...Mimaki CG-160fx. ...I am using Illustrator with fine cut and have no problems finding the marks and sending the jobs but as the machine cuts it starts going off registration almost immediately. Its so bad that I almost hand cut every print job. Very frustrating. I have measured the print and the cut just to see if the machine was sending the file and somehow distorting the print. No problems there. It seems to get worse to the top left every time. Is there a way to calibrate the machine or adjust while it is cutting?
I use the same plotter with Illustrator and Fine Cut. I once posted the following for someone using Corel draw. I think a lot of it pertains to you too. Maybe you'll find something you're missing or a step you're leaving out.
1.Set up your cutter acording the manual (pages 3.17 - 3.43) I am not at work right now so don't have access to my machine and don't remember all the settings as it was a long time ago I set it up. I'd have to refer to the manual to get those settings. I have looked to the manual a little here but to be comfortable giving you those settings I'd have to be in front of the machine. The manual can be a bit confusing to me all by itself.
In truth, it would be better if you did that yourself as it would give you a greater understanding of your machine which is what you are after in your questions anyway. I do however remember a setting that is different than you mention and it is that I use a [TYPE 2] (10mm, .4mm, type 2) mark. Also, the detection points setting on your plotter is [1PT] when using FineCut.
2. In your illustration program, I use Illustrator CS2, create your star and fill it with the color of your choice.
3. I noted in your post that you chose to use "FrameExtract" to put a 2mm border around your star. When you did that a new layer should have been added to your layers palette called "FC Frame Layer". It also should have been automatically set to non-printing so it doesn't show up on your print. I always check this anyway because I'm anal like that.
If you'd rather not have a white border around your star, (FrameExtract), but instead choose to have the color run all the way to the cut edge of it then you'll have to add some bleed around the star to avoid having any white showing anywhere around the edges of your star after it is cut. This can happen due to the fact that no cut is absolutely perfect. To avoid this add a stroke of the fill color around the star. A 3pt.stroke should be enough.
A stroke in Illustrator is a path with color to each side of the path. Half of that will merge with the fill and the other half will fall outside of the fill. The cutter will cut the path and that extra 1.5pt of color outside of the path, outside of the star, will ensure that no white shows anywhere around the edges of your final piece. I'm assuming a stroke works the same in CorelDraw.
4. Create your rectangle around your star.
5. Leaving the rectangle selected, in the FineCut toolbar click the registration mark creation button. Choose the 10mm, 4mm, Type 2. That is the one that looks like the corners of a box around your star with the open side of the corners facing toward your star. Others may use a Type 1 registration mark but I never have as the Type 2 works well for me. I also choose to check the "Leave a rectangle as a cutting line". This cuts your rectangle. It can make for easier weeding on some jobs. I never check the "add the pattern information" as that is for a different plotter.
6. The result of this, (in Illustrator which is my experience), is that the registration marks are placed around your image, your original rectangle is still intact and a new Layer is created in your layers palette. The registration marks are on your original layer so they will print and your rectangle is placed on a new layer called "FC Frame". If you have previously used the FrameExtract option, as you did in your post, then you will now have 2 "FC Frame" layers. I would make sure both are set to not print.
7. Save and print your file.
8. Take your print from the printer. I usually trim off any excess material from the length leaving the width as is. I leave about 2" beyond the printed registration marks on each end. You can do with less but my straight edge is 2" and I just lay one side of it against the marks and cut along the other side. I'm lazy and that's easy.
9. Line up your print in the plotter. I do this by eyeballing the marks with the first or second grove in the platen, (I forget which not seeing it but it's pretty close to lining up with the pointer dot when it's on), and start from there. I set my pinch rollers so that they are as far away from the registration marks as possible to avoid then being in the way of mark detection, but still plenty on the material for best tracking.
Then, while the pinch rollers are in the up position turn on the pointer and line up the pointer dot so that it splits the horizontal line of the right-most mark and masking tape that end to the platen. Then, I manually move the carriage to the other side and line it up the same and tape that down. Once again move the carriage to the first mark and check that it is still in place. Remove the tape and adjust if needed then re-tape it down. If these movements were great because the material was awfully crooked from the start I may go back and check the left mark again. I'm anal like that too. Lock down the pinch rollers.
10. Choose roll or leaf and wait for [TP1]. Using the jog keys place the pointer dot in the specified area of the mark and hit the [ENTER] key. It should find that first mark just fine. That first mark is all it needs. It doesn't have to go around to locate the other three marks. It will do that later when you go back to your computer and command it to plot from FineCut.
11. Check to be sure your tool setting are correct for your material and hit "Remote".
It doesn't always work right...
The biggest issue I have is that my printer, (HP 8000), prints a color stripe at the end of each print head travel along the length of the print. It does this to make sure that all color heads are printing to avoid any of them from drying out on long runs. The color stripe is located pretty close to the actual print and in my case it gets in the way of mark detection there on the right side. I can adjust the placement of the color stripe farther away from the print but that would limit the width I can print so I leave it where it is. (On occasion I will turn off the color stripe to gain a wider print when necessary but generally leave it on).
Instead of moving the stripe I use a work-around which is simply loading the material so that the color stripe is on the left side of the plotter away from the initial mark detection side. This means that I am loading it backwards from the direction of my file, so from Illustrator I have to rotate my file 180 degrees before plotting it. (If anyone has a cure for this I'd be more than glad to hear it)
That is a minimum of energy expenditure and it doesn't matter to me or the plotter or FineCut which way it runs. Just like it doesn't matter if I'm cutting a letter B or a R. Cutting upside down is the same as cutting right side up except that it is upside down. In my genius I've found that if I turn it over when it's done it still looks right. ;-)
Other issues are covered in the manuals which can be badly printed or damaged material or marks, wrong marks, lighting issues, printing too close to the marks, or a plethora other concerns which can only be determined upon inspection of the material, the printing, the software settings, the plotter settings, environmental concerns or other issues which can only be solved by experimentation, trial and error.
12. To plot after the mark has been detected go back to Illustrator and hit the FineCut plot button. Uncheck any colors you don't want to cut.
Click the "Register Mark" tab, then click the "Detect Mark" button. This shrinks the file down to fit the screen as it snaps to the register marks and changes the non-cutting area to a purple color background.
13. Be sure that there are no warning triangles showing at your "Sheet" or "Plot" buttons. If there are warnings there find the problem and fix that first. If not, then hit Plot.
14. In the Plot dialog box I have the "Custom" radio button checked. Insure that you have the correct CT tool selected and that the "Speed", "Pressure" and "Offset" setting are correct. If all is well, put on your protective helmet and goggles then click the "Plot" button.
I hope this helps.
