There are a variety of reasons why issues may be encountered when using Registration Marks for Print & Cut jobs. 

Issues fall into two major categories:

  1. Registration Mark Reading Failure
  2. Misalignment of the Cutting Contour

NOTE: Registration Marks are only for Print & Cut projects. Registration Marks setting should be turned off if you are not working with a printed image. If there are no registration marks on your material, you can simply turn this setting off in the software. 

Registration Mark Reading Failure


Registration Mark reading failure is when you attempt to send a Print & Cut job to a Silhouette cutting machine, and the registration marks cannot be found by the machine, so it stops and does not attempt the job.


This can be caused by the following:

  • The latest version of Silhouette Studio is not in use
  • The cutting mat settings in the software do not match your actual setup
  • The mat or material is not being loaded properly
  • The material is not being placed properly onto the cutting mat or is in the wrong orientation
  • The material in use has a dark color or a surface type that is not conducive to the optic scanner and so registration marks cannot be read properly
  • The registration marks are not printed clearly or properly
  • The optic scanner is obstructed
  • There is not a good light source for the optic scanner to be able to see the registration marks

Cutting Misalignment


Cutting Misalignment is when the cut performed does not align with the expected cut line location as defined in the software. This can range from cuts that are just slightly off, to cuts that are dramatically off.


This can be caused by the following:


  • The material in use has a dark color or a surface type that is not conducive to the optic scanner and so registration marks appear to be read properly but are actually not
  • A portion of the image falls into the hash mark area near the registration marks (the "no print zone"), which causes the optic scanner to think part of the print information is a portion of the registration mark resulting in a cutting misalignment
  • The registration marks are not fully or properly printed
  • The registration mark settings have been adjusted to a customized setting that is not actually conducive to proper registration mark reading for the material size or setup being used
  • The printer page settings do not match the selected Page size settings selected in the Silhouette Studio program

Fixing Print & Cut Issues


Whether your concern is with the registration mark reading process or with proper cutting alignment, review the following video and check each step along with your own Print & Cut job.