Please help!!!

I am new to inkscape and struggling to get it to cut on my roland sv 12. I am on a deadline for a project and it's getting frustrating. Attached is some pics I have worked on. They cut partly before I oriented them this way, now nothing happens at all.

I would appreciate any help you could give!!

I have not done anything unusual to the pictures just created a line drawing with lines and by inserting shapes.
Thanx
hardworkingmom

Hi
The original message was posted here, but we couldn't upload attachment there.

I've looked at your SVG file, and found all but one of your Layers were locked. I don't know if that would cause your problem. But it's certainly worth unlocking them and try to cut again.

Please open Layers dialog, Layer menu > Layers... . Notice the little padlock icon, that's between the little eye icon and the layer name? Just click it and you will see the closed padlock appear to open. Make sure every layer's padlock is open, and try to cut.

I'm not sure about the orientation issue, but let's go one step at a time, ok?

Next I notice that you have drawn a sort of frame (single black line) around each image, and then another around both together. I've never used one of these cutting machines, so I don't understand how the machine knows which line to cut on. But if you end up getting just a plain rectangle cut out, it might be because it's cutting on the frame line you've drawn. ...just thinking outloud...if the size of the material your cutting out is exactly the size of the outer "frame", I wonder if the machine looks at the outer "frame" and thinks..."no cutting needed"?

I know you said you're on a deadline, and I'll be online the rest of the day, and will try to check for replies as often as I can.

Thanx. Will try unlocking. The funny thing is it seems to cut the frame and nothing else, will try doing without the frame and see what happens.
Thanx

Yeah, my understanding of these cutting machines, is that they just cut along one continuous line. I don't know for sure, but I don't think you'll be getting all the little shapes that make up your image. For example, here's my avatar:

I think the cutting machines, given something like this to cut, would either cut around the outline, or cut just one of the pieces (like just the green or just the pink), depending on how it was drawn.

I would suggest taking away the frames. Or if you don't want to have to draw them again, put them on a new layer and hide the layer (click the little eye icon) for now. Then select all the lines that make up each image, and do Path menu > Combine. Again, I don't know for sure, but I'm thinking this might trick the machine into cutting the outline. However, I'm thinking it's more likely you'll have to do some editing to make it happen.

It sounds like you may have to re-think how you want to accomplish your ojbective. I think what you'll have to do, is either find images consisting of a single line; or sort of cut your image up into individual pieces, have the machine cut them all, then reassemble them where ever you plan to use them.

Seem to be getter closer here. Went back and used pics in their original orientation and they seem to work better

I know nothing about cutters, but you also have ellipse shapes still in the drawing. Try turning everything into paths.

also, you might find it easiest to work in outline view, as that shows the paths the cutter blade should take.

-Rob A>

also, you might find it easiest to work in outline view, as that shows the paths the cutter blade should take.

Good to know!
hardworkingmom, fyi, it's in the View menu > Display options And wow, your image in Outline mode indicates it will all be cut, contrary to my guesses

Thanx for all the feedback, it suddenly came right, I think the problem was partly that I had reoriented some of the pics and partly some of the pics were too close to the border of where the cutter could cut. It's all working GREAT now. Thanx so much!!

You're welcome, I'm glad it's working for you now!