I have made a discovery that probably is no surprise to many--I mean I am sure others have come to the same conclusion. but maybe some here have not....
I just learned that if you go into your "round Corner" utility and use it to round ANY LETTERS or graphics even just .001 you will see an amazing difference!!! Whereas before, a tangental plotter would have to lift and turn to make an angled corner, it can now cut all the way around a capital E for example without ever lifting from the vinyl. You can almost get it to cut like a racer blade.
It is definitely faster, and you cannot even tell that the corners are rounded.
BE SURE TO ROUND INSIDE and OUTSIDE CORNERS!!!!
Barry
[ December 06, 2001: Message edited by: Tasmus ]
Posted by Howard Keiper (Member # 1250) on :
Barry... You're pulling my leg, arent you? Rounding the corners??? hk
Posted by Arvil Shep' Shepherd (Member # 2030) on :
I have a Roland Camm1 PNC 1000A. Can this be acomplished on this machine ? And if so....HOW??? Thanks Shep'
Posted by Tasmus (Member # 445) on :
I am not pulling anything that I know of.....???
Arvil, If the roland uses a "Lift and Drag Knife", then I would assume it would work the same.
Just round the corners as little as .001", and the blade will have no hard corners that it can't take as a curve, thus, the knife will cut the whole letter WITHOUT having to lift and turn.
Barry
Posted by Arvil Shep' Shepherd (Member # 2030) on :
I understand the principal,,,,,,,It is that I do not know how to accomplish this ..Does anyone know how to do this on a Roland camm1 PNC 1000??? Thanks, Shep'
Posted by Tasmus (Member # 445) on :
It is not an adjustment on the plotter, but rather in the graphics PROGRAM, before you spool it to the plotter.
Just round the corners on the letters, like you would a box or whatever.
Help?
Barry
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
Hi Shep...The Roland is not a tangetial cutter...it is a drag blade. It doesn't "lift and turn" to cut except between letters.
Rounding the corners of letters does make the weeding easier but it is also time consuming to do.
Posted by Tasmus (Member # 445) on :
Dave, Why is it time consuming for you?
In signlab, it is like 3 clicks and a measurement setting.....
Barry
Posted by Howard Keiper (Member # 1250) on :
I have a major problem accepting the idea that one should have to introduce a "hardly noticeable" error to any graphic in order to accommodate a cutter that otherwise can't cut it...(good pun), especially if you're talking about a tangential system and using the letter "E" as an example.
In any professional Graphtec cutter one should strive for and expect to achieve the most perfect intersections, any angle inside or outside, with the absolute certainty that the vinyl has been cut. If it has been, rip weeding is is a snap (another); in fact, there may not be any other way to weed very small characters. There is no way I could cut and weed 6pt. if I were to round the corners.
It sounds to me, Barry, like you should look into a better machine. hk
Posted by timi NC (Member # 576) on :
I understand what Tasmus is saying as when I cut sharp cornered graphics the knife often hangs on certain corners & not others. In signlab there is a round corners option that will allow you to round the corners in a manner that is unnoticable in most graphics yet keeps these sharp points from hanging up on drag knife plotters & save the knife raising step on tangental cutters.The rounded corners are so small that most could not see the difference without looking thru a magnifying glass yet it makes for a smoother cut.
[ December 06, 2001: Message edited by: timi NC ]
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
Barry..I guess I will have to check out the "rounded corner" option in Corel's outline tool. I have never bothered using it because I have never had a problem. It will be an interesting experiment...But like timi says..I will probably need a magnifying glass to detect the difference.
I'll check it out tomorrow.
I was thinking thinking about manually rounding the corners..I should have noted the "round corner" part of your post!
Posted by Rich Stebbing (Member # 368) on :
As a SignLab user I always use this feature when cutting smaller letters. I change text to graphics, then select "round corners" choosing outside corners with a setting of .010. I feel that my plotter cuts fine to begin with, but the "weedability" difference is substantial. especially noticable for someone like me who loathes weeding to begin with.
Posted by Tasmus (Member # 445) on :
Absolutely Rich, I agree completely.
Howard, I never said anything about introducing an ERROR, or that my plotter couldn't or wouldn't cut the graphic in question. I said it was FASTER. As for the appearance, I would wager that YOU would not be able to tell a graphic that I used this technique on from an unmodified one.
I assure you that my trusty ol' 4b is plodding along just fine. I grant you it is not the fastest, but I will take tractor fed over friction anyday, and besides I don't NEED that much speed with my average vinyl load.
I do enjoy finding extras that make things better, but it is not an "ERROR", and certainly not anything that would take away from the customer, or the look of the finished product.
I do appreciate your opinion, although it sounds to me like you are basically reading your lines from a graphtec brochure....
Oh yeah, and why in the WORLD would anyone EVER want to CUT 6 point TEXT? Somebody call a screenprinter!
Barry
[ December 07, 2001: Message edited by: Tasmus ]
Posted by Mark Fair Signs (Member # 289) on :
good tip barry. i also still run my 4-b and have never had a bit of trouble with it.
i wonder, will a graphtec machine run for 15 years??? umm?
i love my blue dinosaur,
mark
Posted by dpsign (Member # 1769) on :
We still use our 4b we got in 1986. Wow! it is 15yrs. I hope it never dies.
Posted by timi NC (Member # 576) on :
Dave I would think you could get the same effect from corel by outlining the graphic with the smallest possible outline with the same radius on corners then deleting the graphic itself.
Posted by Howard Keiper (Member # 1250) on :
I apologize for reading something into your text that wasn't meant. Everybody has a hot button and ultimate precision is mine, I guess. I should say that it may be true that no one actually cuts at 6pt., but one could...that's the point. That kind of precision...finesse, if you will, shows up in almost everything you cut....sharp corners, for instance. I do definitely agree that plotter speed is the least important spec. Inches per second means nothing....Speed is not measured in inches per second at the cutter, it's measured in successful plots per hour or day, and is measured at the weeding table. Weeding (of anything)is the single most important spec we tout....that really should be in a brochure. I hope that we achieve the same longevity in the market as Gerber, we're working toward it. At the end of last month I learned that at the end of this year we will stop making parts for the 2100 series cutters which were introduced in 1990 or so. Many still use them as their only cutter and we still maintain them. Otherwise, please excuse my taking an opportunity to preach Graphtec...my remarks weren't to be a cheap shot at a good idea for those who think it is. P.S. How do you handle Times Roman? hk
Posted by Tasmus (Member # 445) on :
You asked Howard so here ya go!
Pictured below is Times Roman at exactly 1" in height. Which has been modified?
the one on the right was modified at .003 inches.
Not much difference eh?
here is a close-up:
The rounding is VERY MINISCULE, but it is enough for the 4b to treat it as a curve, and never have to lift the blade as it was cut.
Whaddya think?
Barry
[ December 07, 2001: Message edited by: Tasmus ]
Posted by Arvil Shep' Shepherd (Member # 2030) on :
I like it........Now tell me, if it is possible to do this with my program Flex Sign 5.8 v2 (Not Flexi Pro) I am sure that it would help me in weeding small letters... Thanks Shep'
Posted by Howard Keiper (Member # 1250) on :
I concede! But how big were the letters? hk
Posted by Rob Larkham (Member # 2105) on :
I bought a 4B from a guy for $100. I just put a Unilink card in it and I cut out of flexi. I love it. I also have a roland camm 1 960. Both machines are rock solid.
Posted by Tasmus (Member # 445) on :
I hope you know what kind of steal you got Rob!!
Howard--the copy there was 1 inch, the smallest that I am ever likely to cut....although I would not be afraid of it at half that size!
Barry
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
I can see where rounding the corners would be a help in the longivity of a sign on a truck! Sharp corners are more easily pulled up when someone washes a vehicle and is not careful.
Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :
Arvil,
Go with Timi's post to achieve this on other software. I am not aware of having the corner rounding tool in my software but in almost any graphics program you should be able to convert text to outlines, then add a very slight (.003)outline with a rounded corner option.
Posted by Bill Biggs (Member # 18) on :
Yes, I have sign lab and I round any corners when they are below 1/2 inch tall lettering. I also round my paper patterns for cutting foam letters by 1/4 inch as I put a 1/4 inch route on the edges anyway, normally I just outline them by 1/8 inch with a rounded outline after I have rounded them. corel does it by contour. same thing really. I have a gerber sprint, I traded in my fourb before I discovered signlab, wish I had kept it. Oh well! The sprint is about the same as the four-b except it is a smoother and faster plotter. Another tip for 4b and sprint users if you have trouble with amberlyth sticking down in the plotter, you can take a piece of the backing on the vinyl about 14 inches wide and 8inches long staple it to a piece of yardstick fold it so it sticks up under your rear black bar that turns the cam as your knife lifts up and velcro it to the frame of the plotter, this puts a static guard between the cam rod and the amberlyth and keeps it from hanging up. I have used the same one for 10 years, works great.I have used the plotter since 1989. still works great too. Bill
