Vinyl Express Q-Series Cutter

November 26, 2008

The Vinyl Express Q-Series is a cut only device, and is only available if the special registration code, "CUTTING", is enabled.

Important Note: Automatic registration using the 'Rip Detect' setting is only available if your Vinyl Express was purchased with the optional ARMS auto-alignment system.

Initial Software and Cutter Setup

• SoftRIP Registration Mark Setup: Wasatch SoftRIP can print five types of marks for use with this cutter. These marks are selected from the "Cutting Mark" button inside the 'Setup - Print Unit' window. Select the "Vinyl Express Type 1", "Vinyl Express Type 2" marks or the "Vinyl Express 1/2 Inch Interval Cut Marks" if you intend to use the "RIP Detect" registration method (see the "RIP Detect Registration" section below). After selecting either "Vinyl Express Type 1" or "Vinyl Express Type 2" marks, a separate window will be launched to allow you to choose the size of the cutting marks. Refer to the Vinyl Express Cutting Marks help for more information on this.
  Select the "1/2 Inch Register" or "1/4 Inch Register" marks if you intend to align your job manually (see the "Manual Registration" section below).
  
  Note: When printing any of these marks, you should print with 1" or greater left and right margins, and 2" or greater top and bottom margins. This ensures that cutter has enough room to properly detect the registration marks.

• Connection: Choose the physical connection from the 'Setup - Print Unit' window.
  • USB: When you first plug the cutter into a USB port you will be prompted for a USB driver. Install the Vinyl Express driver provided with the cutter. Once complete, the Vinyl Express will show up in the physical connection list on the print->setup screen.
  • COM: Select the COM port to which the serial cable is connected.
  • LPT: Wasatch SoftRIP does not support the parallel interface for this device.

• The first lets the registration come from the RIP.
• The second method is a manual method.

1. Device-Specific Instructions for Print now, Cut Later (RIP Detect Registration)

   Note: The print should have been printed with "Vinyl Express Type 1", "Vinyl Express Type 2" or the "Vinyl Express 1/2" Interval" Register marks. These marks must be selected from the "Cutting Mark" menu on the 'Setup - Print Unit' window prior to printing.

   Loading the media:

   
   • As the print comes off the printer, note the edge that is to the lower right corner of the print. That corner will be referred to hereafter as the origin (TP1) of the print (see illustration above).
   • Insert the media in the same direction as the media originally came out of the printer. Since the cutter cannot cut any media beyond the pinch roller nearest the control panel or the pinch roller furthest from the control panel, align the media so that the pinch rollers are outside of the cutting area.
   • After setting the pinch roller,
     Press "Sheet" or "Roll" to set paper type.
     • Sheet: Align the knife in the open area bounded by the first mark (TP1) as shown to the right. Press Origin.
     • Roll: Align the knife right outside of the mark corner (towards the lower right). Press Origin
   • In SoftRIP, go into properties (Print->Setup->Edit->Properties) and choose "RIP Detect"
   • The cutter is now ready for the cut path to be sent from the Cutting Queue. See the user manual for further assistance.
   • Note: The Vinyl Express Q-Series cutter can be set to automatically detect the type and size of Vinyl Express cutting marks being used if the 'Mark Scan Mode' on the front panel of the printer is set to 'Enabled'.
   
   Important Note: If you need to cancel your job due to the cutter being unable to detect a registration mark, you MUST completely cancel the print spooler on the PC prior to canceling the job on the cutter's front panel. If you do not cancel in this order, the cutter may begin cutting in the incorrect location, damaging your print.

2. Device-Specific Instructions for Print now, Cut Later (Manual Registration)

   Important Note: This registration method may result in less accurate contour cuts than the RIP Detect registration method.

   Note: The print should have been printed with 1/4" or 1/2" Register (Not Vinyl Express) marks (1/2" are preferred). Select these marks from the "Cutting Mark" menu on the 'Setup - Print Unit' window.

   Loading the media:

   • As the print comes off the printer, note the edge that is to the lower right corner of the print. That corner will be referred to hereafter as the origin (TP1) of the print (see illustration above).
   • Insert the media in the same direction as the media originally came out of the printer.
     Note: Since the cutter cannot cut any media beyond the pinch roller nearest the control panel or the pinch roller furthest from the control panel, align the media so that the pinch rollers are outside of the cutting area.
   • After setting the pinch roller, press "Sheet" or "Roll" to set paper type.
   • Align the knife with mark #1. Press Origin.
   • In SoftRIP, go into properties (Print->Setup->Edit->Properties) and choose "Manual Detect"
   • The cutter is now ready for the cut path to be sent from the Cutting Queue.
   • When the path is sent, an information screen will ask you to align point #1
   • Use arrow keys to make sure knife is centered on mark and press "Enter"
   • The knife will move to next point. Use arrow keys to fine adjust and press "Enter"
   • The knife will move to the final point. Use arrow keys to fine adjust and press "Enter"
   • Cutting will now proceed.

3. Device-Specific Instructions for Cut Only

   Loading the media:

   • Insert the media in the cutter and align the media so that the pinch rollers are outside of the cutting area.
   • After setting the pinch rollers, press "Sheet" or "Roll" to set paper type.
   • Use arrow keys to place the knife over the desired starting point.
   • Press "Origin"
   • In SoftRIP, go into properties (Print->Setup->Edit->Properties) and choose "Manual Detect"
   • The cutter is now ready for the cut path to be sent from the Cutting Queue.

Interval Between Cut Marks

If you select "Vinyl Express 1/2 Inch Interval Cut Marks" from the "Cutting Mark" menu in Wasatch SoftRIP, registration marks will be printed at regular intervals down the edges of any print layout. (This feature only works with layouts and with the print spooler, never with immediate print of a single page.)

When you make this selection, you'll be presented with the following control.

If the length of the print is close to or greater than the maximum cutting mark interval, subdivisions of cutting mark spacing start there. This means that the interval should never exceed that maximum, and may be half of the maximum, as would happen if you had a 24 inch interval, as shown above, and were printing 24.1 inches.

Basic Setup of the Vinyl Express Q-Series

• Set Distance Adjust
  1. Axis Alignment
  2. F1 (Auto Reg Mark)
  3. F4 (Distance Adjust)
  4. F2 (OFF)
  5. Enter
• Set Mark Type
  1. Axis Alignment
  2. F1 (Auto Reg Mark)
  3. F2 (Mark Type)
  4. Select the Type of mark, Type 1 or 2
  5. Enter
  6. F3 (Other Setups)
  7. F1 (Mark Size)
  8. Set to match the size of mark used.
  9. Enter
• Set Mark Scan Mode
  1. Axis Alignment
  2. F1 (Auto Reg Mark)
  3. F1 (Mark Scan Mode)
  4. • F3 (Enable)
     • F4 (Disable)
  5. Enter
  6. • F2 (2 Mark)
     • F3 (3 Mark)
     • F4 (4 Mark)
  7. Enter
  8. Scan Mark
     • F1 > 1
     • F2 > 2
     • F3 > 3

       Note: The Scan Mark setting allows you to specify areas that the plotter will not sense by specifying the distance between the registration marks. Once the plotter locates the first registration mark, it will automatically move the specified distance and begin scanning for the next mark. You can also use this function to reduce mark-sensing time, though before you begin, you must know the distance between registration marks. If you wish to have the plotter scan the full length and width of the media, simply set the X and Y values to 0. This will increase the time it takes to scan for the registration marks, but does not require you to know the exact length and width of your cut job. Consult the plotter's documentation for further information on this feature.

  9. Next (to accept the current setting) or Enter (to adjust the Scan Mark setting)
• Set For Program control
  1. Menu
  2. Next
  3. Next
  4. Next
  5. F2 (Background)
  6. Next
  7. Next
  8. F4 (Program)
  9. Enter
  10. Menu
• Set Command Mode
  1. Menu
  2. Next
  3. Next
  4. F1 (Interface)
  5. F4 (Command)
  6. F4 (HP-GL)
  7. Enter
  8. Menu