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Home : Support : FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
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Answers
Why does my plotter cut horizontal lines through my design? Check the Height setting in the Setup section of the Plot Manager. The Media Height should be the net usable width of the material that is loaded on your plotter (usually the nominal width minus about 2 inches). If it is set incorrectly, you will have horizontal panel marks going across your plot screen. If you do not have panel marks across your Plot Manager screen, and your plotter is cutting across your design, call Tech Support for further assistance. Back to top Why are my plots smaller (or larger) than they should be?Most plotters use 1000 or 1016 as the number of Units/Inch in the Advanced section of the plotter driver. Some Gerber plotters use larger numbers (e.g. 2540 or 5080). For any particular plotter there is only one correct value. The size of the plotted image is directly proportional to the Units/Inch setting. For example, if a plotted square should be exactly 10” X 10”, but it measures 10.16” X 10.16”, there is a very good chance the Units/Inch setting is 1016 when it should be 1000. Back to top Why are the corners not clean and square when I cut vinyl?Most plotters currently used in the sign industry have a “castering” or “following” knife which has a small offset between the axis of rotation of the knife and the tip of the blade. That offset requires a correction at all corners to insure that they are sharp. When castering knives were first introduced in the 1980s, the required corrections were in the design software, but after a few years most of the plotters had the correction built into the plotter firmware, so it was not needed in the design software. If your plotter has the corner correction built in, the Knife Offset in the Advanced section of the plotter driver must be set to 0 (zero) to insure sharp corners when cutting vinyl. If your plotter does not have the corner correction built into the plotter’s firmware, the Knife Offset in the Advanced section of the plotter driver setup should be set between 0.015” and 0.030”. If the Knife Offset is not provided in your plotter’s firmware, it will be time well spent to run tests on some small letters to get the offset amount exactly right. Back to top Is there a way on my laptop to use a printer with the Wizard?The only parallel port on the laptop is used for the Wizard security key, so I don’t have a place to connect my printer. If your laptop was made in the past few years it probably has USB support. The Wizard can now be used with a USB security key. If your key is still under warranty, we will exchange it for a USB key. Your only cost will be the shipping charges. If the USB ports on your laptop are being used, you can attach a USB hub that will add additional ports for about $30.00. Back to top My plotter plots on top of a previously plotted area when I use Step and Repeat in Plot Manager. How can I correct for this?If the Coordinates setting is now configured for Absolute, change it to Relative and that should fix the problem. Back to top Why does my plotter stop every 30" or so and then continue in sections? The plotter driver in the Wizard has provisions for a "Page Length" which can be set for any distance. Based on integer data limits that applied to many early model sign plotter/cutters, it was necessary to break the pages into lengths of 30" or 60". For plotter/cutters made in the past several years those limitation do not apply, but short Page Length settings can be used to help reduce tracking problems that can happen when a plotter is racing at full speed from one end to the other of a long sign design. Back to top I am having a problem plotting through a serial connection with Windows XP, how can I fix it?We have fixed this problem in the 5.1 maintenance releases posted after February 27, 2002. If you have a serial connection to your plotter and are experiencing problems, please download the update from the Upgrades page. Back to top Why does a colored bitmap file exported from the Wizard come in black and white when it’s imported into another program?In the Export Bitmap Image dialog box there is an option to set the Bits/Pixel at 8 for gray tones or 24 for full color. If a color bitmap you exported from the Wizard came in as gray tones it was probably because you had 8 Bits/Pixel selected. Back to top My laptop computer doesn't have a parallel port. How can I plot to my plotter that only a parallel connection?You can buy a special cable that goes from USB to parallel (Centronics). We have successfully tested the following brands: 1. iConnect Linx 2. Best Connectivity We had no success with the IOGear brand we tested. Keep in mind that when using these adaptors, you must configure a generic printer driver (WPD port) to be used as the interface between the Wizard and the plotter/cutter. It will not work if you try to use LPT1, LPT2, etc. The port name will start with "USB" and the description will have the word "Virtual" in it somewhere. There are USB to serial adaptors also, but we are still testing them and have none to recommend yet. Back to top
Why are my plots smaller (or larger) than they should be?Most plotters use 1000 or 1016 as the number of Units/Inch in the Advanced section of the plotter driver. Some Gerber plotters use larger numbers (e.g. 2540 or 5080). For any particular plotter there is only one correct value. The size of the plotted image is directly proportional to the Units/Inch setting. For example, if a plotted square should be exactly 10” X 10”, but it measures 10.16” X 10.16”, there is a very good chance the Units/Inch setting is 1016 when it should be 1000. Back to top Why are the corners not clean and square when I cut vinyl?Most plotters currently used in the sign industry have a “castering” or “following” knife which has a small offset between the axis of rotation of the knife and the tip of the blade. That offset requires a correction at all corners to insure that they are sharp. When castering knives were first introduced in the 1980s, the required corrections were in the design software, but after a few years most of the plotters had the correction built into the plotter firmware, so it was not needed in the design software. If your plotter has the corner correction built in, the Knife Offset in the Advanced section of the plotter driver must be set to 0 (zero) to insure sharp corners when cutting vinyl. If your plotter does not have the corner correction built into the plotter’s firmware, the Knife Offset in the Advanced section of the plotter driver setup should be set between 0.015” and 0.030”. If the Knife Offset is not provided in your plotter’s firmware, it will be time well spent to run tests on some small letters to get the offset amount exactly right. Back to top Is there a way on my laptop to use a printer with the Wizard?The only parallel port on the laptop is used for the Wizard security key, so I don’t have a place to connect my printer. If your laptop was made in the past few years it probably has USB support. The Wizard can now be used with a USB security key. If your key is still under warranty, we will exchange it for a USB key. Your only cost will be the shipping charges. If the USB ports on your laptop are being used, you can attach a USB hub that will add additional ports for about $30.00. Back to top My plotter plots on top of a previously plotted area when I use Step and Repeat in Plot Manager. How can I correct for this?If the Coordinates setting is now configured for Absolute, change it to Relative and that should fix the problem. Back to top Why does my plotter stop every 30" or so and then continue in sections? The plotter driver in the Wizard has provisions for a "Page Length" which can be set for any distance. Based on integer data limits that applied to many early model sign plotter/cutters, it was necessary to break the pages into lengths of 30" or 60". For plotter/cutters made in the past several years those limitation do not apply, but short Page Length settings can be used to help reduce tracking problems that can happen when a plotter is racing at full speed from one end to the other of a long sign design. Back to top I am having a problem plotting through a serial connection with Windows XP, how can I fix it?We have fixed this problem in the 5.1 maintenance releases posted after February 27, 2002. If you have a serial connection to your plotter and are experiencing problems, please download the update from the Upgrades page. Back to top Why does a colored bitmap file exported from the Wizard come in black and white when it’s imported into another program?In the Export Bitmap Image dialog box there is an option to set the Bits/Pixel at 8 for gray tones or 24 for full color. If a color bitmap you exported from the Wizard came in as gray tones it was probably because you had 8 Bits/Pixel selected. Back to top My laptop computer doesn't have a parallel port. How can I plot to my plotter that only a parallel connection?You can buy a special cable that goes from USB to parallel (Centronics). We have successfully tested the following brands: 1. iConnect Linx 2. Best Connectivity We had no success with the IOGear brand we tested. Keep in mind that when using these adaptors, you must configure a generic printer driver (WPD port) to be used as the interface between the Wizard and the plotter/cutter. It will not work if you try to use LPT1, LPT2, etc. The port name will start with "USB" and the description will have the word "Virtual" in it somewhere. There are USB to serial adaptors also, but we are still testing them and have none to recommend yet. Back to top
Why are the corners not clean and square when I cut vinyl?Most plotters currently used in the sign industry have a “castering” or “following” knife which has a small offset between the axis of rotation of the knife and the tip of the blade. That offset requires a correction at all corners to insure that they are sharp. When castering knives were first introduced in the 1980s, the required corrections were in the design software, but after a few years most of the plotters had the correction built into the plotter firmware, so it was not needed in the design software. If your plotter has the corner correction built in, the Knife Offset in the Advanced section of the plotter driver must be set to 0 (zero) to insure sharp corners when cutting vinyl. If your plotter does not have the corner correction built into the plotter’s firmware, the Knife Offset in the Advanced section of the plotter driver setup should be set between 0.015” and 0.030”. If the Knife Offset is not provided in your plotter’s firmware, it will be time well spent to run tests on some small letters to get the offset amount exactly right. Back to top Is there a way on my laptop to use a printer with the Wizard?The only parallel port on the laptop is used for the Wizard security key, so I don’t have a place to connect my printer. If your laptop was made in the past few years it probably has USB support. The Wizard can now be used with a USB security key. If your key is still under warranty, we will exchange it for a USB key. Your only cost will be the shipping charges. If the USB ports on your laptop are being used, you can attach a USB hub that will add additional ports for about $30.00. Back to top My plotter plots on top of a previously plotted area when I use Step and Repeat in Plot Manager. How can I correct for this?If the Coordinates setting is now configured for Absolute, change it to Relative and that should fix the problem. Back to top Why does my plotter stop every 30" or so and then continue in sections? The plotter driver in the Wizard has provisions for a "Page Length" which can be set for any distance. Based on integer data limits that applied to many early model sign plotter/cutters, it was necessary to break the pages into lengths of 30" or 60". For plotter/cutters made in the past several years those limitation do not apply, but short Page Length settings can be used to help reduce tracking problems that can happen when a plotter is racing at full speed from one end to the other of a long sign design. Back to top I am having a problem plotting through a serial connection with Windows XP, how can I fix it?We have fixed this problem in the 5.1 maintenance releases posted after February 27, 2002. If you have a serial connection to your plotter and are experiencing problems, please download the update from the Upgrades page. Back to top Why does a colored bitmap file exported from the Wizard come in black and white when it’s imported into another program?In the Export Bitmap Image dialog box there is an option to set the Bits/Pixel at 8 for gray tones or 24 for full color. If a color bitmap you exported from the Wizard came in as gray tones it was probably because you had 8 Bits/Pixel selected. Back to top My laptop computer doesn't have a parallel port. How can I plot to my plotter that only a parallel connection?You can buy a special cable that goes from USB to parallel (Centronics). We have successfully tested the following brands: 1. iConnect Linx 2. Best Connectivity We had no success with the IOGear brand we tested. Keep in mind that when using these adaptors, you must configure a generic printer driver (WPD port) to be used as the interface between the Wizard and the plotter/cutter. It will not work if you try to use LPT1, LPT2, etc. The port name will start with "USB" and the description will have the word "Virtual" in it somewhere. There are USB to serial adaptors also, but we are still testing them and have none to recommend yet. Back to top
Is there a way on my laptop to use a printer with the Wizard?The only parallel port on the laptop is used for the Wizard security key, so I don’t have a place to connect my printer. If your laptop was made in the past few years it probably has USB support. The Wizard can now be used with a USB security key. If your key is still under warranty, we will exchange it for a USB key. Your only cost will be the shipping charges. If the USB ports on your laptop are being used, you can attach a USB hub that will add additional ports for about $30.00. Back to top My plotter plots on top of a previously plotted area when I use Step and Repeat in Plot Manager. How can I correct for this?If the Coordinates setting is now configured for Absolute, change it to Relative and that should fix the problem. Back to top Why does my plotter stop every 30" or so and then continue in sections? The plotter driver in the Wizard has provisions for a "Page Length" which can be set for any distance. Based on integer data limits that applied to many early model sign plotter/cutters, it was necessary to break the pages into lengths of 30" or 60". For plotter/cutters made in the past several years those limitation do not apply, but short Page Length settings can be used to help reduce tracking problems that can happen when a plotter is racing at full speed from one end to the other of a long sign design. Back to top I am having a problem plotting through a serial connection with Windows XP, how can I fix it?We have fixed this problem in the 5.1 maintenance releases posted after February 27, 2002. If you have a serial connection to your plotter and are experiencing problems, please download the update from the Upgrades page. Back to top Why does a colored bitmap file exported from the Wizard come in black and white when it’s imported into another program?In the Export Bitmap Image dialog box there is an option to set the Bits/Pixel at 8 for gray tones or 24 for full color. If a color bitmap you exported from the Wizard came in as gray tones it was probably because you had 8 Bits/Pixel selected. Back to top My laptop computer doesn't have a parallel port. How can I plot to my plotter that only a parallel connection?You can buy a special cable that goes from USB to parallel (Centronics). We have successfully tested the following brands: 1. iConnect Linx 2. Best Connectivity We had no success with the IOGear brand we tested. Keep in mind that when using these adaptors, you must configure a generic printer driver (WPD port) to be used as the interface between the Wizard and the plotter/cutter. It will not work if you try to use LPT1, LPT2, etc. The port name will start with "USB" and the description will have the word "Virtual" in it somewhere. There are USB to serial adaptors also, but we are still testing them and have none to recommend yet. Back to top
My plotter plots on top of a previously plotted area when I use Step and Repeat in Plot Manager. How can I correct for this?If the Coordinates setting is now configured for Absolute, change it to Relative and that should fix the problem. Back to top Why does my plotter stop every 30" or so and then continue in sections? The plotter driver in the Wizard has provisions for a "Page Length" which can be set for any distance. Based on integer data limits that applied to many early model sign plotter/cutters, it was necessary to break the pages into lengths of 30" or 60". For plotter/cutters made in the past several years those limitation do not apply, but short Page Length settings can be used to help reduce tracking problems that can happen when a plotter is racing at full speed from one end to the other of a long sign design. Back to top I am having a problem plotting through a serial connection with Windows XP, how can I fix it?We have fixed this problem in the 5.1 maintenance releases posted after February 27, 2002. If you have a serial connection to your plotter and are experiencing problems, please download the update from the Upgrades page. Back to top Why does a colored bitmap file exported from the Wizard come in black and white when it’s imported into another program?In the Export Bitmap Image dialog box there is an option to set the Bits/Pixel at 8 for gray tones or 24 for full color. If a color bitmap you exported from the Wizard came in as gray tones it was probably because you had 8 Bits/Pixel selected. Back to top My laptop computer doesn't have a parallel port. How can I plot to my plotter that only a parallel connection?You can buy a special cable that goes from USB to parallel (Centronics). We have successfully tested the following brands: 1. iConnect Linx 2. Best Connectivity We had no success with the IOGear brand we tested. Keep in mind that when using these adaptors, you must configure a generic printer driver (WPD port) to be used as the interface between the Wizard and the plotter/cutter. It will not work if you try to use LPT1, LPT2, etc. The port name will start with "USB" and the description will have the word "Virtual" in it somewhere. There are USB to serial adaptors also, but we are still testing them and have none to recommend yet. Back to top
Why does my plotter stop every 30" or so and then continue in sections? The plotter driver in the Wizard has provisions for a "Page Length" which can be set for any distance. Based on integer data limits that applied to many early model sign plotter/cutters, it was necessary to break the pages into lengths of 30" or 60". For plotter/cutters made in the past several years those limitation do not apply, but short Page Length settings can be used to help reduce tracking problems that can happen when a plotter is racing at full speed from one end to the other of a long sign design. Back to top I am having a problem plotting through a serial connection with Windows XP, how can I fix it?We have fixed this problem in the 5.1 maintenance releases posted after February 27, 2002. If you have a serial connection to your plotter and are experiencing problems, please download the update from the Upgrades page. Back to top Why does a colored bitmap file exported from the Wizard come in black and white when it’s imported into another program?In the Export Bitmap Image dialog box there is an option to set the Bits/Pixel at 8 for gray tones or 24 for full color. If a color bitmap you exported from the Wizard came in as gray tones it was probably because you had 8 Bits/Pixel selected. Back to top My laptop computer doesn't have a parallel port. How can I plot to my plotter that only a parallel connection?You can buy a special cable that goes from USB to parallel (Centronics). We have successfully tested the following brands: 1. iConnect Linx 2. Best Connectivity We had no success with the IOGear brand we tested. Keep in mind that when using these adaptors, you must configure a generic printer driver (WPD port) to be used as the interface between the Wizard and the plotter/cutter. It will not work if you try to use LPT1, LPT2, etc. The port name will start with "USB" and the description will have the word "Virtual" in it somewhere. There are USB to serial adaptors also, but we are still testing them and have none to recommend yet. Back to top
I am having a problem plotting through a serial connection with Windows XP, how can I fix it?We have fixed this problem in the 5.1 maintenance releases posted after February 27, 2002. If you have a serial connection to your plotter and are experiencing problems, please download the update from the Upgrades page. Back to top
Why does a colored bitmap file exported from the Wizard come in black and white when it’s imported into another program?In the Export Bitmap Image dialog box there is an option to set the Bits/Pixel at 8 for gray tones or 24 for full color. If a color bitmap you exported from the Wizard came in as gray tones it was probably because you had 8 Bits/Pixel selected. Back to top My laptop computer doesn't have a parallel port. How can I plot to my plotter that only a parallel connection?You can buy a special cable that goes from USB to parallel (Centronics). We have successfully tested the following brands: 1. iConnect Linx 2. Best Connectivity We had no success with the IOGear brand we tested. Keep in mind that when using these adaptors, you must configure a generic printer driver (WPD port) to be used as the interface between the Wizard and the plotter/cutter. It will not work if you try to use LPT1, LPT2, etc. The port name will start with "USB" and the description will have the word "Virtual" in it somewhere. There are USB to serial adaptors also, but we are still testing them and have none to recommend yet. Back to top
My laptop computer doesn't have a parallel port. How can I plot to my plotter that only a parallel connection?You can buy a special cable that goes from USB to parallel (Centronics). We have successfully tested the following brands: 1. iConnect Linx 2. Best Connectivity We had no success with the IOGear brand we tested. Keep in mind that when using these adaptors, you must configure a generic printer driver (WPD port) to be used as the interface between the Wizard and the plotter/cutter. It will not work if you try to use LPT1, LPT2, etc. The port name will start with "USB" and the description will have the word "Virtual" in it somewhere. There are USB to serial adaptors also, but we are still testing them and have none to recommend yet. Back to top
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