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View Full Version : Turning an 'Arghh!' into an 'Aha!'



Steve Busey
11-06-2012, 8:05 AM
I've done this before. If I'm trying to engrave some text or graphic on an item, I'll put a vector box around it and run the vector box only, with the lid up and red pointer on, just to check positioning. When everything's in proper position, I'll run the engraving job without the vector. Most times.

Every so often, I'll mess up and somehow leave the vector job active when I put the lid down, and end up with a not so nice box around my engraving. Grrrrrr....

Finally had an 'Aha!' moment, and went into the speed/power settings on the Epilog properties dialog. Pulled up each setting that I established for engraving, and set the vector power down to zero, then saved the setting back. The red dot still traces the border, but no line gets burned, even if I screw up and leave vector mode active during an engraving. Aha!!

What 'Aha!' moments/tricks/techniques have you come up with to prevent screw ups?

Mike Null
11-06-2012, 8:11 AM
Don't use a vector box--there's no need.

Mike Troncalli
11-06-2012, 8:32 AM
I understand what you are saying about using a vector box. I always do mine in yellow when rastoring so that the laser doesn't pick it up. However I ALWAYS use blue painters tape and set my power to 10% on the first run of any job just to make sure everything engraves how I want.

Steve Busey
11-06-2012, 8:38 AM
Don't use a vector box--there's no need.

Mike, on one-off jobs, it's the only way I've found to make sure text or graphic is properly centered on my piece, especially something on my rotary jig. If I try the test in raster mode, the red dot overshoots the final result by over half an inch on each side. The vector outline lets me see just where the end result will be. How do you position your raster work, for example, a graphic and name on a mug?

Mike Null
11-06-2012, 9:12 AM
Steve

I don't have a rotary device but my practice is to find the center of the item to be engraved then position my red dot there. Then I send my drawing to the engraver and move it to the laser (red dot). It's repeatable as well if I have many of a particular item to engrave--just by positioning the center under the red dot and hitting repeat.

The drawing must be "selected only" rather than page size. That means only the actual engraving is sent to the engraver not the page or plate.

Chuck Stone
11-06-2012, 7:26 PM
Mike, on one-off jobs, it's the only way I've found to make sure text or graphic is properly centered on my piece, especially something on my rotary jig. If I try the test in raster mode, the red dot overshoots the final result by over half an inch on each side. The vector outline lets me see just where the end result will be. How do you position your raster work, for example, a graphic and name on a mug?

Steve.. I do something similar. I just finished engraving 400 clocks made out of slate. I drew the vector box
the same dimensions as the slate, put in the graphics and saved the file. Then I put a sheet of card stock
on the table and lightly ran the file to mark the card stock. Then I just line up the slate on the card stock,
change the vector power to 0 and save the file again. No chance of messing it up even if I forget to
delete the box.

Found that aligning pen parts was tricky, though.. so I did something similar. Drew a vector line at each end
of the file and ran that on a spare tube covered with tape. That way I can watch where it engraves and I can
either fine tune in the software (called offset position in mine) or I can physically nudge the whole rotary unit
over a bit to get the placement I want. But that gives me some absolute limits of engravable area.

Mike Chance in Iowa
11-06-2012, 8:53 PM
What 'Aha!' moments/tricks/techniques have you come up with to prevent screw ups?

I work with multiple layers and only select objects on a certain layer and "print" the selected items only.
With some projects, raster objects are on one layer, vector objects are on another layer - or they are grouped in a way I can quickly select them in Corel via Object Manager.
I only "print" in raster mode or vector mode. I never select combo mode in case I accidentally have a vector selected or Corel does something quirky again with my print driver.
I use blue painters tape to test.
I too use a vector outline & red dot pointer to do a quick test.
For aligning a box that isn't true to the size of the other boxes I'm engraving, I will draw a rectangle of similar size and place an "X" perfectly centered inside the graphic and then print it on my laserjet printer. I then place that sheet of paper in the bottom of my laser engraver. I then use the Center-to-Center feature and align the box on top of the sheet of paper as best I can inside the rectangle I drew.

Even after all the precautions, I still screw up from time to time. :-)

Steve Busey
11-07-2012, 7:15 AM
Then I put a sheet of card stock
on the table and lightly ran the file to mark the card stock. Then I just line up the slate on the card stock,
change the vector power to 0 and save the file again.

pen parts was tricky, though.. ...Drew a vector line at each end of the file and ran that on a spare tube covered with tape. That way I can watch where it engraves and I can either fine tune

Great practical tips, Chuck!

Steve Busey
11-07-2012, 7:19 AM
... I never select combo mode in case I accidentally have a vector selected ...
I use blue painters tape to test. ...I too use a vector outline & red dot pointer to do a quick test.
For aligning a box that isn't true to the size of the other boxes I'm engraving, I will draw a rectangle of similar size and place an "X" perfectly centered inside the graphic and then print it on my laserjet printer. I then place that sheet of paper in the bottom of my laser engraver. I then use the Center-to-Center feature and align the box on top of the sheet of paper as best I can inside the rectangle I drew.

Even after all the precautions, I still screw up from time to time. :-)

More good tips - I'm not sure I'll find that totally "idiot proof" tip, because I'm the number one idiot!

Thanks folks, keep 'em coming, with things you learned the hard way.