square, then make yourself a copy of your graphic (just in case), and then alter the copy by deleting any and all lines you do not want cut.

I'm not even a huge fan of Win10. I'm going to wait for others to brick their machines & cutter, then will decide from there

Thank you for posting your results, even though it wasn't quite what you were expecting. If you have the time, I would recommend that you reach out to the SCALP people and let them know the issues you ran into. They can't fix what they don't know is broken.

That's typically something that you would do using the control panel on the cutter itself. Then you can see if the vinyl or whatever media you're using, is feeding in straight.

?? What are you trying to accomplish? Are you wanting to control feeding the vinyl back and forth through the cut window with the SignBlazer software? If so, then the answer is no.