Hi. I use print and cut a lot and found it to be great. However, the scaling option when applying targets is not clear. I understand that the scaling option allows the designs to be different in LB and the print design but I am not able to figure out how to apply the scale to allow this to happen! Where is the scale set? I am sure this is simple but cannot figure it out. This option would be useful if I knew how to use it.
Thanks
PeteM
It’s the ratio between the actual (printed) point-to-point distance on the platform and the nominal distance in the design, not something you set explicitly.
For example, if the printed target points are 9.5 inches apart on the platform, but design has 10 inches between them, then scaling the design by 95% = 9.5 / 10 makes it fit reality.
If you don’t scale the design, then it will be aligned at the proper angle, but will cut / engrave at the nominal size and will not match the actual (printed) pattern on the platform.
For reference:
The actual scaling value is calculated by LightBurn when you use the “Scaled” option. The targets you identify tell LightBurn the actual physical distance between points… this is compared with the known distance between points in the design. The proportional difference is the scale. The act of you choosing the Scaled option automatically scales the design when cutting and it’s not something you need to set explicitly.
In contrast, the non-scaled version does not attempt to scale the design in any way. So LightBurn will simply use the dimensions within the design directly to burn.
Thank you both. A very clear explanation. It’s no wonder I couldn’t find the scale value…. there isn’t one haha. I will have play. If I am understanding this correctly if the LB design is the same size as the laser bed design it would still cut/engrave correctly as the scale would be 100%.
Cheers PeteM
If I’m reading this correctly, yes. If what you’ve already printed or burned in pass 1 is in the same scale as the design loaded in LightBurn then you needn’t use the Scaled mode for pass 2+ as they would be at the same scale. At the same time, you could used scaled but any alignment error will result in actual scaling if even by a small amount. This may or may not be what you want.
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