Sometimes we wonder if our Silhouette is well calibrated because lately, it is not so accurate when making cuts. When this happens, and after trying all the usual solutions without them working, it is time to calibrate your machine.
How to calibrate Silhouette?
There are different options for calibration depending on the type of problem you have. As the calibration is performed through the Silhouette Studio design program, there is no difference between calibrating the different machine models: Cameo, Portrait, or Curio. However, calibration is not always the solution to your machine problems and will only be necessary when having issues with the Print&Cut option. Calibration is a good option, for example, when there is a mismatch between what has been printed and what has been cut, and when this mismatch is constant throughout the sheet. Otherwise, the failure would probably be in the placement of one of the materials.
When to calibrate
As we said before, the calibration won't solve all your problems, and depending on the problem we are facing, we will have to do one type of calibration or another, we're explaining everything!Calibration in Silhouette
Although calibration with Silhouette is not complicated, it is necessary to follow a certain number of steps, so we are making it easy for you. As mentioned above, there are three calibration options: "calibration", "distance adjustment" and "tool separation", the latter limited to machines with a double carriage.➧ Calibration
This type of adjustment should be made when there is a mismatch between the print and the cut; and when this mismatch is always uniform, i.e. when there is always the same offset, both in direction and distance. If there are differences between the distance or location, it seems like there's an issue with the project set-up or the placement of the mat.- Open Silhouette's design programme, Silhouette Studio.
- Go to the "Send" area, and the three calibration options will appear. Click on the "Calibration" button. A new tab will open. If you want to change the type of calibration you are doing, you can do so directly at the top, where the three modes appear.
- The "Calibration" panel opens, and you'll see the test page with crosses and green squares. Print the sheet, making sure that the page size corresponds to the printing page size.
- Print the page, you'll see that only the crosses appear. The green squares are only a reference.
- Place the page on the mat and load it into your machine as instructed by the programme. Place a blade in your machine. We recommend using one of the compatible markers if you have them, as it will be much easier to make the calibration.
- Using the arrow keys on the Silhouette Studio screen, move the blade until the tip of the blade is over the cross mark. On machines with a double carriage, you will see two circles, one red and the other blue, indicating the tool you're using to do the calibration.
- Once the blade is in the exact spot, click on the "Calibrate" button. The machine will start making the necessary cuts.
- The cut made should match the cross perfectly. If it doesn't, you will still need to make some adjustments:
- With a ruler, measure the distance, both horizontally and vertically, between the cut and the printed cross.
- There may be different situations where the vertical or horizontal line does not coincide with the cross. If the horizontal line fails, adjust the vertical slide; if the vertical line fails, work on the horizontal line on the screen.
- Adjust the distance in the Silhouette Studio programme and repeat the steps again until the blade perfectly matches the printed cross. Make sure to place the blade carriage on the next cross.
- Once you have achieved an accurate cut on the cross, you can finish the process or continue to test fit the rest of the crosses.
➧ Distance Adjustment
This type of adjustment should be made when the cutting distances are not accurate: for example, if you have to cut a line of 20 cm, and it doesn't cut that exact distance. Another sign that this type of calibration is needed is when cutting a circle and the shape is not spherical, but oval.- Use the same template you used in the "Calibration" or print it out if you have not already done so.
- Load it into the machine
- Select the "Cut Test Lines" option.
- The machine will make two small cuts where the letters A and B and the numbers 1 and 2 are.
- Measure with a ruler the distance first between the letters and then between the numbers. Both lines should be 20 centimetres.
- If it is not correct, adjust the measurement in the programme by introducing the measure you got.
➧ Tool Separation
Only suitable for double carriage machines, and it's needed when you start to notice your knives make cuts at different distances.- There's no need to print any pages. Load the mat with cardboard.
- With the help of the arrows displayed on the Silhouette Studio screen, move the blades to the place where you want to make the test. Of course, to do this, you'll have to place a blade on each carriage.
- Click on "Tool separation test". The left tool will make several cuts; the right tool will make a horizontal cut over the left tool cuts.
- Now check if the cuts are right on top of one another.
- If not, the programme gives you some options to adjust it.