Zing Laser Software - What should I use?

Hi all, I am new to the Makers Space and love it!

If I want to engrave or cut on the Zing Laser, which program do I use?

Do create it the image in Ink scape then import to RDWorks or is there a program just for the Zing Laser?

Any and all infor would be appreciated.

Thanks

Welcome to DMS!

I am by no means an expert but I believe the Zing is completely run like a “printer” off a PDF. At least that is what I have done in the past. Folks with more knowledge will chime in for sure.

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Welcome to DMS!

The Zing runs as if it were a printer. It only “prints” pdf vector files and it doesn’t use RDWorks.

In other words, you need to create a vector file using some vector program - Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator - and then do a Save As to a vectorized pdf file. If you do that from Illustrator then the pdf file will be the right format. Note that I’m emphasizing a vectorized pdf file. A pdf document file isn’t going to work.

You really need “Laser 102: Zing Basics. Required class to use the Epilog Zing laser. Covers Inkscape, creating compatible PDF file, laser safety, and using the Epilog Zing.” Unfortunately, I don’t see that on the calendar. @Talkers … are you the Zing instructor?

When you stroke your vectors in Inkscape or Illustrator, they should be 0.001" thick or it will interpret them as rasters. The strokes need to be primary colors (any color with either #00 or #ff as the hex portion of each RG and B). If you use Illustrator, you need to set your file color mode to RGB. It defaults to CMYK and then the laser will interpret all your colors as black, despite the fact that they look like red or whatever to you.

As an aside, I have a personal suggestion. Determine some color coding scheme for yourself and always use it for the order in which you make your cuts. I use “RGB” 'cuz it’s easy for me to remember that order. Red is always the first color I “cut” - and in my case that’s always a vector engraving layer - so I stroke all vector engraving objects with red in my design file. If I don’t have an engraving layer, I just skip red completely. Green is “intermediate” (i.e., non-perimeter) cuts and that’s second. Blue is my perimeter cuts and that’s the final layer when my stock gets separated from the workpiece. Using this type of scheme (or whatever works for you) ensures that you can go back to a file much later and still reconstruct the order of your cuts.

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The nitty gritty version.

  1. Create you vector file in anything. (inkscape, illustrator)
  2. Lines you want to CUT need to be .001 inches thick, or .072 pixels thick.
  3. Anything NOT .001 inches thick will be engraved. (you set the power and speed later)
  4. Save as OR Print your vector file to PDF.
  5. Open the PDF on the Zing computer
  6. Print your PDF to the Zing "printer. (Note that you are not yet actually sending your job to the Zing yet.)
  7. This actually sends your job into a zing “print” queue, and you need to open the Zing software to ACTUALLY send your job to the laser.
  8. From this software you can set the speed and power for your cuts, and raster/engrave.
  9. THEN you send the final job to the zing itself.

This is kind of tricky because you have to have the original file setup correctly first, then create the pdf, then send the pdf to print, then adjust the power and speed, then send the job to the laser. As I write this, this could really be made into a video tutorial for someone to follow.

Attached are a couple sample files I made real quick for ya to look at.

samplefiles.zip (1.2 MB)

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The zing does only raster afaik not vector(cut)

That is not correct . It does indeed cut.

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O, aight thought it was too weak to make full cuts

It depends on what you want to cut. I cut 1/8" acrylic on it, although admittedly it’s not nearly as fast as the Thunder(s) for that material.

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It (barely) cuts 5mm leather.

It cuts thinner things (cardstock, denim) very nicely (small kerf).

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Both @Mrksls2 and I teach this class. I’ll check the calendar and see if we have any pending. If not, we will add more.

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Hey thanks for all of the help.

I only wanted to cut 60 lb card stock so I am sure it is powerful enough to pull that off.

btw, I did take the basic class and I have pencil to prove it. But another class with more detail would be great too.’

Thanks again

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I just added a jewelry making class for both the Zing and Thunder. In addition to learning how to make cool gifts, it is designed more hands on time and questions about the lasers. They should be popping up in the next 2 1/2 days.

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