I have never succeeded in printing what I want from Silhouette Studio, despite posing quiestions on here and to Support@silhouetteamerica but I think that at last I know where the problem lies. Unfortunately there isn't a solution, though SilAm say that they will pass the problem to their programmers.
I make most of my computer cards from photo paper in Best quality print and this is no problem with other programmes, e.g. Serif PagePlus X2, but of course I want to use my CR330-20 to cut them out, particularly decoupage ones and therein lies the problem. I can usually obtain a proper print in Draft form, though not if I want A5 size, despite the Low Resolution warning, but the print is always corrupt (with blank sections or sections shunted sideways) when I print in photo quality. This means that I can't use any of my photo's or bought files to p&c in normal card sizes. Even the files bought from the SilAm online store won't print in photo quality other than in small sizes. My printer is an HP Photosmart C5280 All-in-One but the problem is not the printer (i.e. it prints perfectly in everything but SS) but something in the transfer from SS to the printer is causing the problem.
Support@Silhouetteamerica have been very good and patient and have examined one of my files, unfortunately it was one in which I'd had to print the image in Serif then import it in order to size the frame I wanted to put round it which led them to think that it was importing from Serif which was the problem. I now intend to send them a file created from one of their own files to see if that will throw anymore light on the problem.
I'm telling you all this in case anyone else has had the same problem so that you will know that it isn't just you!! If a solution can't be found I shall have to consider switching to another machine and programme, albeit reluctantly. I don't really want either the expense or the learning curve but I waste so much time and material trying to achieve my objectives that I am ready to throw in the towel and admit defeat.
Shirley.
Yes and No! The images are usually either JPG or JPEG which when imported and resized do not provide a clean edge to trace, the edges are jagged which I believe are caused by pixilation (?). I know that one can edit the nodes to give a smoother edge but I have neither the time nor the patience to do it. I suspect that there is a way around this but I am not technically knowledgeable enough to know what to do. I have attached (fingers crossed - I've never done this before) a picture of a SilAm file which I enlarged slightly (3.5ins) and added some text. Without the text it printed OK but you can see the result after adding the text - total corruption. If someone can tell me what I am doing wrong I shall be delighted.
Shirley
Sorry it's a bit small. Should have cropped it first. The to left Reg. Mark has repeated 4 times part way down the picture, oblitering the picture and text. The corruptions vary but bits of the picture are often shunted sideways or up or down. Hope this explains what the problem is.
Shirley.
I see what you mean, it does look a bit strange. Maybe someone else has had this problem and managed to solve it although if SA don't know what the answer is......
Hi Karine,
Thank you for your interest. I'm attaching the latest problem file but it is only one of many. It will print fine in draft form or without the addition of text. It is as if asking it to print in photo quality with the addition of text is too much for the software to transmit correctly. It will print fine in Serif PagePlus X2 and all my files will print perfectly from Irfanview, it is only Studio that does this. If you are able to help, especially letting me know if I am doing something wrong, I shall be very grateful. I could also send you copies of the emails from Support@Silhouetteamerica if you like, though the file I sent them was with an imported image from Serif which I was only using in order to size the SS frame, having failed to print from SS. I was so pressed for time that I forgot that it wasn't a SS created p&c file. Hope you understand what I am trying to say!!
Shirley.
Image removed because you are not allowed to post templates in our Chat section. Rosemary
Hi Karine,
Thank you for your interest. I'm attaching the latest problem file but it is only one of many. It will print fine in draft form or without the addition of text. It is as if asking it to print in photo quality with the addition of text is too much for the software to transmit correctly. It will print fine in Serif PagePlus X2 and all my files will print perfectly from Irfanview, it is only Studio that does this. If you are able to help, especially letting me know if I am doing something wrong, I shall be very grateful. I could also send you copies of the emails from Support@Silhouetteamerica if you like, though the file I sent them was with an imported image from Serif which I was only using in order to size the SS frame, having failed to print from SS. I was so pressed for time that I forgot that it wasn't a SS created p&c file. Hope you understand what I am trying to say!!
Shirley.
Hello Shirley,
could you send me the picture that you posted earlier (in this thread) to me directly, email address removed Please?
The quick answer is....
Do a print from a program that will give you the best quality print.
Load the printed paper into your Craft Robo and cut what you want.
I agree the print quality printing from the Craft Robo, Silhouette or Cameo is not the very best quality. I only go into those programs when I am ready to cut or when draft print mode is ok to use.
The problem is this doesn't work if you are trying to print & cut a detailed design - however there's an option called the hinge method which is used for non print & cut machines that does enable you to do this fairly accurately and which I believe can be adapted as follows:
print your design from your graphics software at the size your require
copy your design into Studio - make sure you keep it to the correct size of your printed image
trace it
delete the image leaving just your tracing
enable registration marks
select your tracing
go to Line Style option on top menu bar
tick the Print Lines... box in the window that opens
print the page
send to cut
place your printed image exactly under the cut out
make sure everything is stuck down to the carrier securely
make sure you still have your registration marks selected and send to cut again
Your registration marks will ensure that your machine cuts again at the same place as your cut out - and if you aligned the printed image underneath correctly you should end up with an accurate result.
I've not actually tried this so try a test run first. You can also look at various You Tube videos which show the original method which relies on the cut sheet being taped down and the carrier not being removed from the cutter.
Rosemary
"The main reason people buy those machines [Craft Robos] is to cut out words and lace doily patterns for their scrapbooks."
Thank you for your interest and detailed reply Rosemary. I may give this a try later - I'm about to head out with the dogs for the rest of the day (despite the rain!). The trouble is that I'm not very good at tracing, or rather the quality of traced jpeg images is not good, although I recently had a perfect one. It was only a card stand extracted from a file and I didn't print it, just cut the outline. I can see that p&c is possible with the CR but the amount of time and effort required makes it impractical for me so unless their is a straightforward solution I shall research the market to see if there is a machine and software which will do the job properly without so much effort - if such a machine exists. (If anyone knows of one I should love to hear about it.) There are many things I love about SS but I really want to step up my output. However, I am holding on for a little while as Karine is looking at one of my files to see if she can see what the problem is.
Shirley.
I am not sure why you are having trouble tracing jpeg images as I trace them all the time with no problems, though given the choice I usually trace the png option, but the end result is still good.
Hi Ruth. Don't know why mine are mostly rubbish, some of them are jpg's I think though I don't know how different that is from jpeg. They either have a serrated edge or white lines around, and not even ones either. I know that there are various ways that one can compensate for the white edges (and the jagged ones) but they are fiddly and time consuming It's just so frustrating when it could be so simple if only SS would print them properly. Still got my fingers crossed for a solution now that the experts are looking at one of my files - maybe it's me and not the software, though I can't imagine what it is as SilAm sent me detailed step by step instructions (which were what I had been doing anyway apart from a change in the Preferences menu) which I followed religiously but the end result was the same - corrupt print. Thank you for your interest.
Shirley.
I think you actually have two separate problems - one is with the apparently poor quality of the images you're using and the problems associated with tracing such images , and the other is with the
issue that you have with corruption of the files when you print them.
Most craft cutting machines and software rely on initial calibration and then manually aligning the laser to read the registration marks every time; as far as I know the Robos and Silhouette machines are the only cheap ones with the automatic "optical eye", so if you want to change cutters I think it's a matter of getting a demonstration of how they handle grotty images, and deciding how much or little work you're prepared to do in preparing images and machine to do your print and cuts. I don't believe there's such a thing as a perfect image to import into any software for tracing, but you may find some software has better tracing facilities than others (probably dependent to a certain extent on price!). Jaggies indicate that you have a low resolution image to start with so try to avoid these, and white edges again are probably an issue with the way the image itself has been prepared (e.g. the original designer not completely removing any background) and not with Studio, so these usually do need to be addressed before you start tracing. Often hand tracing is the only way you can get a decent tracing from this quallty of image.
JPG and JPEG are essentialy the same image file format (although there are actually two different versions of the format), but the difference comes mainly from the fact that while other computer operating sytems can take longer file name extensions, at one time Microsft DOS and early Windows could only handle three characters, so there was a need to contract the standard longer versions to suit their needs.
Rosemary
"The main reason people buy those machines [Craft Robos] is to cut out words and lace doily patterns for their scrapbooks."
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