------------------
Geo Cob
"Outside Rocket City,Al"
(huntsville)
Just my "Thoughts" not the "Rules"
geocob@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/geocob/index.html

[This message has been edited by geocob (edited May 24, 2001).]
 

If you're using Flexi or another software, most plotters have X/Y-axis alingment routines for contouring printed vinyl.

IMHO,

------------------
Jim Doggett
Vice President
Summa, Inc.

Seattle, WA USA
jim@summusa.com
 

------------------
Warning: A well designed sign may cause fatigue due to increased business.
http://members.tripod.com/taylor_graphics
walldog@nc.rr.com

------------------
Howard Keiper
Sales Mgr., Graphtec
Benicia, Ca.
keip@pacbell.net
 

Ideally, an OPOS (Optical Positioning System) equipped SummaSign Pro cutter, because it completely automates the contour cutting alignment procedure. The caveat being, only CoCut Pro (a plug-in to CorelDRAW) and SignLab support the OPOS system. The OPOS system is by far the easiest and most accurate alignment method, bacause everything is computer-controlled.

If one were using FlexiSIGN, virtually any cutter with a manual X/Y-Axis alignment capability would do. Manual alignment requires that you align the blade to one registration mark, hit enter. Then align to a second registration mark, and hit enter again. The blade will then return to the point of origin, at which point the plot file can be sent. Gerber cutters are a bit easier, since you only align to a single mark.

Manual alignment tends to be less accurate than OPOS, since manual alingment methods can't compensate for small variations in scale factors between the printer and the cutter. But they're close enough that thousands of sign makers have been using them for years, with few complaints.

One such cutter in our line, which offers manual alignment, is the $1999 SummaCut D60. It handles printed vinyl up to 30 inches wide (15" EDGE material is a no problem). And it cuts at up to 44 inches a second, has 400 grams of down force, is a Certified High Speed USB device, and offers many other advanced cutter feratures that are virtually non-existant at the $1999 price-point.

If not an OPOS-equipped cutter, I'd strongly recommend the SummaCut D60, for use with any software, including Gerber (in HPGL mode).

Best Regards,

Jim

------------------
Jim Doggett
Vice President
Summa, Inc.

Seattle, WA USA
jim@summusa.com
 

------------------
Liquid Signs
San Diego
619.933.5082
Chuck Nichols
 

Kinda-sort of with CASmate. Been there-done that with Illlustrator (Win 8 & 9).

Here's the scoop: getting CASmate to work with OPOS requires ScanVec-Amiable's efforts. Since CASmate is non longer, they're not developing it further. We have folks who still use CASmate for OPOS cutting (our President included ... an ex-sign guy who just can't give it up). We setup some templates in CASmate for different page sizes, and each one includes the parameters that needs to be sent to the cutter, via our Summa Cutter Control program. It's an extra step. But it works great.

Better still, CoCut Pro (the CorelDRAW plug-in I mentioned) also plugs in to Illustrator and FreeHand. It adds contours around vector or bitmap images (inline/dead-on/outline), OPOS registration marks and embeds the OPOS parameters in the plot file. It's completely automated, superbly accurate, and you get to use your own software ... I'm assuming you have Illustrator.

Thanks!

Jim

------------------
Jim Doggett
Vice President
Summa, Inc.

Seattle, WA USA
jim@summusa.com
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jim Doggett:
Hi Chuey:

Kinda-sort of with CASmate. Been there-done that with Illlustrator (Win 8 & 9).

Here's the scoop: getting CASmate to work with OPOS requires ScanVec-Amiable's efforts. Since CASmate is non longer, they're not developing it further. We have folks who still use CASmate for OPOS cutting (our President included ... an ex-sign guy who just can't give it up). We setup some templates in CASmate for different page sizes, and each one includes the parameters that needs to be sent to the cutter, via our Summa Cutter Control program. It's an extra step. But it works great.

Better still, CoCut Pro (the CorelDRAW plug-in I mentioned) also plugs in to Illustrator and FreeHand. It adds contours around vector or bitmap images (inline/dead-on/outline), OPOS registration marks and embeds the OPOS parameters in the plot file. It's completely automated, superbly accurate, and you get to use your own software ... I'm assuming you have Illustrator.

Thanks!

Jim

---

------------------
Geo Cob
"Outside Rocket City,Al"
(huntsville)
Just my "Thoughts" not the "Rules"
geocob@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/geocob/index.html

I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying you have CoCut? Or, if you get CoCut, will it work with your GCC cutter?

Please advise, and I'll be better able to address the question.

Thanks,

Jim

------------------
Jim Doggett
Vice President
Summa, Inc.

Seattle, WA USA
jim@summusa.com
 

------------------
Wright Signs
Wyandotte, Michigan
Since 1978
www.wrightsigns.bigstep.com
All change isn't progress, and all progress isn't forward.
 

Yes and no. Around about 1995 (maybe early 96) some changes occured in the SummaSign D610 which made it OPOS upgradable. If you bought after that, the answer is yes, no problem. You can e-mail your serial number to allen.hawkaluk@summadirect.com and Allen can say for sure.

If you have an older D610, it's not actually no ... but WAY spendy. We'd need to put a Pro mainboard in and a new cutting head (the older head doesn't have an OPOS mount). Plus the cost of the OPOS. If this is the case, you'd be better off to trade-in your D610 on a D750 Pro w/OPOS. The cost would be fairly close in range. And you'd have a wider, faster, dual-servomotor cutter with a fresh 3-year warranty.

Please e-mail Allen if you have any doubts.

Thanks,

Jim

------------------
Jim Doggett
Vice President
Summa, Inc.

Seattle, WA USA
jim@summusa.com