Another Master serie cutter issue......... GRRR

[signmeup]

How would anyone come up with the notion that a $500 plotter would be the same quality as a $5000 plotter? I guess BT Barnum summed it up the best," There's one born every minute."
A plotter is a stone simple instrument. It has 2 moving parts; one goes back and forth and the other goes round and round. But let's hook it up to a computer that may be used for a dozen different tasks (at once), with an old loose fitting cord you found under the bed.... Now it's a little more complicated. Don't forget to keep using it if a part does get damaged like the keypad...it can't be very important...can it? But wait...we can do more....feed it a file you got from Brands of the World.

How many of you know someone who could break an anvil, or burn a boiled egg? How many of these people blame the equipement? All of them. I suspect that 90% of the troubles with this particular plotter are between the seat and the keyboard.

Now I am sure that Master sells a few plotters that are defective. This could even be one of them....
I just can't help wondering how it would perform if it was hooked up to someone elses computer.

 

[OldPaint]

iam with ya, some people should never get outa bed, FOR THE WORLDS SAFETY)))))))
People like you discribe, i look at in wonder, how they stay alive or not kill everybody around them.
to many people in this business, since they can sit behind a KEYBOARD, belive they have some gift of TALENT along with it. AINT SO FOLKS....
i hada shop and people would come in lookin for WORK. tell me they are GRAPHIC DESIGNERS, i would give them a yellow legal pad, #2 pencil and say..SHOW ME.
next thing was...." i only can draw on the computer."
then i ask if they read a ruler, run a hand saw, or screw drill, climb ladders, or know how to paint out a 4' x 8' sheet of MDO. all answers was NO.....then i would say, "you want my job, is that what youre sayin?" of course.....)))))))))))))))))))))))))))

 

[cutkiller]

This thread is now a death pit. Thanks to everyone for your help, and even to Old Paint of his stupid statement.

 

[OldPaint]

CUTKILLER, soory if what siad offends you, but it IS THE TRUTH of many who are involved in this business now.
how many of you would open a MECHANIC, PLUMBER, CARPENTER, AUTO BODY, MOTORCYCLE REPAIR BUSINESS,
with youre present knowledge of those fields???????
BUT, SINCE YOU CAN TYPE, and make a computer screen do things, you belive you got some IMMEDIATE GIFT of ART AND SIGN MAKING!!!!!!!
like i said about the ones who came in my shop lookin for a GRAPHICS DESIGNER job, most couldnt read a ruler, cut a board, or understand how to place text for the best impact.

 

[cutkiller]

CUTKILLER, soory if what siad offends you...

Then you talk about ppl who don't speak english perfectly. Btw, i am a graphic designer by profession, i can read a ruler, cut boards, wrap cars and trucks, and i do graphic concept. I am working for a sign business, and we work with a Roland SP-540V. Don't make your own opinion about ppl just because they own a Master cutter. What are you working with, just for fun. Thanks for your reply btw.

 

[OldPaint]

i have a LARGE SELECTION OF GRAY & BROWN QUILLS, FITCHES, & TRUCK FLATS. and a few liners and swords.
many cans of paint, and the abiltity & talent not to need a computer to draw things for me. i was an art major at PENN STATE, and held a 3.75 GPA while there. was also the assistant to the art professor, when he didnt make class I WAS IN CHARGE. i also am a POTTER, proficient in hand building of clay, can build using the "Etruscan method, coil or slab.i can paint with acrylic, oil, do pen & ink, charcoal capable artist. how am i doin?
8th grade in high school i was introduced to a class in DRAFTING. for 9th, 10th, 11th, & 12th, i took it as an ELECTIVE and never got less the an A. upon graduating from high school, i started a what you would call today a JUNIOR COLLEGE, in DRAFTING!!!!!(was interrupted with a little thing called SERVING MY COUNTRY IN THE MILITARY, THE DRAFT)
1992 i got my 1st computer, i use nothing but corel, i also build ALL MY COMPUTERS, AND FIX OTHER PEOPLES......oh i have a roland CX-300, is that what you wanted to know????

 

[wetgravy]

I encountered your problem cutkiller. I only have that problem with i cut something large with lots of extra points. (generally from livetrace straight to the plotter) check your points and if possible make your work with the least amount of points ... too many and too big and it confuses the machine. I had to do that with my cnc guy alot so i'm used to cleaning points on large graphics and fonts (god some fonts royally blow wads when it comes to clean points) so try that.


by the way ... oldpaint ... what he is experiencing is and isn't a plotter problem. the problem is the plotter only has so many points it can work with at a certain distance. Same with graphtec and roland (which i have used both and gotten the same problem with ... just takes 4-6 times more points in the vector job to do it)
I use a master for large graphics all the time (i'm still working up to a roland for my personal use) and I can't say that master is horrible just because you have to baby it ... i have no alignment issues, i know how to adjust my settings for jobs, and i don't have cutting errors from wonky points.

 

[OldPaint]

WETGRAVY..........i refer you back to post #102))))))))and have to add.........most REALLY DONT KNOW HOW TO SET UP COMPUTERS AND PERIPHERALS. just punch keyboards & move a mouse.

 

[wetgravy]

And acting like a 12 year old isn't going to help him.

 

[OldPaint]

well then YOU TEACH HIM......))))))))))))))

 

[Techman]

experiencing is and isn't a plotter problem. the problem is the plotter only has so many points it can work with at a certain distance.

Well, it is a plotter problem. And persons with this type of challenge pay more for the low priced machine in the long run.

A top end name brand plotter will have no problems with any of this. Just design and go. No need to certain special settings. No need to spend time reducing nodes, no need to hold your tongue just right and no need to baby anything.. Just design and go.

I used to cut graphics for a local buddy who had a lesser machine that couldn't handle the work load.. One day he found a top end plotter and suddenly realized his nirvana. In fact he threw his no name plotter into the dumpster because none of us wanted it especially after watching him suffer.

Get a top end name brand machine and see just how much fun it can be running a job without any stress knowing it wil run just right with out a baby sitter...

 

[wetgravy]

dude, techman did you even read what I said? I clearly stated that is and isn't one. (as in ... his plotter is to blame for a lack of cache but he should clean his points up and he'll not have that problem) As well as I have encountered the problem with high end plotters as well (just requires 4-5 more points) ... and since i've literally froze a graphtec on a cut job before for just that reason .... any plotter can get it. just because it's low end doesn't make it absolute garbage. Every one starts some where and I know in what I do ... I can't justify the flow for a single vinyl job every 6 months to buy a $2k-$3k plotter. (most of my work comes for digital jobs and mostly design services) Not only that ... but mine works great. loud ... but great.

thats like saying a chevy cobalt is trash and shouldn't be purchased at all ... so unless you buy a mustang ... you're not going to accomplish much. obviously i'm not going to do any drag racing ... but just going to work .... I think i made a better choice.

The $250 bucks for my 30" master is well worth any minor hassle of cleaning up some points (which you should do anyways for nice clean lines on larger graphics ... and which i have to do ALOT just to get something cnc routed correctly.) also my cut jobs are ussually 60-100 inches long and I never baby sit my stuff. It always comes down to perspective. As a simple work horse plotter it is great. Would I use it to do a daily work load ... probably not ... but i also know i would get a better one for the job since my overhead would be alot more.

Personally I'll wait to drag race.

 

[OldPaint]

CURT, youre wastin your breath, these guys KNOW IT ALL, and just come here to let us know we aint so smart))))))

 

[ashford]

wetgravy, I'm terribly curious to see the graphic that froze up the plotter. Actually, until I read this thread, it never even occurred to me that was possible on the newer machines... I've run some pretty enormous files (80 megs) through my 30" Roland GX-300, as well as my PNC1210, and had no problem. (Apart from staying an hour late while it diligently went through all those lines and lines of text... needless to say, some beer was involved during the wait. )
The only plotter I've run into issues with in terms of memory is our old PNC1800, a 48" plotter older than I am. (Which isn't that hard, I suppose.) The only memory issue it has is that it can't go past ten feet...
Sorry for being a

 

[Techman]

Ya OP we do not know anything at all. We never worked on this problem before.. Did we? I mean all those hours and all those nights we spent in chat with others trying to figure these problems didn't teach us anything.

his plotter is to blame for a lack of cache

Do you mean buffer???

Sorry,, but a properly set up data flow will signal a full status to the spooler to stop sending packets.

 

[Service Sign Co]

The old roland plotters had the option of 1 mb of buffer memory or 3 mb of buffer memory. My pnc had 1 mb and experienced some problems with node overload and would quit plotting. A 4B would function with anything you sent it

 

[signmeup]

There are all kinds of threads on this forum about problems with Graphtec and Roland plotters. Do a search. They differ from Master plotter threads though. People just chime in with construtive suggestions on the name brand plotter problem threads......we don't have to suffer through all the, "Your plotter is crap is what the problem is!" posts.

 

[wetgravy]

wetgravy, I'm terribly curious to see the graphic that froze up the plotter. Actually, until I read this thread, it never even occurred to me that was possible on the newer machines... I've run some pretty enormous files (80 megs) through my 30" Roland GX-300, as well as my PNC1210, and had no problem. (Apart from staying an hour late while it diligently went through all those lines and lines of text... needless to say, some beer was involved during the wait. )
The only plotter I've run into issues with in terms of memory is our old PNC1800, a 48" plotter older than I am. (Which isn't that hard, I suppose.) The only memory issue it has is that it can't go past ten feet...

I don't have the art, or the image. (a job and an eon ago) The client supplied his own art for the board up of his store front outside (a big "coming soon" with a alien shooting an asteroid, while he finished construction on the front of the store) and It looked fine. But there was a 7" spot that had around 400 redundant points (on a 10'x50' set of graphics split into panels) and that spot is where it froze. while that alone wouldn't have been the straw to break the horses back ... it was the fact that the entire thing was covered in redundant points. file was only a meg or two so size wasn't a problem. it was purely the amount of points. I got rid of the extra points in that panel, cleaned up a few extras on the last 2 panels and finished cutting (took around 15 minutes). apperently the client used livetrace and just sent the files to me with no clean up, i should have checked it, but I was in a hurry and forgot since the art didn't appear to be that bad.

 

[wetgravy]

CURT, youre wastin your breath, these guys KNOW IT ALL, and just come here to let us know we aint so smart))))))

do you ever say anything constructive? or do you make it your goal to be a crotchety old man?

:U Rock:

 

[OldPaint]

i say a lot CONSTRUCTIVE, its people like you who have to make something said in JEST into something more!!!!!
i hate ta tell ya, but you aint that important....in my life, that you can get in my shit over something i was tryin to be funny about.
and as for crotchety old man crack, billy bob, you seem to be way to serious for someone who is only 18 yrs old)))))
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA