# Help :( Craft robo - newbie :P



## corpseguy (Dec 3, 2007)

ok so i got a craft robo just to test the water..


and boy do i not know how to swim.
to cut a long story short. it was delivered at 9am this morning.

I'm about 5 minutes away for packaging it back up and sending it back. 

this whole thing with the registration marks is driving my nuts. i'm doing everything by the book. i'm letting it search for the marks , setting them up manually.

Help! before i kill again!


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

Hi Joe,

What program are you using to palce your registration marks and to cut?

Are you using ROBO Master Pro?

Also, what issues are you having? Are you getting mark read errors?

Make sure that you're using Graphtec registration marks, and not common reg marks as in Illustrator or CorelDRAW. They need to be specific to your Graphtec.

Also, your reg marks need to be COMPLETELY outside of your pinch rollers (the little rollers that hold your sheet in your plotter), and also cannot be too close to the front and back edges of your page, especially the back. What I would do is open ROBO Master Pro and choose to use registration marks. Then add your design WITHIN those marks. This limits the size of your design, but if your design is even slightly outside of your reg marks, or your marks are too close to the edges of your sheet, you'll have problems.

In other words, for the most part, do not adjust your reg marks in ROBO Master Pro for the page size you're using.

I'm not entirely familiar with the CR CC200-20, but I do have a CE5000-60 and do plenty of contour cutting. You can contact me by PM to pick my brain if you'd like.

It takes a little time to learn everything, so don't give up yet...


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## corpseguy (Dec 3, 2007)

its a CC200-20 and yup using the robo master program which is also doing the reg marks.

basicly whever its search for reg marks. or i manually enter them its a constand reading failure everytime usually a 208 error.

the thing that is most annoying is that.. basicly this optical eye cutter is as good as a regular vinyl cutter which i could have got one 3 times the width for the price i paid. i understand its not a simple plug and play but it should not be taking this long.


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

I was helping someone recently with their CR Pro, and I'd all but given up on that machine. But it turned out that the problem he was having I didn't understand fully, but with a little help from his distributor (Specialty), he was up and running, and he's now a pro at it. 

Have you read the ROBO Master Pro help files? Especially the parts on contour cutting? I apologize for mentioning this if you have.

The other thing you could do is call your distributor. They will have more experience helping people through this difficult time when you first get your plotter.

I wish I could help more. I just don't know enough about this particular machine.

Just MAKE SURE you follow everything I mentioned above. Anything out of order with any of those points will give you read errors.


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## corpseguy (Dec 3, 2007)

i'll admit i haven't read about the contour cutting... simply because it won't even get to the cutting part. these damned reg marks never register.

when i called Graphteh here in the UK the guy walked me through everything step by step... and still failure on reading. he said it sounded faulty and had never heard of it before... however when i searched the board this clearly ain't no one off incedent.

the person i bought it from ( on ebay) does offer tech support and is legit.

i do appericate the help even if you know little of this machine. you certainly know more than Graphtec. i'm gonna give this thing will after the easter holidays if nothings sorted by then i'm gonna get a refund and just get the 800mm vinyl cutter i saw


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

I totally understand your frustration.

It sounds to be that contour cutting on a CR CC200-20 is far more complicated than it should be, and at that price point, people expect it to be even easier. I know I'd expect that.

I'm considering buying one of these machines so I can learn more about them and help people out if I can find a solution.

Who knows...if you read the help file you may come up with something that neither I nor the Graphtec tech thought of. Read the part on setting up registration marks and your artwork. I'll take a look, too, and see if there anything else that I should point out.


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## corpseguy (Dec 3, 2007)

Thanks  much appericated!


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

I'm not seeing much other than I've mentioned, except for not having anything printed within the registration mark area. You can see the banned areas in ROBO Master Pro as shaded boxes around the reg marks.

I'll keep checking.


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## corpseguy (Dec 3, 2007)

the sad part is that i've wasted an entire days work and i will be letting graphtec know this.
for what should ahve been a generally normal set up with only a few minor hicups has turned into a nightmare. i have a big job coming up and was hoping this would help. now i'm gonna ahve to cut all the prints by hand 

also. the Graphtec website has No FAQ section even though its listed as having one. the site they pointed me to Crafty Club is a compelete waste of time. theres no actual support. just a few questions on it with worse answers than the "Help manual" that came with this thing.

If the replacement gives me trouble as well i'm gonna add Graphtec to my black list.

i'm just so angry and fustrated right now.

I really do appericate your help but i think i'm done.

and to anyone else out there DO NOT BUY the cc200-20 craft robo. Worse idea since germany invaded poland.


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## AdamnSmith (Dec 10, 2007)

You have to make sure the registration marks are far from the back edge.

It's a little insane. I had to give an inch from the front, an inch on botch sides and then about 3" in the back before having the registration marks.

The back one is the biggest concern. I am not sure what the 20 looks like compared to my CR Pro... But the reason for all the distance was so the rollers have a good nice hold on it in order for the reader to actually read the marks.

My CR PRo would shine the red light directly ON the registration mark but would act like itt wasnt reading it and it would error out. I had to give more room between the back edge of the paper and the two back registration marks.

I just repeated myself like 6 times but thats only because I dont know how to really sai it. Maybe I will make a diagram.


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## AdamnSmith (Dec 10, 2007)

I think you said you use Corel... 

I use illustrator.. You dont want it to make the registration marks for you... In Illustrator I draw a rectangle around my art, and then go to FILE > REGISTRATION MARKS > and then I madke sure "make registration marks out of rectangle" or whatever it is, is checked. That way it will make the corners of the box YOU drew into the registration marks.. Instead of it choosing on its own where it will place those.


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## AdamnSmith (Dec 10, 2007)




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## AdamnSmith (Dec 10, 2007)

I got really pissed at my Craft Robo Pro... I was ready to saw the thing in half.

On thing that really saved me was the whole distance from the back of the paper..

Another thing... I always have to use the same USB port when I plug in the graphtec. Keep that in mind. "Cannot open port" error... Will mean you plugged into the wrong USB.

Anyways... give a lot more distance from the registration marks to the edge of the paper.. especially the back... See if this helps. I hope it does.


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## Moo Spot Prints (Jul 16, 2006)

Careful Joe, you're getting dangerously close to invoking Goodwin's Law. 

I suggest you take a DEEP breath. It's not the end of the world.

Unless the cutter is obviously damaged, it's likely that something is just misconfigured. In order to help you, you need to provide us with some information:

1. What os are you using?
2. What's the HPGL setting on the plotter?
3. Can you CUT with it at all (without registration marks)?
4. Have you read ALL the documentation? 
5. Have you visited Graphtec America: Cutting Plotters, Vinyl Cutters, InkJet Printers, Wide Format Image Scanners, Data Loggers, Acquisition platforms, Electronic Testing Instruments, Craft Robo and checked out the tutorials?
6. Did you read this thread?
7. What software (and version) are you using to do the cutting?


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## corpseguy (Dec 3, 2007)

AdamnSmith said:


> I had to give an inch from the front, an inch on botch sides and then about 3" in the back before having the registration marks.
> 
> i turned out the lights to see the red light and excatly where it is. and the marks do need to be in Alot more.
> 
> Adam : if i get what you're saying which i totally agree on, would give me 7" x 6.25" aprox printing/cutting surface : /


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## corpseguy (Dec 3, 2007)

Moo Spot Prints said:


> Careful Joe, you're getting dangerously close to invoking Goodwin's Law.
> 
> I suggest you take a DEEP breath. It's not the end of the world.
> 
> ...


in that case.. just for the powers that be. the views expressed in this thread by me, are my own views and opinions and not that of the site/board owners or anyone else posting herein.

1. What os are you using?

XP

2. What's the HPGL setting on the plotter?

No clue. the cutter only arrived this morning. you're gonna need to ask me like i'm a kid....so ask me normally 

3. Can you CUT with it at all (without registration marks)?

yes it does cut normally

4. Have you read ALL the documentation? 

yes - making full sence of it is another matter.

5. Have you visited etc etc :

scraping my way through them slowly. its been a long costly unproductive day.

6. Did you read this thread?

Reading now - yeah done most of that - still reading

7. What software (and version) are you using to do the cutting?

Robo master 4.00


the big thing that annoys me most is the compelete lack of offical support. its unprofessional. ok. i am probably doing something Really Really dumb. something stupid that i've over looked. yet 10 hours later and i'm still no closer...

i stick by what i said about Graphtec, if they were providing a decent service then i wouldn't be complaining.


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## AdamnSmith (Dec 10, 2007)

corpseguy said:


> AdamnSmith said:
> 
> 
> > I had to give an inch from the front, an inch on botch sides and then about 3" in the back before having the registration marks.
> ...


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## AdamnSmith (Dec 10, 2007)

Moo Spot Prints said:


> 6. Did you read this thread?



Hey, thats MY thread!!! LOL. yeah yeah.. im a craft robo idiot.


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## corpseguy (Dec 3, 2007)

Well Adam.

Good job. it was the margins. it finally cut the piece out on the reg marks ( however rough it may have been)

Thanks to everyone who looked into this for me.

Its kinda a hallow victory as i'm still not very pleased with this machine.

thanks again guys


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## AdamnSmith (Dec 10, 2007)

I really hated my craftrobo pro when I got it.. The instructions sucked, especially for using on the Mac. I struggled for about a week before I made any progress.

I'm glad my newbie self was able to help you out. If you have any other issues feel free to ask.

I still have a problem or two with my Craft Robo, but it's all about getting used to it. Its not a bad machine once you know how to use it..


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## corpseguy (Dec 3, 2007)

wanna buy a 3rd? lol

i could have bought an 800mm wide vinyl cutter for the price of this thing. i guess i'll see how it goes.

then again... i'm building a DTG printer.... i wonder if i can crack open the cutter, i knowa programmer who could amke a program for it...


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## AdamnSmith (Dec 10, 2007)

What other aspects of the machine are you not satisfied with? Chani was mentioning her insterest in the machine so maybe you could give her a heads up on the things that are still bugging you about it.


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## corpseguy (Dec 3, 2007)

AdamnSmith said:


> What other aspects of the machine are you not satisfied with? Chani was mentioning her insterest in the machine so maybe you could give her a heads up on the things that are still bugging you about it.



well unless you're in the uk its probably usless to you


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

Yup, that particular one wouldn't do me much good. 

Magic Mask or TTD Mask will not help in this case. This machine accepts A4 (or 8.5" wide media)...period. No larger and no smaller, tho you can use a Mask to cut smaller media.

Yeah, I AM thinking of purchasing one sometime in the future so I could possibly help others out when they run into problems. 

No offence to anyone, but I still think it's a better value to buy a CR Pro, and avoid the CC200-20 altogether, especially if you're concerned about producing any volume of shirts. These are hobby machines, whereas the CR Pro and larger plotters from Graphtec are professional machines. I know they're three times as much as the CC200-20, but they're also three times the machine...at least.

Joe, I'm still sorry that you're having troubles and you're not happy with your machine. I know what it's like to be disappointed in something that you've wait so long for and built up these expectations (through no fault of your own...they sort of are misadvertised).

Good luck with this, and I hope you're able to rescue a bad situation.

Just keep pushing the limits of where you place your registration marks. Start with something that works, then move your marks out ONE SIDE AT A TIME until it won't work again. Then go back one step and work on another side. The two sides should be the same, but the front and back will be very different. It might help to place standard paper on the carrier sheet that came with your plotter instead of using expensive transfer paper.


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## GHEENEE1 (Jan 8, 2007)

You 're scaring me with these posts about CR. I've decided to eventually order the CR Pro. I hope I don't have some of the same issues. I've been reading the CR posts with great intrest. Thanks Chani and Adamn smith for all of your insights to the CRs.
Mike


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## corpseguy (Dec 3, 2007)

Chani - i appericate and thank you for all your efforts with this one... but seriously... Don't buy one! lol

the best help you could give is " Take it back- refund, save up and buy a real cutter"

Mike : as a newbie to cutters. this is ment to be a hobby one. simply... No.

I'll be honest. it does cut lettering beautifully. no issues there.

Its the sheer lack of support provided by Graphtec. they included a sheet of paper as an extra guide for people who are having trouble.. even now that i know what the problem is.. their instructions still don't explain it.

and as much as i thanked and appericated the help from everyone here, the truth of it is.. its not their problem. It is not there responsibility to prodive me with tech support. Nore should it be. they oue graphtec nothing.

Mike if you Really want a CR. ( and assuming you've got one or used one before) pick a generic problem. avoid the message boards and search for support on the product, its slim pickings.

Personally i'd say save you money and get a decent professional one.

Thanks again guys


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## GHEENEE1 (Jan 8, 2007)

Joe I'm considering one of the 5000 series of CR. I have researched them and although I've never used a vinyl cutter before, I hope I can pick up plenty of tips here. I will do some more searching on the net. If I find any good info. I'll post it.
Mike


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## GHEENEE1 (Jan 8, 2007)

Chani, what do you think of the CR pro 15" cutter? Looking to cut t- shirt sized vinyl, also contour cut printed heat transfers. Don't want to get a larger machine than I need. 
Thanks, Mike P.S. I have a 15x15" heat press


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## AdamnSmith (Dec 10, 2007)

> Its the sheer lack of support provided by Graphtec. they included a sheet of paper as an extra guide for people who are having trouble.. even now that i know what the problem is.. their instructions still don't explain it.


This is true. Their troubleshooting sucks... Trying to find answers is absurd. They direct you to these pages on their sites (they have numerous sites... graphtecamerica graphtecusa and graphteccorp .. And those are just the three I have been directed to and know of...)

When you call tech support, these people talk in such heavy foreign accents, and when you ask them to slow down for you, they just continue to ramble on and on about something you cant understand and the parts that you DO understand have nothing to do with your problem.

Their solutions pretty much suck. I was told to reinstall illustrator... Because of course "illustrator was the problem"... I ignored that advice and finally got the machine working. Clearly Illustrator was fine. 

Anyways.. I do have to agree there. The paper work sucks, the phone support sucks, and their troubleshooting PDFs [a ton of them] are pretty useless as well. Usability and good customer service is not their forte that's for sure


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

GHEENEE1 said:


> Chani, what do you think of the CR pro 15" cutter? Looking to cut t- shirt sized vinyl, also contour cut printed heat transfers. Don't want to get a larger machine than I need.
> Thanks, Mike P.S. I have a 15x15" heat press


Mike, we have the CE5000-60, and we LOVE this machine. The CR Pro CE5000-40 is essentially the same machine, just a little smaller.

If you plan on doing ANY sign work in the future, save your money and buy a 24" plotter, but for t-shirts, the CR Pro is a great machine.

With ANY cutter that will do contour cuts you will have issues of needing to place your registration marks within a certain area of your page, and with 8.5x11 papers, this can be quite limiting, which is why we use 11x17 paper now, which the CR Pro would work well with. 

So yes, you may run into some of the same issues as the CR CC200-20, and yes, Graphtec's support isn't all that wonderful (read: sucks), but the answers are out there.

If you can, try to buy from a local dealer. You'll get much better support, plus you can get in-person demos of these machines. If you can't buy local, try to buy from someone that will give you support in case you run into any issues. You'll need to search the web to make sure that the dealer you choose will support you.

And all of this is for ANY plotter or major piece of equipmtent.

Just make sure that you buy from a reputable dealer, not just one that SAYS they have great support. Check around. Do NOT buy from ebay if you can avoid it, unless it's also a reputable dealer with their own site, too.


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## stuffnthingz (Oct 1, 2007)

Since I make smaller designs, I am also very tempted to try the Craft Robo. Even with all the bad press. At $300 if I end up not making much use of it I am not out the big bucks. I think if I found a lot of uses for it and wanted to get into some serious vinyl sign work, I would still use this when I travel for small jobs. What are your thoughts? I can easily afford $300 to "try" something out, but am having a hard time with justifying $1k... Or am I crazy to even consider this small craft unit based on your experiences? I do want to use it to weed my T-shirt designs, I print at 8.5 x 11 max. Another question for you experienced vinyl cutters, am I wasting my time saving the $1k? My fear is that I will keep finding other less costly add ons and will never make the jump to cutting vinyl. I have not had any luck on Craigs list finding anything used.


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## Moo Spot Prints (Jul 16, 2006)

Ditto. If you even *THINK* you might want to do sign work, get a 24". I have the older Pro II (15", I think it's the CE5000-30) and have been very happy with it. I wish I could put a 19" roll through there but since I primarily cut eco-film (which comes in 15" rolls), it's not that big of a deal. IMO for $1k it's the best deal out there.


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## freebird1963 (Jan 21, 2007)

Corpseguy
I have the same issue. won't read the [email protected]#$#[email protected]!#@[email protected]^%^@$ registration marks. 
I have sent emails to both Graphtec and Speciality Graphics (usa) and NOT one word back from either one. I haven't called yet.
I work two different jobs during the week and dont get home in time to call and I don't own a cell phone either but probably need to be in front of the unit if I could call.
However on the speciality site I got the impression from their contact us page that emailing them was faster as they say they have limited staff.
Guess they are fast to sell and slow as can be to support.

Mark


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## corpseguy (Dec 3, 2007)

freebird1963 said:


> Corpseguy
> I have the same issue. won't read the [email protected]#$#[email protected]!#@[email protected]^%^@$ registration marks.
> 
> Mark


 set the reg marks to be 1 inch inside of the paper and it works you can work out fomr there how far out you can get them.. but cutting space is greatly shrunk


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## freebird1963 (Jan 21, 2007)

You are talking about setting the origin to 1.00 in the robo master software ?


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## AdamnSmith (Dec 10, 2007)

Freebird, you disappeared from the other thread...

You need to read the beginning of this thread where I have explained where tyou need to bring your registration marks in from the edge. I have a diagram too.


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## freebird1963 (Jan 21, 2007)

I have already tried that. Read that on the craftrobosupport.com forum. Didn't work.


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## corpseguy (Dec 3, 2007)

Freebird the only thing i can say is look at your cutter. looks at the eye. ( you can do this by turning off the lights and have it search for reg marks )

you will need to move the marks further in. so they are well within the rollers of the machine. hell set it to 2" inside. print it out with something generic on plain paper as you don't wan to waste the good stuff. and try that. adams diagram helped me alot.

stick it on the carrier sheet and load it as you would normallly. i'll assume you've already tested it out cutting generic text. ( if not try it)

other than that... i'm stumped. 

i use a CC200-20


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## corpseguy (Dec 3, 2007)

last post of March 24th.

its now June 8th.

I wanted to update this for people to see what has since transpired from my problem.

Well. Graphtec's customer service still sucks royally. their Crafty-club has a "Full" FAQ and troubleshoot section... or simply look in the documents you got with it... its excatly the same.

The cutter itself...

its too unpredictable. sometimes i can't fault it.
other time and more often than not its a nightmare.
the program "Robo craft" was either designed by a 3 year old or a blind man. or a 3 year old blind child.
the navigation is retarded at best. meaning you have to click 3-4 different functions to get what you want.. but for images its a simple click.
of course.. give them £40 and they will give you the upgrade...


At present as i type this. the cutter..and quote 

"Sometimes the CraftRobo may slow down during..blah blah blah let it cool"

well..i turned it on.. hit CUT.. 10 seconds later and it stops. its now been idel for over 20 minutes with a flashing light. Who'd have thought the word "THE" would cause such hassel.

the "FAQ" and "Troubleshoots" mention either nothing or just generic answers for this " let it cool down" with out any real explanation.

Over all. my first experience with the cutter. and with the uk customer support is less than fresh or confident.

and i can smell heated plastic while i type..

So for those out there wondering is Graphetc or Robocraft for me?

the answer is no. i beg you to save your money and buy form a company who cares about taking your money and having you as a client.

again. this is my own Personnel view and is not the opinion of the site owners.

I Strongly recommend you save your money and buy a decent product.


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## jberte (Mar 25, 2007)

joe i just responded to your post in kelly's thread about the graphtec - and then i saw this thread. i feel your pain in this purchase - it's not been a good experience for you. since i'm in the us, i've clearly never dealt with graphtec uk and can't explain their lack of assistance - unless it's simply a matter of this machine. they're toys....sorry, but that's the hard truth! they were designed for crafters with occasional light use - not a professional machine by any stretch of the imagination! if you're intending to cut vinyl and transfers for your business - you need a business-grade machine.


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## corpseguy (Dec 3, 2007)

jberte. while i agree on some level, hobby or professional it should not take an hour to cut the word "The" in arial font.

reguardless of its make and model.

from what i can tell Graphtec uk is certainly lacking. when the cutter arrived ti was noon... by the time i was able ot get the thing installed it was gone 5pm.. thus they were closed.. with no online support whatsoever i emailed them with my disatisfaction with the product.

now i understand that these machines are simply not plug and play but it should not take an entire day to get it running.

i was told that they spouncer a website that deals with problms and issues... basicly they copy/pasted the instruction manual.

Had it not been for the T-shirtforums.com i would have packaged it up and sent it back the following day.

4 days later i get a call from a guy at graphtec uk wonder why my email was so... angry and generally pissed..4 Days later..
He said " oh when did you conatcted us?".... of course this didn't go down well and didn't exactly fill me with confidence.

if you have a customer who emails you saying " Help! i'm a paying customer and i bought one of your products and its faulty i need help of i'm getting a refund and taking my business else where "

For me thats usually a red flag to get off your arse and do something about it.. not wait 4 days.

I also mentioned my praise for this place and the people in this thread who helped me.

Yes. this is the Craft machine. However the was it was presented and advertised i feel is misleading and leaves key information out.

and on that basis i would not recommend graphtec to anyone in Software, Hardware and Support.


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## funkymunky (Dec 8, 2007)

Hi Joe,
I am also based in the U.K and I have been using the same model machine as you for about 4 months now. I bought mine from M&D supplies and you are right there is a general lack of support here in the U.K for these machines.
I am not using the 'eye' and contour cutting but have tried it on a couple of occasions.
If your machine is 'freezing' during cutting I sugest turning the speed down to around 3 in the cut menu, and it should then not do it!
My personal findings are that if you have a complex design to cut turn the speed down, but if you are cutting a simple (text only) design you can turn the speed up! This worries me, as you state above that you are having 'freezing' problems cutting out the word 'the' in arial !
If I can help you further please get in touch.

Regards
Phil


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