Print & Cut - Scal3 is running very slow

[RedPunchDesign]

Hi there,
I realize this is a lot at once.... But my first hurdle is that SCAL is running obnoxiously slow....

If it matters...I am running Mac OSX 10.8.2, Adobe Illustrator CS3, Printing on a Canon Pixma Pro 9000 MarkII, Cutting with a Silver Bullet 24".

What I'm doing:
-Designing tags for favors in Ai, so there are about 50 tags to a 12x18" sheet.
-saving as SVG (file is 549KB),
-Importing SVG into Scal3,
-Duplicating the image to fill my paper space making the file 174 MB.

I feel the file size is making the program move slow, is there something I can do like flattening to decrease the file size without loosing vector quality?
Even the preview option, where you see where the cut is going to be, takes a long time.

I try to Print and Cut, and I get the spinning beach ball, I end up force quitting Scal after an hour of nothing.
I tried to just Print, a basic print window with the option for registration marks pops up, not the Print and Cut window where you see the virtual mat.
I choose to print with registration marks, it tells me the images are in the way, but it seems like no matter how much room i give it, it still tells me there isn't any room for registration marks.
So I choose to print anyway, and again the spinning beach ball of doom, and it times out after an hour of no printing.

I started a new file, with only 6 of the tags instead of 50. SCAL still moves slow, but after about 5 min it prints with the correct registration marks, but my design is only a solid fill... I had this problem before, and fixed it but can't remember what I did to fix it?

I've tried to install the SCAL AI Plugin, but I keep getting this error message:
Can't make "Macintosh HD:Applications:Adobe Illustrator CS3:Presets.localize:Scripts:"into type number
Do I really need this Plugin? I can save my AI files as SVGs manually. Is there any other benefit to this plugin?

Do I HAVE to run Scal for the Silver Bullet? Is Ecal or directly from AI an option?

I have printed before from Scal, but I have yet to print AND cut with any success. The mat continues to spit out at me...but that is a whole other topic, but if you have any suggestions that haven't been posted before I'll gladly take any help I can get!

*Other notes*
I would like to set up images in AI...but it wouldn't load at all, I had to copy and paste all the tags in Scal... this process it too long when there are this many thing to set up.
I also outlined my type in AI, does this affect the file size?
Also all of the design elements are on one layer.

Like I said, I know this is A LOT at once, but if anyone can help I would be forever grateful!

[dragonlord666]

you could try grouping the tags so make less layers

maybe illustrator is taking up a lot of memory? I don't use it, I use inkscape.
the export plugin does just that, it exports the svg file to scal - so if you are happy saving the svg and opening in scal that is fine.

why not fill the space in illustrator and export that as a 24" wide, instead of exporting a 12X18 and then duplicating it to make it 24"
what happens if you try PnC with the 12X18 file?

try exporting the file from scal and then open that file - is the file size different?
just wonder if AI is making a bigger file than is needed.

now the mat spitting out is normally origin is set wrong.
you place the mat (with media attached) into the cutter, set origin using the laser, not the blade, to just in front and to the right (as you look at the machine) of the right hand reg mark - then go to scal and start PnC - also try setting the virtual mat to the size of the media you are using, not the size of your physical mat

you could post the file here if you wanted and others could try and see if it slow down there machines or not

have you tried redownloading and reinstalling scal in case it was bad install?

Gaz

[papasue]

I am thinking that your file is too large in mb for scal3. i suggest that you try reconstructing the file into 2 12x12 files and see if that helps. Shut down SCAL between cuts to clear the buffer memory.

As for the AI files consider sending a message to support@craftedge.com. They are usually very quick with a response, but it is a Holiday weekend.

Check the dpi on the illustrator file it could be at 300 and a lower setting would bring the file size down.

Let us know how it turns out.

[RedPunchDesign]

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the words of wisdom.
I've been messing with Print and Cut for the past 48 hours.

Here's the short version of what I've been up to...
I reinstalled Scal and it is moving a little bit faster between moves, and preview modes.
I also sent support an email, haven't heard back...
I originally set the file up in Ai, but it was so large that it couldn't load all the svg.

Turns out the ity bity tag I had designed had about 400000 nodes to a file with 40-50 tags set up in it. I'm sure this has something if not all to do with Scal moving so slow.

Unfortunately, neither exporting from Scal after it was set up nor grouping all the elements affected the file size.

I saved as my Ilustrator file as both bitmap and jpeg. Jpgs seem to have higher quality, but when it is print quality the file size is still close to if it was an svg.

So I kept working with the svg file with 6 tags on one sheet of paper, it was moving a bit faster and I was able to print and cut!!!!...almost perfectly.

To get around cutting all the paths, I did what Pandora did in this tutorial...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6YyEroM ... e=youtu.be

She prints then goes back and hides all the layers but the bottom layer which is a solid outline of where she wants it to cut.
This was the first time my print and cut worked...with a few kinks to work out. The biggest being the file size!

Other stuff.....
Still not sure how I did it, but I don't think I set an origin point.
I did put the blade somewhere in the bottom right corner, but just eyeballed it.
It then moved around, popped out of the rollers a few times, and I put it back in with out messing with origin or putting the blade or laser in the bottom corner again.
Then I went through calibrating, reading the registration marks and cutting.

[RedPunchDesign]

.

[dragonlord666]

I'm sure there is something you have to do to the file before saving that reduces the nodes in AI but I can;t remember what or where it is - I don't use it as I'm an inkscape guy it's a command from a menu but annoying I can't remember what.

if I find out what I'll post.

Gaz

[HeatherM]

The plug-in saves some steps since you can send your file directly to SCAL3/eCAL from AI/Inkscape without needing to open SCAL3 and then navigating to the file. It doesn't really work that well in CS6 though since Adobe made some odd decisions in how scripts are handled there.

You can simplify in AI, but I've found that it does some really weird things that aren't good for a cutting file. I don't use AI enough to know what settings might work better for simplification, so maybe I'm just missing something. 400000 nodes is way too many nodes for a cutting file. If you aren't cutting the bulk of the nodes it seems like you would be better off to convert to an image.

If you don't want to convert to an image file, another thing that might help is to turn off SCAL3's "automatically simplify shapes" in the Edit tab of the Preferences.

[RedPunchDesign]

By George I think I've (kinda) got it!

[papasue]

congrats! I can use them..son named Crais, daughter is Kelly!

thanks for posting your Success!

[dragonlord666]

well done - great feeling when it works ain't it? LOL

Gaz