Cut Line Issue, Not Transparency Related

[SignGuyNate]

Yesterday, I got a brand new (32-bit) Windows 7 computer for my workstation, and we did a clean installation of Versaworks. I installed the swatch file from the CD to load the CutContour swatch into Illustrator. I set up the artwork, made sure transparencies were all flattened, and ripped it to VersaWorks. No cut line. I redid the artwork, flattened the transparency, rasterized it, redid my cut line and tried again. Still no cut line. I've been at this for about 2 hours and I'm out of ideas.

I've poured over this forum and others like it taking all the tips I can find, but I am still at a loss for why Versaworks is losing my cut line. I get the dancing ants when I tell it to cut image boundaries. But I can't even get an old job that I know cut just fine on my old PC to cut on this new one.

When I send a test cut from VersaWorks, it will tell me the test was sent but my Roland (VP-540) will not perform it.

Jobs without cuts print just fine. Jobs with cuts print fine but, obviously, do not cut.

Has anyone encountered this issue before? Because my next step is to tell the boss we wasted money on getting me a new computer...

 

[dlndesign]

If I remember correctly, you need to send cut lines as vector art. I think that is the only way to have the machine not print the lines and use to cut afterwards. What programs are you using?

 

[SignGuyNate]

I've got the Creative Cloud version of Illustrator. The thing is, though, VersaWorks isn't trying to print the cut line either. There's just nothing there at all, in any form.

 

[dlndesign]

I haven't worked with the creative cloud. So have you tried a version with vector cut lines? You may need to call up Roland and see if they have had any issues running off the creative cloud. Or possibly you may need to save the file as a lower version of Illustrator or PS (as a eps file, i believe). Sorry i haven't worked with versaworks in a while.

 

[SignGuyNate]

I've tried .EPS and .PDF in all legacy formats from Illustrator 10 to Illustrator CS6. The cut line is a vector and I have used the proper swatch. When I open a clean document and just create a cut contour, VersaWorks won't recognize that either. It won't even show or print a magenta line where the cut should be.

I'm going to shoot Roland an email asking if they've had any issue with Adobe CC software. I don't think that's it, though, because I can open older jobs in VersaWorks and it won't recognize those cut lines either.

 

[J Hill Designs]

is your cutcontour specified as a SPOT color?

 

[SignGuyNate]

Yes. It is the CutContour swatch that was included with my copy of VersaWorks. Spot color, 100% magenta, named "CutContour" (both Cs capital, no space).

 

[J Hill Designs]

lets see...maybe your eps output has 'convert spot to cmyk' checked?

edit: prolly not, or it would print your cutline...

hmm

 

[xxtoni]

Guys if he is getting the ants it means that VersaWorks has recognized the cut line so that's out of the question. The export from Illustrator doesn't matter anymore, VersaWorks sees the cut lines.

The question is now - Why doesn't it cut.

This is a ridiculous suggestion but are you sure that you have print + cut/cut set in the cut menu ? I know I know but it happens.

 

[J Hill Designs]

I'm not seeing where he says he sees the dancing ants...

 

[xxtoni]

I'm not seeing where he says he sees the dancing ants...

Eh, I'm an idiot.

I saw it in his OP, but he said he sees those when he enables cut image boundaries. My mistake. I apologize.

 

[SignGuyNate]

Waaaaaait just one minute. I think we're barking up the wrong tree.

Go to "Queue A properties" in VW and make sure "convert spot color" and "convert special color" are checked.

Good eye. They weren't checked. The bad news is that I checked them and it made no difference.

Here are screenshots for posterity's sake. They show the file in Illustrator and in VersaWorks. As you can see, VW simply ignores my contour.

 

[SignGuyNate]

And I just realized it's not recognizing any of my spot colors as such. Normally when I go into the File Format tab I can tell it how to output spot colors, or what to substitute them with... but here my options are grayed out and I can't change them. Maybe that's another symptom of the mystery issue?

I wish I could be more helpful with the details. I got kind thrown at this job, and there's nobody else here that knows... well, anything about it. No notes or production standards from the previous sign makers or anything.

 

[SignGuyNate]

Solved!

The solution ended up being to run the several GB worth of updates I was behind on after my clean install. Didn't notice at first that it was so far behind date because checking for updates automatically is apparently not the default setting.

Thanks everyone for their help.