Graphtec fc-9000 140 help!!!

[Damnitgabe]

Ok so I’m a sign and mural painter, been in the game for like 6 years now but always had my patterns provided for me or I outsourced for them. Until now. I was finally able to get myself a plotter and went all out and got a good one, but there’s so much to this thing and I’m brand new to it. No experience what so ever with plotters/cutters. Trying to use it to plot patterns and preferably pounce them cuz I bought that tool as well. But I’m having issues pouncing a pattern for a job that needs a 35ft long lettering with 5ft tall letters. The paper keeps on going uneven and screwing up!! How can I fix this? I don’t have registration marks cuz it’s not printed out I’m just going straight to pouncing it. Do I need to plot it first? If I do can I plot registration marks? Please help.

 

[Joseph44708]

Just got one too. But still setting it up, if I find out something I will post.
Definatly check with the company that sold it to you.

 

[Jburns]

you likely will have to spend a day or so - start with small samples obviously and test conditions / save conditions with the pounce wheel.

Pressure - Speed - roller pressure...

 

[mjames]

Ok so I’m a sign and mural painter, been in the game for like 6 years now but always had my patterns provided for me or I outsourced for them. Until now. I was finally able to get myself a plotter and went all out and got a good one, but there’s so much to this thing and I’m brand new to it. No experience what so ever with plotters/cutters. Trying to use it to plot patterns and preferably pounce them cuz I bought that tool as well. But I’m having issues pouncing a pattern for a job that needs a 35ft long lettering with 5ft tall letters. The paper keeps on going uneven and screwing up!! How can I fix this? I don’t have registration marks cuz it’s not printed out I’m just going straight to pouncing it. Do I need to plot it first? If I do can I plot registration marks? Please help.

My experience with the old Gerber sprocket plotters work fine for this type of work. Another option using the friction plotters would be do break up the file in sections.

 

[bob]

...Do I need to plot it first? If I do can I plot registration marks?...

No, you need to get the media straight in the plotter. This can be an art unto itself. Roll media is much easier to get straight, sheets not so much. A 35' sheet is well night impossible to run straight over its length. Assuming you're attempting to run a 35' sheet, try taping it to a core and rolling it onto the core keeping it as straight as possible. You'll stand a much better chance of keeping it straight. If you're already running a roll make sure that at least one end of the roll is running straight on the core, that the media isn't running back and forth as it is rolled on the core.

 

[Humble PM]

No, you need to get the media straight in the plotter. This can be an art unto itself. Roll media is much easier to get straight, sheets not so much. A 35' sheet is well night impossible to run straight over its length. Assuming you're attempting to run a 35' sheet, try taping it to a core and rolling it onto the core keeping it as straight as possible. You'll stand a much better chance of keeping it straight. If you're already running a roll make sure that at least one end of the roll is running straight on the core, that the media isn't running back and forth as it is rolled on the core.

I can't imagine how a 35' sheet arrives other than on a roll, but I'd want it to be lined up true on the roll. Edit the design to put in registration marks, diamonds or similar, so that you can break the design into handlable sections - say seven parts by five foot, then use the manual reg marks to line up on the wall.

I only have an older, little cutter, so I could be completely wrong...

 

[Joseph44708]

Check the four pinch rollers.
The two outside rollers set to full pressure and the two middle rollers set at half pressure.

 

[Damnitgabe]

After about 5 hours and burning thru about 300 feet of paper I was finally able to get it! It was the speed that made the biggest difference. I had it set too fast, once I slowed it down it didn’t have much problem at all staying straight. Yeah with the pinch rollers on the sides down with more force then the others. Done in 4 sections. It was extremely frustrating but I’ve finally mastered my machine. Gonna try cutting a stencil next so we’ll see how that goes. Mastered the plotting and pouncing thou! Just for the heck of it I bought a large format printer to see what I can do with the two together so I really didn’t need it but figured it could be fun. Stickers maybe? It’s a canon prograff somethin or other

 

[Damnitgabe]

Handled

 

[Damnitgabe]

Yeah it was a roll, the paper kept getting kinked up and jamming. Once I slowed it down it worked better. I didn’t expect it to be pulling the paper back and forth so much I kinda just expected for it to work thru a project like a printer and just work it’s way down from one end to another not jump back and forth as much as it does. But whatever. Now I know for next time. Thanks for the advice!

No, you need to get the media straight in the plotter. This can be an art unto itself. Roll media is much easier to get straight, sheets not so much. A 35' sheet is well night impossible to run straight over its length. Assuming you're attempting to run a 35' sheet, try taping it to a core and rolling it onto the core keeping it as straight as possible. You'll stand a much better chance of keeping it straight. If you're already running a roll make sure that at least one end of the roll is running straight on the core, that the media isn't running back and forth as it is rolled on the core.

 

[brdesign]

Yeah it was a roll, the paper kept getting kinked up and jamming. Once I slowed it down it worked better. I didn’t expect it to be pulling the paper back and forth so much I kinda just expected for it to work thru a project like a printer and just work it’s way down from one end to another not jump back and forth as much as it does. But whatever. Now I know for next time. Thanks for the advice!

Check your plotting software to see if there is a setting to plot the letters in order to minimize the back and forth movement. You may be able to set to plot in sections: plot all the letters in the first 4 feet of the roll before advancing to the second 4 foot section. Some plotter programs will just plot the letters in order of when it was created in the file, or some other random order, without this setting