Issue Description

The image being cut is not lining up properly where the start and end points of the cut line are not matching up, OR the image appears to be skewed and mis-aligned during the cutting process. The mat or material may or may not appear to be drifting during the cutting operation.

One of the following is observed:

The cutting mat (or material if no mat is in use) is drifting/moving off the rollers during the cutting operation

The material is on a cutting mat and appears to be drifting/moving around on the mat (even though the mat itself is securely in place)

The material and cutting mat both appear to be gripped properly but the resulting cut is simply not aligning properly

Cause

The following may cause this concern:

The cutting mat is not in use for a material that should use a cutting mat

The cutting mat or material was not loaded properly and so is not being properly gripped by the pinch rollers

The cutting mat adhesive has worn down and requires replacement

A specialty material is in use that cannot be gripped properly

The blade setting is too high for the material in use and the overexposed blade is getting caught during the cutting process

The blade's opening is obstructed

The cutting mat's edges are curling and getting caught on the motor during the cutting operation

There is a communication issue from the Silhouette Studio® software program

Resolution

Review the following according to the observed cutting action:

The cutting mat (or material if no mat is in use) is drifting/moving off the rollers

• Ensure the cutting mat is being used for materials that do not have their own adhesive backing. If using paper or cardstock (or another material type that does not have a pre-adhered backing), load the material onto the cutting mat. Part of the cutting mat's purpose is to hold the material in place to ensure the resulting cut can be aligned properly.

• Ensure the mat or material is being loaded properly. If the material or cutting mat is not lined up correctly with the intended guide 

The material is on a cutting mat and appears to be drifting/moving around on the mat (even though the mat itself is securely in place)

• Check the mat to see if the adhesive has worn down. If the mat has lost its adhesive quality (either overall or in select areas of the mat) and is not holding the material firmly in place during the cutting process, the cutting mat will need to be replaced.

• Check to see if the concern is specific to the material type by testing an alternate material. Some specialty materials (especially those which may be thicker) may experience concerns in how they are being gripped by the rollers. As material thickness increases, the rollers (dependent upon the material type and surface) may not grip as firmly on the media's surface during operation. Click here for further information on resolving this concern.

The material and cutting mat both appear to be gripped properly but the resulting cut is simply not aligning properly

• Ensure the proper loading option is being used to load the material and/or mat.

• Ensure the blade setting is correct for the material type in use. You may want to perform a series of test cuts to find the lowest blade setting possible that still successfully cuts your material type. If the blade is at a higher level than necessary, it is possible that the blade is cutting through the material but getting caught on the mat during the cutting process.

• Ensure the blade is free from any obstruction and swiveling properly.

• Check the edges of the cutting mat. If an older mat is in use where the edges are curling upward, this may catch on the motor as it travels along near the edge of the mat and throw of the cutting alignment. If such is the case, the mat will need to be replaced as the edges become compacted and warped over time.

• Go to the File menu (PC) or the Silhouette Studio menu (Mac) and go to the Preferences option. Go to the Advanced section and adjust the Packet Size setting to "500 bytes". Then click on OK. This will adjust how information is being sent from the computer to the Silhouette and may resolve select concerns that can arise from a potential communication issue.