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Eric Allen
11-10-2015, 5:05 PM
So, I think the fact that Corel can't do a real single-stroke font has been beaten to death, wondering if anyone knows of a reasonably priced engraving program that has similar features that will do it? I had high hopes for ArtCAM, but sadly it doesn't seem to be able to print directly to a driver, it certainly doesn't see any of my printers or the laser driver. At $149, that would have been a great solution, I can live with that. I'm looking for a program that I can draw up my file and print directly from without a bunch of conversion, centerline trace, using the Hershey plugin with inkscape, etc. because of the need to do a lot of serial numbers. Anyone aware of a program that will do that without me mortgaging the house?

Gary Hair
11-10-2015, 7:05 PM
It's not that Corel can't do single line fonts, it's a TTF/OT font issue. You can, however, use a cad/cam program to type in whatever text you like and export to dxf then import into corel. I have a customer that provides me with that type of text quite often and it works perfect. I also have a single line font with my fiber that works perfectly.

Eric Allen
11-10-2015, 7:51 PM
You mean you have a single-line font that works in Corel, or some other route? I haven't found one that does. Some look like single line fonts, but ultimately the laser traces them twice because they're still a hollow outline with fill. I'm trying to avoid that whole "type it in another program and then bring it into Corel" mess, doing hundreds of parts that way is incredibly time consuming when I have to do them 20 at a time. I tried pulling in some actual single-stroke fonts and they all had glitches.

Mayo Pardo
11-11-2015, 12:07 AM
Eric are you sure when you're engraving the fonts from Corel that you have No Outline selected?
You would right click in the color pallet on the white box which has the X in it to specify No Outline.
I know Corel X5 comes with a bunch of engraving fonts which are supposed to be single line.
I haven't tried any though.

Gary Hair
11-11-2015, 12:30 AM
You mean you have a single-line font that works in Corel, or some other route? I haven't found one that does. Some look like single line fonts, but ultimately the laser traces them twice because they're still a hollow outline with fill. I'm trying to avoid that whole "type it in another program and then bring it into Corel" mess, doing hundreds of parts that way is incredibly time consuming when I have to do them 20 at a time. I tried pulling in some actual single-stroke fonts and they all had glitches.

No, there is no single line font for Corel, or any windows program that uses ttf or otf files. What I was referring to was typing the text in a cad/cam program and importing it into Corel. Sure, it's a pain to do, but there is no other way to get a single line to represent a letter.

Gary Hair
11-11-2015, 12:31 AM
Eric are you sure when you're engraving the fonts from Corel that you have No Outline selected?
You would right click in the color pallet on the white box which has the X in it to specify No Outline.
I know Corel X5 comes with a bunch of engraving fonts which are supposed to be single line.
I haven't tried any though.

The engraving fonts in Corel are Truetype fonts and therefore can't have a single line. TTF must have a closed loop that comprises each character. Outlined or not, you still have two lines, albeit very close together.

Scott Shepherd
11-11-2015, 7:54 AM
The CamBam fonts don't work for you?

http://www.mrrace.com/CamBam_Fonts/

Eric Allen
11-11-2015, 10:01 AM
I think I'd have the same issues I do now, it would still trace it twice. That page says your router will trace them twice, Gary pointed out why. That's what's got me looking outside Corel.



The CamBam fonts don't work for you?

http://www.mrrace.com/CamBam_Fonts/

Eric Allen
11-11-2015, 10:16 AM
That may have been the one thing I wasn't clear on when I started the thread, I have to run the output as a vector, that method confines it to raster, that's where the need for a single line comes in. If not for that, you suggestion would have been perfect:) That may be why people have been focusing on Corel despite my clarifying that it doesn't work in that application, there have been several discussion on the forum where it's been done over and over with no success because of the problem Gary cites.


Eric are you sure when you're engraving the fonts from Corel that you have No Outline selected?
You would right click in the color pallet on the white box which has the X in it to specify No Outline.
I know Corel X5 comes with a bunch of engraving fonts which are supposed to be single line.
I haven't tried any though.

Eric Allen
11-11-2015, 10:26 AM
That's exactly why I'm looking outside Corel and the whole TT system, it's a waste of time from a business perspective. They tried at some point but just don't understand what we need or aren't willing to put the time into what for them is probably a niche market. ArtCAM may work after all, I'm working with one of their reps, it's just my demo copy that doesn't seem to be able to see the print drivers, so that may be the thing I'm looking for, i'll update on here if it works. In the mean time maybe someone will have a freeware / cheapware suggestion that meets the criteria I initially set out.


No, there is no single line font for Corel, or any windows program that uses ttf or otf files. What I was referring to was typing the text in a cad/cam program and importing it into Corel. Sure, it's a pain to do, but there is no other way to get a single line to represent a letter.

George M. Perzel
11-11-2015, 11:21 AM
Hi Guys;
I am confused as I have been using the 10 CamBam single line fonts in Corel for at least 4 years with no problems. Maybe it just works because I don't know any better........
Best Regards,
George
Laserarts

Bill George
11-11-2015, 11:38 AM
AutoCad usually installs a lot of single line fonts, not sure if my current AutoCad Lt 2008 did or not as I am using my IPad right now.

Eric Allen
11-11-2015, 11:48 AM
It's unlikely that you'd get a single pass since that font is comprised of overlapping lines to make windows recognize it as a TT font. Seems like I've tried that one before, the easiest way to see the effect is to make a large letter O or 0, set the vector to 5% or so and watch as it runs over it twice.


Hi Guys;
I am confused as I have been using the 10 CamBam single line fonts in Corel for at least 4 years with no problems. Maybe it just works because I don't know any better........
Best Regards,
George
Laserarts

Eric Allen
11-11-2015, 11:54 AM
That might be worth pursuing, I have AutoDesk 360 but it's overly complicated for my present skillset. If AutoCAD is under the same free licensing for students and small cap businesses, it could work out. I'm trying LibreCAD at the moment, so far the fonts tested aren't vectoring and the process of creating objects and such isn't native to my way of thinking. One of the other tricky parts has been identifying which fonts are "stick fonts", people referencing them aren't calling them single-stroke fonts, but searching for it hasn't brought up a list of the ones that supposedly are.


AutoCad usually installs a lot of single line fonts, not sure if my current AutoCad Lt 2008 did or not as I am using my IPad right now.

Gary Hair
11-11-2015, 12:31 PM
because of the need to do a lot of serial numbers. Anyone aware of a program that will do that without me mortgaging the house?

What material are you marking? if it's something a fiber could handle then you might want to consider a new machine for this purpose. Even as basic as the software is that came with my fiber, it can handle auto-generating serial numbers and it has stick/single line fonts just for this purpose. It's not an inconsequential purchase, but it could take a time consuming job and streamline it considerably as well as open up lots of new business. Just a thought.

Rich Harman
11-11-2015, 1:51 PM
I think I'd have the same issues I do now, it would still trace it twice. That page says your router will trace them twice, Gary pointed out why. That's what's got me looking outside Corel.

Is there such a thing as a font that is truly a single line, that can be used in place of standard fonts?

The work-around of exporting, then removing the duplicate lines only takes a minute - unless you don't have a simple way to get rid of duplicate lines. LaserWorks does have an easy way to remove duplicate lines but surely other lasers must have something similar...

Eric Allen
11-11-2015, 1:55 PM
I'm entertaining that route, the parts I currently do won't support the expense so those new lines of business would have to open up rather quickly. I'd like to stay married:D For now I'm hoping to nail down a software because it's probably out there, just buried under a lot of hassle to find. I only need a slight improvement to make them better, I believe a single-stroke font would do the trick. Mike Null has a fiber project brewing that I've put my name in on, just have to see what he's cooking up and the time frame, for now software will have to do. A very nice guy at livinfrared said a meniscus lens might give me a little improvement because the plano-convex used is sloppy by comparison, but before I plunk down $250 for a lens I'd like to be sure it's a solution. I'm fairly certain software will get the job done cheaper, just need to find the right one.


What material are you marking? if it's something a fiber could handle then you might want to consider a new machine for this purpose. Even as basic as the software is that came with my fiber, it can handle auto-generating serial numbers and it has stick/single line fonts just for this purpose. It's not an inconsequential purchase, but it could take a time consuming job and streamline it considerably as well as open up lots of new business. Just a thought.

Rich Harman
11-11-2015, 2:00 PM
Is there such a thing as a font that is truly a single line, that can be used in place of standard fonts?

So to answer my own question, no. There does seem to exist single stroke fonts that will trace only once, but they require the program to accept them, they are not universal.

From OneLineFonts.com;

Each font/s you purchase will include 4 TTF font files:



Universal- The universal font format has curved single line shapes designed to have minimal lifts, but your machine will likely trace the path twice. This format should work with most programs.
SP- The 'SP' format will contain (SP) in the name, for straight path, is more specialized and is designed to trace the path only once. The SP format does require that curves be made up of lines, and thus far has been confirmed to be effective in Camworks® (http://www.camworks.com/) and SolidCam.
OC- The 'OC' format for open curve uses bezier curves & traces only once. It requires that the software provider make a simple adjustment to ensure that the 'OC' font files are rendered correctly. FeatureCAM 2014, Make the Cut (http://www.makethecut.com/), Rhinoceros® (http://www.rhino3d.com/), Text Sketcher® (http://www.textsketcher.com/), SolidWorks 2014 (http://www.solidworks.com/), Visualmill®, & WoodWOP2014 (http://www.homag-group.com/en-en/products/Pages/products_overview.aspx)currently have a "single line font" feature that will correctly draw this font format.
OPF- The .opf (open path) font extension is recognized only by Make The Cut® (http://www.make-the-cut.com/) to have a clean single line font with curved lines that only trace once.

Eric Allen
11-11-2015, 2:04 PM
There are truly single line fonts, but nothing that Corel can use directly. You would think Epilog being as large as they are would have an option like that, but I'm not aware of anything in the driver. I've hunted around and come up empty, doubtless others have as well since this is an ongoing issue for many of us. I suppose I'll have to ask just on the chance it can work out, what is the full process for the workaround that you're referencing?


Is there such a thing as a font that is truly a single line, that can be used in place of standard fonts?

The work-around of exporting, then removing the duplicate lines only takes a minute - unless you don't have a simple way to get rid of duplicate lines. LaserWorks does have an easy way to remove duplicate lines but surely other lasers must have something similar...

Tony Lenkic
11-11-2015, 2:26 PM
Eric,

Call up Lamro LLC. They have written the fonts for many rotary engravers and those are single line for sure.
I can use Xenetech single line font and send it to laser to vector mark. I avoid doing this since fonts are poorly made (broken lines in many cases). Lamro may have better set for this application.

George M. Perzel
11-11-2015, 3:02 PM
Hi Folks;
I would really appreciate someone taking a moment and explain what the problem is. Attached is a small Corel file (X4) with Sawmill Creek spelled in three different CamBam fonts. If I set the line thickness to hairline I can vector engrave them on my conventional, western type, RF Laserpro machine. If I change the thickness to say,2 pt, I can scan engrave them on the same machine. If I export the file as an AI file to my Chinese machine, again I can vector engrave them. I really do not understand what the issue is- unless someone wants a different font type.

Rich Harman
11-11-2015, 3:03 PM
There are truly single line fonts, but nothing that Corel can use directly.

My point was that there are no single line fonts that can be used just like a standard TTF - they have limited applications.



You would think Epilog being as large as they are would have an option like that, but I'm not aware of anything in the driver. I've hunted around and come up empty, doubtless others have as well since this is an ongoing issue for many of us. I suppose I'll have to ask just on the chance it can work out, what is the full process for the workaround that you're referencing?

Export as curves to a dxf, import into LaserWorks, select the graphic, click "Handle", "Delete Overlap", then change the tolerance if you need to (I never have) and click "Okay".

This thread has some discussion on deleting duplicate lines in Corel and AutoCad;

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?143452-Corel-how-to-remove-duplicate-curves-lines-globally-in-a-document

Rich Harman
11-11-2015, 3:04 PM
... I can vector engrave them on my conventional, western type, RF Laserpro machine. If I change the thickness to say,2 pt, I can scan engrave them on the same machine. If I export the file as an AI file to my Chinese machine, again I can vector engrave them. I really do not understand what the issue is- unless someone wants a different font type.

When you vector, does it trace the lines twice?

Kev Williams
11-11-2015, 6:11 PM
Nobody will like this fix: Gravostyle... Do all of your text layout and editing work in Gravostyle then just export the whole job as a DXF into Corel.

I suppose autocad programs can do this, but no one has a bigger selection of single-line fonts than New Hermes, and Gravostyle is pretty easy once you figure it out, it's not much different than Corel. (I've never found Autocad to be anything BUT a complete pain to figure out)

The main issue with Gravostyle is money- it iisn't cheap, although I'm sure used copies can be bought for a decent price. For simple text purposes, any 'discovery' version will be fine. The fonts themselves aren't free either unfortunately, although several come standard...

William Adams
11-11-2015, 6:45 PM
Inkscape has support for the (single-stroke) Hershey fonts: http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2011/hershey-text-an-inkscape-extension-for-engraving-fonts/

Bill George
11-11-2015, 8:14 PM
That might be worth pursuing, I have AutoDesk 360 but it's overly complicated for my present skillset. If AutoCAD is under the same free licensing for students and small cap businesses, it could work out. I'm trying LibreCAD at the moment, so far the fonts tested aren't vectoring and the process of creating objects and such isn't native to my way of thinking. One of the other tricky parts has been identifying which fonts are "stick fonts", people referencing them aren't calling them single-stroke fonts, but searching for it hasn't brought up a list of the ones that supposedly are.

I downloaded and tried LibreCAD for maybe an hour or so and ended up with QCAD. They have two versions the limited one called the trial or community software and the Pro version which I purchased and I think it was $37 USD. It has single line fonts as well as the AutoCAD LT 2008 package.
I just used QCAD and the CourierCAD font one of the single line fonts that came with it, sure looks like single line to me. Exported as a SVG instead of DXF to see and it went right into Corel X6. Not sure if it will engrave as a vector font as my machine is out in the cold shop and I would normally use VCarve Pro to test, but its not on this laptop. Might give it a try tomorrow.

Eric Allen
11-12-2015, 10:38 AM
This looked really promising, and it was in keeping with the original criteria for the post. I tried a few test runs, it didn't work to vector. Tried pushing the "line weight" way down, since it appears to alter the line thickness. It was well within the Epilog driver limits of size for vectoring but didn't vector, just raster. Not sure if that's the font itself, or some other issue that I'm just not familiar enough with QCAD to solve. I'll be interested to see your results and any ideas you may have on this one.:)


I downloaded and tried LibreCAD for maybe an hour or so and ended up with QCAD. They have two versions the limited one called the trial or community software and the Pro version which I purchased and I think it was $37 USD. It has single line fonts as well as the AutoCAD LT 2008 package.
I just used QCAD and the CourierCAD font one of the single line fonts that came with it, sure looks like single line to me. Exported as a SVG instead of DXF to see and it went right into Corel X6. Not sure if it will engrave as a vector font as my machine is out in the cold shop and I would normally use VCarve Pro to test, but its not on this laptop. Might give it a try tomorrow.

Eric Allen
11-12-2015, 12:45 PM
I actually spoke to a Gravo rep who recommended against purchasing the software. He said that in some way it was blocked from functioning by Epilog, although I'm starting to suspect it may be an output issue rather than direct blocking. I find it more likely that the driver just doesn't understand the output correctly, as Epilog has no stake in Corel that I'm aware of. I do understand your export idea, it just doesn't meet the one-shot design and print criteria I'm aiming for. I'm thinking in this big-ole world of software, it's out there, figured our forum could find it if anyone can:)


Nobody will like this fix: Gravostyle... Do all of your text layout and editing work in Gravostyle then just export the whole job as a DXF into Corel.

I suppose autocad programs can do this, but no one has a bigger selection of single-line fonts than New Hermes, and Gravostyle is pretty easy once you figure it out, it's not much different than Corel. (I've never found Autocad to be anything BUT a complete pain to figure out)

The main issue with Gravostyle is money- it iisn't cheap, although I'm sure used copies can be bought for a decent price. For simple text purposes, any 'discovery' version will be fine. The fonts themselves aren't free either unfortunately, although several come standard...

Bill George
11-12-2015, 1:32 PM
Well when I did an export out of QCAD with DXF into Corel X6 it kept wanting to substitute fonts. When I did it as a SVG there was none of that nonsense. It came in as lines, and I changed the line weight to "Hairline" and the color to one of the ones ULS uses. In my ULS printer driver that color is set as vector only, so it will either be done as vector... or not at all.
I will head out later this afternoon to try. Taking it a little easy today as I had some minor surgery yesterday.

Eric Allen
11-12-2015, 1:48 PM
No rush, I was looking for a program that doesn't involve create and export, just create and print to the laser driver. It's amazing what a chore that is, I'm starting to suspect the driver as the restricting factor since no CAD program I have tried to date vectors. A point of interest though, they do raster, so that's strange if it was the driver ...



Well when I did an export out of QCAD with DXF into Corel X6 it kept wanting to substitute fonts. When I did it as a SVG there was none of that nonsense. It came in as lines, and I changed the line weight to "Hairline" and the color to one of the ones ULS uses. In my ULS printer driver that color is set as vector only, so it will either be done as vector... or not at all.
I will head out later this afternoon to try. Taking it a little easy today as I had some minor surgery yesterday.

Bill George
11-12-2015, 2:43 PM
OK Here you go. I made some adjustments in the focus and power on the bottom one, and I am not knowledgeable on how many single line fonts that come with QCAD. My laser is 50 watt ULS, top was done at 50% power 100% speed, bottom about 8 mm out of focus and 70% power 100% speed on Birch.

Eric Allen
11-12-2015, 4:13 PM
Just to be clear, this was not burned directly from QCAD, it was exported as SVG, then imported to Corel, correct? Also, was that one line for each letter, or did it go all the way around them? Just from appearances it's hard to tell, it almost looks rastered in both sections (obviously out of focus on the second one accounts for that).

P.S., thanks for the effort in any case, really nice of you to take the time in spite of the recent surgery:)


OK Here you go. I made some adjustments in the focus and power on the bottom one, and I am not knowledgeable on how many single line fonts that come with QCAD. My laser is 50 watt ULS, top was done at 50% power 100% speed, bottom about 8 mm out of focus and 70% power 100% speed on Birch.

Kev Williams
11-12-2015, 4:32 PM
Gravostyle won't run an Epilog, but it doesn't need to. Any job that can be 'built' in Corel can be built in Gravostyle. I import/export DXF and EPS files all day every day between 2 different Casmate's, NH Opensys, Corel, Gravostyle 5 and Gravostyle 7. No single program does everything I want or need, I use what's best for what I need done. The importing/exporting between programs only takes a couple of seconds.

If I had to do all my graphics with only any two of the programs I use, I'd never get anything done!


.

Bill George
11-12-2015, 5:48 PM
Eric it made the lines like you would do with a pencil or pen, it did not retrace. Like I said, I did the DXF first but Corel was wanting to change the fonts. The one thingI did not try was printing to the laser directly from QCAD with the ULS driver? I do not know how the Epilog driver works, perhaps others with more experience can help.

Ross Moshinsky
11-12-2015, 6:00 PM
Gravostyle won't run an Epilog, but it doesn't need to. Any job that can be 'built' in Corel can be built in Gravostyle. I import/export DXF and EPS files all day every day between 2 different Casmate's, NH Opensys, Corel, Gravostyle 5 and Gravostyle 7. No single program does everything I want or need, I use what's best for what I need done. The importing/exporting between programs only takes a couple of seconds.

If I had to do all my graphics with only any two of the programs I use, I'd never get anything done!

Gravostyle will "run" any laser just like Corel will. File -> Print -> Epilog Driver/Laser. Simple as can be.

I do think you devalue what can be involved in importing/exporting. For example, bringing a job from Illustrator/Corel that isn't drawn correctly and you will have a hell of a time bringing it into Gravostyle and getting it work properly. Like you, I use plenty of different programs and import/export regularly, but I do so with a full knowledge of what works and what doesn't. It's very easy to go down a time sucking worm hole if you don't know what works and what doesn't.

Bill George
11-12-2015, 6:25 PM
Ross and Kev, that's where your experience shows, knowing what to do and when.

Eric Allen
11-12-2015, 8:49 PM
The .dxf issue is normal, there are lots of fonts in the CAD world that have no direct analog in TT. .DXF is kind of a crappy format to import into Corel, they behave very differently so the way things are closed and filled can be a real hassle.
Direct printing would be ideal. I'm avoiding any import/export like the plague, it just ads an area of risk where I've only got .005 on a good day for clearance before the part is toasted to begin with. Thus far the driver will only raster. Vectoring is a simple matter in the Epilog driver. You just have to set the line width to less than .007 (most of us just use "hairline") and let 'er rip, from Corel at least:) The closest adjustment I could find was a metric one, so I set the line width way below the threshold and it was still raster-only. I suspect someone will stumble onto the one little change that will make it happen, so far it just hasn't been me:) Come to think of it, that metric thing might be it. I have all the QCAD defaults set to inch/imperial, but that one feature still pops up as metric.


Eric it made the lines like you would do with a pencil or pen, it did not retrace. Like I said, I did the DXF first but Corel was wanting to change the fonts. The one thingI did not try was printing to the laser directly from QCAD with the ULS driver? I do not know how the Epilog driver works, perhaps others with more experience can help.

Roy Sanders
11-13-2015, 8:09 AM
hi George
I downloaded CamBam, will you tell me now how to use it in corel? I am still too new to know this stuff

Roy

Eric Allen
11-13-2015, 11:01 AM
If you mean you downloaded the fonts (CamBam is actually a CNC program), just extract them into your windows fonts folder, then use them like any other font from within Corel.


hi George
I downloaded CamBam, will you tell me now how to use it in corel? I am still too new to know this stuff

Roy

Kev Williams
11-13-2015, 11:31 AM
Gravostyle will "run" any laser just like Corel will. File -> Print -> Epilog Driver/Laser. Simple as can be.
I only wish. Been wishing I could run my ULS from Gravo for years. Yes, the printer driver will send info to a printer or laser, but it won't be anything you can use. The output from the print driver is based on the default dimensions of whatever your default machine is. In my case, if I send a job based on and laid out within the 12x18 table like my ULS, or from any other starting "plate size", the driver fits whatever I send somewhere within the 24x24" LS900 dimensions.

That's just part of the problem Try this yourself-- Make up any job in Gravo, to 8-1/2 x 11 paper size, just some words or simple shapes. Hit the PRINT button, and choose any 'ink' printer then hit "print preview". What you'll get is your job in a bounding box, within the white screen which represents the default machine's dimensions. Notice at the bottom of the screen will be the filename of the job you're printing. Now print it. The printer will print the bounding box AND the filename along with the actual job. And so will any laser you send any job to. There's no fix that I know of for this...

Eric Allen
11-13-2015, 12:27 PM
I tried running vectors from Inkscape, can't get a vector to run at all from there, so even if I wanted to take the extra time with Hershey, it doesn't seem to be an option. Starting to look like a driver issue since I set the line width at .001. Tried just a plain old square and no luck either.

Tony Lenkic
11-13-2015, 5:10 PM
I only wish. Been wishing I could run my ULS from Gravo for years. Yes, the printer driver will send info to a printer or laser, but it won't be anything you can use. The output from the print driver is based on the default dimensions of whatever your default machine is. In my case, if I send a job based on and laid out within the 12x18 table like my ULS, or from any other starting "plate size", the driver fits whatever I send somewhere within the 24x24" LS900 dimensions.

That's just part of the problem Try this yourself-- Make up any job in Gravo, to 8-1/2 x 11 paper size, just some words or simple shapes. Hit the PRINT button, and choose any 'ink' printer then hit "print preview". What you'll get is your job in a bounding box, within the white screen which represents the default machine's dimensions. Notice at the bottom of the screen will be the filename of the job you're printing. Now print it. The printer will print the bounding box AND the filename along with the actual job. And so will any laser you send any job to. There's no fix that I know of for this...


Kev,
I have never worked with gravo program but I do work with Xenetech program for a long time and I can print to either ULS or Trotec print drivers without a problem of any kind. Anything created in program weather text or graphics is engraved to the scale in raster or vector cut, front engraved or reverse engraved if checked as such. I would have expected same from gravostyle.

William Adams
11-13-2015, 7:38 PM
Don’t directly print from Inkscape, save a .svg as the active source, export a .pdf and import that into whatever app you normally use.

Ross Moshinsky
11-14-2015, 10:33 AM
I only wish. Been wishing I could run my ULS from Gravo for years. Yes, the printer driver will send info to a printer or laser, but it won't be anything you can use. The output from the print driver is based on the default dimensions of whatever your default machine is. In my case, if I send a job based on and laid out within the 12x18 table like my ULS, or from any other starting "plate size", the driver fits whatever I send somewhere within the 24x24" LS900 dimensions.

That's just part of the problem Try this yourself-- Make up any job in Gravo, to 8-1/2 x 11 paper size, just some words or simple shapes. Hit the PRINT button, and choose any 'ink' printer then hit "print preview". What you'll get is your job in a bounding box, within the white screen which represents the default machine's dimensions. Notice at the bottom of the screen will be the filename of the job you're printing. Now print it. The printer will print the bounding box AND the filename along with the actual job. And so will any laser you send any job to. There's no fix that I know of for this...

Um, I've used Gravostyle for years with sublimation and many other types of proofs, including larger signage to be done by Gemini and other vendors without an issue. Uncheck the "Include Info" button to get rid of the margin box and file name.

Also the page size is not an issue either. Just setup a page size with your printer. I print full sized PDFs, 18x32 files to my ULS, and all sorts of document sizes from Gravostyle. It's never been a real issue.

Eric Allen
11-14-2015, 5:37 PM
That's exactly the kind of hassle I'm avoiding. On the plus side, for those interested, you CAN vector directly from Inkscape. I found an old bug fix file that discusses exactly why it's a problem and they implemented an extension to fix it specifically because of issues with lasers. I'm not sure how it works on hybrid vector and raster stuff, my application makes that unnecessary. To run a vector directly from Inkscape you have to set you laser as the default system printer, click on "Extensions", click "Export", click "Win32 Vector Print" and that will pop up your laser driver IF you set it as your windows default first. The short version of the issue is the driver Inkscape uses to output files rasterizes, so you have to use their workaround. I suspect a similar issue in many other programs I have tried that don't vector when we need them to. Hopefully this solution will be of value to people that are following this thread, it's "meh" for me, but that's a combination of productivity rate (having to use Hershey Text) and also a laser resolution issue at this point.


Don’t directly print from Inkscape, save a .svg as the active source, export a .pdf and import that into whatever app you normally use.