Explorer II still got problem

[Tom Cullen]

Hi All,
I had this problem about a month back and still can not seem to resolve it. I thought I would have one last dig at it. So this time I have included a photo to show exactly what I was trying to explain in my previous post. Trying to run a mural, I have no doubt I have set the mural up correctly ( in Corel ) and the settings are correct in the print driver. As you can see form the photo no matter if I do one tile at a time or two , the laser seems to cut off the image about two inches from the right side of the tile. I have updated the Firmware and made sure the print driver is the latest version. I have also changed the point of orign but the issue remains. I thought it might be bad memory but was assured that this would not happen even if it was. The second graphic pic isn't great but will give you an idea as to how this should look when engraved.

Thanks
Tom

[Scott Challoner]

Wow Tom. That would be pretty frustrating.
Sorry I can't offer much help, but if you would like to post the file or PM me with it, I could try to run it and see if I get the same results. At least then you would know if it is file or machine. I have a Spirit so the driver is pretty much the same. I have Corel X3.

[Dave Johnson29]

the laser seems to cut off the image about two inches from the right side of the tile.

Hi Tom, I do not have an Explorer, but are you sure you have the page size in the printer driver set-up equal to or larger than the tile.

My ULS will clip like that if the X or Y page length/width falls inside the desired burn area. Both Corel and the laser must be set equal to or larger than the burn area.

[Peck Sidara]

Tom,

To me it looks like a set-up problem. A few comments and suggestions that may lead to the answer:

*let's keep it simple by doing one tile.
Is your page size the same size as the tile?
what DPI or PPI are you running the job at?
What does the tile look like in the print preview? Does it look complete or is it too cut-off?

*Check to see if it's file related. Create a new file with page of 12"X12", create a rectangle on the new page that is say 1" tall by 11.5" wide. Print to laser using same parameters (power,speed, DPI/PPI). Does the entire rectangle engrave properly or is it too cut-off?

*Does your laser system have some way of determining if the file is fully spooled to the laser? Are you sure the job is fully spooled to laser before you start engraving?

*is the job error repeatable? Send the job to the laser, let it finish spooling, run job and if error occurs, repeat from the machine and see if the exact same thing occurs.

*What happens if you run a similar job in file size and width? If you're able to print past the x-axis point of this job, it may be how you're setting up the mural, cutting off?
If other jobs(non mural) are cutting off at the same x-axis point, then perhaps a memory, set-up or configuration issue with machine.

HTH,

[Tom Cullen]

Hi Dave,
yes the page size is the exact same as the graphic. I tiled the graphic in Corel and then ungrouped it moved each single tile 12x12 ( 36 in all ) to a new Corel page sized at 12x12 and centered it . Then sent to laser. As you can see on the left side the graphis is running right along the left edge as it should.

[Dave Johnson29]

new Corel page sized at 12x12 and centered it.


Tom,

Did you try setting the page size larger for both the printer driver and Corel and using a corner (X0, Y0) for positioning.

[Mike Null]

Tom

I don't do murals so bear with me if I'm asking a silly question. Why would you center the drawing when you want it to engrave to the edge?

Have you looked at your drawing in wireframe view?

[Tom Cullen]

Thanks peck, most of what you mentioned I have already done, but there are a few things you bring up that I will check as soon as I can get to the laser.
Mike maybe I used the wrong terminology when I said I center the work on the page. What I do is hit the ( P ) key and that puts the work in this case 12x12 to match the 12x12 work area, right on the page...I guess it does center it but either way it matches up evenly.

[Gary Hair]

It sounds like the Epilog driver may be different than my Explorer, but I set the page size to 32" x 20" and put everything in the upper left corner. If I set the page size to the piece it will not engrave in the upper left, in fact I'm not sure where it will engrave...

Gary

[Kevin Huffman]

Hello Tom,

Take a look at these two documents. They are the instructions for setting up our two different software to run a tile.

Can you try both of these and let me know if help?

If they don't get attached, email me at Kevin.Huffman@Signwarehouse.com.

[James & Zelma Litzmann]

Tom, are you using a powerclip in your setup?

[Tom Cullen]

yes James, Zelda,
I power clipped the image into the tile grid ( 36 tiles each 12x12) and then ungrouped the grid . I then opened a new page set that at 12x12 and copied and paste the single ungrouped tiles from the grid to each new page.

[James & Zelma Litzmann]

Tom, are you using PhotoGrave with this?

I am not sure it is an Explorer problem, and I am not sure what the exact problem is but I can tell you I have put some photos through PhotoGrav them placed in a power clip and it does this, I have put the photo in the prower clip then put it through PhotoGrav and it works fine. Hope this helps, I don't know if you are using PhotoGrave with this or not but if so maybe this will give you an idea of is going on.

Zelma

[Bob Davis]

I think Peck's suggestions are right on the mark and will certainly help isolate the problem.
Another suggestion; I'm guessing it is a vector image - try changing it to bitmap.

[Martin Reynolds]

Using a 12x12 page size would cause a problem with the Explorer driver. Under the layout tab in Corel there is a button to set the page size to the printer size. Use that, and you will get a 32x20 page (or a bit bigger if the extended page is on).

The, put your tile in the top left and your problems will go away. Actually, you should move everything (tile and drawing) 2" to the right to let the laser head overshoot for engraving.

[Angus Hines]

IF you try all of the above and it Still dosn't work E-mail Jeff Lee @ GCC and he may have an answer.

IF you bought this from Signwarehouse don't bother because they don't really have a clue....You should here what I'm hearing about them @ AWFS in Vegas (basically there company is a joke to the industry) and that's not GCC, that's Signwarehouse that I'm hearing about.

Their contract isn;t being renewed with GCC and you should probably start looking for other support now....

If you need any help in this please let me know I can help you get your warranty moved and support moved back to the original MFG. Pinnacle is just a label and nothing more.........


This post has nothing to do with Kevin Huffman as he has always been helpful and knowledgeable.

This post is about how SW is run and the fact that it's owner won't stand up and speak for his own poor business practices. Anyway the word at AWFS is find another source for all your sign needs. Well back to the show floor.

IT will be interesting to see whats said at the ISA show.

[Kevin Huffman]

Hello Tom,

Did either of those documents help with this issue?

[Tom Cullen]

Hi Kevin,
no I still have problems, this laser is acting really bizarre. I have tried everything I can think of and tried advice from others. I must admit to some improvement after changing the page size to match the laser bed size and placing the tile in the upper left. I used a known good file and one I have ran many times without issue but this time the tile was cut short on the left by about half an inch. An improvement but still really weird. The point of origin has been reset many times and I also use the position feature in Corel to place the tile in the upper left of the work area. In the past I have upgraded the firmware and also reinstalled the print driver. Just today I installed a new motherboard that I had ordered a year back and at the time didn't need. I updated that with the latest firmware and re did the print driver again, thats when I got the half inch short on the left side. I use a brand new laptop with lots of hard drive space and memory. It runs on windows XP and Corel x3. I think tomorrow I will change back to Corel 12 and see if the Xp service pack is up to date. I also had conversations with Kurt Koser from Laserpro in So Cal but he couldn't figure it out and suggested he send a tech out to look at it. I can't afford to do that right now and pay for the road time and high hourly rates. He's up north of me and I'm way down near the border. Besides that I'm having medical problems, I just found out I have a hole in the heart ( Atrial Septal Defect ) and it is causing Afib . I am scheduled for surgery this coming Tuesday 28th. I would love to figure this thing out at some point otherwise I have a very large door stop. I can post some pic's of the latest tile if you want to look at it ? It's passable I have some settings wrong but keep in mind I have been engraving now for a few years and think I am fairly familiar with the print driver and setting up in Corel , but with that said anything is up for grabs right now.

[Martin Reynolds]

Did you try moving the drawing and the tile 2" to the right? Engraving right to the edge of the bed can be tricky.