Apple Software for Plotters?

[splizaat]

Hey guys, we run ONLY apple products in our shop, using SUMMA plotters. We have been designing in illustrator cs4/5 and sending to signcut x-2 to do the actual cutting of the design...

Seems as though signcut-x2 (the OLD software) is the only one that works on the mac osx 10.6.6 as signcutPRO (the new version) doesn't even poll the plotter to find size of the vinyl.

This has been an ongoing problem for us, so we've stuck to their older software signcut-x2, but I'm curious what everyone else is using on APPLE COMPUTERS to send designs to the plotter. We love the way signcut functions, but can't deal with it working sometimes and not others. After two years, we're looking for other options...

I know i'm not the only one on an Apple computer...any help??

Matt

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Have you thought about using a program such as Parrallels to run the Windows based programs if it appears that the Apple versions are unstable? Although I don't use a 3rd party cutting software. I use the Roland CutStudio plugin for Ai CS5 to run my plotter.

 

[John Butto]

Osx 10.6.6

Summa D750 with SignCut Productivity Pro and do not seem to have a problem.

 

[splizaat]

We use the signcut pro software and it won't poll our plotter AT ALL. but if we download the summausa software to test USB connection the computer is communicating with the plotter. So it's the software. We had the same exact issue with our D60 plotter and our old white macbook pro so thats when we decided to downgrade back to x2 instead of pro. ughhhhh pain in the butt!

 

[John Butto]

website

If you go to their website and submit a ticket they will walk you through it. Sounds as if your communications is not set right, it needs to be seen in the cutter (at top right).

 

[signswi]

Why not buy a $500 PC to use a production machine/rip? Production software companies hate writing and supporting osX software, no reason to fight that.

 

[Jim Doggett]

Why not buy a $500 PC to use a production machine/rip? Production software companies hate writing and supporting osX software, no reason to fight that.

Heck; even $500 is splurging, since plot data is not at all memory or processor intensive. Printing a Web page to your desktop inkjet is 10 times as complex as a typical cut job.

Summa has great utilities and plotting software for the PC, free at their Web site. But seemingly nothing for Mac OS. (maybe call their support to find out for sure)

Meanwhile, a $200 dinosaur laptop on Craigslist.com would get you there -- and beyond what's needed to plot to the Summa or any vinyl cutter, for that matter, assuming the designing and heavy-duty work is being done somehwere else.

My $0.02,

Jim

 

[thinksigns]

We just went digital. We were all Mac. We got a PC to run the printer and the plotter. It hasn't been as much of a pain as I thought it would be. We have two design computers, so I like that my employee can design on his mac and then print with the PC and not bother me when I'm designing.

 

[FatCat]

FWIW - I had the same problems with SignCut as you mention. Once I upgraded my MBP to 10.6 it never did work right. (Had no problems with 10.5 on both the Summa and my old Roland CX-400) I got fed up and had to look elsewhere.

I too am Mac-based, but I do have one standalone PC here that runs Wasatch for my printer and is not tied into a network or internet. I also use it to run the Summa using the free Winplot software which is not as elegant as SignCut, does work well once you get used to it.

I would think VMware Fusion and a copy of Windows should do what you need it to do, but I think a standalone PC is your best solution.

 

[splizaat]

ughhh our old macbook pro running signcut x2 on snow leopard worked fine. Macbook pro on snowleopard with pro AND x2 -- neither of them work now.

Signcut is blaming on the firmware version of the plotter...which is odd because it worked fine with our white macbook. IT's running ok on a PC right now and signcut pro. But why in the hell would I not be able to cut from the same computer we design on?

ughhhhh

 

[Mainframe]

I run flexi starter on snow leapord & it works fine, you can find it pretty easy on google.

 

[John Butto]

serial to usb

My D750 runs with the newest MacBook Pro 10.6.6, design in Illus send to SignCut. It is an old plotter with serial and have a Keyspan adapter to go to usb and only plug it in when I need the plotter. Been using SignCut since it first came out (use to use SignPost with a MacPlus years ago) and have upgraded as I have also upgraded computers and OS. Went the way of a PC some time ago when I first started using a RIP and I know there is a lot of Window lovers and Machaters but ran into too many glitches with that setup, so now use a standalone MacBook Pro for my RIP & printers.