Print and Cut with Signcut/Inkscape on Mac

[loveandjoy]

Please help! I can't figure this out. I have been trying for weeks now. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm trying to make some announcements/thank yous for my new baby boy and it's getting later and later to send these out. Before I know it..he'll be one and I still won't be able to figure this out.
Here are all my issues:
-I make all my files in Adobe Illustrator. When I bring it into Inkscape they are not to size. So I take the measurements in Illustrator and make them in Inkscape.
-When I print from Inkscape my entire image doesn't show up. I seemed to just print from Illustrator but match the registration and die line in Inkscape and my file from Illustrator (svg).
-So far I get everything to work but once I get the 3-point registration set. It is still a bit off. Also it is not cutting my entire shape and it makes random lines when it starts to cut and when it ends cutting. It doesn't finish cutting the entire shape. It's very frustrating. Also I've only been using a pen but I sent the Blade offset to 0 for the pen. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I'm just getting more and more frustrated. It's been weeks and finding time to do this with a 6 month old is hard as it is. I get about an hour to 3 hours and I still can't figure it out. I've spent about 15 hours trying to figure this out. My husband wants me to get rid of my Cougar but I know in my heart it can do what I want it to do and that this is all just a learning curve. Please if anyone can help me...I'd be so happy to be able to use my Cougar correctly. I have a 15 inch Cougar and I'm Mac Based. Is this my issue? Thanks in advance-Joy

[Phyllis]

I'm sure you have calibrated your Cougar but just asking.

[loveandjoy]

Yes it seems like it is offset by X: -16.9mm and Y: 25mm. Altho It's still off and not cutting the whole shape. Oh and when I do the preview without the simple contour cut it will cut the whole shape so I'm not sure what is going on. I think not only is it off and not cutting the whole shape but if it did the shape would be smaller than the printout. Is that possible since it's the same file? BTW-Thanks so much for helping me.

[Phyllis]

I'm not sure if I can be of any help since I can't even do a print and cut with Signcut, I'm on a Mac also and Dawn says there is a glitch in the Mac version of Signcut doing PNC, but my problem wasn't the same as yours. I don't have a clue as I just quit using Signcut and went with MTC. Hopefully, someone who has experience with Signcut will jump on here and help, there are lots of users who use it all the time and love it.

[Thyme]

Hi Joy,
Would you like to either email me your print and cut file, or attach it here so I can take a look at it. If we can eliminate that as a problem then we can move onto the next possibility

[loveandjoy]

Hi Dawn-I'll email it to you tonight when I get home. I made the file with Inkscape and Illustrator. Thanks in advance. What programs do you use on the MAC for PNC? I also read somewhere in one of the forums that a new MAC program is coming out for PNC? Any updates?

Hi Phyllis-Do you run MTC on a PC parallel? How do you PNC's come out now? I'm trying to keep this machine. My husband is saying that if I don't figure it out soon I have to get rid of my cougar. I just got it. Are they going to fix the glitch?

Oh I was also wondering if anyone knows if there is a guide somewhere that has f/v settings for different materials? Like if I wanted to do a vinyl and not cut all the way through or kiss-cut a sticker, etc.

[Thyme]

Ok.
I use Signcut and Inkscape on the Mac.
There is a major update due very soon for Signcut

[Phyllis]

Loveandjoy, I used to run MTC with VMWare Fusion but I now run it on a Windows laptop. My PNC's are great thru MTC. As far as vinyl, I'm just getting into that but what has worked best for me is from 24-45 force depending on the vinyl, which I have two different kinds right now and I always keep my speed under 200 just my preference. I find the 45 degree blade works best for me too but it varies from user to user.

I certainly hope your husband will give you some time to get these things worked out because this is a fabulous machine, just take it slow and easy and try not to get frustrated. Dawn goes way beyond the normal customer service to get things figured out.

Oh I see in Dawn's post that a major update is coming out for Signcut.

[loveandjoy]

Thanks Phyllis! I haven't even tried any of the blades yet. Only the pen but this info is good to know since getting the right force I would think would take a lot of trial and error.

[Thyme]

Joy, replied to your email, but forgot to say that when you do your final calibration use the blade as the blade and pen can sit in fractionally different places