Quick Guide to Cutter Setup

Direct COM is the normal connection method. It is correct for the large majority of vinyl cutters, including cutters connected with a USB cable.

Important: a USB cable does not mean Direct USB. Most cutters that connect by USB present themselves to Windows as a virtual COM port and are set up as Direct COM. Direct USB is a separate, advanced method used by a small number of specific models, listed below.

Direct USB – these models only

Roland: GX-24, GS-24, GR-420, GR-540, GR-640, GR2-540, GR2-640

Graphtec: CE6000 series, CE7000 series, FC8000 series, FC8600 series, FC9000 series

Mutoh: ValueCut 2-600, ValueCut 2-1300, ValueCut 2-1800

Note that the original Mutoh ValueCut 600 / 1300 / 1800 is Direct COM, not Direct USB. The difference is the "2" in the model number. Check the model exactly as it appears on the machine.

Roland, Graphtec and Mutoh each make cutters in both categories, so the make on its own is never enough to decide this. Always check the model number.

Everything else is Direct COM, including all other makes, any Roland, Graphtec or Mutoh model not listed above, and cutters manufactured in China – almost all of which use Direct COM even when connected with a USB cable.

Mimaki and Summa work differently again. They use their own driver, selected under Windows Port. See the Mimaki Cutters and Summa Cutters articles.

COM / LPT Cutters
Older cutters will tend to work with Direct COM, especially when using a Serial (COM) cable or a USB-to-Serial adapter. If you have a cutter that uses an LPT printer cable and your computer has a printer port, select Windows Port and the correct LPT port number.

Which driver? For ordinary cutters the driver supplied with the cutter is fine, provided it is for the version of Windows or macOS you are running. If it predates your operating system, download the current one from the manufacturer.

1. Connection tab (top right corner).
2. Click Add and follow through the Setup Wizard or Gateway to add the make and model you have.
3. Once installed restart the Vinyl Spooler and click on the Connection tab.
4. Then in the Connection Method > Port Type, select Direct COM Port from the drop down.
5. Next in the section directly below this, click Detect and follow the instructions in the wizard.

Note: Occasionally the Flow Control and Emulation may need to be adjusted, to see how this is adjusted click here: Emulation and Flow Control

Direct USB
This is easy to set up in the Vinyl Spooler.

First: Make sure the cutter is switched on, has vinyl loaded and ready to cut a test file.

Second: Install the driver that came with the cutter (if you haven’t already done so) and open the Vinyl Spooler.

You can open the Vinyl Spooler from the File (menu) > Cut/Plot > Vinyl Spooler.

In the Vinyl Spooler, click on the: 

1. Connection tab (top right corner).
2. Click Add and follow through the Setup Wizard or Gateway to add the make and model you have.
3. Once installed restart the Vinyl Spooler and click on the Connection tab.
4. Then in the Connection Method > Port Type, select Direct USB Port from the drop down.
5. Then in the USB Port below you should see the Port automatically selected.

Note: if you have more than one virtual USB Port then click Detect (below) and select the cutters USB Port.

Problems? Check the USB driver isn’t reporting any errors in Device Manager and is the most up-to-date driver. You can access Device Manager from the System (menu) in the Vinyl Spooler.

Note: Updating the Port's driver via Device Manager may require that you restart your computer. 

Also and occasionally the Flow Control and Emulation may need to be adjusted, to see how this is adjusted click here: Emulation and Flow Control