First welcome to the SB user support forum. Looks like you just joined us in the past few weeks and this is your first post and as you indicate, you are "new". Therefore, let me ask you a couple of questions. First, did you buy your cutter new from Sherri in the US or one of the other SB distributors or did you buy it used? If you bought it new, did you register for the SB Learning Center and access and review all of the information contained there yet? If bought used, did you get the original owner to transfer the ownership with the distributor they bought from so that you could get access to the SB Learning Center? While I didn't see any specific information related to the offset/overcuts on a quick review it is a great starting point to learning your machine. It will cover some of the other information that you are asking about in relation to "variables". Another reason i ask if it is new or used, will help us know if you are working with "new" tools or used ones - especially used blades. The correct offset to use with each type of blade should be listed with the package that the blades came in as I recall.
Second, have you looked at the SCAL site for help/information. Most of the SCAL 4 information you find there will be correct even though you have the SCAL 4 Pro version of the program. The main thing is that the Pro version adds a couple of other tools like weeding lines, cut by color selection, and tiling feature. The "basics" are the same whether its SCAL 4 or SCAL 4 Pro. You can find their list of SCAL 4 tutorials/info. here on Craftedge's website:
http://www.craftedge.com/tutorials/tutorials_scal4.phpHere is the blade overcut information from there:
http://www.craftedge.com/tutorials/blad ... .phpSecond and the blade offset:
http://www.craftedge.com/tutorials/blad ... offset.php - You can also see this old thread from here regarding how SCAL handles the "overcut" versus other programs like Silhouette's:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5588In case you are unaware, Craftedge also has a user forum for questions by users related to the software - it can be found here:
http://forum.surecutsalot.com - a good source when you have software specific questions. A further search of this forum should find you plenty of threads and information where different variables and information have been previously shared. Yes, you will need to do a little work searching but it is a treasure trove of information. However, the important thing to remember is that any and all "settings" used by one person will be different from the next person. There are so many "Variables" that come into play that there is no "one and done" in regards to settings and such. How old and used is your mat or is it new - same for blades? Both will have an impact on the settings needed. Material being cut - how intricate is the design? Is it humid or dry where you are? etc., etc. There have been some basic "beginnings" settings shared - they should be considered a good starting point but each user will find their "perfect" settings will vary somewhat. For example - I tend to have to cut vinyl at a much lesser setting then many others. I believe that Penny Duncan had shared a "beginning settings" document in the past. I don't have those because I have learned that I need to find what works with my cutter.
Third, are you setting the speed and pressure via the software or on the cutter directly? You can do it either way. Some prefer one way, others another. To use the settings in the software (and override that on the cutter) you have to make sure you check the box to use the software settings as I recall. I tend to use the one on the cutter but as I said, either should work.
I don't have any software on the computer that I am presently on that I can look at your SVG file its self at the moment however, from looking at your "test" file image - I would not consider this a "good" file to test with. Is the image one of one "continuous line" so that there is no blade lifting and it is just one continuous cut swiveling around the corners or is each line segment its own line so that it cuts the line, then lifts the blade and holder, turns and puts it back down and cuts the next line, lifts again, etc? Looks like from the image that it may be individual lines. To find the proper offset, use the one listed for your blade you are using. In my opinion, you really only need a couple of basic shapes to test your settings to make sure they are cutting correctly.
While I have not given you specifics - A, B, C answers I hope I have given you some basic information and sources of where to start to learn your cutter and the tools available. The key is to take your time, don't work with a deadline and play with the machine and the program and the different media you are wanting to work with in order to learn your machine and the proper settings. Once you learn that, it is fairly easy to use. I am sure others will be along at some point to give your further insight.