OK regarding mat sizes inside .mtc...

OK regarding mat sizes inside .mtc...

Postby pigtailpat » November 27th, 2011, 8:45 pm

Hey guys....

I know I am a wee bit behind, I know I know..

It was only recently I did a full install of .mtc 4.0.6 and now have access to the custom mats aspect of the program.

So,

what sizes do I want to make for my cat mats?

I have the usual mat that comes with the machine,

and I have the extra large mat (25 x 28 - shaved down on one edge to fit the 22.5 physical width of the 18" cat).

And,

and I am confused as to if I put in the physical actual area that is available, or, just the cutting area capability, which is less (for instance the available width side to side on the 18 cat is 22.5, but the cutting area is actually 18).

Since the WYSIWYG cutting finally entered my wee brain, I'm now looking to flex my muscles (as pitiful as they are).

Thanks!

Pat
New owner of an 18" cougar and the gazelle...still a newbie at the cougar and will soon explore it............
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Re: OK regarding mat sizes inside .mtc...

Postby Tyler » November 27th, 2011, 9:01 pm

I will be honest that I don't really use it that much, since WYSIWYG is more for a machine that you can't control the start points. If I did use it though, I would just do the cutting area capability.
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Re: OK regarding mat sizes inside .mtc...

Postby kim » November 27th, 2011, 9:46 pm

LOL...I am still stuck on the 12x12 mats, but I would assume that you stick with the mat size you are using (cutting area). It's hard for me to change things....one reason I hate new cars (I have to learn where all the controls are....so I have had a Honda Pilot two times).

One week I am going to do all new things. Just try learning knife point and all of that stuff that I just haven't gotten to. LOL. You are a braver soul than me.
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Re: OK regarding mat sizes inside .mtc...

Postby Tyler » November 27th, 2011, 9:50 pm

Once you learn knife point, you will never switch back, Kim! It is just so much easier!
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Re: OK regarding mat sizes inside .mtc...

Postby kim » November 27th, 2011, 9:55 pm

I know, I know. I just get stuck on something in my brain and it's hard to switch it. I can use the original blade holder with my Cougar and do everything. The click holder is something I am still trying to master. You would think it would be easy, but my cuts just aren't as good. I know it's me and not the holder, but I just need to spend some time coddling the click blade so it will like me.
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Re: OK regarding mat sizes inside .mtc...

Postby Tyler » November 27th, 2011, 10:53 pm

If it works for you, then stick with it!

Is it the new round bottom click holder or the older squared bottom click holder? I had some issues with the older one too, but the new one is awesome.
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Re: OK regarding mat sizes inside .mtc...

Postby kim » November 27th, 2011, 11:02 pm

I have the older one, but when I get my niece the "gotta have it all" package from sherri, I am going to take her click holder since she already has one. So when I give her a present, I will be getting one too! YAY ME!
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Re: OK regarding mat sizes inside .mtc...

Postby iggylover » November 28th, 2011, 12:26 am

Pat,

I made a mat that is 16 x 12 to match my Cougar mat and it helps me figure out in MTC how much space I have to work with on my mat. :)

Don't forget to rename the mat when you make it so it isn't just the default 'Custom Mat'... if you leave it at the default name, there has been a glitch where you are then unable to delete it.
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Re: OK regarding mat sizes inside .mtc...

Postby Angel135612 » November 28th, 2011, 1:10 am

I have to admit that I don't care about mat sizes any longer, since I started using Inkscape and Signcut. I just do my designing in Inkscape then send it to Signcut, put the knife in the corner of the paper so that the rest of the paper is to the left and back of the machine, and just hit cut. No more thinking about where something has to be on the mat, or if the paper I put there, is in the right place or big enough to cut out my design.

I did learn about putting different colors of paper on the mat, and putting the parts of the image where I wanted, when I was using my Cricut, and that was nice not to have to reload the mat for small cuts of different colors.. but that always seemed to take me a long time to get everything on the computer screen and the mat to be just right. Now, I just put my paper on the mat, and select each color to cut in Signcut, and move the blade to each piece of paper... so easy, and don't have to think as much. LOL
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Re: OK regarding mat sizes inside .mtc...

Postby pigtailpat » November 28th, 2011, 6:20 am

The reason why this is significant to me, is that my one intellectual problem with inkscape has been snapping and spacing issues. I will eventually lick it, I had been lazy on trying to overcome that, because I had thought why expend the effort when Dawn is working on a better solution. But since she let us know that she is encountering difficulties of her own, I will go back to that when I can to understand that side of it in inkscape. During the crazy holiday season is not the time to sit down and learn those issues. So, I thought, since I've licked the WYSIWYG cutting on the .mtc side, I could use that to my advantage in the interim. That is why I am now interested in the custom mat size ability. It can potentially help bridge the gap. Previously, what I was doing, was creating on the .mtc side (for spacing issues), and then pasting to inkscape to the cutting via signcut - as I could not for the life of me get the WYSIWYG cutting. Now I got it. For most of my cutting, knifepoint is good enough. But there are definitely times I need vectors correctly spaced in multiple send-offs to the machine. I find that for pen work, it is smoother on the inkscape side. I love that I have options for this machine and I am not tied to a particular way of doing things.

Thanks Iggy.

Pat
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Re: OK regarding mat sizes inside .mtc...

Postby Angel135612 » November 28th, 2011, 9:46 am

Pat, I'm not sure I understand what snapping and spacing issues you have with inkscape. Are you not getting things to snap like you want, or are they snapping when you don't want them to? Did you check your preferences and set your snapping preferences to do what you want it to do?? And the same for spacing.. using the Align and Distribute it makes it very easy to do those things in Inkscape. I guess I just don't understand what issues you are having.
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Re: OK regarding mat sizes inside .mtc...

Postby pigtailpat » November 28th, 2011, 10:28 am

Mental issues, mostly due to math, and doing a grid.....I'll get it eventually.........
New owner of an 18" cougar and the gazelle...still a newbie at the cougar and will soon explore it............
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Re: OK regarding mat sizes inside .mtc...

Postby Trisha » November 28th, 2011, 10:10 pm

Angel135612 wrote:I have to admit that I don't care about mat sizes any longer, since I started using Inkscape and Signcut. I just do my designing in Inkscape then send it to Signcut, put the knife in the corner of the paper so that the rest of the paper is to the left and back of the machine, and just hit cut. No more thinking about where something has to be on the mat, or if the paper I put there, is in the right place or big enough to cut out my design.

I did learn about putting different colors of paper on the mat, and putting the parts of the image where I wanted, when I was using my Cricut, and that was nice not to have to reload the mat for small cuts of different colors.. but that always seemed to take me a long time to get everything on the computer screen and the mat to be just right. Now, I just put my paper on the mat, and select each color to cut in Signcut, and move the blade to each piece of paper... so easy, and don't have to think as much. LOL


That's what I do too, Angel. It is great! And so easy!

Trisha
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