Up to this point in this series, we’ve discussed choices you make to get set up to cut. (To start with lesson #1, go here.) We’re going to shift now and get into the mechanics of starting and managing the cut job. In the next set of lessons, we’re going to cover machine connection, device management and the test cut feature (including why you should or shouldn’t use it). Then we’ll go over the 3 ways you can cut a project — via the USB cord, Bluetooth or a USB stick.
That probably all sounds familiar – except perhaps connections and device management. What in the world is that? That’s today’s topic. It’s all about managing how the software communicates with your machine. We’re going to go over making sure the software recognizes that your machine is connected and what to do if it doesn’t. Then we’ll talk about what to do if you use more than 1 machine.
Note: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click the link and purchase something, I receive a small commission. You pay the same price. This helps me to be able to keep my business going and provide more tutorials. I will always be honest about my opinion of any product.
This is one of those lessons with a good deal of information that you may not need right away. Don’t try to memorize it all. Just read over it and then you’ll know you can refer back to it if you ever have a problem with your machine connecting or with getting the software to cut from the correct machine. I’m going to use a phone analogy today, so think of this post like a phone book. You don’t always need to memorize numbers if you have them stored somewhere.
NOTE: I am a Beta tester for the Silhouette Studio software. In the current Beta version, there are a few changes to the Send area for connections and device management. If and when a Beta version with changes becomes the current regular release, I will update this post.
CHANGE!
Well, wouldn’t you know it? Just days after I published this post the beta version was released as the new current (regular) version – 4.1.441. I’m going to leave this post intact for those of you who haven’t updated yet. But I’m also going to add a post with the info on the changes to the send area. To learn more about why and how to update, see this post. That post will also show you how to figure out which version you are using currently.
If you are on version 4.1.441 or higher, I’ll add a link to that post here once it’s written. It can be helpful if you want to see what the changes are before you update.
If you are on any release of version 4 below that, continue with this post.
Checking the connection
Let’s look back at the Send area. In the bottom right, you’ll see 2 different pics of Silhouette machines – a larger one on the left and a smaller one on the right.
Let’s start by looking at the larger one and learning what that area tells you.
First, the icon and wording tell you which machine the software thinks you are using (or will be using). As we go through more details, you’ll see why this matters. This is the machine that is currently connected or that your software detected the last time you used one. Notice mine says “Cameo” and the icon looks like a Cameo.
If I hook up my Curio instead, I see that machine.
This area will also tell you if the software can find a connection with that machine. It does also tell you what the machine is doing currently, but we’re going to go into in more detail in future lessons in this series. For now, we are only looking at the different things that have to do with the connection specifically.
Look for what it says under the machine name. That tells you the status of the connection.
Here are the possibilities:
Status: Ready
This means your software has a good connection with your machine via a USB cord and is ready to go. We’ll talk in a later lesson about using the Bluetooth feature. But if you’re cutting by being cord-connected, you’re all set.
Status: Syncing
This means the software is still trying to establish a connection with the machine but it doesn’t sense one yet. This can happen when you have–
–gone to the Send area and just then turned on your machine. This will usually clear up quickly.
–connected a Curio without loading its platform correctly. I find it happens often even when you loaded it correctly but the software is trying to establish the connection. Unload and reload the platform to fix this. You may even need to turn the Curio off, push the platform in further and then turn it back on.
–cancelled the cut on the machine itself. This should clear up after the software and the machine have completed the cancellation, but once in a while it just stays on “syncing.” Turn the machine off and back on to clear it. I’m going to mention that several times, because powering the machine off and back on usually prompts the software to try to establish the connection again.
–turned the machine off during the cut. Sometimes when you turn the machine back on it doesn’t make the connection right away, even when you open your Send area. Turning the machine off and back on usually fixes it.
HINT: Before you ever pause or cancel a job on the machine or turn the machine off during the cut, read this post.
Status: <blank> or –
The software is–
–trying to figure out if there’s a machine there or not. Usually, you just need to wait when you see this one and you’ll get a different status message.
–switching between other status updates. Again, you usually just need to wait.
–seeing that you paused a job on the machine and the machine went to sleep (more on that below) without you ever cancelling the job.
–sensing your firmware isn’t up to date. We’ll talk a bit more about this one farther down.
Status: Busy
The software is trying to process something. It’s similar to the blank status. Wait to see if it goes away on its own as it usually does. If it doesn’t, turn the machine off and back.
Status: Connection Released or Connection Auto-released
This is one you may never see or need. Because you typically only need to know about it when you’re using more than 1 machine, I’m going to save the discussion of it for a special section below.
Status: Checking Connections
I’ve only ever seen this one where the Connections Preference is Auto-release, when connections are not in use and there’s a specific combination of releasing and resetting connections and then closing and reopening the software. In other words, it’s really rare. If you ever do see it, just check the section farther down in the post on what auto-release is and how I recommend setting your connections preference.
Could Not Connect
This means your software isn’t currently able to communicate with your machine. It doesn’t always mean that you haven’t connected and turned on the machine. Sometimes there’s a breakdown in the communication so they can’t properly interface. Kinda like when communication breaks down in a relationship – you lose connection (I know – I’m weird today with my analogies).
Fixing a “Could Not Connect” error
This is one of those things Silhouette users have nightmares about. Sometimes it’s easy to solve, sometimes it isn’t. There are several reasons this happens:
The machine is off
This is like trying to make a phone call to someone who has their phone turned off. You can’t speak to them until they power it back on. That’s an easy fix – turn the machine on.
The USB cord isn’t connected to the computer, the machine or both
Think about phones with cords. I know it’s been a while since those were around in homes but you still see them in offices and such. There’s a cord that runs between the handpiece that you talk into and the phone base. If that cord is unplugged from either piece, you can’t communicate with someone you are trying to call. This is also easy to solve – plug the cord in.
The USB cord is bad
This is like when you try to call someone and the cell phone company’s satellite isn’t working. Your phone is on, and the person you’re trying to call has their phone on, but the connection doesn’t happen because the equipment between the 2 of you is bad.
To see if this is the problem, try a different USB cord. Many printer USB cords will work. Specifically, you need a male to male USB 2.0 cable with one A-type connection and one B-type.
There’s something preventing the connection
This is like when you’re on a phone call and get into an area where there are lots of mountains that might block your signal. The call drops because there’s too much solid mass between you and the satellite up in space.
This one is the hardest one to diagnose and correct because figuring out what could be blocking the connection is rarely straightforward. It could be many different things. Going back to our phone analogy, it would be hard to figure out which mountain you’d have to knock down to clear the way. Ya, I know, pretty drastic. But that’s what it feels like sometimes when you are trying to fix this issue.
To try to solve this issue, there are a number of things to check in order.
Your firmware version
This applies only to Cameo 2, Cameo 3 and Curio machines. Firmware is the software that’s on the memory chip inside the machine itself. If the machine isn’t on the right firmware version it’s not speaking the right language to the software — they can’t communicate. To find out how to check your firmware version, see this post. If you need to update it, see this post for a step-by-step walk-through.
Your software version
Some releases of the Silhouette Studio software have problems in them that cause a communication error with the machine. Also, if you have a newer model machine, you need a software version that came after the release of your machine model. For example, if you had a phone manufactured in 2015 and needed to get a replacement battery, you’d need to find a part that was manufactured after 2015. One made in 2012, even for the same type of phone, might not work. For more information on checking your software version and updating software, see this post.
The order in which you plugged in the cords and turned on the machine (software connection issue)
In this case, you might need to do it again in a different order. The Silhouette software isn’t picking up on the fact that you have your machine plugged in and turned on. Any time you have a connection issue and you’ve checked the steps up to this point, these steps will almost always fix it — particularly if you’ve had a connection previously.
• Close the Silhouette Studio software.
• Turn off your machine.
• Disconnect the USB cable from both your machine and your computer.
• Disconnect the power cord from the machine.
• Re-open the software.
• Go into the Send area (or, if for some reason you are still down a version lower than 4, go to the Send to Silhouette window).
• Plug in the power cord and turn on the machine.
• Connect the USB cable directly to the machine and directly to the computer. Don’t use a USB hub. Also, make sure the USB cord you are using is the one that came with your machine (or with another Silhouette cutter – they all use the same cords).
Now what?
If you’ve done everything up to this point and still aren’t getting a connection, the problem is a more complicated one.
It might be a printer or print job inferring with the communication. It could even be a printer you don’t have any longer. This is typically only on a Windows computer.
A problem with the hardware connection can also be the cause. This is different from the software connection issue already discussed. In the software connection, there’s something in the Silhouette program that’s hampering communication. In the hardware connection, it’s something inside the computer that’s an issue. It might be a printing support driver needing an update or a fix. It could even be a bad USB port on the computer. If you have had a Hardware Connection in the past (you have cut on this machine from this computer), this probably isn’t the issue.
If it’s either of those, it can be tricky to fix. You can find more information on what to try next here for a Windows computer (start with “Clearing Print Queue) and here for a Mac (start with “Testing Hardware Connection”). If there are any steps you don’t understand, do everything you can up to that point and then contact Silhouette America. I suggest you go through as many of the steps here and on the links provided BEFORE you contact them, ‘cuz that’s exactly where they will start. Save yourself some time and walk through each step in order.
If you’ve done everything, including the steps in this section, it’s possible the machine isn’t working properly. Email Silhouette America’s customer support at support@silhouetteamerica.com and discuss possible options with them. But don’t worry — it’s actually rare that it’s a machine failure (speaking from my experience as a Customer Support Rep for Silhouette America).
The machine detail window
Okay, now let’s get back to that smaller machine icon, the one at the extreme lower right. It’s always a picture of a Portrait machine. (You might notice the Bluetooth symbol and the gear icon on either side of this icon. We’ll talk about these in later lessons.)
Click on this icon to see more about your machine. I’m going to call this the machine detail window.
This isn’t much of a big deal unless you are using multiple machines at the same time with Business Edition. As long as the machine has been connected at least you, you’ll see the firmware version listed. If the software has establish a connection with this machine, you’ll see how. For example, mine says it’s connected via a USB cord. You can close this machine detail window by clicking the icon again, or clicking the “x” in the upper right corner.
A Preference setting that affects connections
There a setting in the software preferences that can affect connections. It’s called “Silhouette Device Connections” and it’s in the second tab called “Defaults.”
Unless you change it, this preference will be on “Do Not Auto-release Connections” (even if it isn’t checked). I’m going to recommend you leave it on this.
Releasing the connection means cutting off the communication between the software and the machine. If you use more than 1 machine and don’t have Business Edition, this is an easy way to move from one machine to another in your Send area. It’s like hanging up the phone so you can call someone else. We’ll talk more about that in the next section.
What auto-release does is break the connection between the software and the machine without your telling it to do so. It’s kinda like if you could set your phone to automatically end your call after 5 minutes. This may work differently in future software releases, but at this point if you auto-release connections it can be a major ordeal to get the connection reestablished. You can get caught in an endless cycle of “connection released” and “connection auto-released.”
The easiest way to avoid that is just keep your preference set to Do Not Auto-release Connections. If you ever see the status message “Connection Auto-Released,” that means you didn’t. The good news is that it’s easy to remedy — just to back to your preferences and change it. Then look at the next sections for how to reestablish the connection.
Device management in Basic, Designer or Designer Plus Editions
If you own more than 1 machine, lucky you! You are blessed ????. But you need to know some things that could be confusing about using multiple machines with Basic, Designer or Designer Plus Editions. If you have Business Edition and use multiple machines, go down to the next section. (Unsure what those terms mean? See this post).
Page setup
Before you even go into the Send area, you should know that in your Page Setup panel, you can choose mats and page sizes that don’t necessarily match the connected machine. For instance, you may have a Curio connected, but you can still choose a 12” x 12” Cameo mat in your page setup. You couldn’t actually use that mat in a Curio.
This is a good thing, because it allows you to create a design for a different machine without having that machine connected. Just make sure you always check your page setup when you first start a file or open your software, and definitely before you send the job. Otherwise you might ruin your material or mat if it cuts in the wrong place.
The machine that shows up
When you first look in the Send area, there’s only 1 machine showing in that lower right corner—
–No machine is currently hooked up: it’s the last machine you used.
–One machine is connected: it’s that one.
–2 or more machines are both connected: it’s the one the software detected first.
Even if you click on the small icon of the machine to open the machine detail window, you’ll only see the 1 machine. With Business Edition it would show more, but with lower levels the software will only handle 1 machine connection at a time.
Releasing and Making Connections
What if the machine you want the software to notice is a different one than what’s it’s currently recognizing? The trick is that even if you turn off the connected machine, the software may still be searching for just that one. Here’s how to get it to look for a different one:
- Click the pause-looking button at the right to release the connection to that machine. Or, you can right click (CTRL+click on a Mac) on the large machine icon and select “Release <machine 1 name>.” You can also do this second option in the machine detail window. The button then changes to an arrow.
- Turn that machine off and wait until you see the “Could Not Connect” message.
- Click the small arrow.
This tells the software to look for any connected machines, so it should find the second machine. Instead of using the small arrow, you can right click again (CTRL+click on Mac) on that large machine icon again and choose “Connect to <machine 1 name>.” Even though that technically tells it to search for the first machine, it’s really searching for any machine.
This process also works if you accidentally set your preference to auto-release connections and get a “Connection released” or “Connection auto-released” message that won’t go away. Once you change that to Do Not Auto-Release, go back to the Send area. What you see there and what you need to do to fix it depends on what the status was before you changed the preference.
- If it said, “Connection auto-released,” the software will automatically search for a connected machine.
- If it said, “Connection released,” click the arrow at the right to have it search.
Action and tool options
Here’s something else to watch out for. The options you see in your cut settings for actions and tools will be based on the machine that’s currently detected. For example–
–If a Cameo 3 is the machine detected, then the blade will default to an auto-blade. That’s not a big deal, because you can change it to a ratchet blade if you are planning to use a Cameo 2 instead.
–If it’s a Cameo 2 that’s detected, that machine does not have an auto-blade. That means you couldn’t choose it in your setup, even if you intend to use your Cameo 3. It’s just not there, so you’ll need to hook it up to see the settings options.
–If you have a Cameo connected, you won’t be able to choose Emboss as an action because that’s only for a Curio machine.
BUT BUT BUT — if you had a Cameo 3 on and the Send area was open at the time and then connect a 2 instead, you’ll still see an auto-blade. Or if you’ve had a Cameo 2 connected while the Send area was open, then connect a 3 instead, you will NOT see your auto-blade option. Because you haven’t moved in that screen, the software does not reset the actions or tools. In other words, what you see ain’t necessarily what you get.
The easiest way to get the options back to matching the currently connected machine is to change to a different cut mode or go back to your Design area and then return to the Send area.
Device Management in Business Edition
In order to have multiple devices show in your Send area and/or use them at the same time, you need the Business Edition of the Silhouette Studio software. BE is a paid upgrade – you pay once and get to keep it forever. This edition of the software is aimed at folks who run a business with their Silhouette machines. It doesn’t add design features – it’s time-saving features. Running multiple machines at the same time and being able to easily switch between them and manage them are things that can save time for a business.
For more on the different levels of the Silhouette Studio software, see this post.
So, let’s talk about the options BE gives you in the Send area.
Page setup
As with lower levels of the software, you can choose mats and page sizes that don’t necessarily match the connected machine. For instance, you may have a Curio connected, but you can still choose a 12” x 12” Cameo mat in your page setup. You couldn’t actually use that mat in a Curio.
This is a good thing, because it allows you to create a design for a different machine without having that machine connected. Just make sure you always check your page setup when you first start a file or open your software, and definitely before you send the job. Otherwise you might ruin your material or mat if it cuts in the wrong place.
Seeing multiple devices
When you first look in the Send area, there’s only 1 machine showing in that lower right corner. It’s the one currently connected. Or, if none is connected, the one you used most recently. If multiple machines are connected it’s the one you turned on first.
If you click on the small icon of the machine to open the machine detail window, you’ll see all your machines that are connected or have been in the past (while you’ve had BE). Only 2 of mine are showing fully, but there’s a scroll bar at the right to see more. To cut from a machine other than the one that’s showing in the panel, you can click Start under that machine in the machine detail window.
To close the machine detail window, make sure to click the “x” at the very very top. Or, even better, click the small machine icon again. Using the other “x”s will remove that machine from the list (we’ll talk about that more in just a bit).
Releasing and Making Connections
When you first upgrade to Business Edition and go to the Send area, you might not see multiple machines immediately. This usually only happens when I open Basic version, add BE, then go to the Send area. The machine detail window shows only 1 machine because it doesn’t yet know it can show multiple.
You need to get the software to look for other machines. Restarting them doesn’t always help, but using the Release Connections option does. It’s a simpler process with Business Edition than it is with lower levels.
- Connect and turn on all your machines.
- Click the pause button at the right to release the connection to the machine it’s detecting. Or, right click (CTRL+click on Mac) on the large machine icon and select “Release <machine 1 name>.” You can also do this second option in the machine detail window.
- The icon changes to an arrow. Click that. As with the lower levels, this tells the software to look for any connected machines. The machine detail window should now list all machines it detects.
Instead of using the small arrow, you can right click/CTRL+click again on that large machine icon again and choose “Connect to <machine 1 name>.” Technically that searches for the first machine, but it really searches for any machine.
This process works if you accidentally have your preferences set to auto-release connections and get a “Connection released” or “Connection auto-released” message you can’t get rid of. Once you change that to Do Not Auto-Release, go back to the Send area. What you need to do to fix it depends on what the status was before you changed the preference.
- If it said, “Connection auto-released,” the software automatically searches for a connected machine.
- If it said, “Connection released,” click the arrow to have it search.
Removing machines from the list
As I said before, if you open the machine detail window you should see a list of all the machines that have ever been hooked up to your computer. What do you do if let someone borrow your computer with their machine and it’s still in the list? Or what if you give away one of your machines? Here’s how you can remove it from the list:
- Make sure the machine isn’t connected. You can’t remove a machine from the list while it has an active connection. You can turn it off or click the pause icon to release the connection.
- Click on the smaller machine icon to get to the machine detail window.
- Scroll through to find the machine you want to remove.
- Right click (Windows) or CTRL+click (Mac) on the icon for that machine.
- Choose “Remove <machine name> from list.”
Another way to remove a machine is to use the “x” in its line in the machine detail window.
If the one you want to remove is the one that’s currently showing, you can do the right click menu or “x” right there without having to go to the machine detail window.
If you accidentally delete a machine, you’ll need to connect it again for the software to add it back in your list. Just plug it in, turn it on and follow the steps above in Releasing and Making Connections if needed.
Setting a default cutter
Notice that my “Cameo 3” label has a green check mark beside it in the picture just above. The green check is showing me that this Cameo 3 is my default cutter. What’s that? The default cutter is the one you want the software assume you are using as you are designing right now. It gives you options for that machine.
For example, let’s say my Curio is my default cutter. If I turn on “Show Cut Border,” the max area it shows is based on the smaller mats for that machine. It also means that I could choose Emboss as the action and an embossing tool. If I had the Cameo 3 as my default cutter, I couldn’t choose those emboss options.
As with lower software levels, if you change the default cutter and don’t move in that screen, the software does not reset the actions or tools. The easiest way to get the options back to matching the default machine is to change to a different cut mode or go back to your Design area and then return to the Send area.
What setting a default cutter doesn’t do
One thing this does NOT currently do that we might expect it to do is keep track of the default machine once you close the software. In other words, it won’t remember next time which machine I set as the default this time. Selecting a default machine does not mean that every time you turn on the software it’s that machine that the software will always expect you are using. Let me give an example.
- I’m working on projects and have both my Curio and Cameo 3 connected.
- I’m designing a project for my Curio last so have that set as my default machine.
- At the end of the day, I close my software and turn off my machines.
- The next day, I open my software and turn on both machines. I don’t pay attention to the order and turn on the Cameo 3 first.
- That sets the Cameo 3 as the default cutter, even though the last time I used the software I told it the Curio was the default. Setting the default is only for right now – it’s not a permanent selection.
You may notice some other options in the list when you right click (or CTRL+click on Mac) on the machine icon. We’ll talk about those in future lessons.
Naming a device
If you have multiple machines, particularly of the same model (like 3 Cameo 3 machines), it can be hard keeping them straight. This feature allows you to give names to each of your machines. To name a device–
- Click on the current name in the regular Send area…
- …or in the machine detail window in the same spot.
- You’ll see the name in editing mode – there’s a blue highlight around it.
- Type in the name you want.
- Or, if you right click (CTRL+click on a Mac) on that machine name, you’ll get a menu where you can select “Rename.” The other ways are easier, but if for any reason you want to go back to that generic “Cameo 3” name, you can do it here with “Restore Default Name.”
Here I’ve named all my cutters, which you can see in the machine detail window. Notice that the name doesn’t change beside the large machine icon – only above it. This is a secondary way to help you keep track of your machine. For example, this reminds me that Zelda is one of my Cameo 3s and Junior is my Cameo 2.
If you close and re-open the software on that computer, the machines still have their names. However, if you use the software on a different computer – even with the same BE license key – you’ll have to rename them. This is a saved setting in the internal software preferences on each computer.
If you are thinking about purchasing Business Edition to get these extra features, please be sure to check my post about the software levels for tips. For example, if you already run Designer Edition and then want to go to BE, you don’t have to pay the full BE price.
SLEEP mode
Cameo 2 and 3 machines have an optional sleep mode. You can set it in increments of 5 minutes up to 30 minutes, or you can turn it off. You do it in the settings on the machine itself. They won’t go to sleep when the software is open and your machine is connected – only when you close it or the connection isn’t active. Once the specified amount of time has passed, they turn off. The screen goes dark.
Waking it up
To wake up the machine, you can touch the screen, open the software again, or restablish the connection.
If the machine has gone to sleep, always double check the machine screen to make sure it’s ready before you send another job. For example, say yesterday you were cutting, paused a job on your machine, then forgot about it. Then you closed the software and the machine went to sleep. I mean you’ll probably notice the mat is still in there. But if you’ve read my post on cancelling a job you’ll also know that it’s fine to pull it out when the machine is off (as it will be if it’s gone to sleep).
So let’s say you never unplugged the machine from the wall or even turned it off. When you open the software again today it wakes up the machine, but the machine will remember that you never cancelled the job. You’ll need to do that before you try to send another job, as your status will be a “-” in this specific case. Even if you were able to send another job, the cut would start in the wrong place.
Since the machine doesn’t normally go into sleep mode with the software on and an active connection, and since opening the software again wakes it up, you shouldn’t have a problem with the connection when you go back to the Send area in a new software session. If by any chance you do, try turning the machine off and back on. Or, follow the steps for making a connection.
Normally?
Notice that I made a conditional statement above – it doesn’t NORMALLY do this. Is there any time it might? Yes, there is. If you release the connection on a machine (see the section on Releasing and Making Connections), it breaks the link temporarily between the software and the machine. Since there isn’t an active connection, sleep mode would take effect if you have that setting on.
Up Next
That should be everything you need to know about connections, other than the Bluetooth feature we’ll talk about in a future lesson. But feel free to comment below if you have any questions.
Next, we’re going to talk about the test cut feature you’ll find in the Send area. I’ll teach you how to use it and let you know why I don’t actually use that for my test cuts. Ooooh – are you intrigued? Stay tuned!
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