Troubleshooting guide

Computerized Controls 4-15
Image Processing Order
When cutting or engraving a graphic image, the laser system will perform all engraving first,
then proceed to cutting. Engraving will proceed in the exact order of the colors listed in the
driver. For example, all black filled objects will engrave first, then all red filled objects, then all
green filled objects and so on. When all engraved objects have been completed, the laser
system will proceed to cut any outlines present in the artwork. Unlike engraving, cutting will
proceed in the order from which the outlines are drawn regardless of color. There are several
different ways to control the order in which the outlines are cut. One way is to draw them in the
exact order in which they need to be cut, but this is not always practical. Another way is to
select the outline in the graphics software and “send it to the back”, behind the other objects, to
cause the outline to be cut first. Bringing the outline “to the front” will cause that outline to cut
last. A final way is to cut and paste each outline in the cutting order desired. This effectively
works the same way as the two previous suggestions.
Overlapping Fills
If the artwork created has overlapping filled areas, the driver will automatically filter these fills to
prevent the overlapped area from being engraved twice. This is similar to color separation in
the printing industry. The entire filled area of the object on top will be engraved and only the
visible part of the underlying filled area will be engraved. The final result is a what-you-see-is-
what-you-get output. In this way the color white can be used as an effective drawing tool.
Since the laser system will not engrave the color white (this is the background color), it can be
used to block out the undesired engraving areas of filled regions and/or bitmaps. However, you
cannot use a white fill to cover an outline, the outline will vector cut even though you cannot
see it on screen.
Overlapping Outlines
The driver does not filter outlines that overlap each other. If placing one outline one on top of
another, both outlines will be cut by the laser system. This is a useful feature that will allow
deeper cutting by passing the laser over a single outline path twice or more. To take advantage
of this feature, duplicate the outline on top of itself.
Hidden Vector Lines in Artwork
The driver does not automatically filter out outlines that are overlapped by engraved objects
such as fills. If there are filled objects with some hidden outlines underneath, the laser system
will then engrave out the fill and cut the hidden outline on top of the fill. This is a common
occurrence when using pre-drawn clipart designed for laser printers. To prevent this from
happening, turn on the Clipart Mode feature in the driver. This feature disables the cutting
mode and converts all visible outlines to engraved objects and ignores all hidden outlines.