• General Printing Topics

  Print/Cut Registration

  Posted by Fred McLean on 31 January 2007 at 17:30

  Am using jetster 46 and gerber p2c
  Did the same job 2 days apart from the same print/cut program
  and the results are a 3/4 mm difference!!For what the job is it’s
  not an issue.
  Didn’t do anything different(i think)

  Is this just a quirk of friction drive plotters
  or am i doing something stupid(or not doing as the case may be)??

  Machines are brand new

  All info willbe gratefully received

  Chris Wool replied 18 years, 9 months ago 4 Members · 4 Replies
• 4 Replies

• 

  Phill Fenton

  Member

  31 January 2007 at 22:07

  I would try a couple of experiments to determine where the errors are creeping in. Try drawing a rectangle of a defined size that you can measure accurately. Say 1000mm x 250mm. Print it on one machine and cut it on the other. Then physicaly measure each job to see what variations (if any) there are between the size it should be (1000mm x 250mm) and the actual output. This should help you pin down where the errors are creeping in. If they are identical then the fault must be in the registration method.

  Shane has mentioned in the past that errors can creep in when a job is cut at different times and this is assumed to be down to temperature differences – as much in the machine (heating up and cooling down) as in the vinyl.

  I hope you manage to resolve this problem. If you find an answer let us know

• 

  Peter Normington

  Member

  31 January 2007 at 22:19

  Print and cut registration is always a bit hit and miss owing to lots of variables. so to eliminate (or hide them) you must design to allow for discrepancies, use bleed, for instance, or make your cut larger than the actual image, if you print on white and its going on a white van, the extra few mm border will not be seen,

  or am I barking up the wrong tree?

  Peter

• 

  Fred McLean

  Member

  1 February 2007 at 09:40

  Phill,it’s not the dimensions of the cut that’s different it’s where
  it’s actually cutting it on the vinyl.ie it’s moved 3/4 mm vertically!!

  Peter,with being new to this wide p/cut malarkey(have been using edge for yonks)automatic assumption was to put a bleed in
  but the printer wont print past the clipping path!
  Or do i still have to do a bit more homework on clip/cut paths

  Cheers for the comments

  F

• 

  Chris Wool

  Member

  1 February 2007 at 10:35

  possible if you re ripped the job you had a boarder or similar switched on from a different job or a off set in you cutting part.

  as Phil says calibration between the two machines is critical well worth the effort

  Chris

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