Suggestions Graphtec FC 8000 64"

What software are you utilizing? I have a very detailed write up for a specific setup, but it translates well. I found that all the RIP software in the world won't make the graphtec run, but placing registration marks with corel and printing them without any communication between the two programs works well.

 

I have had issues in the past with Onyx driving a FC8000 not finding registration marks and it was super frustrating. We never were able to get it perfect. Sometimes it would miss the marks 9 out of 10 times and then it would find them some how and begin cutting.

 

Is that cutting master the plugin from graphtec I imagine? We run corel and onyx, and I never got onyx to send the plot file to the plotter. I tried everything until I realized cutting master (3, not sure about 4) in corel will draw registration marks. From there it was a matter of figuring out that as long as they were converted to an object with no outline, yet retaining them on the appropriate layer in a corel file (ideally a separate file), and then of course making sure your graphics aren't put in the plotter backwards. 60% of the time, it works every time!

 

What's your Windows version?

 

Odd. I've been using an FC8000 for a long time with Onyx, and never had any trouble cutting from Onyx with it.

 

I'd ask how you go about it, but man I got so frustrated I won't bother. At this point it takes me maybe 2 extra minutes to execute the registration marks. It's just a matter of remembering it in my whole process, but I guess everybody's run a plot job with no reg marks?

 

It's really simple. We have two different plotters, an old Mimaki and the Graphtec. When printing the job you select the cutter in Onyx while you're preflighting it (we have a Quick Set that makes it go to the one you want). It prints the registration marks itself; I don't have to do anything other than tell it which cutter I want. Then you go to the computer that runs the cutter and open the CutServer software. The jobs will automatically appear in the cutserver if you have set the hot folders correctly. You put the vinyl in the plotter, and initialize the plotter. Then move the blade into the first corner of the registration marks, and press no buttons; just leave it there. From the CutServer, select the cut job and click the cut button. That's it.

 

No spot colors named goofy stuff?

 

We print from Corel Draw, so we do have a custom palette with the color CutContour in it (you can make it any color but we use C0M1Y0K0). You use that color as the pen line (using the outline pen) for any shapes you want the plotter to cut. In the Quick Set you check the box "Use Cutter Path Prefix" and fill in CutContour as the prefix. You don't need to do anything with spot colors in the preflight (Job Editor).

 

Can you choose the cutting order or cut a different forces for different layers?

 

No.

 

Ah ha! I knew their was some sort of advantage. I just ran out a mess of stickers in 100ct batches. About to plot all 100, then starting from the front edge of the sheet, cut out the square backgrounds at a higher force for the whole row, split that row off of the sheet, and proceed to the next row.

 

Shot in the dark, are you making you have at least 1 inch from the arrow on both the top and bottom of the sheet?