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Old 08-29-2021, 04:57 PM
aansorge aansorge is offline
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Cricut registration trial

I wondered about my wife's new Cricut and the claims for registration, so here is a trial.

She got the latest model, a Cricut Maker 3. The claim is that this model cuts faster and thicker material. Not sure about which models use the same registration technique.

In my case, I wanted cut lines interior to the artwork, so I had to go back to Gimp which had the cutlines and artwork (textures) on different layers. Then I imported the individual png drawings into Cricut's design package. Documentation for this particular use is not exactly clear, but eventually the drawings seemed to get registered with each other.

You can see the light brown cut lines in the picture, they are as close to the machine cuts as i could line up the two layers! I would have to pronounce the test a success!

Next step is to figure out how to prepare the drawings so that they fill the letter size page.

The instructions say that the scanner feature must have inkjet printing, but this test was with laser printed. I like glossy paper, that will be another test.
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  #2  
Old 08-29-2021, 05:24 PM
martyr366 martyr366 is offline
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We used Pagemaker with a Gerber vinyl cutter. imported photos and text and overlayed and sized
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Old 07-05-2022, 04:54 AM
rumbeard rumbeard is offline
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I'm wondering if we can scan our official model kits from GPM, Halinski, and the like and feed sub sheets into the Cricut to get a more exact excision from the paper rather than using our scissor and X-acto.
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Old 07-05-2022, 08:51 AM
Laurence Finston Laurence Finston is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aansorge View Post
Next step is to figure out how to prepare the drawings so that they fill the letter size page.
There are various ways of doing this. It ought to be possible to do this in GIMP, however, I would do it a different way, simply because I know how to do it this way and don't have to figure anything out.

These are brief instructions, in case you want to try it:

1. Load your graphic into GIMP.

2. Click on File/Export As.

3. Use the suffix .eps and click appropriately to save the EPS (encapsulated PostScript) file, e.g., "yourimage.eps".

4. Create a TeX file, e.g., sample.tex. It should contain the following code:

\input epsf
\vsize=11in
\hsize=8.5in
\advance\voffset by -1in
\advance\hoffset by -1in
\advance\hoffset by .5in % Or however wide you want your left margin
\advance\voffset by .5in % Or however high you want your top margin
\advance\hsize by -.5in % Reduce the width and height of the printable
\advance\vsize by -.5in % area of the page accordingly

\def\epsfsize#1#2{#1}

\vbox to \vsize{%
\vskip2in % To shift image down 2in
\hbox to \hsize{\hskip3in % To shift image right 3in
\epsffile{yourimage.eps}\hss}\vss}
\vfil\eject
\bye

You can shift up or left by using negative values. You don't have to use inches, you could use printer's points (pt), centimeters (cm) or PostScript points (bp). Not parsecs or versts, however.

Then run:
tex sample.tex
dvipdfmx sample.dvi

This creates sample.pdf in letter size (8 1/2 by 11in). You can load it into GIMP and output it in some other format, PNG, SVG, or whatever.

Some variations to this procedure are possible.

You can scale the image without affecting the page format by changing the line "\def\epsfsize ...", above. For example, "\def\epsfsize#1#2{.75#1}" makes the image 3/4 of its original size.

TeX and dvipdfmx are available for GNU/Linux, Windows, MacOS, and any other operating system you're likely to have. If you don't have them, you could look up TeXLive or MikTeX (both free).

I hope this helps.
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Old 07-05-2022, 03:50 PM
aansorge aansorge is offline
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Soon after the original experiment with the Yellow Submarine, I got thoroughly involved with Eiffel Tower models. The very first was a beautiful success, ever since, the Cricut has been resolute in refusing to cut all those little triangles that makes the model so attractive. The obvious course took me to the library and their brand new laser cutter "tinker space." I have been enjoying this project. Big ones, small ones, redrawing the model from photos, big ones again. But Al...there is no texture artwork. Which brings me back to the Yellow Submarine and future models.


I am looking at the technique based on little squares in the corners, that can be used as registration marks. Much less demanding of real estate than the Cricut method. More immediate than the method described by Mr. Laurence, but not anywhere near as repeatable. The cutting app is adjusted so that the cutter cuts out the little squares, and THEN the rest of the model is forwarded for cutting. In my case, the texture art is in Gimp, while the cutter is working from SVG files which can be from GiMP (in kind of a roundabout way) or Inkscape.



The hope is as Mr. Rumbeard says, to achieve more exact cuts, especially while designing and tweaking a model. If the registration method can be made much more sequential, repeatable all this will be worthwhile.


Watch this space...
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Old 07-05-2022, 09:01 PM
Laurence Finston Laurence Finston is offline
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I didn't realize how old the original posting was when I replied to this thread. I'm also not sure I completely understand what the problem is.

In case this is helpful at all, it is possible to add registration marks to pages in the method I describe. If it is helpful, I can create an example. However, it would be too much work unless someone was interested in seeing the result.

This PDF file contains examples of drawings with crosshairs for registration: https://www.gnu.org/software/3dldf/graphics/stlltns.pdf
It's on this page: The GNU 3DLDF Stellation Patterns Page

In this case, the image is also an EPS file but it's not from a scan or photo and the crosshairs are part of the drawing. It would, however, be possible to make them separately and include them in the TeX file as a separate image, again using \epsffile.

Alternatively, the crosshairs could be done directly in TeX using "rules". I use this technique occasionally.

Basically, you can put anything you want anywhere you want on a page in TeX by using this technique:

\vbox to 0pt{\vskip\dimen0\hbox to 0pt{\hskip\dimen1 WHATEVER\hss}\vss}

Depending on the values of \dimen0 and \dimen1, you can shift "WHATEVER" to any position on the page. "WHATEVER" can be crosshairs or another image or text or rules --- anything printable.

I have my doubts about the tolerances acheivable by using cutting plotters and printers to get templates and textures to register properly. I haven't tested this myself, because it seems like none of the cutting plotters support GNU/Linux and I don't want to buy Windows just to be able to use a cutting plotter.

I did go so far as to install Inkcut, which supposedly makes it possible to control a cutting plotter from a GNU/Linux computer, and imported an SVG file into it. The result looked good, but I'm not sure I want to invest approx. 300 € into something that might not work.

Also, I have my doubts about whether a cutting plotter will make the kind of intricate cuts I sometimes need. I looked into laser cutters, too, but they all seemed to be in a higher price category.

Last edited by Laurence Finston; 07-05-2022 at 09:14 PM.
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  #7  
Old 07-05-2022, 10:47 PM
Laurence Finston Laurence Finston is offline
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In my experience, the only reliable method for achieving registration is to use a mechanical connection. For paper, I recommend using a needle and thread.
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