Onyx / Graphtec Print to Cut Issues with Over 8 Feet of Material

[Lauren]

I need some help...

We have an HP Latex 360, Onyx and a Graphtec FC8600. Print to cut works fine on shorter lengths of material, however anything over 8 feet gives us trouble. We put registration marks about every 20". The plotter will start to scan the marks, and do one of 2 things - it will stop about halfway through and give a Mark Scan Error, or it will seem to scan all of the marks, feed back to the front and give a Mark Scan Error. We have tried to turn the lights off (to reduce glare), but it happens on matte material as well.

I did notice that the latest plotter available to install is the FC8000 in Onyx and that's what we set it up as (it is a FC8600). Has anyone had this issue?


Any suggestions?


I have talked to Graphtec and they insist it must be Onyx, I'm waiting to hear from Onyx as well as the company that sold us the equipment.

Thanks ahead of time!

 

[P Wagner]

If you are running Onyx 11 (or 11.1) there is a driver available for the FC8600. For version 11, the driver is available via a patch update, and with 11.1 the FC8600 driver is included with the software.

I would also look at a setting in the plotter (accessed from the control panel) called Page Length. It is accessed through the Menu button on the plotter. Make sure that the distance is larger than the longest job you would ever run. I typically set the Page Length to 1000 inches.

 

[LittleSnakey]

Yes
Had exactly the same experience with the graphtec fc8600 on short runs and long. But we print with a roland and used flexi sign for the rip. Graphtec also blamed flexi sign.
This is how we fixed the problem. There are many on here that have nothing but praise for the graphtec and never have any problems. Wish I had that luck. But on the other hand the summa is better than the graphtec so in some ways I was lucky.
Good luck

I need some help...

We have an HP Latex 360, Onyx and a Graphtec FC8600. Print to cut works fine on shorter lengths of material, however anything over 8 feet gives us trouble. We put registration marks about every 20". The plotter will start to scan the marks, and do one of 2 things - it will stop about halfway through and give a Mark Scan Error, or it will seem to scan all of the marks, feed back to the front and give a Mark Scan Error. We have tried to turn the lights off (to reduce glare), but it happens on matte material as well.

I did notice that the latest plotter available to install is the FC8000 in Onyx and that's what we set it up as (it is a FC8600). Has anyone had this issue?


Any suggestions?


I have talked to Graphtec and they insist it must be Onyx, I'm waiting to hear from Onyx as well as the company that sold us the equipment.

Thanks ahead of time!

 

[Typestries]

Thats ironic, because the graphtec was a huge improvement over the roland. So we bought a second. Agreed that reg over 8' can be tough. Our solutions:

Try to place the media in the plotter in the middle of the job, so half is hanging over the front and half over the back, then line up your marks and pinch. That way you are cutting the human error factor effectively in half. If the print is too skewed it will be out of range of the plotter.

You also need at least 12" of tail and 6" of leader, if light leaks under to the media sensor on either end of the recognition process the mark scan error appears.

Also running latex, and have to say the cheaper vinyl 3640 and ij35 move a lot under heat and have trouble. 3651 and 180c register like a dream.

Now that summa, wow, that looks sweet. They make a really nice plotter. Of course if you want that graphic removed from your shop, I'd be happy to!

 

[Lauren]

If you are running Onyx 11 (or 11.1) there is a driver available for the FC8600. For version 11, the driver is available via a patch update, and with 11.1 the FC8600 driver is included with the software.

I would also look at a setting in the plotter (accessed from the control panel) called Page Length. It is accessed through the Menu button on the plotter. Make sure that the distance is larger than the longest job you would ever run. I typically set the Page Length to 1000 inches.

I am downloading the driver now! I talked to Onyx before you commented and told them that it was set up as a 8000 and they didn't even give me that solution. Thank you so much! My page size is at over 1000 so hopefully the driver update will help.

 

[Dennis422]

Also a thing to consider. Latex printers use a bit of heat to cure the ink.
Let the print sit overnight and then laminate/cut. That way you allow vinyl and backing paper to get back to its original state. (in case they got deformed a bit by heat)
I had some issues when cutting, even on a cast Avery film. One time, just because I did not have time to cut the same evening, I left the print on my table overnight. Tomorrow, the print was dead on.

It does not hurt to try

Now, that is all I do. I'm a small shop, so I can afford letting the print sit overnight.

 

[AF]

Also a thing to consider. Latex printers use a bit of heat to cure the ink.
Let the print sit overnight and then laminate/cut. That way you allow vinyl and backing paper to get back to its original state. (in case they got deformed a bit by heat)
I had some issues when cutting, even on a cast Avery film. One time, just because I did not have time to cut the same evening, I left the print on my table overnight. Tomorrow, the print was dead on.

It does not hurt to try

Now, that is all I do. I'm a small shop, so I can afford letting the print sit overnight.

No need to let it sit overnight. If you are cutting without laminating, just take the fresh and hot print from the printer and lay it on your work table. Then hit it with the swiffer and it instantly cools it since the table acts like a heat sink. You can go from printer to table to cutter in less than a minute, one of the pluses of using Latex with a dedicated cutter. Full bleeds are no issue either.

 

[mdjamesd]

We have a Graphtec C-7000..granted its a bit older, but was curious. I had the same problem.

After loading media in the Graphtec, I have 3 options...Roll 1 Rear, Roll 2 Rear, and Sheet. I found that by selecting sheet, it forces it to run he media fully from front to back to get the full "page size" If I select Roll 2 Rear, it will not find the 4th registration mark.