Text is all jagged

[Bruce Dorworth]

I know I had this before and found a solution, but old age is keeping me form remembering where I stored that data. When I export text to be engraved, instead of being a smooth curve the curves are jagged.

All help will be greatly appreciated.

Bruce

[Richard Rumancik]

I am assuming you are rastering yet you talk about "curves" so it is unclear. Can you adjust tuning on your laser? If so that will ensure left-right passes are aligned with right-left passes.

A photo would help zero in on the problem.

[Rich Harman]

Do you convert the text to curves before exporting?

[Bruce Dorworth]

I guess it is not jagged text, it is segmented curves instead of a smooth curve. I am rastering some name on pencils.

It is something in the export function I believe.

Bruce

[Bruce Dorworth]

216107


So, here is what I figured out. I enter text into CorelDraw x5. When I export it as a .plt, I get the segmented lletters.(see attached file). If I export it as a dxf it is fine.


Bruce

[Bruce Dorworth]

C'mon, I know this is somethung simple that everyone here has run across. If you look at the picture below, the black text is what i entered into CorelDraw x5. Then I exported it out as a plt file to be raster engraved. Well, if you look at the brown text you will see that the smooth text has been turned into segmented lines instead of smooth curves.

All help will help my grandkids college fund :<)

Thanks,
Bruce


216641

[Rich Harman]

Sorry to be repetitive, are you converting to curves before exporting?

In Corel - right click on text and choose Convert to Curves.

[Rich Harman]

Oh, I see.

When you export to plt there is an advanced dialog where you can choose the curve resolution.

Check the box for "No Width or Velocity Commands" and set the curve resolution to .001" and it should work out nicely.

[Bruce Dorworth]

Rich, you are the winner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I knew it was something in the advanced area, but age kept me from remembering what it was...

And yes, Rich I did try converting it to curves, I thought that I had replied to the earlier thread. See there goes that memory thing again.

Thanks everyone for looking and trying to help. Now I have to write that fix down somewhere.

Bruce

[Vicki Rivrud]

Hi Bruce,
Just curious, why are you using the plt instead a dxf?

Vicki

[Bruce Dorworth]

That is a good question. What should I be using?? When I first started this laser stuff a few months back someome showed me to use the *.plt. Is one better than another.

Maybe this is cause for a new thread..

Bruce

[Richard Rumancik]

Bruce, your system seems to be a bit different than normal. Other than those with Chinese lasers that use different software, the majority of users here are using CorelDraw. Maybe there are a few Illustrator users. But if one is using CorelDraw there is not really a need to convert to dxf or plt or anything. So the reason you did not get a lot of responses is that very few people need to do what you are doing. I don't know what an "Argus" laser has for a front-end interface.

The other reason that you did not get a lot of responses to the original question is that the original question was, quite frankly, too vague. It is best to put all the pertinent info in the first post. People want to help but if there is not sufficient info they will skip over the post until more info appears.

[Bruce Dorworth]

My mistake Richard, I knew I had run across it before, so I thought it was something that was very common. Therefore I didn't think a lot of info was needed. Live and learn

Thanks,
Bruce

[Vicki Rivrud]

That is a good question. What should I be using?? When I first started this laser stuff a few months back someome showed me to use the *.plt. Is one better than another.

Maybe this is cause for a new thread..

Bruce
I do not mean to bore anyone with this explanation however some users who have a "Chinese" manufactured laser usually do not have tech support or have a hard time dealing with the time delay or the "Chinglish" and the Lasercut manual leaves much to be desired . . . so if you are like me, it has been a learning process, by luck and by golly by, by the seat of our pants.

In the beginning I had a hard time understanding the difference between how an American, let's say an Epilog worked versus a Chinese made, let's say an Argus, Rabbit etc. There are subtle differences but they are very much the same once you understand how they compare and are driven. I paid to go to seminars to "see" American branded lasers" in action so I could understand what the heck was so different.

With Chinese lasers, The software that is packaged with the controller IS its print driver, in my case I have the Leetro MPC6515/6535, and it is dependant on Lasercut 5/5.1/5.3 to create the "job" for the laser machine.

A windows print driver is simply a piece of software which interfaces with windows driven or based software. Lasercut is both a piece of software and a print driver.

If you look at the print driver screen options through windows for Epilog you will see selections on how to set your project to cut or engrave etc and so with Lasercut.

Lasercut has some "software" capabilities such as rotating, re-arranging layers, unite lines, nesting, editing nodes, splitting lines, creating text , even adding onto the design or drawing, etc however it is not a robust software and has its limitations. In Lasercut can set your "tool path" to either cut or engrave doing both in the same project and how many times you want it to repeat the cut etc. You can also select the RGB colors to control your cuts/engraving, if you haven't made these selections in the design software such as Corel or AutoCAD.

Within Lasercut we have our machine options or configuration files - to set the pulse, the work table range, datum speed, beginning speeds, inner to outer, up to down etc.

I have crawled all over my hardware and all over the software - conferd with manufacturers and software vendors and IN IMHO I know my laser & laser software inside, outside and upside down.

NOW for Corel vs. Illustrator vs. Photoshop, vs. Photograv, cdr vs. ai vs. dxf vs plt. It is all a matter of personal choice. Which ever you feel the most comfortable with and provides you with the best result.


I personally am a Corel fan (don't care for Adobe Programs) so my experience has been with cdr to dxf. I also prefer Rhino (I can't handle AutoCAD) and practice a project first on cardboard or a sacrifice like material. Then I know for sure that my project will meet my expectations and hopefully exceed my customers' expectations. The plt file was originally made for plotters and can result in many lines instead of a smooth flow as a dxf file, IMHO . Again a personal choice that works for me. As you have learned, when using plt output you have to tweak your settings.

OF course your file prep is 90% of your project the remaining 10% is speed power scan gap/dpi settings and how you focus your machine. Keep good records of what works!

Early on I did beta test the Linkmotion Print Driver for the Leetro Controller however IMHO it failed for me. I want to be able to send a job to the laser to engrave and cut in one step. With the Linkmotion you would send the engrave job first and then send the cut job.

As for a new topic - perhaps a "Chinese" post might help to keep it in one place, I am a moderator at "The Chinese Laser Forum" and you can find "Chinese Machine relative/specific topics, there as well.

Now that Chinese machines are gaining more favor here at SMC, I am seeing more post relative or specific to these lasers & its software.

Hope that helps somewhat,

Happy lasering,
Vicki

[Bruce Dorworth]

Vicki, thank you for the information. I have the Leetro MPC03-LV controller.

Bruce

[Vicki Rivrud]

Vicki, thank you for the information. I have the Leetro MPC03-LV controller.

Bruce

The MPC6515 is a stand alone, which gives me usb capability .

MPC03-LV is a PC based Board but it still behaves and relies on Lasercut.


Back to the personal preferance - I prefer to cut or engrave a dxf file. Sometimes a resampled bmp or jpg will engrave okay depending on how I prepped the file.


Hope all this helped . . . . just test different ways and see what is the easiest for you. Trial and erro is the way I learned.


There are many resources on the net that can help or at least are informational . . . . if you need some of these site email or PM me.


Merry Christmas,
Vicki

[Bruce Dorworth]

Vicki, I am impressed. Yes, my system does have a PC card instead of a USB. I thought my machine was coming with a Usb , but it seems the same model number comes both ways.

Bruce