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Exnuns

LaserPoint2 cut problem

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I've almost lost all of my patience with trying to get this thing to work properly and trying to get anyone to speak to me is even more difficult when their hours conflict with someone who has to work ALOT. I'm using illustrator CC and SignCut and am able to cut whatever shape i have on the screen, BUT it is leaving off the entire bottom of the cut and not completing random parts of the lines. I have tried everything I can think of. The last answer I got on this forum was "Call Support" which I CANT. Someone help!

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I told you to call support because you said the license you got was invalid and the stand was missing screws. I suggest you contact support by email if unable to call. They should be able to get your license sorted out and can probably help with your other problems. 

1. Make sure your blade depth is set correctly.

2. Make sure the vinyl and pinch rollers are positioned over the textured parts of the grit rollers.

3. Make sure that you unroll enough vinyl for the job and don't let the cutter unroll it.

4. If corners are rounded check your blade offset in your software or cutter. Typical offset is around .25mm. Search offset for your blade type and cutter if unsure. 

5. If a small amount of vinyl is left uncut on letters and shapes you can add some overcut in your software. 

I have no idea why it's not cutting the bottom of your designs. It's possible it has something to do with the software workspace, orientation or origin. Good luck. 

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Post the file and let us take a look to see if it's file related. SignCut prefers AI version 8. I have had occasional glitches when using the plug-in from my version (CS5) to SignCut. The plug-in just converts the file to version 8 so I started just exporting my cut files in version 8 and opening them natively in SignCut and have had no issues. That's probably not your problem but something to try. SignCut has it's own tech support and I can't recall but they might run around the clock. 

 

I used to have a P-Cut and occasionally it would leave off the end line of the last letter. I never fully figured out what the deal was but it was not consistent enough to figure out. In SignCut if you run the little cut preview and watch the progress of the cut you can see if it will cut everything prior to wasting vinyl. Usually if it shows up in the preview area at all then it will cut it so I rarely run the little knife show but it's probably a good idea if you are having issues. 

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Ok, so I am getting it to cut simple shapes correctly now. I'm not sure if it was saving as an .AI 8 file or because I told it to make 2 passes instead of one. BUT it is still not completing the weed box around my shapes. It does it EXACTLY the same cut every time I cut something and looks like in the photo attached. The red line always starts on the bottom right, goes counter clockwise and stops a little passed the bottom left corner. Does anyone have any suggestions?

mind-gears-01.jpg

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After trying another cut, it left out spaces again. So i guess that I have to make it make 2 passes... which doesn't seem like it should be necessary....

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I think you posted a jpeg.  Can you post the original ai file for us to look at...

Cal

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Yeah that was a jpeg. Attached is a quick and dirty trace from that for you to try that has been saved in AI8. I got rid of the red box. If that was supposed to be your weeding box then you don't need to draw that in AI at all you just select the "Use Weeding Frame" box in your SignCut cutting tools (see third option down in the screen shot attached)

 

I HIGHLY discourage you from making a double pass on the cut unless its smoothing like sandblast resist that you can't get through in one pass. You will just end up with a mess. 

Mind Trace.ai

Screen Shot 2016-09-14 at 10.46.41 PM.png

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When I turn ON the "Use weeding frame" it does NOT cut the weeding frame correctly.

If I turn OFF "use weeding frame" and draw a box in illy it finishes the cut around everything.

If I tell it to only make one pass it leaves spaces in the design randomly EVERY time.

If I tell it to make 2 passes it cuts everything out.

Someone from Us cutter told me this: "What profile are you using within signcut? I would recommend trying the manufacturer of "liyu" and the model of "SC 631" and then try another design on some scrap material."

Which didn't make a difference. I shouldn't be having this many problems with something so simple. I only drew the red box around my file (jpeg) to show you exactly how it is cutting the "Weeding frame" every time. I'm saving as illustrator 8 (Even though I'm not so sure if it has made any difference at all.) I'm pretty disappointed in the US Cutter support, the fact that I received no instructions at all, not enough screws, the fact that it's pretty impossible to find any consistent instructions online, etc.. I really wasn't wanting to spend DAYS trying to do something so simple. So if anyone could please help me with this issue I would really appreciate it. I've attached everything I can think of so hopefully that will help. I also really appreciate every one's help. I really don't want to give up on this, but also don't want to spend another week wasting vinyl and having to do "work-arounds" for EVERYTHING.

mind-gears.ai

Screen Shot 2016-09-15 at 1.14.54 PM.png

Screen Shot 2016-09-15 at 1.15.07 PM.png

Screen Shot 2016-09-15 at 1.15.19 PM.png

Screen Shot 2016-09-15 at 1.15.55 PM.png

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If your weeding frame isn't working then you have a driver problem with SignCut. They have free live tech support and even wrote a new driver for me personally one time. That should be your next step. Contact them and let them help you get set up properly, it could be something simple like a baud rate being off too.

You shouldn't be needing to double cut and the weeding frame will work for you once you get figured out why you are fighting this. When I ran my P-Cut (very similar to your LP2) I didn't use the weeding lines much because the cutter was not accurate enough to place them without either missing the completion or cutting into the design but I still used the frame on most work. Once I got a better cutter I use the weeding lines all the time as well.  

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Your software is set at 9600 according to your pic so just check that in your manual if you got one and can interpret it. Ha ha! 

 

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Are you using a Bluetooth setup for your cutter connection? Just asking because of what it says in "Output Device / Port:".

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8 hours ago, signyouup said:

Are you using a Bluetooth setup for your cutter connection? Just asking because of what it says in "Output Device / Port:".

Good catch, yeah that could be a problem right there.

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Stop wasting vinyl.  Did your cutter not come with a pen?  Use the pen and draw this stuff out until you have it all sorted out.

Cal

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So, It is still not working. I'm using a US Cutter laserpoint2 with iMac El Capitan 10.11.3, A USB serial adapter FTDI chip based. Nothing came with a manual, It's not connected via bluetooth. I have tried everything that the people at signcut have said and US Cutter is impossible for me to get in contact with... Every time I open a ticket with them they just close it (GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE...NOT) If I tell it to make one pass it leaves out alot of pieces, If i tell it to make 2 passes it seems to do a little bit better, but will still randomly decides to not cut out random pieces. the weeding frame hasn't worked one time since I've started trying... I know that I have the depth of the blade setup correctly. I'm thinking about just returning the whole thing. This has been more of a headache than anything and it won't cut anything consistantly. I've worked at sign shops for quite some time and know how to make those cutters work, but this is just not working... If anyone has any other suggestions please let me know because I would really like for this to work properly. If I don't get this resolved in the next couple days I am definitely sending this back and never dealing with US cutter again. I don't know if it's the cutter, the connection between the plotter and computer, or the software and the lack of information anywhere online hasn't helped at all. 

Screen Shot 2016-09-18 at 1.24.08 PM.png

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1 hour ago, Exnuns said:

So, It is still not working. I'm using a US Cutter laserpoint2 with iMac El Capitan 10.11.3, A USB serial adapter FTDI chip based. Nothing came with a manual, It's not connected via bluetooth. I have tried everything that the people at signcut have said and US Cutter is impossible for me to get in contact with... Every time I open a ticket with them they just close it (GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE...NOT) If I tell it to make one pass it leaves out alot of pieces, If i tell it to make 2 passes it seems to do a little bit better, but will still randomly decides to not cut out random pieces. the weeding frame hasn't worked one time since I've started trying... I know that I have the depth of the blade setup correctly. I'm thinking about just returning the whole thing. This has been more of a headache than anything and it won't cut anything consistantly. I've worked at sign shops for quite some time and know how to make those cutters work, but this is just not working... If anyone has any other suggestions please let me know because I would really like for this to work properly. If I don't get this resolved in the next couple days I am definitely sending this back and never dealing with US cutter again. I don't know if it's the cutter, the connection between the plotter and computer, or the software and the lack of information anywhere online hasn't helped at all. 

Screen Shot 2016-09-18 at 1.24.08 PM.png

first let me start by saying I do not work for uscutter - the staff tag on the profile is a little misleading as I am not paid by them . . . .

from what I read you went out and purchased a usb to serial adapter with the same flaky chipset as the one that comes in these value cutters to begin with instead of the premium tripp lite keyspan adapter that has been tried and true for years.  Did I understand that part correctly?  I am not a mac person and never could get used to the 3 that I have had int he past but just troubleshooting as I would for any computer - the ftdi chipset is not reliable in any form from what users have found over the years - the people usually buy then because they can find them locally and are cheaper . . . 

you stated you worked in sign shops for years - did they use a value cutter with a mac also?  any pro shop I have visited had graphtec, roland or gerber cutters all of which have rock solid chipsets built in

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I purchased a USB serial adapter before realizing that I needed the Tripp Lite keyspan adapter. I have now ordered the keyspan adapter which will be arriving tomorrow. They weren't using a value cutter but they were using a Mac with a Graphtec so I assumed it would be similar. My question is if the adapter I am using is working, just not correctly, will the keyspan adapter fix the issues of the machine skipping parts of the image? (It was also doing this before I purchased the USB serial adapter and was connected via USB.) Do you think the problem is from the connection, the plotter or the software? Thank you for your quick response. 

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1 minute ago, Exnuns said:

I purchased a USB serial adapter before realizing that I needed the Tripp Lite keyspan adapter. I have now ordered the keyspan adapter which will be arriving tomorrow. They weren't using a value cutter but they were using a Mac with a Graphtec so I assumed it would be similar. My question is if the adapter I am using is working, just not correctly, will the keyspan adapter fix the issues of the machine skipping parts of the image? (It was also doing this before I purchased the USB serial adapter and was connected via USB.) Do you think the problem is from the connection, the plotter or the software? Thank you for your quick response. 

I think you have a much better chance of it working correctly and the info from the computer to the plotter being transfered right thru the keyspan - what you purchased before was essentially the same thing that comes in these value cutters so is essence replacing an inferior part with the same inferior part hoping that fixed the issue.  if that doesn't work I would get a $30 cheap computer with windows to make it a cutter computer only - I personally have an older computer that is not connected to the internet connected to my cutter for just cutting - I design on my main computer and take a thumb drive to the basement cutting computer to do all work -that way if the main computer gets corrupted etc I can still put out my already designed work and I don't have to worry about a virus taking out the cutter computer.  heck I just bout a spare $70 windows 7 pro off lease computer for a back up for that cutter computer - but then again I have back ups to the design computer, printer computer and cutter computer - I hate being down.  the only thing I don't have a back up for is the graphtec as I have never had a problem with one in the 6 years I have been running them

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Is there a specific version of Windows that works best? I'm thinking that sounds like a very good thing to try.

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lots of the old timers still are using windows XP but I have windows 7 on mine and works great.  the off lease ones with windows 7 pro is even better with some drivers (don't think it will make a difference for your use though)  

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I tend to agree with Dakota. Since you are just getting started with things on your own if you can find a cheap windows laptop or old tower to use as a dedicated cutter you may save yourself some headache and can figure out what's the problem later as you get used to your equipment. I design on a mac and occasionally cut from my mac but rarely. I like having my design computer free for other uses while the cutter is cutting.

Windows 7 is pretty stable and still laid out similar to the XP format which is easier to find your files and programs than the win 8 and I don't have anything with win 10. I am a mac convert from about 2010 but still have a couple windows laptops. I run similar to Dakota with a thumb drive. I specifically run SignCut Pro because it will run on either of my platforms. I bought the lifetime dongle in order to swap seamlessly. If you rent by the month then you have to basically unload it off one computer to swap it to the next and they only let you do this 5 times without getting permission from there on out. The dongle key lets you just load it on however many you want and carry the dongle to whichever you need to run on. 

As you probably well know mac is super stable but also super finicky with drivers and such. My bet is it's your output device which is essentially a driver issue. Starting with a windows machine will go smother and let you make sure the cutter is working before diving into the connection issues with the mac and you will be set up a little more efficiently in the end anyway. The LP2 (although I have never owned one) is reported to be a step above both the MH and the SC so you shouldn't have quite as many of the issues they have or hopefully to less of a degree. All the budget models are touchy, glitchy, irritating have low memory and are very susceptible to static electricity. The Graphtec you worked around at the shop is none of that. Doesn't mean you can't get past those shortcomings and actually be a better cutter operator because of it because the budget machines FORCE you to know your stuff. By stuff I'm talking blade set-up and pressure and understanding off-tracking. High end cutters do this stuff so good you can get by with bad set-up and not even realize you had it wrong.  

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Here is an example of something I cut the other night. It's pretty easy to tell what it's supposed to say, but it left out random letters and barely cut some of them. Everything is outlined in illustrator and made in to one solid shape before sendinIMG_5545.JPGg to signcut. Just wanted to show you guys an example of what my issue has been.

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Just tried it with the keyspan adapter and it is still doing the exact same thing... Leaving out lots of cuts randomly. Is buying a Windows laptop my last resort? Or should I just get a new cutter? This is very frustrating.........

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