# Cameo 2 and A3 3G Opaque paper won't cut in the right place!



## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

Hi can anyone please help. 

I have a Silhouette Cameo 2 and can cut A4 3G Opaque and JPSS fine but for some reason the A3 size cuts a mile off where it's supposed to. 

The Cameo software shows A3 as being 297x420mm but the 3G. Opaque paper is actually 279x432mm. I've tried to adjust page design settings to the right size and it'll print fine but the cuts are about 20-30mm to the right and down a fraction. If I set the printer settings in the Cameo software to user defined it doesn't ask me to set dimensions and just defaults to A4. 

I urgently need to get this thing printing onto 3G Opaque in A3 size and then cutting in the right place! Why is it so far off? I wish the paper was actually A3 size, that'd make it so much easier. 

If anyone can help asap that'd be much appreciated. Many thanks. 

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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

FYI I've set the design page settings in the software to actual A3 as well as the printer page setup settings, and adjusted the print and cut margins in the Cameo software to show a smaller area (to match the smaller "A3" size of the 3G Opaque paper) so I don't print too big, and no change. It'll print fine incl. reg marks but it'll cut a mile off. 

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## john221us (Nov 29, 2015)

If you are doing print and cut, it is most likely an ambient light issue. The size of the paper won't matter, as there are registration marks to guide the cutter. I had this issue. It was dim lighting. A desk light solved the problem.


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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

john221us said:


> If you are doing print and cut, it is most likely an ambient light issue. The size of the paper won't matter, as there are registration marks to guide the cutter. I had this issue. It was dim lighting. A desk light solved the problem.


Hi there. Thanks for the prompt response. I have plenty of light in the room, actually more so than when I was doing A4 a couple of days ago. I guess I could do an A4 and test if that does it now too but I need to stop wasting paper! 

Any other ideas? 

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## john221us (Nov 29, 2015)

Again, I don't see how Paper size plays into it. It reads the ref marks and cuts. Are you printing from PDF (maybe zoomed)? Maybe there is a shadow and a desk light could help?


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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

john221us said:


> Again, I don't see how Paper size plays into it. It reads the ref marks and cuts. Are you printing from PDF (maybe zoomed)? Maybe there is a shadow and a desk light could help?


That's what I thought. Not printing from PDF. Printing from the same files I use for A4. Photoshop designs saved as transparent PNG's in high quality. I had the curtains open (cutter is under windows), ceiling lights on and two lights on a light stand on (although not directly shining on cutter). I shall try a JSPP A4 with light directly on it then A3 again, but I was cutting perfectly on A4 with less lighting so I'm certain this isn't the issue. 

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## john221us (Nov 29, 2015)

Ok, but the light thing is well documented and I have personally experienced it. It would read the the reg marks, but the cut would be off an 1/8". Good luck.


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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

john221us said:


> Ok, but the light thing is well documented and I have personally experienced it. It would read the the reg marks, but the cut would be off an 1/8". Good luck.


OK thank you I'll update once I have bright, close, direct light. Fingers crossed no more wasted ink and sheets! They aren't cheap to get to New Zealand haha!

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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

John's probably right

throw a flashlight close to where the eye is reading your marks


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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

Yea definitely isn't a lighting issue. Left is as-is and did a test on A4, came out perfect. Put a twin bulb lamp shining right on it and tested A3 right after, and it came out off again. See pics.









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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

Does anyone have any ideas? I don't understand why it can't print and cut on A4 where it's supposed to given the reg marks 

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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

i can see in the bottom pic your upper right mark is off

are you printing from a different program than studio?

if so look at the size before print and scale it down appropriately

below is a pdf of an 11x17 with studio reg marks, see if they are different than yours

save as a jpg/png and bring it into studio and then click 'registration' 
and see if the marks line up with the jpg/png
it is a good way to check before printing from another program

edit to add: i put an extra pdf of an 8.5x11 with reg marks in case somebody needs it


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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

into the T said:


> i can see in the bottom pic your marks are way off
> 
> are you printing from a different program than studio?
> 
> ...


I adjust the margin on both A3 and A4 to allow for a larger print and cut area. Works fine on A4. Maybe that's the problem for some reason it won't work when I do that on A3. 

I print from the Cameo studio software. 

Look at the size of what before print? The design image? I do and adjust it to be as needed (always to fit on A3 easily). 

I'll test shortly with your PDF but it'll be different as I've increased my page design size. Should I leave reg marks standard and try again? I don't see how adjusting them make it not work though?

And what about page size both in Cameo studio and the printer properties within Cameo studio? Both to A3 or custom to suit actual "A3" JPSS / 3G paper (smaller than A3)?

Thank you. 

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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

Not sure why but both links are opening 8.5x11? No 11" one present. 

Even if reg marks are pushed out wider (and still fit on the page), why wouldn't it work? It works fine on A4 doing that and I'm pretty sure the default A3 reg marks print off the "A3" 3G Opaque paper as it's a fair bit smaller. Has anyone struck this before?? Thanks. 

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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

See how if I adjust the Studio software page size to the actual dimensions of the 3G Opaque paper and leave the printer settings to A3, the print area (grey border) is virtually in line with the cut area (red border) at the bottom. Hence why I move the reg marks up at the bottom. 

Leaving both as A3 fails as it prints the top right reg mark half off page (because 3G Opaque"A3" is thinner than real A3).

Printing like attached pic with Studio set to real 3G Opaque size fails as bottom reg mark is half missing (as the real A3 print area doesn't go down far enough to print the default position of bottom reg mark completely - 3G Opaque"A3" is longer than normal A3).

Printing with bottom reg mark pushed up works but it'll cut in the Cameo way off like the pics in other post. 

Wtf?!









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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

hmmm...
i just saved the 11x17 and it was indeed 11x17 when opened in illustrator

to be honest i don't know how big a3 or a4 is,
i just assumed one is letter and one is legal, because that is the sizes the paper is sold in
never been a fan of the ridiculous systeme internationale, aka metric

ok, i just looked it up,
an a3 is 11.69 x 16.53 and your 3g is 11x17, as i don't think they make metric sizes
why not just use 11x17 for you design and for your printer?
your issue is probably the adjustment of the bottom reg mark


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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

into the T said:


> hmmm...
> i just saved the 11x17 and it was indeed 11x17 when opened in illustrator
> 
> to be honest i don't know how big a3 or a4 is,
> ...


Haha if you guys used the modern day metric things would be a lot easier! 

The Epson 1430 gives no option for 11x17. Only A3. That's the closest to the actual 3G Opaque size it lists. 

Even still, like previous posters said, if the reg marks are all on the page, why is the cutter cutting like it's drunk? And only on A3. A4 will do it all fine with moved reg marks. 

I can't understand why it won't work. It looks like a software bug in Silhouette Studio. This is doing my head in a need to be able to push out these A3 designs for t-shirts and clothing garments ASAP.

I'm happy to keep trialing fixes but I'm now wasting a fair few pieces of expensive A3 transfer paper. If anyone else has struck this please help. Google yields nothing. 



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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

Is anyone able to help? Surely someone has used 3G Opaque or JetPro SoftStretch paper before in A3 with the Cameo cutter? 

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## john221us (Nov 29, 2015)

bronxnz said:


> The Epson 1430 gives no option for 11x17. Only A3. That's the closest to the actual 3G Opaque size it lists.
> 
> Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk


Maybe give Silhouette a call. Mine shows both.

I attached a screenshot.


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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

john221us said:


> Maybe give Silhouette a call. Mine shows both.
> 
> I attached a screenshot.


Oh I think you misunderstood.

Mine shows both A4 and A3, but not both A3 and 11x17" American measurement/option. I assume this is a printer/driver-related thing.

But, either way, if I select A3 for the printer output, and A3 or custom 11x17 design page size in Silhouette Studio it should print and cut accurately. Selecting both A3 will print reg marks off the page so cutting won't work. Altering the registration marks or the design page size in Studio and still using A3 printer options will print every absolutely fine, but it won't print where it's supposed to even though it has registration marks which it claims are used for cutting.

I've contacted Silhouette with no luck. I'll see if they have an international phone number so I can call rather than email again.


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## john221us (Nov 29, 2015)

bronxnz said:


> Oh I think you misunderstood.
> 
> Mine shows both A4 and A3, but not both A3 and 11x17" American measurement/option. I assume this is a printer/driver-related thing.
> 
> ...


I didn't misunderstand. Tabloid is 11x17. Mine has A3 and Tabloid, both. This is in the Silhouette app. It doesn't appear to be a print driver thing, as with my print driver, there are a lot more options, including user defined.


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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

john221us said:


> I didn't misunderstand. Tabloid is 11x17. Mine has A3 and Tabloid, both. This is in the Silhouette app. It doesn't appear to be a print driver thing, as with my print driver, there are a lot more options, including user defined.


Oh ok, sorry I'm not familiar with the US paper sizes like that.

That Printer Setup dialog is directly from the printer and independent from the software I believe. My printer does not list a paper size for "Tabloid" or "11x17". From Studio's Printer Setup I select user defined and it never prompts for dimensions. However I've just done this directly from the Printer Preferences (outside the software) and it enabled me to add a page size in.

Let me test this evening and see if this hopefully resolves the issue.


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## john221us (Nov 29, 2015)

bronxnz said:


> Oh ok, sorry I'm not familiar with the US paper sizes like that.
> 
> That Printer Setup dialog is directly from the printer and independent from the software I believe. My printer does not list a paper size for "Tabloid" or "11x17". From Studio's Printer Setup I select user defined and it never prompts for dimensions. However I've just done this directly from the Printer Preferences (outside the software) and it enabled me to add a page size in.
> 
> Let me test this evening and see if this hopefully resolves the issue.


Try going into Advanced for the printer setup. If you hit user defined there, it should prompt you.


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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

john221us said:


> Try going into Advanced for the printer setup. If you hit user defined there, it should prompt you.


There's no Advanced option on the Studio software's Printer Page Setup box. Anyhow, I've been able to add the custom page size via the Printer Preferences directly and can now select it and set the page design size to match in the Studio software. It all looks good on screen (as it did also before - when it didn't cut properly) so the true test will be a test print and cut at the end of the day.

Thank you and I'll post up the results to help anyone else who strikes this in the future.


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

can you change color settings, saturation, etc from the printer setup (ie 'ctrl p')?

here is a screenshot of mine from studio,
i just hit ctrl p then select my preferred printer and hit preferences to open the second window
change paper size (user defined etc.)
this is not a studio software setup, this is an operating system setup


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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

into the T said:


> can you change color settings, saturation, etc from the printer setup (ie 'ctrl p')?
> 
> here is a screenshot of mine from studio,
> i just hit ctrl p then select my preferred printer and hit preferences to open the second window


Hi

Yea I sure can from there. But from Studio's Printer Page Setup (I think it's called) menu item I get a basic page size drop-down and there is no mention of Tabloid/11x17 and User Defined just defaults it back to A4.

I managed to add the correct page size in the printer pref's via Windows itself and then select it under Studio's Printer Page Setup. Then once I edit the Design Page Size in Studio to the right size too, the page and print borders look good.

However, the true test will be a test print and cut as I had it looking good with modified Design Page Size and reg mark margins etc. but cutting was still screwed up.

Fingers crossed it works tonight! Thanks all for the input so far.


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

i hope it works out for you

it is strange, it seems like you are doing it right


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## sinGN (Oct 12, 2016)

Every cutting machines has page setting option.


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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

sinGN said:


> Every cutting machines has page setting option.


This is no help at all... 

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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

Unfortunately adding the custom page size to the printer didn't work. It prints nice and centered with default reg marks now but it cuts way off, from the center. Like it's zoomed in or out but no zoom set at all on printer. Has no one else struck this? I thought these were one of the most common printers and cutters to use !

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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

are you using a cutting mat?

you can use just regular paper and use 1 - 4 - 5 (iirc),
instead of wasting your expensive opaque transfer paper


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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

into the T said:


> are you using a cutting mat?
> 
> you can use just regular paper and use 1 - 4 - 5 (iirc),
> instead of wasting your expensive opaque transfer paper


Yea for sure using a cutting mat. I use the 12x12 Cameo one for A4 then I've got the 12x24 Cameo one for A3. 

I don't have any plain A3 or 11x17 paper but I will have to get some. 1-4-5 iirc, sorry what's that? Blade settings? 

Silhouette were no help. The person who emailed me just copied and pasted irrelevant information. 

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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

it is:
1 - blade setting
4 - cutting speed 
5 - thickness

iirc - if i recall correctly


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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

into the T said:


> it is:
> 1 - blade setting
> 4 - cutting speed
> 5 - thickness
> ...


Hah - oh, gotcha!

I'll get some A3 to test. But, now what am I testing. All settings are correct. And A4 works. I don't know what else to test, it just doesn't work!


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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

Sorry it's actually a CAMEO 3! I just realised I put "2". Any testing ideas???


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

are you making sure to press load cutting mat and not load media?


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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

into the T said:


> are you making sure to press load cutting mat and not load media?


I only get the "LOAD" option. No mention of cutting mat or media. Does that not sound right?


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## john221us (Nov 29, 2015)

bronxnz said:


> I only get the "LOAD" option. No mention of cutting mat or media. Does that not sound right?


It doesn't sound right. There should be two options on the touch screen. Load and load cutting mat.


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## bronxnz (Sep 3, 2016)

john221us said:


> It doesn't sound right. There should be two options on the touch screen. Load and load cutting mat.


Nope. Definitely only load and unload. See pic.









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## john221us (Nov 29, 2015)

bronxnz said:


> Nope. Definitely only load and unload. See pic.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Well, I have a Cameo 2. I guess they changed that on the 3. Strange.


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