SP540 Cutmark Detection Error during Print/Lam/Cut

[IslandSignWorks]

I'm doing our first contour cut on a refurb SP540 we recently purchased. Dealer is shut down for the holidays and not answering the phones. I'm trying to do a print/lam/cut with a decal on GCVP. The print came out great, added the crop marks, laminated the print, put it back in the machine and start the Cut Only process. The head will detect the first registration mark (the one with the circle and rectangle. Then it goes out to find the opposite side. It finds it, returns the scan head to the home position and says "Cutmark Error".

I read on these forums it could be the gloss laminate that might be confusing the scan head. I'm going to try printing again and not laminating over the registration marks. But in the mean time, any suggestions?

 

[IslandSignWorks]

Just FYI I solved my own issue, but I thought I'd post the solution in case it can help others in the same situation.

I am using GBC Arctic Gloss laminate for this job. The difference in optical characteristics of the laminate is enough to confuse the scan sensor and cause it to fail. I masked off the registration dots with release paper before laminating, and then cut away the laminate over the registration marks, exposing the raw GCVP over just the registration marks. The sensor found the dots and performed the contour cut on the first try after that.

It's not a perfect mechanism - the scanner does seem to miss the dots now and then, even with the laminate removed - but it seems to be working somewhat reliably.

 

[Northern Design]

Matte lam

Next time cut some 2 inch squares of matte lam and place over the registration marks, works every time