Hello Signmakers of all nations,
I need to print labels on very thick reflective material, and my printer won´t to the cutting so I need to use a special plotter to do the cutting. Is there a way to make this so that the alignments in both machines match perfectly?
The printer is a Mimaki UCJV 300 and the plotter is a Graphtec FC9000
Thank you!
In Flexi create labels and set up with your repeats such that you are less than 2-3 inches of maximum print on your vinyl. Set up your contour cuts. Select all, and the ContourCutMarks button should become available in your tool bar - looks like a set of crop marks with dashed box and green center - Select that and in the dialog box choose Graphtec 4 Points Type 1 for the crop marks then click the green check mark and it should create the crop marks. Next click the Cut Contour button - looks like a plotter blade over a burgundy rectangle. This will launch the CutContour dialog box and allow you to choose FC9000 plotter. If you want you can add a weed border, but we usually just send the cut. Flexi Program Manager will launch (or you will need to download it) and you are asked to confirm that the material is in the FC9000 plotter and ready to cut. Put your material in the FC9000 plotter so that the outside two wheels are wider than the cropmarks but still holding the vinyl, align it straight by using your finger nail to feel the crops marks against the silver metal strip. Clamp it down and choose number 2, current location. Once machine has measured the material, use the buttons to position the blade inside of the front right crop mark, with a little gap on both sides. Now go back to Flexi Program Manager and hits go and it will use its electric eye to find each of the 4 crop marks and then begin cutting.
Some things I didn't mention:
1. Make sure you have the correct condition setting on with the correct amount of weight to cut the vinyl (and lamination if applicable)
2. Standing in front of the machine, you feed the material all the way through so that most is at the back. (Yes, if you have a large printed roll you can load from rear.)
3. The front of the machine is the same position in flexi as the bottom of your screen. So if you need to turn the material to print to save vinyl, just remember as you align it in the Graphtec that the front edge is the bottom and in the CutContour dialog box choose the alignment that matches - picture of a little man, if his feet are down that means whatever is down on your screen matches the front edge on the plotter and whatever is down on your layout. Quick rule when sending is whatever side of layout is down in Flexi is the feet of the little man (ever if your printer turned it to save material). Makes more sense when you send a few.
4. I prefer to send in batches no longer than 4-6 feet. You can print longer, but registration errors are smaller if you keep the prints in cropmark groups 4-6 feet. You can print back to back batches to minimize wasted vinyl.
5. The vinyl needs enough extra front and back to cover the electric eyes that tell the plotter when it runs out of vinyl.
6. Your Graphtec is a workhorse, but it will get out of alignment. There is a pdf for this your salesman can send you (The+Sensor+Adjust+Cross-Hair+Pattern). We use our pretty heavy and had to adjust it once and get perfect alignments.
