Nothing Cut

'Job Complete' Without Any Movement

Note: If you are using Silhouette Studio Version 4.5.735 and are experiencing this issue please update to a newer version

Checking for Cut Lines

If there is no cut information present in your design, or the lines are not set to be cut, then the software will not have anything to send to the machine, and it will display as having finished.

 

To check for the presence of cut lines:


  1. Go to the Send panel
  2. Click on your design in the preview area
  3. Note which 'Cut Style' is applied to the selected lines

Enabling Cut Lines

If your design was created with the Silhouette Studio, or you have imported a vector file type (i.e. STUDIO, SVG) from another source, you may need to enable the cut lines as follows:


  1. Go to the Send panel
  2. Click on your design in the preview area
  3. Select the 'Cut' option

Creating Cut Lines

If this was an imported raster image (i.e. JPG, PNG, BMP), using the above method will encounter unfavorable results, unless you want to only cut a square around the outside boundary of your imported image.



You can instead use the Trace feature to create cut lines.


Note: We discourage tracing copyrighted images that you do not explicitly own or have a commercial license for from the copyright holder.

Carriage Not Moving or Grinding

  1. Power off the Silhouette machine and unplug it (It is critical to power off the machine as it ensures the safety of the machine and the user)
  2. Lift the lid of your machine and check for the presence of any unremoved translucent blade packing tape, especially any pieces connecting the motor to the body of the machine or anywhere on the blade carrier. 
  3. If using a USB connection, ensure the original USB cord is in use and is directly connected to the computers USB port as using a USB hub or router may cause issues with the connection
  4. With the power still off grip the blade carriage and move it all the way to the right
  5. Then move it all the way to the left
  6. Repeat Steps 4 & 5 two more times to ensure the carriage is moving smoothly
Note: If you feel resistance while moving the carriage you can apply a small amount of graphite lubricant to a paper towel and apply to the carriage bar, then repeat the above movements to ensure it is moving smoothly. (Do not spray or apply lubricant directly to the bar or carriage itself)

7. With the Carriage on the left in the home position press down and back on the blade carriage itself. If it was misaligned you may hear it click into place

8. Push the blade holder up and down 3 times to ensure it moves freely (This applies only to Chamber 1 of any 2 chambered machines)

9. Plug in and power on the machine

10. If it now moves properly when attempting a project no further action is needed if there are still issues follow the below steps

11. Remove the blade

12. Re-send the job (If it goes through the motions of cutting and there are no issues with the carriage stopping or grinding you will need to lower your blade and/or force settings)

13. If you have a Cameo 1 or 2 or a Portrait 1 the issue may be the Crash Stopper see the below instructions.


This part is exposed and visible as highlighted below:



To check the Crash Stopper, turn off the machine power and manually push the carriage all the way to the right-hand side of the machine. Once it is exposed, gently push the tiny white button. 


If the white button appears to be broken, please take a photo and contact support@silhouetteamerica.com.


Once finished checking this, return the carriage to the left side of the machine.

Blade Not Moving Up and Down

  1. If using a USB connection, ensure the original USB cord is in use and is directly connected to the computers USB port as using a USB hub or router may cause issues with the connection
  2. Power off the machine
  3. Remove the blade from Chamber 1 (If your machine does not have two chambers then this is the only chamber)
  4. Push down and release chamber one (It should move freely
  5. Repeat this 2 more times
  6. Grip the blade holder for chamber 1 and wiggle gently from side to side

If you are still having issues after trying the above steps email support@silhouetteamerica.com.

Everything Moves Properly but Nothing Cuts

  1. Check the blade by following the steps here
  2. The Blade and/or Force needs to bee increased for information on adjusting the cut setting click here
  3. Check that your material is compatible with the cutting machines capabilities by clicking here

Blade Taps Up & Down While Idle ("Ghost Job")

If your Silhouette Machine taps the blade up and down, and no job has been sent to the machine, this indicates that there is another device (such as a printer) that is trying to communicate with the Silhouette Machine.

  1. Power off the Silhouette Machine
  2. Close Silhouette Studio
  3. Go to the START menu
  4. Go to the Control Panel
  5. Go to the Printers Sections
  6. Look for either
    1. Printer Drivers that are grayed out
    2. Printers that are no longer owned and are not hooked up to the computer
  7. Right click one of the printer drivers in question and go to the Printer Properties option
  8. In the window that comes up, go to the Ports tab
  9. Locate the port type File and check this box
  10. Click on Apply
  11. Repeat this action for all applicable printer drives

This action will direct the older unit's driver, which is no longer present, to stop it from trying to "steal" the connection and subsequently stop it from confusing the Silhouette Machine.

Something Cut

All Lines Cut, but Didn't go Through the Material (for all/part of the design)

  1. Your cut settings may be too low to learn more click here
  2. You may have issues due to the material, going here will tell you about compatible materials
  3. If the blade is improperly seated or broken you may have this issue click here for more info
  4. If after trying the above you are still experiencing the issue please email support@silhouetteamerica.com with details of your problem and the steps you have taken thus far

All Lines Cut, but are Torn or Misaligned (for all/part of the design)

  1. If the blade is to exposed or the force or speed settings are to high the blade can get "caught" resulting in misalignment or poor cuts. To review blade settings click here
  2. If the blade is damaged it can cause issues to review blade maintenance go here
  3. Materials that are not compatible can cause issues, check here for a list of compatible materials
  4. If the Material is Drifting or slipping try reviewing the information found here

Some Lines Cut, but one side is not cut or not cut fully

  1. If one specific side of every image is not cut well or at all there is likely an issue with the blade to learn more click here
  2. If the issue is contained to one side of the mat/ material Check the following
  3. If using a cutting mat check that it is:
    • Clean
    • Has a strong enough adhesive to hold the material
    • Ensure that there are no deep cuts that have gone through the mat
  4. The issue could also be cause by a worn out cutting strip (this is the white or black strip adhered to the base of the machine behind the roller, along the path where the blade runs during operation)
  5. Inspect for Frayed or deep cut which may indicate that you need to replace the cutting strip if it is affecting your cut quality
Note: Click Cutting Mat or Cutting Strip respectively if a purchase is needed


Job Starts Cutting at the Top of the Mat instead of the Material

  1. Open Silhouette Studio (make sure you are running the latest version
  2. Click on the 'Page Setup'
  3. Select your cutting mat type in the 'Cutting mat' field

Note: If you select 'None' but actually do use a mat, you will continue to experience this issue

Vinyl Lifting Off Backing During Cut Job

  1. If your design has areas where the vinyl does not have much surface are to grip you can try the following
    1. Reduce Speed to the lowest setting
    2. Lower force to the lowest setting where the vinyl is still being cut
  2. If the vinyl is lifting off even on larger areas of the design click here to review blade maintenance 
  3. The vinyl adhesive may not be strong enough for the following reasons
    1. The quality of the adhesive is low
    2. The vinyl is aged to the point the adhesive has weakened beyond holding
    3. The material was stored in high heat and/or humid environments that impacted the adhesive quality