[woodenink]

I purchased this machine and the hardware looks fairly good.
I have set it up and installed the software, BUT---I CANNOT get it to recognize a .bmp file--which it is supposed to do.
I have photographed the screen to show what I mean.
The .bmp file is directly from the omnisign disc, I have tried creating other bmp files in paint(I have a folder full of bmp files that I have used on another laser engraver).
When I press start the error message comes up " Engrave only support 2 -bit bitmap". ???? Can someone explain to me pretty please with cream and strawberries, what does that mean,? what am I doing incorrectly?
Amos
PS the Machine uses LaserCut 5.1 software and the machine looks exactly like XYZ-TECH machine, so if you have an XYZ and have a solution it would be appreciated. thanks Amos

[zax15uk]

If it only supports 2-bit (4-color) images, you would need to dither the image.





Photograv does this, or you can use Photoshop/PhotoPaint or some other program.

Zax.

[Litografa]

woodenink, for last week here was at least three topics about this brand of laser. Why you do not ask supplier about possible solutions?

[woodenink]

Zax, thank you for your prompt reply, I do have PhotGrav, but what do you mean "dither " the image, sorry for being so nieve about this, I think photograv won't save the file as a 2 bit bitmap. A little extra help for this novice would really be appreciated, thanks, Amos

[woodenink]

My dear Litographa, if only you knew the heartache/stress/frustration the seller has been in this area, their machine looks good, solid construction, neat wiring, but service is not as good as it ought to be, only emails!!!; and often not answered as they ought to be-promptly. Also, their knowledge doesn't seem up to scratch, they could have answered this question two weeks ago, but no, only general answers, I even offered to stand by the phone and they could talk me through one item, still no answer-sob- so I turn to fellow members, and immediately received help, thanks thus far, Amos:banana:

[Litografa]

Very strange as I saw pictures of their equipment from inside and on pictures equipment LOOKS VERY GOOD, especially all electronic boards are made perfect! Usually if equipment looks good - service also is good but this is exemption

[woodenink]

Yes, Equipment does LOOK GOOD, I am an electronic technician of many years and was very impressed with the layout of cables and quality of workmanship-it is the service I am talking about in this case. Being in the service industry I understand what good service is-but-sadly-this case is not good service. Although, I will give them this-they ARE trying to help me. Amos

[Litografa]

Let's hope they will read this topic, will improve service and you will be lucky user Good Luck! Laser equipment is fantastic - you will love it!

[zax15uk]

what do you mean "dither " the image

I think they mean 1-bit (black and white) image, with the single bit being either on or off. 2-bit is very unusual.

So anyway, when you dither the image it creates halftones which use different spacing of the dots to simulate grayscales. I added example images to my first reply.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dither
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halftone

Since the laser can either fire the laser or not it is a 1-bit device, ok this isn't strictly true as you can adjust the power to create true 3D or gray levels but in practice most machines use a fixed power and adjust perceived power using PWM or frequency.

Open in Photograv, set the size and DPI to match your laser and final size and then save the output as 1-bit (b/w) bmp.

Zax.

[woodenink]

Zax and Lithgrafa, you have been extremely helpful to me, I will experiment tomorrow evening, for now, here in Australia it is time I went to bed before I turn into a pumpkin!!! Any further hints and advice please input and I will try to answer soon, many thanks, Amos:banana:

[Litografa]

Be honestly - Zax was helpful as usual , and I was good in word support

[Pierke]

Hello Lithografa and zax, and all the people,

its nice to be here in the forum :wave:
People helps other people!


Pierke

[zax15uk]

Be honestly - Zax was helpful as usual , and I was good in word support

Your word support is appreciated :cheers:

Zax.

[woodenink]

Yes, your word support is also very helpful lithografa, and as Pierke said "peoples helps peoples"!.
I wanted to continue this thread as it would definitely help me and maybe others. If I should start another thread, just let me know.
I found that 2 Bit text comes out like zig zag, does that mean I use photograv to write a text,? If zig zag is not clear enough I will photograph it when I get home tonight and post the picture.
And does this mean that the machine software is inferior to other software?
Thanks, Amos
PS I wrote a pm to Skip- and he answered me in full!! very helpful, and I wanted to thank him publicly also.
But I didn't ask him the above questions. Amos

[zax15uk]

Amos,

I would not do text in Photograv unless it is part of the picture. It is much better to use Corel or a CAD program, or perhaps the software supplied with the machine?

If you must do text in Photograv, your original would need to be sufficient resolution, for example if you are using 500DPI output and the final engraving is 4x3 inches the text would need to be 2000x1500 pixels for clean/crisp results. When dealing with a photo that isn't necessary (you can scale it up) but the better the input the more impressive and detailed the result.

No, it does not mean your software or machine is inferior - how do I say this nicely so to not offend , it simply means the operator needs to learn how to use it!

Zax.

[MonoNeuron]

Hi guys,
I think Photograv outputs a 1 bit .tiff file for the .bmp picture.
(You have read the instruction manual, haven't you ???) I did but it was a long time ago.
On my laser, using Photograv with Corel Draw, I set the resolution to 300 pixel per inch (ppi) for the picture but I engrave at 280 ppi on the laser.

Photograv say not to do this but if I engrave at the same resolution I get a picture that looks like I am looking at it through a fly wire screen. No amount of "noise" can break up this pattern. It's not noticeable in the picture until I actually engrave the file.
I have used "diffusion dithering" but it still exhibits the same darn checkered pattern

Very frustrating indeed and I have wasted a lot of material finding this out so now I set the engraving at 280 ppi (or dots per inch, dpi) on the laser.

You should do most of your processing in Corel, Photoshop etc before you send to Photograv adding text, enhancements/embellishments etc and also the size you will be engraving at.
Preparation is the key, like painting.
Check to make sure all your pulley/belts are tight and there is no slop in your system as this will cause problems also.
Try this out then get back to us.
What are you doing with your machine? and what software are you using?
Try to let us know everything you have so we can all make an informed decision on what may or may not be wrong.

A lot of people I talk to say that laser engraving is dead simple and all you have to do is put the picture in and the laser engraves it. Dead easy!!!
Those people don't have a laser engraver! :-)
Rich.

[woodenink]

Thanks Zax and Rich,
I have LaserCut 5.1 which is supplied with the laser, and I have Corel 11 and PhotoGrav.
My problem is not just being new to the Laser Engraver, but also being ignorant of how to use the other Software. I need Software that is like the intelligent cameras that you just point and shoot and the camera sets itself!
However, I realize that I need to do more than that with the software, but it gets confusing as to what does what, I know I want reduce the picture, I know I want the background lighter and the main subject darker, BUT-how to tell the software to do that eludes me at the moment, I am working on it, as I learn something I will post it here so all can learn from my ignorance!!
On the bright side of things, a member of this Forum has volunteered to come over and help me! How great is that?!!:wave: it is wonderful, :banana:and as long as I have his permission I will reveal his name in the days to come. Amos

[woodenink]

Many thanks to Shadow042, last night he spent 3 hours with me and helped me greatly.
1. taught me to align the laser properly
2. Showed me how to edit photos in photoshop-at a simple level- to start with -but enough to get me going.
In case you are totally ignorant as I was, here are the basic things
a. you right click on a picture and click "edit in photoshop" Photoshop opens up with that picture ready to be edited.
b. On top tool bar where it says "Image" click it and in the drop down box click "image size" here you choose the size you want your image, and the amount of dpi you want. click "ok"
c. On top tool bar click "mode" then "image" and select "greyscale"
d. Click "Image" "Mode" "Bitmap" Choose "half tone" or "Dither"
e.Click "File" "Save as" and select Bitmap, in my case Bitmap 1 bit.

I know this is very simple and more can and will be done, but it is the BASIC first step that has saved me from pulling my hair out.
The next step is importing from Lasrecut 5.1 software and choosing the laser settings and away you engrave.
If you are a raw beginner i am sure this will help. Amos

[KPBadger]

Hi Woodenink.

looks like have probably got most of the answers you are looking for, or at least pointed in the right direction.

it will take a long time to get really familiar with a 'pro' software like Photoshop, but once an experienced person has explained the fundamentals then you can explore and learn the things you need to do.

I would suggest you experiment with the image contrast settings also,
Do this after converting to greyscale, prior to converting to bitmap.
Image>Adjust>Brightness/Contrast
This can be a big assistance in accentuating areas of tone in the image, and thus improving the perceived quality of the finished output.

regards
KPB

[woodenink]

Thanks KPBadger, I will try that as I am having some trouble getting the text to engrave clearly. Amos