Summa OPOS Barcode Questions

[sunhochoi]

I am a little confused on how the Summa barcode works. Could someone clarify?

I have a Oce Colorado (Onyx Thrive) used to print and Summa cutter with OPOS.

As I understand the barcode server needs to run on a compatible RIP. Can this run on my Onyx Thrive 321? I have 2 printers already connected to my Thrive RIP so I am guessing that I need to get another RIP for the Summa? Is it possible to run the barcode cutting from a PC connected to the Summa using Caldera and use my Colorado running Onyx Thrive to print the design with barcode?

What would be the best most economical solution to get the barcode cutting to work?

TIA!

 

[Bly]

I am a little confused on how the Summa barcode works. Could someone clarify?

I have a Oce Colorado (Onyx Thrive) used to print and Summa cutter with OPOS.

As I understand the barcode server needs to run on a compatible RIP. Can this run on my Onyx Thrive 321? I have 2 printers already connected to my Thrive RIP so I am guessing that I need to get another RIP for the Summa? Is it possible to run the barcode cutting from a PC connected to the Summa using Caldera and use my Colorado running Onyx Thrive to print the design with barcode?

What would be the best most economical solution to get the barcode cutting to work?

TIA!

We print on the RIP PC and then use Cutserver to send the cut file to another PC on the network with the Summa connected.
This PC runs Summa Cutter Control which has Barcode Server which then cuts the job.

 

[FrankW]

If printing a file which contains cut contour data and a contour cutter is set, Thrive will separate the contour data automatically and will forward them to the Thrive CutServer. Depending on the version, it is needed to forward the cutting data by "plotting" it to a file, and let Summa Cutter Control to serve that files to the cutter. Newer versions (not shure, I think since 12.2 or 18) have the barcode serving functionality integrated.

 

[iPrintStuff]

You don’t need an extra RIP or anything. It can all be done on the same pc pretty easily. All thrive is doing is creating the cut file and the summa cutter control is sending it to the cutter.

I’ll go through it pretty much step by step (not at work cause it’s Sunday so this is mostly from memory)

On thrive; before printing the file, make sure you’ve set the cutter to summa S class On the job you want to send.

next, open up the thrive cut server and set up the cutter. Can’t remember this bit too much but you just add cutter then select to cut to file, then choose your path. It’s usually something like thrive - cutter - summa a class.

I had troubles initially so I remember you need to turn off “enable roll server” or something.

In the configure cutter make sure it’s set up to summa barcode. I left pretty much everything unchecked other than make sure automatically cut new files is turned on (it won’t cut them, but will send them to the desired folder). Basically I didn’t want jobs to come through with the cut weight etc already on them as I prefer to set that later.

so in the actual summa cutter Control application, just make sure you have the path set up correctly to view the folder you selected earlier. As long as you have it set up correctly with regards to connection (I.e make sure if it’s through USB that the cutter control is set so USB) then it should work.

If you hit send on the print file (you don’t need to actually print it, then a cut file should appear in the summa cutter controls file list pretty much instantly. I’d probably let that job print then load it on the summa and make sure it actually works.

(You do actually need to turn the barcode server on before anything will cut though)

Once it’s all set up it should just be a case of Hitting print on a job (making sure the thrive cut server is open or it won’t forward the file), then turning the barcode server on, putting the print in the cutter, finding the barcode and away it goes.

As i said, from memory so hopefully that’s informative enough.

 

[iPrintStuff]

Was still half asleep writing that, I’d make sure to distinguish between thrive cut server and summa cutter control.

I did also assume you have an S class. You’d just need to pick the right cutter.

Another thing worth mentioning, in thrive if you go to (I think) file - manage cutters - *your cutter* you can edit how close the summa opos marks are to your artwork. The default is quite far away so you can easily save an inch or two.

In the thrive cut server, you can also set a few things. Like cut between sheets. I don’t know about your workflow but when we load a roll on the summa, it’s usually split into about 1.5m sheets, after it’s done a sheet, it’ll search for the next one, confirm there’s one there then cut the one it’s just completed off. Basically let’s us work through them as it’s cutting them.

Happy to help if you have any questions. It sounds like you have everything you need to get it all working, though.

 

[sunhochoi]

Thank you for the detailed explanation!
So we just got a Summa S2 T160 OPOS. This cutter is absolutely a beast when compared to the graphtec and mimaki cutters. Extremely accurate.

Now here is another question. With Thrive 421, we have 4 print engines, 2 wide format printer and 1 layout tool. We have 2 colorado's already. Would the Summa be considered a "printer" I am hoping no. So from what you said above, I should be able to drive both colorado printers and send cut file to the summa barcode server. Another question is, can I have a different computer hooked up USB to the Summa and cut using the barcode server through that machine? Or does it need to be the computer that has Thrive on it that is directly connected to the Summa?

 

[White Haus]

Can't comment on the barcode related questions but definitely agree that the summa plotters are beasts! I picked up a cheap older S140T and although it doesn't have a barcode scanner it's scary fast/accurate.

Regarding your question about the plotter using a "spot" for onyx, they don't count plotters so you're good there.

On that note, and not to hi-jack your thread, but does anyone know if that also applies for flatbed cutters? Can you add as many of those as you want without having to go up to another version of thrive?

 

[iPrintStuff]

So we have two rip permissions (Colorado and a mimaki) and don’t need more to run the summa. As far as I’m aware, all you’re doing when you select your cutter is telling onyx what type of cut file to create. Nothing else. You don’t really “add” the cutter to onyx, you’re just telling it that the cutter will be a summa s class and to create that type of cut file.

As far as networked cut files go, I haven’t tried it, but as far as theory goes; As long as you can send them to a location that the summa cutter control can see, it should work.

Once thrive Cut server has created the cut file, it is no longer needed. I.e. summa cutter control can work independently and thrive can be closed and the cutter will still see the files/cut jobs. So it should definitely work on a pc that doesn’t have thrive.

A quick tip I forget frequently, you need to make sure Thrive cut server is open when you’re hitting print, or it won’t forward the cut files to summa cutter control.

So what happens is sometimes I go to cut a job and summa cutter control will say “no file found for “x name” barcode. All you need to do is open cut server and it sends all the files you’ve generated though. You should just make it a habit that whenever you open thrive, you also open thrive cut server.

 

[sunhochoi]

Great! Thank you all for the replies! Such a wealth of knowledge here!

 

[sunhochoi]

Finally have the Barcode server up and running and it works great! One question I do have is regarding the cut files that the Thrive Cut Server creates.

My current seteup: Print w Barcode on a Colorado using Onyx Thrive. Cut using Barcode server with Summa S2 T160 OPOS.

I have Thrive set up to save the cut files since I cut using a different computer that the Summa is connected to. I see how Thrive creates one main cut file once the file is printed. Then on the Cut Server when I click "cut" It creates two plt file per job. One starts with "90..." and the other "60..." This corresponds to the front or rear barcode. When I load the Summa, almost all the time the "90.." side is loaded.

My question is this. Just to test this out, I fed the Summa with the "60..." side loaded. However the Summa would read the barcode but fail on cutting with a file error. I took a look at the files and I see that all of the "90..." files are a few KB like 18kb, but the "60.." files are ALL 0kb and are essentially blank. It seems like the Onyx cut server is not generating a proper " 60.." plt file. Does anyone know why and how to fix this?

Thank you!

 

[iPrintStuff]

Finally have the Barcode server up and running and it works great! One question I do have is regarding the cut files that the Thrive Cut Server creates.

My current seteup: Print w Barcode on a Colorado using Onyx Thrive. Cut using Barcode server with Summa S2 T160 OPOS.

I have Thrive set up to save the cut files since I cut using a different computer that the Summa is connected to. I see how Thrive creates one main cut file once the file is printed. Then on the Cut Server when I click "cut" It creates two plt file per job. One starts with "90..." and the other "60..." This corresponds to the front or rear barcode. When I load the Summa, almost all the time the "90.." side is loaded.

My question is this. Just to test this out, I fed the Summa with the "60..." side loaded. However the Summa would read the barcode but fail on cutting with a file error. I took a look at the files and I see that all of the "90..." files are a few KB like 18kb, but the "60.." files are ALL 0kb and are essentially blank. It seems like the Onyx cut server is not generating a proper " 60.." plt file. Does anyone know why and how to fix this?

Thank you!

I had a whole thread about this a while back. I’d load the 9 side and it’d cut fine, the 6 however. No go.

I contacted our seller about it and they said it was a “training issue” which sounds like they just didn’t know what they were talking about (yes I’m still bitter). But I contacted onyx directly and got a patch. Worked fine after that. That and make sure “enable roll server” or something to that effect is turned off.

 

[sunhochoi]

Working on getting the patch to work. Seems that you need the latest version of Thrive. Hopefully they can get this to work with my current version. Thank you for the help!

Another question regarding the barcode server. I am trying to make a flex cut using just lines and not boxes. For example I print /cut on 54 inch media, that I need to eventually cut in half. I have my print/cut designs fill an area of about 26 x 26 side by side. What I'd like to do is essentially box those two sections. If I put two flex cut boxes, they share the middle line and it cuts the middle line twice. If I just make lines using the pen tool (no stroke, no outline , just solid fill) then every pen line it cuts twice for some reason. I've read about the fill/stroke issue along with the convert all strokes to outlines issue, but nothing seems to work. Its as if anything the summa sees as an open line it will cut along the line twice. Only closed lines (ie. shapes) it will cut once.

I have opened a support ticket with summa but response via signs101 forum is 100x faster!

 

[iPrintStuff]

That could be a couple things;

firstly, your design software? If this was in illy, you could always use the pathfinder tool to combine the two squares into one path? I haven’t tried but it would be pretty manual.

Secondly, file. If saving as EPS make sure you have convert all strokes to outlines turned off in the “save as” box menus.

In illustrator, I could use the pen tool but I’d never have a fill, just put a stroke on the line and a colour on the stroke. Never had any double cut issues.

 

[sunhochoi]

That could be a couple things;

firstly, your design software? If this was in illy, you could always use the pathfinder tool to combine the two squares into one path? I haven’t tried but it would be pretty manual.

Secondly, file. If saving as EPS make sure you have convert all strokes to outlines turned off in the “save as” box menus.

In illustrator, I could use the pen tool but I’d never have a fill, just put a stroke on the line and a colour on the stroke. Never had any double cut issues.

Yes in illustrator. If you use pathfinder to combine two squares, it would remove the shared line/side and just add the points. I don't think the summa would connect those two points.
When saving as EPS the "convert all strokes to outlines" is in the transparency / medium resolution setting which is all greyed out.

 

[iPrintStuff]

I honestly haven’t tried it. What about drawing the 52” square then using the pen tool to draw the line up the middle? Worth making three or four small artworks for testing.

I’d also recommend just switching output to PDF. No problems for us at all.

 

[Hoang Thang]

I just saw a video share the tool to make the barcode and plt file for Summa cutter without RIP on youtube. The process to make plt file for cutter to read is manually but the barcode is made automatically with the OPOS registration marks at the same time.

 

[MelloImagingTechnologies]

We sell and install Summa cutters with barcode reading all the time.
Ask whoever you bought it from to set it up for free.
It’s simple.