Gerber P2C 1200 User manual

Gerber P2C™ 1200
User’s Manual
IMPORTANT
Before you begin
Please complete the attached Warranty Registration Card and
return it to Gerber today, or go through the online registration at
http://www gspinc/products/registration/index html
Failure to register may result in delayed responses to your warranty
and service inquiries

FCC NOTICE
Warning: Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the
party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a
Class A digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when
the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment
generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed
and used in accordance with the instruction manual may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a
residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user
will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.
RS-232 shielded cables must be used with this unit to ensure compliance with
the Class A FCC limits.
This Class A digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe A est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du
Canada.

Gerber P2C™ 1200 User’s Manual
NOTICE
Gerber reserves the right to modify the information contained in this User
Manual at any time without prior notice. Unauthorised copying modification
distribution or display is prohibited. All rights reserved. All queries comments or
suggestions concerning this and other Gerber manuals should be directed to:
Gerber Scientific Products
83 Gerber Road
South Windsor CT 06074 USA
860-643-1515
Customer Service: [phone]
Technical Support: 800-828-5406 / 860-644-6971
Fax [phone]
www.gspinc.com
 Copyright 2004 Gerber Scientific International Inc.

Gerber P2C™ 1200 User’s Manual
TRADEMARK ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
GERBER EDGE EDGE and Gerber Scientific Products are registered trademarks
and Gerber P2C and FastFacts are trademarks of Gerber Scientific Products.
3M Scotchcal Scotchlite Controltac Comply and Panaflex are trademarks of
the 3M Corporation.
DM/PL and Houston Instrument are trademarks of Summagraphics Corporation.
HP-GL is a trademark of Hewlett-Packard Company.
IBM PC IBM PC/XT and IBM AT are trademarks of International Business
Machines Corp.
Macintosh Macintosh Plus Macintosh SE and Macintosh II are trademarks of
Apple Computer.

Gerber P2C™ 1200 User’s Manual
Table of Contents TOC-i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1GENERAL INFORMATION 5
1 1 INTRODUCTION 5
1.1.1 PRODUCT FEATURES ..................................................................................... 5
1.1.2 GERBER P2C 1200 USER’S MANUAL ............................................................ 7
1 2 SPECIFICATIONS 8
1.2.1 GERBER P2C 1200 ........................................................................................ 8
1.2.2 MEDIA........................................................................................................... 8
1.2.3 KNIFE PEN AND POUNCING TOOL ............................................................ 9
1.2.4 INTERFACE .................................................................................................. 10
1.2.5 FIRMWARE .................................................................................................. 10
1.2.6 PERFORMANCE .......................................................................................... 10
1.2.7 CERTIFICATIONS.......................................................................................... 11
1.2.8 ENVIRONMENTAL ....................................................................................... 11
1.2.9 ELECTRICAL................................................................................................. 11
1 3 GERBER P2C 1200 ACCESSORIES AND CONSUMABLES 12
1 4 GERBER P2C 1200 COMPONENTS 13
1.4.1 REAR PANEL CONTROLS ............................................................................ 13
1.4.2 FRONT PANEL CONTROLS .......................................................................... 15
1 5 POWERING UP THE GERBER P2C 1200 17
1.5.1 GROUNDING (“EARTHING”) ...................................................................... 17
1.5.2 POWER-UP PROCEDURE ............................................................................ 18
1 6 LOADING MEDIA 19
1.6.1 LOADING MEDIA........................................................................................ 19
1.6.2 ALIGNING THE MEDIA AND POSITIONING THE PINCH ROLLERS .............. 22
1 7 INSTALLATION OF A KNIFE, PEN OR POUNCING TOOL 26
1.7.1 KNIFE INSTALLATION ................................................................................... 26
1.7.2 PEN INSTALLATION...................................................................................... 28
1.7.3 POUNCING TOOL INSTALLATION............................................................... 29
2OPERATION 31
2 1 THE CONTROL PANEL 31
2.1.1 THE LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY (LCD).......................................................... 31
2.1.2 THE MENU KEY ............................................................................................ 32
2.1.3 THE EXIT KEY ................................................................................................ 34
2.1.4 THE ENTER KEY ............................................................................................ 34
2.1.5 THE TEST KEY ................................................................................................ 34
2.1.6 THE JOGGING KEYS ................................................................................... 34
2 2 COMMON MENU ITEMS 35

Gerber P2C™ 1200 User’s Manual
Table of Contents TOC-ii
2.2.1 VELOCITY .................................................................................................... 35
2.2.2 PEN PRESSURE............................................................................................. 35
2.2.3 KNIFE PRESSURE .......................................................................................... 37
2.2.4 KNIFE OFFSET............................................................................................... 39
2.2.5 POUNCE PRESSURE..................................................................................... 40
2.2.6 POUNCE GAP............................................................................................. 41
2.2.7 USER CONFIGURATIONS (“USER CONFIG”) .............................................. 42
2.2.8 RESET ........................................................................................................... 43
2.2.9 RECUT.......................................................................................................... 43
2.2.10 LOAD .......................................................................................................... 44
2.2.11 ALIGN LOAD............................................................................................... 44
2.2.12 SYSTEM SETUP.............................................................................................. 45
2 3 SYSTEM SETUP 45
2.3.1 CONFIDENCE ............................................................................................. 47
2.3.2 DIN CUT....................................................................................................... 47
2.3.3 TOOL ........................................................................................................... 48
2.3.4 FLEX-CUT ..................................................................................................... 48
2.3.5 OVERCUT .................................................................................................... 50
2.3.6 OPTICUT ...................................................................................................... 51
2.3.7 EMULATE ..................................................................................................... 52
2.3.8 BAUD RATE.................................................................................................. 53
2.3.9 PARITY ......................................................................................................... 54
2.3.10 RTS/DTR ....................................................................................................... 55
2.3.11 RS 232 TEST.................................................................................................. 55
2.3.12 ALIGN MODE.............................................................................................. 56
2.3.13 AUTOLOAD ................................................................................................. 57
2.3.14 LANGUAGE................................................................................................. 57
2.3.15 DEFAULT MENU ........................................................................................... 58
2.3.16 MENU UNITS ................................................................................................ 59
2.3.17 ROM REVISION........................................................................................... 59
2.3.18 MEDIA SENSOR........................................................................................... 60
2.3.19 SENSOR SETUP............................................................................................. 60
2.3.20 CALIBRATE X/Y............................................................................................ 62
2.3.21 COIL SETUP.................................................................................................. 64
2.3.22 CAL. MEDIA................................................................................................ 65
2.3.23 CAL. OPOS ................................................................................................. 65
2.3.24 OPOS SETTINGS........................................................................................... 65
3CONTOUR CUTTING WITH THE GERBER P2C 1200 67
3 1 INTRODUCTION 67
3 2 GENERAL 69
3 3 CREATING THE DESIGN 70
3 4 PLACING THE MARKERS 71
3.4.1 USING OPOS WITH GERBER OMEGA SOFTWARE...................................... 71

Gerber P2C™ 1200 User’s Manual
Table of Contents TOC-iii
3.4.2 PLACING THE CROSS-MARKS (WITHOUT OMEGA SOFTWARE) ................ 73
3 5 PRINTING THE DESIGN 74
3 6 LOADING THE GERBER P2C 1200 AND SETTING THE PARAMETERS 75
3 7 REGISTERING THE CROSS-MARKS 75
3 8 CUTTING THE CONTOUR 77
3.8.1 CONTOUR CUTTING GERBER EDGE® GRAPHICS FROM OMEGA ON A
GERBER P2C PLOTTER USING OPOS............................................................. 78
3.8.2 CONTOUR CUTTING GERBER MAXX 2™ GRAPHICS FROM OMEGA
ON THE P2C PLOTTER USING OPOS.............................................................. 80
3.8.3 CONTOUR CUTTING GERBER JETSTER™ GRAPHICS FROM OMEGA
IMAGERIP ON THE GERBER P2C PLOTTER USING OPOS.............................. 81
3.8.4 CONTOUR CUTTING GERBER ELAN XL™ GRAPHICS PRINTED IN
IMAGERIP PRO™ BY ONYX AND CUT THROUGH A CUT-SERVER ON THE
GERBER P2C PLOTTER USING OPOS............................................................. 82
4GENERAL INFORMATION 86
4 1 MAINTENANCE & CLEANING 86
4.1.1 CLEANING THE DRIVE SYSTEM ................................................................... 86
4.1.2 CLEANING THE SENSOR ............................................................................. 87
4 2 OPERATING VOLTAGE 88
5INTERFACE 89
5 1 INTRODUCTION 89
5 2 RS232 INTERFACE NOTES 90
5.2.1 SYSTEM SETUP.............................................................................................. 90
5.2.2 SERIAL INTERFACE CONNECTOR ON THE GERBER P2C 1200 .................. 90
5.2.3 AVAILABLE SERIAL SIGNALS ....................................................................... 91
5 3 USB INTERFACE NOTES 92
5.3.1 USB SPECIFICATIONS .................................................................................. 92
5.3.2 INSTALLING THE USB SOFTWARE ON A WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM .. 92
5.3.3 INSTALLING THE USB SOFTWARE ON A MACINTOSH COMPUTER............. 93
6APPENDIX A 94
6 1 MEDIA CERTIFICATION 94

Gerber P2C™ 1200 User’s Manual
Table of Contents TOC-iv
ILLUSTRATIONS
GERBER P2C 1200, REAR VIEW 13
GERBER P2C 1200, FRONT VIEW 15
GROUND (“EARTH”) CONNECTION 18
FEEDING ROLL MEDIA USING MEDIA FLANGES 20
FEEDING ROLL MEDIA WITHOUT USING MEDIA FLANGES 20
PINCH ROLLER POSITIONING 23
MEDIA POSITIONING 24
BLADE INSERTION 26
BLADE LENGTH ADJUSTMENT 27
SETTING KNIFE DEPTH 28
GERBER P2C 1200 CONTROL PANEL 31
GERBER P2C 1200 MAIN MENU 33
PEN PRESSURE TEST PATTERN 36
KNIFE DEPTH TEST PATTERN 37
KNIFE OFFSET TEST 39
POUNCE DEPTH TEST PATTERN 41
GERBER P2C 1200 SYSTEM SETUP 46
SELECTING “TOOL PROPERTIES” 68
SETTING “SPECIAL LOAD” 68
SETTING X-AXIS ALIGN PARAMETERS 75
CLEANING THE DRIVE SLEEVES 87
TABLES
GERBER P2C 1200 SPECIFICATIONS 8
GERBER P2C 1200 MEDIA SPECIFICATIONS 8
GERBER P2C 1200 KNIVES, PENS, AND POUNCING TOOLS 9
GERBER P2C 1200 INTERFACE SPECIFICATIONS 10
GERBER P2C 1200 FIRMWARE 10
GERBER P2C 1200 PERFORMANCE 10
GERBER P2C 1200 ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIFICATIONS 11
GERBER P2C 1200 ELECTRICAL SPECIFICATIONS 11
GERBER P2C 1200 ACCESSORIES AND CONSUMABLES 12

Gerber P2C™ 1200 User’s Manual
General Information 5
1 GENERAL INFORMATION
1 1 INTRODUCTION
The Gerber P2C 1200 has been designed to reproduce computer-generated
graphic images on sheets or rolls of vinyl media. By replacing the knife with a
fibre tip pen the Gerber P2C 1200 can also be used to render previews of new
designs on inexpensive paper.
This manual covers the Gerber P2C 1200 which can accommodate media
widths from 120mm up to 1375mm (4.7” to 54”).
1 1 1 PRODUCT FEATURES
The following are some of the main features of the Gerber P2C 1200:
•The ability to accommodate various media widths
•An interchangeable pen for producing preview plots of designs on
paper
•An interchangeable pouncing tool
•Adjustable knife pressure and offset settings that are microprocessor-
controlled
•Communication with the host computer via Universal Serial Bus (USB) or
standard serial RS-232-C
•Plug-and-play compatibility for Windows and Mac
•An 8-key control panel
•A convenient 16-character liquid crystal display (LCD)
•Metric or English units of measurement
•Microprocessor-controlled menu mode that allows for the selection of a
standard start-up configuration

Gerber P2C™ 1200 User’s Manual
General Information 6
•A wide variety of axial cutting speeds (in metric or English units)
•Up to four separate user configurations that are stored in the non-volatile
memory
•Automatic pull from the media roll
•A sensor that detects the end of the media
•Adjustable origin
•Concatenation and curve smoothing that result in better cuts
•A slitter knife for cutting the finished graphic off the media roll
•Knife depth and offset tests
•An adjustable overcut for easy weeding
•User-selected DM/PL HP-GL and HP-GL/2 software protocols
•The ability to recut a graphic multiple times
•An Optical Positioning System (OPOS) for die cutting printed vinyl
graphics

Gerber P2C™ 1200 User’s Manual
General Information 7
1 1 2 GERBER P2C 1200 USER’S MANUAL
The Gerber P2C 1200 User’s Manual contains the following information:
•Complete technical specifications for the Gerber P2C 1200 and
compatible media
•A complete description of the Gerber P2C 1200’s main components
•Step-by-step instructions for knife pen and pouncing tool installation
and the loading of media
•Information about control panel operation and how to use it to set the
Gerber P2C 1200’s parameters
•Information about the interface cables used to connect the Gerber P2C
1200 to IBM IBM-compatible Macintosh and Macintosh-compatible
host computers
•Maintenance and cleaning instructions

Gerber P2C™ 1200 User’s Manual
General Information 8
1 2 SPECIFICATIONS
1 2 1 GERBER P2C 1200
Gerber P2C 1200
mm inch
Height 1120 44.1
Width 1600 63.0
Depth 680 26.8
Weight 42 kg 92 lbs
TABLE 1-1:
GERBER P2C 1200 SPECIFICATIONS
1 2 2 MEDIA
Gerber P2C 1200
mm inch
Width Roll 120 to 1280 4.7 to 50.4
Sheet 120 to 1375 4.7 to 54.1
Tracking
performance
8m (26 feet) max. within guaranteed specifications* for
media less than 750mm (30” wide).
4m (13 feet) max. within guaranteed specifications** for
media larger than 750 mm (30”).
Thickness 0.05 to 0.25
0.8mm with optional
sandblast knife
0.002 to 0.01
0.03 inch with optional
sandblast knife
Max.Cutting/
Plotting area
1200mm x 50 m 47.2” x 164 ft.
Minimum
Margins**
25 1
Front margin 18 0.7
Rear margin Sensor on 42 1.7
Sensor off 25 1
* Media lengths larger than 8m (26 feet) can be accommodated but adherence to
specifications is not guaranteed. Rather performance will depend on the type and size of the
media used in addition to other parameters not mentioned here.
** For positioning of the pinch rollers (see Section 1.7)
TABLE 1-2:
GERBER P2C 1200 MEDIA SPECIFICATIONS

Gerber P2C™ 1200 User’s Manual
General Information 9
Vinyl Types
Different types of vinyl have been evaluated and tested on the Gerber P2C
1200. When using duly certified media operation in accordance with the
functional specifications of the model is warranted. Contact Gerber before
using uncertified media to ensure performance in compliance with
specifications.
See Appendix A for a complete list of duly certified media suitable for friction
drive operation.
Plotting Paper
Bond paper (120g/m² recommended)
1 2 3 KNIFE, PEN, AND POUNCING TOOL
The Gerber P2C 1200 is shipped with two standard knife blades for vinyl media
and a black fibre tip pen.
Knife Medium Quantity
Standard knife Standard reflective
& fluorescent vinyl
types
2 included
Knife for masking stencil Masking stencil &
thick material
Optional
Pen Colour Quantity
Fibre tip pen Black 1 included
Pouncing tool Paper Optional
TABLE 1-3:
GERBER P2C 1200 KNIVES PENS AND POUNCING TOOLS
To order replacement knives pens and/or pouncing tools contact your local
dealer. Provide the part number(s) as listed in Table 1-9.
The Gerber P2C 1200 is only warranted to perform in accordance with specifi-
cations if a genuine Gerber knife pen or pouncing tool is installed. Do not
replace any of these tools with products from other manufacturers.

Gerber P2C™ 1200 User’s Manual
General Information 10
1 2 4 INTERFACE
Communication Standard asynchronous RS-232-C and
Universal Serial Bus (USB)
Serial : I/O Port connector DB-9P
Mating connector DB-9S
Byte format 8 data bits 2 stop bits no parity
Baud rate 38400 19200 9600 4800 2400 bps
USB : I/O Port connector USB series “B” receptacle
Mating connector USB series “B” plug
TABLE 1-4:
GERBER P2C 1200 INTERFACE SPECIFICATIONS
1 2 5 FIRMWARE
Languages DM/PL HP-GL (758x emulation) HP-GL/2
Supported character sets Standard ASCII
Supported fonts Sans serif (single stroke & medium)
ROM-based plots Confidence plot DIN plot
TABLE 1-5:
GERBER P2C 1200 FIRMWARE
1 2 6 PERFORMANCE
Cutting specifications for 0.05mm (0.002") wax-backed vinyl where the total
media thickness does not exceed 0.25mm (0.01").
Axial speed 50 to 800 mm/s 2 to 32 ips
Default speed 700 mm/s 28 ips
Acceleration Up to 2 G
Addressable resolution 0.025 mm 0.1 mm 0.001" 0.005"
Default resolution 0.025 mm 0.001"
Mechanical resolution 0.0127 mm 0.0005"
Accuracy 0.2% of move or 0.25 mm
whichever is greater*
0.2% of move or 0.01"
whichever is greater*
Knife pressure 0 to 400 gr.
Pen pressure 0 to 400 gr.
Pouncing pressure 0 to 250 gr.
*Excludes differences due to media expansion stretching etc.
TABLE 1- 6:
GERBER P2C 1200 PERFORMANCE

Gerber P2C™ 1200 User’s Manual
General Information 11
1 2 7 CERTIFICATIONS
CE-Certification for electrical light industrial environment
FCC Class A
Comply with UL1950 CSA 950
1 2 8 ENVIRONMENTAL
(Gerber P2C 1200 without media)
Operating Temperature 15 to 35° C 59 to 95° F
Storage temperature -30 to 70° C -22 to 158° F
Relative humidity 35 - 85 % non
condensing
35 - 85 % non
condensing
TABLE 1-7:
GERBER P2C 1200 ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIFICATIONS
IMPORTANT HINT
The use of dimensionally stable media is essential for obtaining high
quality cuts Additionally, media expansion or contraction may occur as a
result of temperature variations
To improve the dimensional stability of media, allow it to acclimate to the
environment in which it will be used for at least 24 hours prior to use
1 2 9 ELECTRICAL
The power entry module detects the line voltage and alternates automatically
between 110V and 230V.
Main Supply: 48-62 Hz single phase.
Nominal line Min /Max line Fuse
110 V AC 88 - 132 V AC 2.0 A Slo-Blo
230 V AC 176 - 264 V AC 2.0 A Slo-Blo
TABLE 1-8:
GERBER P2C 1200 ELECTRICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Gerber P2C™ 1200 User’s Manual
General Information 12
1 3 GERBER P2C 1200 ACCESSORIES AND CONSUMABLES
The following accessories and consumables are available for your Gerber P2C
1200:
ITEM
User’s Manual
Power Supply Cables
Serial Cable
USB Cable
Standard knife
Standard knife holder
Sandblast knife
Sandblast knife holder
Flanges for roll media
Manual cut-off razor
blades (set of 10)
Razor blade & holder
Pouncing tool
TABLE 1-9:
GERBER P2C 1200 ACCESSORIES AND CONSUMABLES

Gerber P2C™ 1200 User’s Manual
General Information 13
1 4 GERBER P2C 1200 COMPONENTS
In order to get better acquainted with your Gerber P2C 1200 examine the
following illustrations and read the accompanying descriptions of its
components.
1 4 1 REAR PANEL CONTROLS
Figure 1-2 shows the location of the main components.
FIGURE 1-2
GERBER P2C 1200 REAR VIEW

Gerber P2C™ 1200 User’s Manual
General Information 14
1. USB interface: This interface is based on the standards specified in Universal
Serial Bus Specifications Revision 1.1. USB connectivity can be used to
establish high-speed bi-directional communication serially between the
host computer and the Gerber P2C 1200. (Use either the USB cable or the 9-
pin serial cable but do not use both simultaneously.)
2. RS-232-C port: This DB-9P connector uses a 9-pin serial cable to establish bi-
directional communication between the Gerber P2C 1200 and a host
computer. (Use either the 9-pin serial cable or the USB cable but do not use
both simultaneously.)
3. Power ON/OFF switch: This rocker switch sets the Gerber P2C 1200’s power
to ON or OFF. To switch the power ON press the “I” side of the rocker switch.
To switch the power OFF press the “O” side of the rocker switch.
4. Power entry module: The fuse box and the AC power cord receptacle are
located in the power entry module.
The power-up procedure is explained in detail in Section 1.6.
5. Fuse box: For information about changing the fuse see Section 4.2.
6. Roll media guides: The two guides keep the media roll in place as the
Gerber P2C 1200 pulls media from the roll.
7. Media flanges: The media flanges ensure proper routing of the media as it
is pulled from the roll.
8. Media support roller: The rotating rollers support the media roll.
9. Alignment strip: The rear alignment strip facilitates proper media loading
and should be used in conjunction with the front alignment strip.

Gerber P2C™ 1200 User’s Manual
General Information 15
1 4 2 FRONT PANEL CONTROLS
Figure 1-3 shows the location of the main components.
FIGURE 1-3
GERBER P2C 1200 FRONT VIEW
1. Pinch roller lever: This lever is used to raise and lower the pinch rollers
during media loading (media loading is discussed in Section 1.7).
2. Media drive sleeves: The media drive sleeves move the media only when
the pinch rollers are in the “down” position.
3. Tool carriage: The tool carriage holds the knife holder the pen or the
pouncing tool. The OPOS sensor is attached to the tool carriage.
4. Control panel: The control panel consists of 8 keys and can be used to
initiate all Gerber P2C 1200 activity. Each control panel function is
explained in Section 2.1.
5. Display: The 16-character display informs the user of the Gerber P2C 1200’s
current status as well as any actions that need to be taken.

Gerber P2C™ 1200 User’s Manual
General Information 16
6. Sensor: The sensor detects the end of the media to prevent the knife from
damaging the cutting strip.
7. Pinch rollers: The pinch rollers (one at each side) press the media onto the
drive sleeves.
8. Cutting strip: The cutting strip prevents damage to the knife tip when the
Gerber P2C 1200 is turned on and no media has been loaded. Because
cutting takes place on the cutting strip it is essential that it remain in good
condition.
9. Alignment strip: The front alignment strip facilitates proper media loading
and should be used in conjunction with the rear alignment strip.
10. Media deflection flap: This extra guide prevents curled media from getting
jammed underneath the cutter.