Contour Cutting Issues with LP24 and SignCut Prod Pro.

[NukleoN 34]

Update: Paco's excellent thread on contour cutting helped me get this working, using the 3-point calibration in SignCut. But, if you want to read my tortured process before I found out how to ContourCut using Paco's technique, be my guest!

Ok, I am modifying this post since nobody's answered my previous and somewhat harried entry. I've made a little progress.

Here's what I am working with: I have a Laserpoint 24, Sign Cut Productivity Pro and I also have Illustrator CS3, SignBlazer (latest version) and Inkscape.

I put the pen plotter in the LP24, and Signcut's calibration utility was able to make a registration mark on a piece of A4 paper using the plotter pen, but weirdly, this only worked once I removed the USB connection to the cutter and installed a Keyspan USB to serial connector. Odd. I already had the Keyspan just in case, as I was having no issues cutting vinyl. With the USB connection, I could not even get the calibration util from Signcut to make the registration mark it needed for the laserpoint calibration. I installed the Keyspan, just to be sure I wasn't getting some odd interference, and this part worked. Causation and correlation aside, it's my guess that the Keyspan made the difference, as nothing else changed.  

Ok, so I was able to make the registration mark. I aligned the laser to the reg mark as instructed. Note, it's highly helpful for anyone doing this to have a USB numeric keypad (just the numbers). This way, you can be right at your cutter moving the carriage around in very tiny increments. My computer is not that close to my cutter, certainly not close enough to align a laser to a reg mark using the numeric keys on my keyboard. So, I bought a USB keypad from Fry's for 18.95 and now aligning the laser with registration marks should be loads easier.

Here's where the trouble is.

First, I printed this example file (pictured below) which comes with SignCut, from Adobe Illustrator using my Canon Workforce 30.  

I loaded the printed sheet into my Lp24, with the correct orientation (the orange, lion and bunny facing me) to match the orientation in Signcut (see below right). In Signcut, I loaded up this contour cut file:

Then, from SignCut, I clicked 'Simple Contour Cut' as described in the SignCut tutorial, and aligned the 'rightmost registration mark' as prompted. I am assuming this is the registration mark rightmost *to me* when looking at the cutter. I assumed they meant the 'right front' registration mark, but I could be wrong. Does 'rightmost registration mark' mean right front or right rear?  Once the right reg mark was aligned with the laser using the numeric jog keys, I aligned the left registration mark (my left, looking at the cutter). Again, no indicator of front or back, so I aligned to front left.  

Here's where it gets silly. Once I aligned the left reg mark, the cutter then feeds the paper so far forward that it basically just flies out the front of the machine, then starts cutting. I can see that the rear registration marks wouldn't even allow the rollers to hold the paper, but why does the paper fly out the front?

Can anyone spot a problem in my process? Is my alignment wrong? In SignCut, the contours are aligned so that the bunny, lion and orange are on the left (see above left picture). In the cutter (above right) I have the orange, lion and bunny facing out of the machine (facing me).

I think it's working (aside from my paper not being there), but something is clearly off because the A4 paper is either trying to read the 'back' reg mark, which would mean the paper isn't even on the rollers anymore, or maybe my positioning is off.

Any help is appreciated. Also, I still want to know if *anyone* has ever gotten Signcut to properly contour cut with the Lp24? Has anyone gotten SignCut to contour cut with the example files? Can someone from SignCut tell me if something is wrong with my process or interpretation of the instructions? They seem so straightforward but I just can't get it working.

The other consideration is that maybe the example files are screwed up. I might try a new file and see if it's better, coz this file is acting crazy and I am starting to the think the sample file is messed up somehow. I can't see anything I am doing wrong. Any help is appreciated.  

Also, how are you guys making registration marks?

Thanks,

NukleoN

[NukleoN 34]

Any help is appreciated. I need to get this working for a job.

[NukleoN 34]

Ok, I made up a new file, and I got Signcut to contour cut, but it's not correct yet. Seems the contour cut is offset and scaled weird...almost like the file in Signcut doesn't match the file in Illustrator. All I did from Illustrator was save an AI and an EPS. Somehow, things are getting scaled in and offset. I've already calibrated the laserpoint too.

I'll keep trying. I think maybe the file is getting scaled weird inside SignCut. Ideas are welcome.

[cornball 0]

I had the same problem...couldn't seem to get anyone to respond to my questions on LP & SCP.....maybe no one knows the answers, but jupacreations(Paco).

I noticed your sample file orientation (in the LP24)...

The right most reg mark it mentions is actually the other pair of reg marks. So looking at your sample file on the thread, the two you questioned with 'OR'...are actually the incorrect ones. I know, I know....it's frustrating because the same thing happened to me. My paper would shoot out the opposite end of the cutter and it was driving me NUTS!!!

So place the sample file print, exactly the way you have it. Basically, the paper or media is oriented perpendicular to the cutter(portrait). Align your first reg mark to the bottom reg mark(rightmost reg mark), then proceed on from there.

jupacreation's tut link (I mentioned in my reply message to you today) Check it out and see this clears it up for you.

http://www.jupacreations.com/downloads/How to contour cut correctly with SignCut Pro_Corel_X3_4_Illustrator_CS3.pdf

[CRD 9]

http://forum.uscutter.com/index.php/topic,25246.0.html

As you flooded many threads with same problem nothing more then the link here.

All is inside step by step in what I think is proper english :-)

I am Dutch but this is what I can make of it the best.

If someone can upgrade the manual be my guest and I wil assist.

I am full into X4 and Illustrator is not my part of joy to work with.

let us know the progress.

Paco

[NukleoN 34]

I appreciate the help Paco. Finally figured it out with your help. Actually, your tutorials are pretty darn good. Reading the posts can be confusing but I know you're tired of repeating this and the posts are shorter and to the point! Also, I am a stickler for English, but not just from non-native English speakers....even from those who speak English as a first language. Certain spelling errors I see a lot drive me nuts...like when people type 'your' when they mean you're or 'to' when it should be 'too'.

For those reading this who are going crazy with contour cutting on the LP24, abandon the two-point calibration method. Check out Paco's 3-point contour calibration method using the box as the 3-point calibration guide in his great tutorial. http://forum.uscutter.com/index.php/topic,25246.0.html

Just remember, the box corners represent calibration marks 1, 2 and 3, not the arrow. Um..found that out the hard way. :|

Paco, thanks for all your help...it works!!!

Danku.  

[NukleoN 34]

Ok, I am having an odd-issue now.

After weeks of solid contour-cutting, I am suddenly having issues with bad cuts.

My process thus far has been to have a contour-cut layer in Illustrator using the with the box method Paco came up with. All the graphics are inside a box, and 3 corners of that box are used as registration marks using 3-point calibration in SignCut.

What's happening now is, no matter how precise I am aligning my registration marks (the box corners), my contour is always a little offset down about 2mm, ruining my contour cut and wasting ink and paper. This is odd, because I know with how precise my alignment is that I should be getting nearly perfect contour-cuts based on weeks of contour-cutting using this method.

It almost seems like the 'send to signcut' feature from Illustrator could be acting up, since whatever SC is telling my cutter to cut seems wrong based on what I have in Illustrator. My contour layer looks perfect in Illustrator, and I've quadruple-checked it. Also, I've been doing this for a while now and have had no problems...so I am puzzled what could be causing this issue all of a sudden.

Ideas are welcome.

[CRD 9]

Sorry Dan,

No clue sofar what goes wrong in your current situation.

Must be something simple.

Currently myselve having problems to get a Summa D60R to contour cut! ;-(

Paco

[NukleoN 34]

I ended up getting it to work by going to an old file, but I still don't know what was breaking the file since I had it all set up perfectly, or so I thought.

Sorry Paco about your issues...what's happening with your contour cuts?

[CRD 9]

Dan,

Summa D60 is a new machine for me.

Cant compare it with the PCUT . 

Now all is under control and Contour cut is a breeze now!

And no need to check if it has been cutting correctly around the graph.

Winplot that comes with the Summa looks like Sicn Cut but misses the easy weeding options.

However the Summa also works with Signcut Pro 

Paco