Turning Cutting Mat Sideways to Use!

[customcreations]

Hi there, just started using my SB tonight and as I have read is common, I am so frustrated lol! I am trying to cut cardstock and no matter what I do, it wont cut through. So I am trying to do a multi-pass and that seems to work but the problem is it isn't cutting though all over, only on one side.

I have a 24" cutter and I only bought 24" mats thinking I wouldn't really need anything smaller. However, I did not buy a table to attach to my cutter so my mat hangs over both ends and I think this is what is making my cuts weird. I want to turn the mat sideways in the cutter and cut this way but even though I turn the mat to horizontal in SCAL it still cuts as though it is portrait.

This may sound really confusing to you all, sorry about that! I really need to get this dang thing to work for me, I have some wedding invitations I need to do STAT!

[Elizabeth]

You could try using some books or boxes in place of the tables to support your mat.

I used alternatives to the tables for a couple of years with my Cougars, but when I switched to the Silver Bullet, I got the tables, and I think they are truly worth the splurge. They really do make a difference in the quality of my cuts.

As far as SCAL goes, I should be getting ready for work, so don't have time to play around with it, but as a quick fix, you could make your mat bigger, rotate your designs by 90 degrees, and cut using origin point. I'm sure someone else will have a better answer to your portrait vs landscape issue, but this should work in a pinch.

[LisaH]

customcreations Yes, the tables are a must in my opinion, they make the biggest difference. So most definitely use something to substitute until you can get them.

When you select your mat size, there is a place for a “custom� mat, just click on that, and enter the values as 24 w x 12 h (or whatever size your mat is) and this should solve the problem. It will make the mat go into the machine at the 24� width instead of the 12� width.

What values (F & V) are you using to cut the cardstock? What weight cardstock? Also what blade/holder? Always supply as much information to us as possible, this will help speed the answers along.

***for all those that try to read this information in the Learning Center - it is not available to the general public - but once you have purchased, applied, been verified and approved - you will be able to as well****
Also if you haven't read it yet, the FAQ section in the Learning Center has some great information for new users as well as a link to a chart that Penny Duncan created with the settings she uses for the different media that she cuts. Here is the link to that page, which contains some settings as well, but also the link for Penny's chart is at the bottom. http://learn.silverbulletcutters.com/fa ... -my-media/

[kim]

Just thought I would pop in and put in what I used as an alternative to the tables while they were being designed and manufactured......paper. Reams of paper. Books work well also. Just stack them to conform to the back and front of the machine. Take poster board (the flimsy stuff) and cut to size (width) and take painters tape and tape to front and back of machine (you will need two poster boards). The tables are a must....and much prettier to look at than the alternative but until you can get the tables, this will work in a bind.

[Suzan]

I made mine from Foam Core, Can't buy the tables, my four legged kitties are too interested in my machine, Mats make a big difference.

[PennyDuncan]

My cat tried that a couple of times.....but I think after slinging her across the room several times she's FINALLY learned to STAY AWAY FROM MY ARTHaven!!!!! LOL Yes...I KNOW that was mean!!!! But you must learn to NEVER NEVER NEVER mess with Penny's ARTHaven!!!! LOL

[kim]

Don't have cats but my dog wouldn't even come into my craft room. NO ONE dared enter unless invited. And I never had to say a word.....they just knew. At dad's house, my dog does come into the craft space put he has a little rug he likes to lay on. He has gotten into some of my craft stuff but after a few spankings, he now tries to be sneaky but I catch him, give him a look and he backs away. For some reason, he loves the ribbons. and feathers....he will sit and whine and look sadly at the drawer that has the feathers. LOL.

[customcreations]

I am using paper that is somewhere between 90 and 110lbs. It is not marked. The blade I got the best cut with was the 45 degree detail, F=100, V=200, double cut. The 60 degree detail just tore the top part of my cuts and did not cut all the way through and the regular 45 and 60 degree blades did not cut all the way though no matter the force.

I will make makeshift tables tonight to hopefully help with the double cut being accurate.

I own a custom invitation business so I do a lot of intricate cuts and really have to figure this thing out soon lol. I'll attach a screen shot of an example that I'm having to redraw in Illustrator because I did not have the designer version of Silhouette. This one I actually did trace in SCAL but it didn't produce quite as smooth of lines as I'd like to see. I'll play and figure it out. Wish I had 8 hours a day to figure this out and nail it.

Thanks for all the help. I'll get the tables as soon as I can afford them! I did try to make my mat 24" x 12" and still it showed it going through my cutter lenthwise even setting the point of origin on my cutter. Is there a way to set the point of origin in SCAL?

[Gigi]

You can put books, reams of paper, whatever will give you some height to level out the mat. That's what many of us did before the tables existed!

That weight is not that thick - you should not have to double cut. And this machine works much better at a higher velocity. many of us have done quite detailed designs at 700-800 and the cuts are actually better. The machine is made to cut better at a higher speed (unless you are cutting something like fabric or something very dense..... )

Setting your mat as Lisa described in SCAL should turn it so it goes in the correct way. Are you sure you have the numbers in the right place? It's not about setting the origin - it's about the orientation of the mat. Until you get it figured out, you could do as Elizabeth suggested and rotate your design.

This machine is wonderful, but it takes time to learn the ins and outs of it. Try to be patient with yourself. I realize you have a deadline, but at some point you need to give yourself time to get comfortable with the software and the machine.

Keep us posted as to what is working and what isn't. We will help as much as we can!!

[customcreations]

Well, the double cut worked so at least now I know I can cut through something HAHA! I am going to try just a bit higher force and perhaps a faster velocity to see if that works with just one pass. I rigged up some books on the rollers of my stand and then added a piece of cardboard and that helped keep my mat flat. It is a good starting point to have finally. I know if I can't get the paper for my client figured out I can you by Cameo as a back up, last resort. My time is pretty limited as I have a full time job, my business, and a one year old

Thank you all for your help! Big learning curve but a good one. SCAL will probably be the trickiest for me to learn. Anybody know why when I import my image from Illustrator, it reflects half of my lines and the other half stay the same? But it only reflects one line? See screen shot... right hand side of the image. It looks normal in Illustrator.

Again thanks for all the help. I cannot wait to know this machine well enough to give someone else some help haha!

[customcreations]

Nevermind! Tried saving it as an svg. file and it worked!

[Gigi]

Also you can download an Illustrator plug in from the craftedge site and then you can send to SCAL straight from Illustrator to cut which would eliminate your having to save as an svg. It's a free download. http://www.craftedge.com/download/download_extras.html

[customcreations]

Wow thank you! I will have to try that. I can say I am not a huge fan of SCAL since I am so used to designing in Illustrator. Thanks so much!

[Gigi]

SCAL works beautifully in enabling these machines to cut. But a lot of users design in Illustrator or CorelDraw or Inkscape. It's all in what you are used to and he has made it easy with plugins for all to easily cut to SCAL. Hope that helps. Good luck!