Please note that these instructions are general, and may not cover every possible design need. Seek the assistance of the IT Lab or Materials Lab staff if you have any questions.

A couple of important tips when cutting from Adobe Illustrator:

• The lasercutter does not handle thick lineweights well. Stick with "Hairline."
• The lasercutter can cut differently, depending on settings that you assign to each line color. Make sure that you know what you want done with each line (i.e. should it be engraved, or scored, or cut out?).
• The machine reads information in the sequence of the color palette. Always select your scoring and engraving color(s) higher in the palette, and cutting colors lower down (see below for the color chart).

Taking the above items regarding colors into consideration, we recommend the following procedure for cutting and engraving:

Illustrator Cutting Instructions:

1. Make sure that your document is using primary colors (and outlines, if possible). The lasercutter does not easily interpret textures. Outlines are the best approach to getting the job done. Make sure that your stroke is as small as possible (0.01 pt).
2. Check to see if all the lineweights are set to 0.01 pt (aka hairline). You cannot use the dropdown menu in Illustrator to select 0.01 pt linewieght. You will have to manually type the line weight. If you do not have lineweights set, the lasercutter will not see the path(s) you want cut. You can uniformly set your lineweights by hitting "Select All" in the Edit menu, then type in 0.01 pt in the line weight menu.
3. Open the Print menu, from the File menu.
4. Choose the Printer “Lasercutter.” If you see a "paper size" error, click "OK" to clear it. Hit the “Properties” tab on the right of the display window. This should open the settings window for the lasercutter, initially showing the Laser Settings tab.
5. In this dialog box, you should see a variety of options for controlling speed and power settings for each of the primary colors. You apply speed and power settings on a per-color basis. Take note of the order of the colors on the side of the window (this is the order in which the lasercutter will process cutting lines):
   • Black (or white, depending on your background color)
   • Red
   • Green
   • Yellow
   • Blue
   • Magenta
   • Cyan
   • Orange
6. The machine can read vector and raster images. Each color has four options (raster/vector, raster, vector, skip). Keep the colors you are not using on skip. This is very important. This will enable the machine to sift through the document's information faster. Select either raster/vector, raster or vector depending on the content of your document (if you have no raster content, use vector only).
7. Click on the engraving color you are using and set the power, speed and PPI as per the speed settings chart. Hit on the “Set” button when you finish your settings for each color. If you do not, the window will forget your settings changes.
8. When you've set your speed and power settings, click on the Engraving Field tab.
9. Look about halfway down, and click on the "Maximum Page Size" button. This should cause the corresponding values to change to 32.000" x 18.000" (the full size of the cutting bed). This setting is necessary to insure that the machine will take advantage of its full cutting surface. Missing this setting could cause unexpected problems when you cut, such as your paper size being 0" x 0".
10. When you've finished with this window, click "OK." Click "OK" again. You may be prompted to save your temporary changes, in which case, allow it to temporarily save your settings. This will take you back to the main plot window. You may also opt to save your changes to a file, which you can re-use.
11. Go to the Layout tab.
12. Adjust your settings as necessary. Unless your cut needs to occur at a specific location on your material, we recommend selecting "Reposition images to:" and in the corresponding box, "Top left center." Make sure that "Print tited pages" is NOT selected.
13. Before sending the job to the lasercutter, click the "Print Preview" button to make sure that your plot settings are correct, and the plot looks like what you were expecting. If changes need to be made, do so.
14. Click "Print" to send the job to the lasercutter. This will transfer your file and settings to the machine, which should cause information to be displayed on the control panel.
15. If your speed, power and PPI settings all read 0.00, your lineweights have not been changed to the required 0.00mm setting. Go back to your file, make this correction, then send your job again (you will have to input your settings again).
16. If everything is in order, hit the Start button on the control panel. The laser head will move out over your material and start working.

Some Tips to Remember

• As per the Usage Policies, you must watch the machine while it's cutting.
• If you are dissatisfied with the way the cut is progressing, or you need to step away from the cutter for a few moments, you can pause the machine by hitting the "Pause" button on the control panel.
• You can also resume by hitting the "Resume" button on the control panel.
• If you observe excessive sparking or flames from the material, lift the cover immediately. The head will continue on the cutting path for a few moments, but the laser will be off. The head will eventually return to its resting position.
• Do not be alarmed if the lasercutter does not immediately finish certain parts of a line. It is programmed to seek the most efficient way of cutting vector lines, so it will likely return to finish the line later in the cutting process.
• Once your cut is complete, the machine will beep twice and return to its resting position.
• Lift the cover. Pick up your material and clean the bed using the shop vacuum.