Have you ever been sick, looked up your symptoms on the internet and gotten freaked out, thinking you had a terminal disease? We’ve all been there. Then your doctor tells you it’s really something minor and you sigh with relief. That’s because websites are just no substitute for a trained professional. Today, I’m going to cover some settings in your Preferences that have misinformation about them floating around the web. That includes Packet Size, which has a big urban legend surrounding it. Don’t worry — the Cut Doctor is in! (To start with Lesson #1 in this series, go here).
Note: This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click the link and purchase something, I may receive a small commission. You pay the same price. This helps me to be able to keep my business going and provide more tutorials.
If you are unsure of how to get to the Preferences in your software, read this post.
Cut to Edge of Page
The first setting to look at is in the Defaults tab. It’s called Cut to Edge of Page. If you don’t have this turned on, the machine leaves a tiny 1/16″ margin all the way around the page. Compare the cut border, indicated by the red line, in these 2 closeup pics of the upper left corner of the mat area. Here’s one with this setting checked. You have to look very closely to see that red line right at the edge of the page:
And here’s without:
I’m not quite sure why you’d want to have it turned off. The only reason I can think of is to account for the possibility of your material being slightly off alignment when you put it on the mat and wanting to make sure you don’t cut into the mat there.
RECOMMENDED TREATMENT: Keep it on.
Packet size
Now we’re going into the Advanced tab of your Preferences. Below the thing that looks like a ruler (HTTP sockets), you’ll see a setting called Packet Size.
What this does is control how much information at a time is sent from your computer to your machine.
Think of it like this. Pretend you’re packing boxes to move. You get a big box and fill it with books. Then you try to move the box and realize it’s WAY too heavy. So you get three smaller boxes and distribute the same set of books between them. Each box weighs less so is easier to move.
That’s what Packet Size is like. Your computer will send the cut information to your machine in chunks called packets. The default setting is 1000 bytes. That means your computer sends data to the machine 1000 bytes at a time.
What are bytes?
Feel free to skip this section if you aren’t interested, but I’ll try to keep it pretty simple. Definitely do NOT skip the next sections on how Packet Size does and does not affect cuts.
In computer talk, bit (abbreviated b) is short for “binary digit.” It represents the smallest unit of information on a computer. If you look at the etymology of the word binary it means “consisting of two” or “two-by-two.” A binary digit can only be either 0 or 1 (hence the relation of 2). It’s the basis for all computer code. Because it’s so small, we don’t typically use it as a form of data measurement.
Byte (abbreviated B) is shorthand for “binary term.” A byte is a unit of data that’s typically 8 consecutive bits in length. It’s a series of zeroes and ones. A byte is usually capable of holding a single character, such as the letter “c.” We measure data based on how many bytes it contains. Because most files are large these days, we add metric prefixes. For example, if a file is 8KB, that’s 8 kilobytes. Although kilo normally means 1000, it doesn’t here. Because it’s a binary system (base 2) and not a base 10 like we’re used to, 1KB is equal to 1024 bytes. A megabyte is 1024 KB.
So how does Packet Size affect cutting?
Sometimes, 1000 bytes is too much for your computer or machine to handle at once (the boxes are too heavy). So you can lower it to 500 bytes to send the data in smaller portions. If your machine is getting overwhelmed, you may notice the following symptoms:
- The machine does not complete the full design.
- A stray line is cut/drawn through the project.
- The machine pauses for long periods of time.
There are other, more likely causes for all of those, so check them first. For example, the machine may not cut the full design because you don’t have your page size set correctly or haven’t accounted for margins when cutting without the mat. It may cut a stray line due to the font you’re using (software glitch) or firmware that isn’t up to date. It may pause for long periods of time, particularly on text, when you stay in the Send area as it’s cutting instead of going back to the Design area. (Don’t worry — we’ll cover all these as we continue in this series).
What packet size does NOT do
Here’s the urban legend I want to dispel. Changing the packet size will not affect the cut in any other way. Someone once said on a popular blog that they read on another well-known blog that that person had heard from another person who heard in a user’s group (undefined) to lower the packet size. They thought it maybe made the blade cut better — all the sudden it stopped ripping and tearing. They said they thought the information had come from Silhouette America. The bloggers had not actually tested it. That’s how the myth got started and it has spread all over the place. Do you see the pitfalls, such as undocumented authority, second- and third-hand information, words such as “maybe” and “thought”? (The recommendation did not, by the way, come from Silhouette America).
Folks, that’s simply not possible. Packet size will NOT, I repeat WILL NOT, change how the machine handles the blade or how much force it exerts. You are in charge of all of that with your blade number and force settings. That’s what causes ripping and tearing. It’s like saying if you pack fewer books into smaller boxes that they won’t get water damaged if your storage unit floods. It makes no sense.
I’ve even read that it will affect how well the machine aligns your Print and Cut projects. Again, it’s not going to do anything for that. That’s a symptom of a different disease.
RECOMMENDED TREATMENT: Turn it down only if you experience the issues mentioned above and have first tried other measures to solve them.
Include Cut Data
Near the bottom of the Preferences>Default tab you’ll find a setting called Include Cut Data. You can toggle it on and off by checking/unchecking the box.
When your software saves a file, you can choose to have it save the cut data with the file or not. The only reason you need this is if you are saving the file to a USB stick to cut directly from that. If you have your machine hooked up to your computer with the USB cord, you don’t need the software to hold that information with the file. Therefore, you don’t need to have Include Cut Data checked.
Now, if you are cutting via the USB cord, having this setting on won’t mess anything up. However, what is can do is slow down your software, particularly as you’re saving a file. Here’s the kicker: that includes Auto Save.
Include Cut Data slows down the Auto Save
Your software is saving in a temporary file every file you’ve got open. That’s in case your software closes unexpectedly and you haven’t saved your files. If, for example, you’re working on your laptop and your battery dies. When you reopen the software, you’ll see a panel at the right with recovered documents. Those are the files you were working on, including all changes you’d made, at the time of the last Auto Save. I can’t find any documentation from Silhouette America on how often the software does the Auto Save, but it’s at regular periodic intervals. You can’t turn it off or edit the interval as you can on some other programs.
Let’s say you’ve got 10 files open and have lots of designs on each filled with printable patterns. When it’s time for the Auto Save, the software is going to have lots of data to save. If you have Include Cut Data checked, that increases the amount of data. So if you notice this happening, you can safely turn it off. Again — you only need to save that information with the file when you are going to save it to a USB stick, put that into the machine, and cut directly from it.
Another time you may notice a slowdown is when you start a cut job. If you see the message Generating Cut Job and it seems to take forever to go away, try turning off Include Cut Data. That can be especially true when you use Bluetooth. In the latter case, I’d say test it to see if it makes a difference.
RECOMMENDED TREATMENT: If you always cut by connecting the USB cord to your machine, turn it off.
Software Overcut
This is the last setting we’re going to look at in the Preferences. It’s still in the Defaults tab, near the bottom on the right-hand column. This is NOT the same as Line Segment Overcut, so keep reading.
Let’s say you’re cutting a circle. The blade goes down into the material, cuts around the circle, and ends up back where it started. In order to make sure that starting spot is cut through all the way, without any little tabs hanging on, the machine cuts just a tiny bit past the starting spot. Line Segment Overcut is used only at corners where 2 lines meet; Software Overcut is for that starting point, that becomes the ending point as well, on all shapes.
This makes total sense. The default is to have it on, and I suggest you always keep it that way. The only time you might not want it is if you’re cutting something like metal or polymer clay and don’t want it recutting even a tiny section.
RECOMMENDED TREATMENT: Keep it on.
Apply or OK
Once you’ve made a change in your Preferences, you want to keep them. You can do that in 2 different ways:
- Click OK at the lower right. That saves the changes and closes the dialog box. Use this one if you are changing only 1 setting.
- Click Apply at the lower left. That saves the change, but doesn’t close the menu. Use that if you are going to change settings in several spots and want to make sure you get them all applied. Strictly speaking, it’s not necessary because when you click OK they will all be saved.
Up Next
That’s it for today. At our next appointment, I’ll show you some things about your mat that could affect your cuts. That’s a biggie, so be sure to be here.
Leave a Reply