Resource Guides: How To: Electronic Paper Cutter: Cutting The Paper

Setting up your Image

You can File > Import an image into the software, but it is picky about the kinds of images you can import. PDFs and JPGs work, but if your file cannot be selected, do File > Trace Image instead.

The image you are bringing in to cut should be just a silhouette or a stencil. The paper you are cutting can have the details on it. If you are just cutting out silhouettes and stencils you do not need to bother with this part.
Image you should bring in to the software vs the image on the paper you want to cut.
Difference between a silhouette and a stencil
- Silhouette (the cut out itself) Stencil (the material with the cut out)

Once you have the trace image window, select "choose and image" and select the image you want to use. When you zoom in it will show you the "nodes" which are points at which cuts are made. You can play with the "smooth" and "detail" and "contrast" values to get your node count down. The trick is to get the smallest amount of nodes possible that still retains the integrity and detail of your image. The less amount of nodes, the faster it will take. If you are cutting something where the detail is extra important, you do not need to change the settings unless you want to increase the detail value. Select "OK" when done.

Once your image appears in the software, it will show up on a digital version of the cutting mat. Drag the image by the top left corner or by the middle to the bottom corner of the digital cutting mat. If you drag it from any other point, it may distort your image.

RIGHT WRONG WRONG

Load the cutting mat, top first, onto the white rollers in the cutter. Make sure it is perfectly aligned at the corners.

Press the up and down button controls to roll the mat forward and align the blade on the bottom right corner.

Once you are satisfied that the blade is perfectly at the bottom right corner, press the start button on the cutter. The up and down buttons now will not move the mat forward and backward, instead they will change the cutting depth. You are now fully ready to cut!

When you are set with your image and have set up the cutter you are ready to do a test cut.
At the top menu bar select Cutter>Cut with the Boss Cut Gazelle

When the setting window pops up, click test connection and the cutter should move

In settings, you can select the type of material you are cutting as well as how many times to cut.

NOTE: if you are making a stencil and the background paper is important, do not use multicut! It might crinkle the paper. If you are making a silhouette, usually you may select 2 times as the first time will often miss little bits.
Select "Cut" and the cutter will start cutting the paper, watch it make the cuts during this test to see if there is anything you will need to change. You can cancel the cut when you have enough understanding of what to change.
When you have run your test, you are now ready to do your final cut!
Make changes accordingly to your test
- Was the paper too ripped up? Set the blade smaller.
- Did the paper hold and/or did pieces of tape get cut? Tape the paper more securely to the cutting mat or make it extend less over the paper.
- Was the paper not cut deep enough? Set the blade smaller and/or change the cut depth and/or add more multicuts
- Was the alignment off? Check if the blade was placed perfectly at the corner on the cutter as well as if the image was paced perfectly at the corner of the mat in the software. Also check if the dimensions were off from the printed material and the software image file.