How-to guides & troubleshooting

How to use

1. New or import: File > New, or Ctrl+I to import SVG / PDF / DXF / PLT / images; drag & drop also works.
2. Edit: seven tools in the left toolbox (V select, A node, U shape, B freehand, P pen, T text, H pan); colors and dimensions in the right panels. The property bar under the command bar shows options for the active tool — move/resize/rotate/mirror a selection directly, weld/group a multi-selection.
3. Draw clean shapes: enable Shape Snap on the freehand bar to turn rough strokes into clean rectangles/circles/triangles; the shape tool shows a live width/height readout while dragging, and near-circular ellipses snap to a perfect circle (magenta cross).
4. Add text: with the text tool, click the canvas and type right away (IME supported), or click existing text to edit it inline — Enter or clicking elsewhere commits, Esc cancels; text renders solid-filled by default. Text supports horizontal/vertical layout, and clicking a path outline with the text tool types along that path.
5. Build contour (optional): select objects and click "Contour" in the command bar to generate cut lines; for imported images the image contour wizard opens.
6. Send: click "Send" in the command bar, pick machine and connection, preview, then cut.

Troubleshooting

Not sure where to start?

Run Help > Feature Tour once (a six-step walkthrough), then drag a built-in clipart from the right panel and do a test cut. All shortcuts are under Help > Keyboard Shortcuts.

How do I get back to the file I was working on?

The welcome screen on startup lists your recent files — click one to continue where you left off. You can also use File > Recent Files anytime. Press Esc or create/open a file to leave the welcome screen.

Canvas orientation differs from the machine?

What you see is what gets cut — the send preview automatically converts axes for the selected machine. No manual rotation needed.

How to use

1. Ctrl+I (File > Import) supports SVG, PDF, DXF, PLT and common image formats.
2. When importing an image, choose "Place as is" (keep for printing) or "Trace to cut contour" (opens the tracing wizard).
3. Tracing wizard: pick the background with the color picker to set tolerance, touch up the mask with the brush, tune smoothing / minimum size / keep holes.
4. Pick an output mode: Contour (offset cut line with outline %/mm, corner style and hollow options), Bounding frame (rounded box per shape), Grid table (columns/rows with overlap bands) or Cut table (equal-division grid lines).
5. Contour type: Cut contour (solid), Half-cut contour (dashed perforation/half-cut) or Cut contour + bleed (adds a bleed-colored band that prints but is never cut); on the "Dashes" tab set a fixed dash/gap, or "Use number of joins" to leave N connection points per ring.
6. Click "Finish" when the preview looks right; outputs land on the canvas as vector paths.

Troubleshooting

PDF import says "no vector paths found"?

The PDF is a full-page bitmap (a scan or an image-exported PDF). Save the page as PNG and use image import + tracing instead.

Traced contour is loose or corners look dull?

Check source image sharpness first; too much tolerance eats detail, too little leaves noise. Output automatically raises the working resolution for small artwork — no manual upscaling needed.

Half-cut contour vs. the "Dashed" checkbox — what's the difference?

Two entries to the same semantics: choosing Half-cut auto-checks Dashed; on output, dashes are expanded into pen-up/pen-down perforation (half-cut). Sticker jobs often use "Use number of joins" to leave a few connection points per ring so pieces don't fall out.

Will the band from "Cut contour + bleed" be cut?

No. The bleed band is display/print only (it hides registration gaps), and is automatically skipped when sending cuts — it produces no tool path.

DXF / PLT opens with broken, unclosed lines?

Common in customer files. Select all and run Edit > Clean Up Paths (0.1 mm join tolerance + auto close + duplicate removal).

How to use

1. Build contour: select objects > "Contour" in the command bar, set offset amount, corner style and whether to include holes, then click "Build Contour"; clicking "Contour" on an imported image opens the image contour wizard (background removal + trace preview).
2. Marks: "Marks" in the command bar — choose type (L / circle / segment) and placement (object / page); optional direction arrow, white marks and QR code.
3. With "Marks follow object" checked, marks and the QR code stay aligned when you move the object.

Troubleshooting

Do repeated generations stack marks?

No. Regenerating replaces the old marks; the QR code is a single atomic object and cannot be split or edited by accident.

Inner holes not cut?

Make sure "keep holes" was checked when tracing and the hollow option when building contours.

How to use

1. Click "Send" to open the send platform; pick vendor and machine (command template, width and axes).
2. Connection: printer-class USB (driver-free auto match), serial COM, or TCP.
3. Optionally pick a material preset (speed / pressure / blade offset); send scope can be "whole document / selection only".
4. Multi-color jobs: cut by color (cut / plot / skip per color, optional registration marks per color).
5. Run "Test cut" (a small triangle at the origin) before the real job; the stats row shows cut length, ETA and cost.

Troubleshooting

Machine does not respond?

Check in order: connection & cable → machine online without errors → send a "Test cut" to verify the link; for serial models confirm the COM port and baud rate.

Cut size slightly off (e.g. 100 mm cuts as 99.2 mm)?

Mechanical error. Use the "Size calibration" wizard: cut a 100 mm square, enter the measured size, and the compensation ratio is applied and remembered per machine.

Long banners drift or misalign?

Set "Path ordering" to "feed bands" in advanced options to reduce media shuttling; lower the speed if needed.

How to use

1. Fill page: tile the selection across the page with spacing.
2. Nest objects: auto-arrange irregular parts to save material, with utilization display and one-step undo.
3. Tiling: jobs wider than the machine are split into tiles with overlap bands and alignment crosses, sent tile by tile.
4. Sequence duplicate: batch number plates — trailing digits auto increment.
5. Weeding lines: frame and row / column helper lines for weeding.
6. Set unit prices in Preferences > Cost Estimate to see perimeter / area and a quote in the send platform.

Troubleshooting

Artwork wider than the machine — can it be cut?

The send platform warns about oversize jobs and guides you to "Tiling": cut tile by tile, then assemble using the alignment crosses.

Some parts unmoved after nesting?

Parts that do not fit the sheet stay in place. Enlarge the sheet or allow rotation and retry.

How to use

1. Size calibration: cut a 100 mm square → enter the measured value → mechanical error compensated (remembered per machine).
2. Print & Cut calibration: when edge-finding cuts are uniformly shifted, enter X / Y offsets via the wizard.
3. Blade-offset test cut: cut a square + diamond and adjust the blade offset by the diamond's corners.
4. Material test matrix: a speed × pressure grid — pick the cleanest cell and save it as a material preset.

Troubleshooting

Mark scan fails?

Walk the checklist: ① enough margin around marks; ② media not reflective, marks printed crisp; ③ printed at 100% (no scaling); ④ page size matches the document; ⑤ machine mark settings match the mark type. The checklist is built into "Diagnostics & test cuts".

Rounded or overshooting corners?

Wrong blade offset. Send the blade test cut and fine-tune the offset in the material preset by reading the diamond's corners.

How to use

1. CorelDRAW: the WXTool toolbar — Cut Output, Create Contour, Add Marks, Convert to Curves, Fill Page, Cutting Table, License; select objects, then click a button.
2. Illustrator: open the WX panel via Window > Extensions; features mirror the CDR plugin.
3. Built-in help: the ? button on the CDR toolbar / the "Help" dialog in the AI panel.

Troubleshooting

Toolbar missing in CorelDRAW after install?

Restart CorelDRAW; if still missing, enable WXTool under Window > Toolbars.

Illustrator panel blank or showing "not connected"?

Click "Retry" on the banner; if it persists, restart Illustrator (the plugin starts with AI).

Plugin update fails / files locked?

Quit CorelDRAW / Illustrator completely before running the installer — plugin files are locked while the host runs.

How to use

1. Activate: License menu > Activate — enter an activation key online, or import an offline license file.
2. Move to a new machine: License > Remove License on the old machine, then activate on the new one; you can also unbind devices in the website account center.
3. Update: Help > Check for Updates — downloads, verifies and installs automatically.

Troubleshooting

Activation failed?

Top 3 causes: ① mistyped key (mind O vs 0 and hyphens — paste it); ② activation limit reached (remove the license on an old machine or unbind in the account center); ③ cannot reach the activation server (check network / proxy; use an offline license file in offline environments).

Does the license survive going offline?

Online-activated licenses have a 72-hour offline grace period; reconnect and restart to restore automatically.