How to cut paper on a plotter
Graphtec FC4510-60. Flatbed Cutting Plotter
The flatbed FC4510-60 cutting plotter from Graphtec (Japan) with a working table of 860 x 600 mm is ideal for high-precision cutting of various materials that cannot be cut on roll-to-roll cutting plotters due to slippage.
The FC4510-60 flatbed cutter is ideal for the production of small format packaging, packaging samples, design cards and greetings, folders, envelopes, product prototypes, patterns, mat, spacers and stencils.
600 g knife pressure allows the plotter to cut through dense materials: magnetic vinyl, paper, cardboard, thermal transfer films, etc.
The two-tool holder on the plotter carriage allows two operations in one pass, such as creasing and cutting, or drawing and cutting. By installing a cutting and scoring knife in the carriage of the FC4510-60 cutter, you can simultaneously cut and crease various materials in one pass.
An optical transducer for contoured cuts is included as standard on the plotter. Offset, digital or silk-screen printing houses and printers will be able to carry out production runs for contour cutting of labels on the FC4510-60 flatbed cutter, even without optical marks on the printed layout.
The FC4510-60 flatbed cutter is able to cut from the same starting position. You can define the starting point of the cut using the Original point button on the plotter control panel.
In offset printing, the paper has a correct edge relative to which the material is aligned in the offset machine. By placing a sheet in the working area of the cutting plotter with a snapping to the correct edge, the plotter is able to produce contour cutting of labels even without reading optical marks.
Offset, digital or silk-screen printing houses will be able to carry out production runs for contour cutting of labels on the FC4510-60 flatbed cutter, even without optical marks on the printed layout. You only need to place and align the sheets on the plotter to the correct edge in one position.
When cutting materials thicker than 0.3 mm, the vane knife does not have enough time to rotate in the cutting direction due to the material thickness, which makes it difficult to cut thick materials. To address this issue, Graphtec has added tangential emulation to the FC4510-60 series cutters. Tangential mode allows high quality cutting of thick materials using a conventional vane knife.
For cutting thick materials (sandblasting films, reflective films, thermal transfer films, magnetic vinyl, cardboard, micro-corrugated board, paper, foam board, etc.), we recommend using a knife holder and a knife with a thickness of 1.5 mm, and also enable the tangential emulation mode in the settings plotter.
The FC4510-60 flatbed cutter allows two tools to be held in the plotter carriage at the same time. Two-tool holder on the plotter carriage allows two operations in one pass, such as drawing and cutting.
Creasing and cutting of materials can be performed manually in one pass with the change of the scoring knife to the cutting one after the scoring operation. This mode of operation is supported by the CM3 program. We provide training. call.
An optical positioning sensor is standard on FC4510-50 cutting plotters. An optical sensor detects and reads registration marks printed next to the contour cut image. You can print the image on self-adhesive film or paper using any printing method (offset, digital, silk-screen or inkjet printing), and then cut the printed image along the outline.
ARMS automatic mark registration system facilitates and significantly accelerates the process of contour cutting of materials. The ARMS positioning system, by reading 4 registration marks, automatically makes corrections for cutting along the X and Y axes in case of distortion or shrinkage of the material during printing and lamination. This feature enables highly accurate contour cutting of labels on self-adhesive materials that shrink after hot lamination.
The FC4510-60 cutting plotter supports the function of automatically finding the first registration mark, which makes the process of contour cutting of materials easier and significantly faster. You place the material to be cut on the cutting plotter’s table and position the carriage with the cutting knife approximately in the area of the first mark.
When sending a job from the computer for cutting, the cutting plotter will automatically start the process of searching for the first mark and then all other marks, without the need to precisely align the carriage with a knife in the zone of the first mark.
When re-sending a job to cut, the plotter remembers the position of the first registration mark. When performing production tasks for contour cutting, you need to put the sheets for cutting in the same starting position.
Graphtec (Japan) has added new methods for attaching materials to the table for the FC4500 series flatbed cutters. The surface material of the working table of the flatbed plotter has a plastic base. As a standard, you can use self-adhesive double-sided sheet, 3M (USA) temporary fixing glue or double-sided tape to attach the material to the table.
Now you can use the new CM-0004 and CM-0005 series vacuum pads to attach the material to the flatbed plotter work table. We will send detailed information on new vacuum substrates upon request.
The standard set of the cutting plotter includes:
- Knife holder (red cap)) for cutting knives with a thickness of 1.5 mm.
- Cutting knife with a thickness of 1.5 mm. 2 pcs.
- Plastic self-adhesive backing: CM-0003. 1 sheet.
- Drawing pencil.
- Drivers for Windows (7, 8 and 10) and Macintosh.
- Software. Cutting Master 3 (CM3) plugin for submitting cutting jobs with CorelDraw and Illustrator.
- Layout and cut submission software Graphtec Studio.
- Power cord and USB cable.
- Plotter stand with roll holder: optional.
- Creasing knife CP-001. option.
- User manual in Russian.
- We provide training on working with a cutting plotter free of charge.
Plotter cutting
Silhouette Studio software is required for Cameo plotters. over, you can even use the free basic version (you can download it here). Its functionality for cutting decorations and postcards according to our templates is quite enough.
Cutting is also possible from traditional vector editors. CorelDraw and Adobe Illustrator. In this case, you need to purchase and install a special add-on.
We will focus on the original version.
So, open the file in Silhouette Studio. There are many colors in the set, so all templates are divided into 2 groups.
I wanted to cut a rose flower from the first part. This is a large template, and I choose fragments for A4 sheets.
Select with the mouse and move aside unnecessary templates.
Place one of the fragments of our rose on the page. It can be freely rotated for optimal placement on the sheet.
You can also add smaller templates here to save paper.
Go to the section “Cutting settings”.
Most of the settings here can be left as default. You only need to select the type of material and type of knife.
In this case, I am using 160g / m² pastel paper, so I choose a material of a similar weight. The parameter of the knife overhang is automatically set to 4.
A more budgetary (and most popular for window decoration) paper option is whatman paper. If the knife is sharp, then a knife overhang of 4 will also work. With some wear of the blade, this parameter can be set higher (5-6) and cut for some time.
I choose the Automatic Blade knife. This type of knife is only available on the Cameo 3. Other models use standard adjustable knives. In this case, you need to set the desired knife overhang manually.
The blades of premium knives are made of a special wear-resistant alloy, which makes them more durable. The manufacturer promises that such a knife lasts 3 times longer than usual. I don’t know how accurate the measurements were. But from my own experience I can say that the service life is really noticeably longer.
And despite some difference in price, premium knives are definitely more profitable.
Everything can be sent for cutting.
Before sending for cutting, of course, do not forget to load the carrier with a sheet of paper into the plotter.
Cut out the first fragment. After that, we replace the template fragment in the program on the sheet and cut it out with the same settings.
Plotter template formats
Plotter templates in our kits are available in several of the most popular formats:
Thus, you have the opportunity to use our templates on almost any cutting plotter.
For example, FCM files may be missing. In this case, there are SVG files, which are also suitable for the online program ScanNCut Canvas. However, there are some nuances here, which we will talk about in the second part of the instruction.
Another feature of our kits is that large templates (which are larger than A4) are already divided into fragments prepared for cutting on A4 sheets of paper and 30 × 30 cm sheets.
In this case, all large and small templates are also presented in one piece. That is, you can scale them arbitrarily and cut any elements in the desired format.
Now we will look at the process of preparing and cutting templates on the Silhouette plotter using the example of the Cameo 3 model from the company “Summer will be!”.
For clarity, we will cut out a window decoration from the “Floral” set by Olya Kachurovskaya.
How to cut window decorations on a plotter. Detailed instructions (part 1)
Portable cutting plotters are increasingly found in the arsenal of working tools for both professional craftsmen and lovers of handicraft. In one of my previous articles, I talked about how these wonderful machines deserve the love of handmakers, and why they are especially necessary for those who are seriously fond of paper cutting and scrapbooking, bringing, so to speak, creativity and beauty to the masses.
In response to the growing needs of plotter users, we began to produce templates for cutting window decorations, postcards, gift wrapping and other carved products, not only in PDF format, but also in special vector formats. And in this manual, I will tell you in detail and show how to use templates from Kartonkino for plotter cutting in order to eliminate possible difficulties even for novice users.
The final stage
Finished pieces of decoration can be combined directly on a window or other surface that you wish to decorate.
In this case, combining the fragments will not cause any difficulties. Everything is obvious here. And for more complex decorations, consisting of 3 or more fragments, the sets have special combination schemes.
In the set “Floral” and in our other sets of interior decorations, there is a very extensive selection of various templates, thanks to which you can compose various decorative compositions depending on the size of the window (or other decorated surface), as well as your own imagination.
Many sets are perfectly combined with each other, which opens up even more possibilities when solving interior design tasks.
Decorations mounting methods:
- You can attach paper decorations to the window using pieces of transparent tape. This is the most popular and, in my opinion, the most convenient way.
Scotch tape is almost invisible, especially when viewed from afar. And besides, it can be easily removed at the end of festive or themed events.
- Alternatively, you can use double-sided tape. It will not be noticeable at all. But its use is more laborious, since it is necessary to cut a sufficient number of pieces of scotch tape of such a size so that they do not protrude beyond the edges of the paper sections of the decoration (sometimes these are rather narrow sections).
- There is another way of attaching decorations to the window. with the help of laundry soap. Moisten a bar of laundry soap with water and run it over the surface of the paper element. Stick the decoration on the window glass, gently smooth it, collect excess moisture with a clean cloth. When the decoration is dry, it will hold well.
To be honest, I have not tested the “soap method”, and it does not really appeal to me. it is too raw. 🙂
- You can use pins for fastening to fabric. In this case, it is better to pre-glue the fragments of large templates to each other using transparent tape or pieces of paper and glue.
SKYCUT automatic print and cut cutting plotter brown paper sticker label cutting
Hopefully, now there are no blank spots left for you when it comes to cutting interior decorations with Silhouette cutters. In any case, you can always ask questions of interest in the comments or through feedback.
In the second part of the instructions, I will tell you about the features of using our templates in the online program ScanNCut Canvas.
About plotting
Print Styles
Plot Style is an optional method that controls the plot of each object or layer. Assigning a plot style to an object or layer overrides properties such as color, linetype, and lineweight for plotting. Only the presentation of printable objects depends on the print style.
Plot style tables collect plot style groups that are saved in a file that can later be applied when plotting.
“Plot Style Manager” is a folder that contains all available plot style tables as well as the Add Plot Style Wizard.
There are two types of plot styles: color-dependent and named. In the table that is assigned to the drawing, only the styles of any one view should be present. Print styles in a table can be converted from one type to another.
When using color-dependent plot styles, the print of objects is affected by their color. These style sheet files have the.ctb extension. Assigning color-dependent plot styles directly to objects is not permitted. This means that to change the appearance of the plotted object, you must assign it a different color in the drawing. For example, to print a group of drawing objects using one method, they are all assigned a red color.
Named plot styles can be assigned directly to objects and layers. These plot style table files have the.stb extension. Using named styles allows each object to be printed with different characteristics, regardless of the color of the objects themselves.
What is the Difference Between Printing to a Printer and a Plotter?
The terms print to printer and print to plotter are used interchangeably for CAD. In the past, printers only printed text and plotters printed vector graphics. As printers became more powerful and were able to produce high quality bitmap vector data, the difference largely disappeared.
Paper and electronic output of multiple sheets of a drawing is referred to by the general term “publication”. The process of forming physical models from plastic and metal is called “3D printing”.
Sheet parameter sets
When creating a sheet, you must specify the printing device and parameters such as paper size and orientation. These settings are saved in the drawing file as a sheet setup. Each sheet can be associated with its own sheet setup.
You can set these options for paper space and model using the Layout Setup Manager. Sets of sheet parameters can be named and saved for later use for other sheets.
If not all of the options are specified in the Sheet Setup dialog box, you can specify them immediately before printing. In addition, you can change the sheet parameter values while printing. New sheet parameters can either be used only during the current printing process, or saved for subsequent sessions.
Sheets
A sheet is a drawing sheet, and usually contains
- Drawing frame and title block
- One or more paper space viewports that display model space views
- General notes, labels and possibly dimensions
- Tables and graphs
Typically, a drawing file contains only one sheet, but it is possible to create as many sheets as needed. The first time a sheet is displayed, it is initialized and assigned a default sheet setting.
Once initialized, sheets can be edited, published, and added to binder sets.
Plotter manager
The Plotter Manager is a window that contains a list of Plotter Settings (PC3) files for each installed non-system printer. For Windows ® system printers, you can also create plotter configuration files if you want to apply properties other than those set in Windows by default. The plotter parameters include information about the connection port, quality of raster and vector graphics, acceptable paper sizes, as well as additional properties (different for each type of device).
The Plotter Manager provides a basic tool for creating new plotter settings files. Add-a-plotter wizard. This wizard prompts the user for the necessary information about the plotter during the installation process.
Drawing stamp
A postmark is a piece of text that is placed on the drawing when printing. The location of the stamp is set in the Stamp dialog box. If the checkbox for this parameter is checked, then when printing a drawing, a stamp is put on it with the name of the drawing, sheet name, date, time, etc. Information from the stamp can be memorized in the log file (by simultaneously printing or not printing it).
A drawing file or a drawing template file created in the educational version is always printed with the following stamp: “CREATED BY THE TRAINING VERSION OF THE AUTODESK”.
I LOVE THE OUTPUT | CUTTING PAPER STENCIL USING PLOTTER
Types of plotters.
Today the following types of plotters are produced:
- Launch of the flatbed plotter. It is like a flat table on which materials for cutting are fixed. A special carriage is provided for the knife, which can move along the table.
- Launch of a laser plotter. It is more expensive due to the use of an ultra-precise laser as a cutting device.
- Roll-to-roll plotter release. It works with popular materials such as self-adhesive vinyl, self-adhesive paper, etc. These are roll materials widely used in advertising production.
It is precisely on roll-to-roll plotters, not flatbed and laser ones, that professionals in the advertising field work most of all. This is due to their availability. The cost of a cutting roll-to-roll plotter is much less than a laser or flatbed plotter. The cutting plotter was named “cutter”. Translated from English “cut”. Before purchasing a cutter, you need to compare devices from different manufacturers. This is the only way to choose the best option with the required format.
Plotter roll paper.
Large format printing requires a special selection and type of ink and the quality of the media, that is, paper products. These consumables are used in a variety of areas: in the printing industry, advertising and many areas. For example, CAD in mechanical engineering, architecture and construction, cartography. And in all cases, quality printing is simply necessary. Before you buy a roll of paper, you need to have information about its varieties and features.
How the first plotter appeared?
35 years have passed since the advent of an outlandish device called a plotter. The tech industry has been replenished with another miracle of technology. 1981 marked the beginning of serial production of “smart devices” in the United States. With the help of a plotter, a high-quality image of a graphic type can be obtained in a very short time. Previously, it would have required to spend more funds, time reserves and efforts. The first device was 40 cm wide. But even with this format, it conquered most of the advertising market, making a splash. Companies producing large-format advertisements (posters, billboards, banners) were queuing up for a novelty. The plotter became no less interesting for engineers who could use it to make super high-quality large-scale drawings.
Time has passed, new technologies have appeared, the plotter has also undergone changes. it has decreased in size, has expanded its capabilities. Only the huge popularity of “smart devices” has remained unchanged.
Cutting plotter (boat) capabilities.
With the help of a plotter, large images are not only printed, like on a printer, but also used as a cutting device. So you can cut self-adhesive vinyl, thermal film, magnetic vinyl, photo paper, a lot of sheet and roll material.
Released after its older brother, the cutting plotter (cutter) has played a leading role in the advertising business. It can be used to cut large and complex applications with perfect precision, as well as symbols, texts and patterns. Using plotter film. such a simple and inexpensive consumable, made it possible to obtain any large-scale image of the figured type. Whether it’s a car sticker or a skyscraper-sized advertising lettering.
Roll plotters and paper for them.
Contour cutting and plotter models.
Contour cutting refers to a delicate and complex process, especially with non-standard contour outlines. The manufacturer has provided special optical sensors for this.
Three contestants passed the contour cutting test: Graphtec, Roland and Mimaki. Plus, setting up a plotter can be done quickly and easily. This is the merit of Japanese developers. These companies are far ahead of their Chinese competitors. After all, the configuration of the latter is carried out only manually.
All three brands differ little exactly in contour cutting. The quality is almost the same. In terms of execution time, Roland’s plotters were slightly superior. Their process of contour cutting is a little faster than others. Depending on the cutting speed, customers prefer this or that model. Since modern business values every minute.
Two grades of roll paper.
At the moment, paper rolls are distinguished in two large classes:
- with coverage;
- without cover.
The density of the paper, in which there is no coating, does not exceed 100 g / m 2. It is used for printing technical documentation (graphs, diagrams, drawings), as well as monochrome printing. But there are significant limitations for displaying color images.
The broader class is coated roll paper. This is a good material for printing documents, making colorful poster products. The density of such paper is higher. It is divided into the following types:
- has a matte finish (density 180 g / m 2). It has good ink absorption, and details are reproduced with great precision and clarity;
- having a coating photo base with a density of about 270 g / m 2. The presence of a special coating makes it possible to reproduce a bright and contrasting image. This paper is used as plotter media for printing high-resolution full color images.
Special materials for cutting
With Silhouette machines, you can cut not only from common materials such as cardboard, vinyl and fabric, but also from specialty materials offered by the company to add flavor to your projects.
A wide range of Silhouette branded specialty materials are designed for use on Silhouette machines, including adhesive papers, printing foils, magnet papers and more.
other. Using special materials is an easy way to create complex designs.
Gold Temporary Tattoo Transfer Paper
MEDIA-TATOO-GLD
Get temporary tattoos with Gold Temporary Tattoo Transfer Paper. Your tattoo designs can be showcased at various events. sports, entertainment, for children and adults, as well as advertising. Temporary tattoos are easily applied with water. They can be washed off at any time by rubbing lightly.
Included:
2 sheets 20.5cm x 28cm
Silver Temporary Tattoo Transfer Paper
MEDIA-TATOO-SVR
Get temporary tattoos with Silver Temporary Tattoo Transfer Paper. Your tattoo designs can be showcased at various events. sports, entertainment, for children and adults, as well as advertising. Temporary tattoos are easily applied with water. They can be washed off at any time by rubbing lightly.
Included:
2 sheets 20.5cm x 28cm
Jewelry Making Starter Kit
KIT-JEWELRY
The Jewelry Making Starter Kit contains all the materials needed to create necklace pendants and bracelet charms, including Shrink Plastic Sheets (which can be printed, cut, and then baked to become real plastic jewelry), bracelet chains and necklaces and tools for attaching your pendants to a necklace or bracelet.
Included:
White paper with the texture of scotch tape for printing and cutting
MEDIA-DUCT-WHT
Silhouette White Printing and Cutting Paper has the appearance and texture of duct tape. It is torn by hand in the same way as duct tape, but is cut smoothly by the Silhouette. In addition, this material can be printed on an inkjet printer. Just print the image on a sheet of paper and then cut along the outline using the print and cut function.
Included:
5 sheets of 21.6 x 28 cm
Gray paper with the texture of scotch tape for printing and cutting
MEDIA-DUCT-GRY
Silhouette Gray Printing and Cutting Paper has a scotch-like appearance and texture. It is torn by hand in the same way as duct tape, but is cut smoothly by the Silhouette. In addition, this material can be printed on an inkjet printer. Just print the image on a sheet of paper and then cut along the outline using the print and cut function.
Included:
5 sheets of 21.6 x 28 cm
Shrink Plastic white
MEDIA-SHRINK-WHT
Shrink Plastic is a special type of plastic that changes its shape after heat exposure. You can draw and print on its surface. Thanks to this property, from Shrink Plastic, you can create various decorations for cards, albums and boxes in scrapbooking: butterflies, buttons, snowflakes or any other elements can be easily created using it. Ideal for creating projects such as jewelry and toddler toys.
Print the image on Shrink Plastic and then cut along the outline using the Silhouette’s print and cut function. Then you must heat the cut items. To do this, place them in the oven, first placing them on parchment paper. The heating process will cause the material to shrink and thicken. Also, a hair dryer for embossing or a powerful building hair dryer is perfect for heating.
This Shrink Plastic has a transparent background, so your projects will have a transparent glass background.
Included:
6 sheets of 25.1 x 28 cm
Shrink Plastic transparent
MEDIA-SHRINK-CLR
Create adorable tiny things with Shrink Plastic. This material is a special type of plastic that changes its shape after thermal exposure. Thanks to this property, from Shrink Plastic, you can create various decorations for cards, albums and boxes in scrapbooking: butterflies, buttons, snowflakes or any other elements can be easily created using it. Ideal for creating projects such as jewelry and toddler toys.
Print the image on Shrink Plastic and then cut along the outline using the Silhouette’s print and cut function. Then you must heat the cut items. To do this, place them in the oven, first placing them on parchment paper. The heating process will cause the material to shrink and thicken. Also, a hair dryer for embossing or a powerful building hair dryer is perfect for heating.
This Shrink Plastic has a transparent background, so your projects will have a transparent glass background.
Included:
6 sheets of 25.1 x 28 cm
Material for cutting stencils on a plotter in sheets with an adhesive base
MEDIA-STENCIL-ADH
Material for cutting stencils on a plotter in sheets without an adhesive base
MEDIA-STENCIL-NON
Magnet paper for printing
MEDIA-MAGNET-3T
Self-adhesive magnet paper
MEDIA-MAGNET-ADH-3T
Self Adhesive Kraft Printing Paper
MEDIA-KFT-ADH-3T
Self-adhesive wood effect paper
MEDIA-WOOD
Canvas for printing and cutting
MEDIA-CANVAS-ADH
Gold foil for printing and cutting
MEDIA-GLD-ADH-3T
Silver foil for printing and cutting
MEDIA-SVR-ADH-3T
Foil rose gold for printing and cutting
MEDIA-RGLD-ADH
Cotton Fabric for Printing
MEDIA-CTNFAB
Self-adhesive cardboard, size 30.5cm x 30.5cm
CARDSTOCK-PK1-3T
Double-sided adhesive film
MEDIA-ADHESIVE-3T
Transparent self-adhesive printing film
MEDIA-CLR-ADH-3T
White self-adhesive printing film
MEDIA-WHT-ADH-3T
Self-adhesive Glow-in-the-Dark Printing Film
MEDIA-GITD-ADH
Pressed cardboard
MEDIA-CHIPBOARD-3T
Decorating paper
MEDIA-WASHI-ADH-3T
Self-adhesive silver scratch paper for printing and cutting
MEDIA-SCRATCH-SVR
Self-adhesive gold scratch paper for printing and cutting
MEDIA-SCRATCH-GLD
Temporary Tattoo Paper
MEDIA-TATTOO-3T
Self-adhesive corrugated paper
MEDIA-COR-ADH-3T
Parchment
MEDIA-VELLUM-3T
Self-adhesive white cardboard for printing
MEDIA-CARD-ADH
Metallized sheets, size 12.7cm x 17.8cm
METAL-STIP
Metallized sheets, 12.7cm x 17.8cm
METAL-ETCH
Embossing paper for Curio, 12.7cm x 17.8cm
EMBOSS-PPR-A7
Embossing paper for Curio, 21.6cm x 27.9cm
EMBOSS-PPR-LTR
Material for cutting stencils on a plotter
MEDIA-STENCIL-3T
Strong fabric adhesive. Clean cut
FABRIC-FUSE-CUT
The fastener for the fabric is cool for stitching. Cut Sew
FABRIC-FUSE-SEW
The holder for cutting fabric on a plotter washable with water. Wash Away
FABRIC-FUSE-SEW
Paper. artificial leather
1 roll size 30cm x 152cm
Artificial leather in sheets
MEDIA-LTHRT
Self-adhesive cork sheets for cutting
MEDIA-CORK
Self-adhesive cardboard for drawing with chalk
CARDSTOCK-CHALK
Self-adhesive cardboard
25 sheets of cardboard, size 30cm x 30cm
Transparent transfer film 22.9 cm
TRANS-TAPE-9
Transfer film, transparent 30.5 cm
TRANS-TAPE-12