Graphtec FC7000 mk2 & wasatch, print and cut ofset.

[M Brown]

Hi,

I have the same problem, I have calibrated my machine till my fingers have started to bleed. What version of Wasatch are you using as I my mind it is Wasatch that is the problem, as I have used Flexisign a few times with my machine and the print and cut was always smack online.

From Mark

[David Rowland]

how odd, I have been testing Wasatch and a FC7000 Mk2 last night, with insight to purchasing Wasatch… i thought the whole experience wasn’t perfect and that you had to put it in HPGL which means Cutting Master 2 wont communicate with it.

Anyway, im sure saw alignment within the FC7000 within the menus, I don’t know the procedure bit it was there. I didn’t test it for accuracy.

One question I have and it took me a while to get it Outlining vinyl shapes, how do you really work with it for cutting basic vinyl? the jobs I sent to it were rotated by 90 degrees and set on a page, so I couldn’t start the job at the origin i wanted or even select parts of a job, so that means I need to use a cutting master type program but i dont think it works with hpgl… so how do you do it?

[TimFenn]

I’m using version 6.5 of wasatch.
As for normal cut jobs we just set the outlines up in illustrator, then PDF up and drag it on to the layout page of wasatch. So long as you have named the colour of the outline CutPath and set the option in wasatch to process cut paths, it all works well.
I have calibrated the grapthtec time and time again I think wasatch overrides these settings, if that’s not correct I’d really love someones help. It really is driving me crazy. Odd thing is it worked fine last week on a near identical job.

[TimFenn]

Hi Dave,
Also what is HPGL?
Cheers

[David Rowland]

Tim, there is not enough options to setting up the cutter, so its in the cutters settings.

HPGL is a command language that a lot of plotters understand, its basically the data down the cable like Pen Up / Down, move here there.
GPGL (?) is the Graphtec version of the language which contains other data i guess.

[Peter Normington]

quote Dave Rowland:

how odd, I have been testing Wasatch and a FC7000 Mk2 last night, with insight to purchasing Wasatch… i thought the whole experience wasn’t perfect and that you had to put it in HPGL which means Cutting Master 2 wont communicate with it.

Anyway, im sure saw alignment within the FC7000 within the menus, I don’t know the procedure bit it was there. I didn’t test it for accuracy.

One question I have and it took me a while to get it Outlining vinyl shapes, how do you really work with it for cutting basic vinyl? the jobs I sent to it were rotated by 90 degrees and set on a page, so I couldn’t start the job at the origin i wanted or even select parts of a job, so that means I need to use a cutting master type program but i dont think it works with hpgl… so how do you do it?

Dave, wassach is not a cutting program, its a rip is it not?
yes it will contour cut Graphics, but for print and cut, dont think it is designed for cut only,
and cant see why you would want use it for that.
only programs that will do all easily, design, print, cut, is signlab. or flexi

sorry bit off topic

Peter

[David Rowland]

well its all about software costs peter and staff training… we have a number of people who are corel draw designers and to try and find workflow solutions to work from them to speed up production. It was a test to see how far some RIP manufacturers go in Print and Cut, for instance print on flatbed and cut on CNC, just so happens Graphtec is listed and that was something i could test with ease. So print on roll and cut on plotter, but no so easy if u wish to use the specially written graphtech program with the plotter, means slitch control panel settngs each time which is a no-no.

We are likely to be Print and Cut for both board and roll fed in coming months, but why train up all various kinds of kit if we can keep everything ‘simple’, I want the software to be understood by everyone and each department doesn’t get confused.

TBH i seen some good things in Wasatch, caldera, shriaz and Onyx, they all have their own liitle special bits, print and cut seems fairly intriging

[Russell Huffer]

We have Wasatch and it is designed to be used as just cut only if you want, Dave you said you are using on flat bed we have version 6.7 at the moment and this has a major upgrade for flatbeds i belive including media thickness control.

With regards to graphtec we used to have a CE3000 MkII that wasatch drove perfectly the cut line was spot on, it now drives a Mimaki JV33 / CGFX as it is a far more stright forward solution to print and cut than Rastelink / Finecut.

Wasatch is a good RIP and if you have a service contract the support is great.

Regards

Russell.

[David Rowland]

hmm. ok thanks.. it is 6.7 also and legit as i am borrowing a dongle.
im stealing someone else thread here… i best bring this back on topic… i didn’t spend any time with fine-tuning our plotter but I know its fine in other software, i beleive the tuning is done in the menus.