-
Signlab 8 Help Cutting Colors & Print Modes
#1- Colors in signlab: when importing a file into SL the colors are much duller than the actual design. After watching tutorials i found that setting my color managment to "org settings" and unchecking "enhanced settings" i was able to come closer to what I’m wanting, but still am not there. Reds seem to be a problem.
Also, as far as color palettes (which most of this is a new language to me being that i was a cutter only guy), I can not find a good color palette that has "colors that pop out" I even tried making a few custom ones, using 3m, avery and some other manufactures. I’m having a tough time believing that every single manufacture palette in signlab has dull colors, so I’m wondering what palette is most commonly used? I’m also wondering if the dull colors from the palette also are related to my importing files with dull colors issue?
((ATTACHED FILE IS MY EXAMPLE OF COLOR DIFFERENCES, LEFT IS CORRECT RIGHT IS IN SL DESIGN AREA.#2- I’m having issues with cutting. My roland, is a printer/cutter in one. Hooked up to the proper outlet which is USB001. I went through and double checked the cutter tab also & it has the correct port checked. This to me is very unusual but maybe someone here could make some sense of it. If i have an 18×24" signblank with simple one color (black) text. & I go to cut. The printer goes crazy and draws squiggly lines and circles over top of each other & just keeps doing that until i pause the printer and abort the job in VPM. Also had some issues with contour cutting which trying to print/cut my logo. It would start to cut around the star at the edge of my logo & then just do squiggly lines again through my design and stop.???
I know this is a signlab issue because I can send the same job from flexi with no issues. That also stands for importing a file & having the correct color combos.#3- I doubt anyone can be of help with this one but just throwing it out there, my printer is older, & seems both signlab & media manufacturers do not make print modes. Is anyone else running the cj500 with signlab 8 that could guide me in the right direction? The only profiles i have are what signlab has, which is gloss adh vinyl (which is what i use currently) banner, matte, & cast. with 360 720 & 1400 resolutions. That is all.
oracal 3651, Prismjet 203, solvex window perf 50/50 are some of what I have currently. ( Prismjet is printing terribly.)Any help would be greatly appreciated I apologize for such a long 1st post. I have had no luck with cadlinks forum or any other, & after reading this forum all week, it looks like there are alot of great folks on here with tons of knowledge
-
12 Replies
-
Still searching for anwsers. I have been playing around with cutting letters and contour cuts all day. Cutting letters- it will start to cut a word, and then start making its own crazy lines, squigly lines and circles, ect. without finishing the letter/word.
With the contour cut it is way off, & basically does the same thing.
Its obviously connected to the correct port, which i have double checked just to be sure. When I apply the contour cut in signlabs design area, it appears to look how it is suppose to. I go through all of the correct steps, through vpm, print/cut. It prints out, goes back for the cut, & messes up, cutting inside and outside my design.
Has anyone ever had a similar problem? I can not find a solution anywhere.
-
Gary, Could it be your monitor which needs a colour boost or calibration?
Certainly colours can be dull if you have a cmyk image on screen – especially reds.
Can you cut OK without going through VPM? If so it may be a setting in there.
Have you installed the correct drivers for your printer/cutter?
Still stuck? Try phoning Cadlink in Hitchin and speak to Bernard, who can be very helpful. -
Hi Gary,
firstly, the colours you see on screen are ultimately displayed using your selected printmode’s output printer icc profile.
This is what you get when you use "printer proofing" which is either available under the view menu or in the colour management section under Options/Signlab setup.In your case it sounds like you are telling it to use a printmode which has a "dull" looking output profile – thereby showing you dull colours on screen.
Try turning off Printer Proofing and see how your palettes and images look.
It won’t fix your problems, but it may answer your first question.You’re using a CJ-500 converted to solvent inks? Which inks? What inkset??
I had a converted FJ-50 which I was able to run almost exclusively through Signlab 8…but I had to make my own profiles and it took a LOT of learning and trial and error.
I can tell you that you won’t get much joy trying to use waterbased ink profiles for your solvent printer. Signlab didn’t directly support your configuration – whatever it is, but they do supply the container (RIP) for you to use if you have the wherewithal to work it out.
This means learning how to alter printmode settings, input and output profiles, max ink, linearization curves etc., along with understanding the colour management section within Signlab.
I probably can’t help you much. I don’t check in on this board very often (or Cadlink’s much) and since getting a new machine a couple of years ago I’m kinda over it all for now.
To get good colour output with your setup you either need to get an I1 spectrophotometer and make your own printmodes and profiles, or find someone with one and pay them to do it.
If you want to learn a bit about how it all works, have a look at a post I wrote some time ago at the Cadlink forum under the tips & tricks section called "making your own printmodes using an I1". It covers the colour management section and lots of things you’ll need to understand.
As for you cutting and contour cutting issues – well that’s another long story for someone else…
-
i use roland inks. 6 color cmyk lc lm. In signlab I have signlab set as a roland soljet, because of the solvent ink.
I do not currently have tech support for signlab (due to low moneys) but might need to get it soon because I am loosing patients with my cut/contour cut issues. Has anyone had a similar cutting issue so I have somewhere to start?i did uncheck printer proofing, & the colors are brighter on screen. But that doesnt mean it will print those colors? Is that what I understood?
-
Yep, the printer proofing is a toggle to show how the image looks on screen vs how it will look when printed with your selected printmode.
If you have an accurate printmode profile, then it will give you an accurate image on screen too. WYSIWYG.
mod-edit
-
Neil- I’m looking forward to speaking with you this weekend.
I am still bouncing off the wall trying to find the solution to my cut problem. No matter what I try, I’m unsuccessfull. I’m at the point if i had the $ for cadlink tech support, I would ring them. I just used the last bit of $ to buy media. Sad I know.
Could anyone give me a place to start with my cutting issue?
As stated in the earlier post, I did check to make sure the connections were correct.
Aside from that, I tried switching from direct to port to VPM, there was no difference. Print & cut is turned on. When I get to vpm, it recognizes its a print/cut job & gives me that option. And as stated before, it does print the job, then go back to cut. But it is not accurate at all. Way off, stops in the middle of cuts, or cuts the circles and lines.
In my settings, I have it set to zero reg marks. In an eariler on signlab issue, i learned that was the only way I could get signlab to read a cut (because I have a printer/cutter in one) i read & was told to select none.
My color I used for contour cuts was black. As well as alot of my texts are black, I changed the contour cut to orange tonight but I doubt that will make much of a difference.
In print/cut preview on the left it says: printer: roland soljet-full, cutter: local-roland soljet, tool is knife. That all sounds correct to me.
I am lost to what I could be missing. -
Don’t know if the Soljet is supported in Versaworks but if it is you get a free app to use directly from Signlab. Send your print to and cut line directly to it and Go into Versaworks and see if it works that way.
-
I will download versaworks & see the results. When I first purchased signlab, the guy I purchased the printer from suggested to use the soljet for better accuracy since the cj500 was convereted to solvent inks. Usually in my situation, others use the roland sc500 for the closest match, but signlab doesnt have the sc500. I’m wondering, since no one has seemed to be able to help with this issue, if something is different in the cut department with the soljet vs the cj500 or sc500? I’m hoping thats not the case, or I’m out alot of $.
I was hoping someone on this forum may be running a similar setup & could put me in a right direction. I will look into the differences to the soljet and cj & see if my problem could be with that.
-
Just as I had expected, the solution to the cutting issue was a click away.
Under tool options, ark support needed to be unchecked. After doing so, I was able to successfully cut a text job.
Now I just need to find the right direction to my color issues in signlab with the design display colors and how they print out. I’m hoping to find someone running a similar set up as mine, as I can not afford the color matching equipment right at this point and do not understand print modes and color values to feel comfortable attempting to create and alter them.
-
The contour cut is still way off. I have it set to zero reg marks ( to cut directly after cutting) It still adds line through the middle of my design.
-
I’m still struggling through the contour cut & the on screen colors & printing. Hoping to buy a year of signlab tech support. Will they be able to help with print modes and these issues? Is it worth it? I know when I call in to ask a simple question its a process, and no one will help until I purchase the support.
-
I ran a test this afternoon and used the cj500 printer driver in vpm instead of the Soljet, & sure enough, it printed out my picture and directly after placed the contour cut around it. However, I’m still in just as big of a mess with the print modes because the cj500 icc profiles are for a waterbased printer and mine is converted to solvent. If anyone out there is running the cj500 with signlab. I could use some help.
Thanks so much
Log in to reply.