Hi Frank, ?ann fim 27.ma? 2010 18:07, skrifa?i Frank Cox: > I am looking for a recommendation for a vinyl sign letter cutter that is > supported under Linux, specifically Centos. My knowledge of these > machines is nil, but a bit of googling makes it appear that at least > some of them can be made to work using Inkscape. > > However, since the folks that are going to be using this think also > (currently) know nothing about Inkscape, I'm also wondering if these > things can be made to work with Scribus, which they do know how to use? > > Does anyone have any recommendations, for cutting machine and software?
Interesting question. I haven't used such machinery from Linux (only occasionally Win), so I asked a friend who has used a Roland CAMM-1, probably from Ubuntu. He says that drivers for Linux are mostly inexistent, but since his machine uses RML markup for plots (many use HPGL) he managed to write some scripts for it. Communication to the machine was done through USBTTY, but it seems that many of the older ones communicate through serial ports. So in theory you need two things; To make your HPGL/RML file (e.g. foo.plt); how the file should be formatted depends on the machine (there are slight variations). See <http://www.sxlist.com/techref/language/hpgl/commands.htm>. Then to pass your HPGL/RML file to the plotter/cutter; depends on which interface is used. ps2edit can convert PDF and other formats to HPGL. It could also be possible to edit a HPGL-compatible PPD file to suit your plotter/cutter's requirements. I found some explanations and scripting examples, which may be of help. Suppose it will always be a bit of trial/error. TuxPlot is an GUI interface for such scripts, designed for HPGL-plotters, it could possibly be adapted for cutters: <http://www.securetech-ns.ca/camm-linux.html> Virtually everybody use a drawing program to handle their plots (Inkscape et al), Scribus is known for quirks in direct printing. But if you manage to set the cutter up as a printer you may be lucky. Here is an informative discussion: <http://www.t-shirtforums.com/vinyl-cutters-plotters-transfers/t31482.html> Here's some scripting info: <http://www.3x6.nl/inkscape_hpgl/Linux inkscape save as HPGL file for pen cutting plotter extension.html> Hope you have success solving this. Sveinn ? Felli
