Graphtec FC2200-90/EX

This is a flatbed vinyl cutter and plotter. It works.

Workflow

Create the file

• Create/import a file in Inkscape
• Select all
• Path > Object To Path
• Check that lines are what you expect by turning of all fills and turning on all strokes. The lines that you see are the ones that will be cut.
• File > Save A Copy> choose .hpgl extension
  • Make sure that "Tool offset correction" is set to 0 or your cut will be very bad.

Test and adjust settings

Tool setup

• Secure media (vinyl) to the table with masking tape
• Insert the tool you plan to use in one of the tool holder and tighten
• If you are using a cutting tool the blade should not be sticking out farther than the thickness that you want to cut
• Sample settings can be found below

Test

• Press 'Test' button
• Position cutter in an unused area
• Press '1' for Test 1
• The machine will cut a triangle inside a square
  • The square should peel away cleanly without peeling the triangle
  • When the triangle is removed there should only be a very faint outline on the backing

Set Area

• Press 'Area' button
• The screen will prompt you to position the tool in the lower left (LL)
• When tool is set, press enter
• The screen prompt will change to upper right (UR)
• When tool is set, press enter
• Option: you can choose default for both these settings if your material is at the bottom left of the table

Adjust

• Press the 'Condition' button to change settings
• Use the '1' and '2' buttons to move the cursor
• Use the '3' and '4' buttons to adjust the selected setting
• If you are having cut issues, cranking the blade all the way out is NOT the solution
• Consult the manuals under the machine for troubleshooting tips

Run the file

• Go to http://graphtec.makeict.org:5000
• Click the blue button to open the file menu
• Scroll to the bottom of the list and click the upload button
• Select file in system menu
• To set active file, click filename in list
• Click green button to run file

Settings

Small Blade (Blue Knob)

Cutter Offset: 17

Starting point for vinyl:

• Stickout: 0.2mm
• Force:18
• Speed:10
• Quality:1

Large Blade (Red Knob)

Cutter Offset: 28

Sharpie

Cutter Offset: 0

• Force:5
• Speed:15
• Quality:1

Tips

• After saving the HPGL file open it up in Inkscape to verify the output looks right. If there are issues, go back to the source file and save it as a PDF. Open the PDF in Inkscape and then save as HPGL. This has fixed all of the conversion issues we have run into so far.
• If you get an error in inkscape when saving the HPGL that says the file cannot be saved, just copy everything into a new file and save it there. For some reason this works.

Test Files

• Test Files Drive Folder
• Vinyl Cutting Basics Slides