Varitronics VariOuest Cutout Maker 1800 User manual

User’s Guide
www.variquest.com

ii VariQuest® Cutout Maker 1800 User’s Guide
Copyright
Copyright
This manual is copyrighted with all rights reserved. No portion of this manual may
be copied or reproduced by any means without the prior consent of Varitronics,
LLC.
While every precaution has been taken in preparation of this document,
Varitronics assumes no liability to any party for any loss or damage caused by
errors or omissions or by statements resulting from negligence, accident or any
other cause. Varitronics further assumes no liability for incidental or consequential
damages arising from the use of this document. Varitronics disclaims all
warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
Varitronics reserves the right to make changes without further notice to any
product or system herein to improve reliability, function or design.
Reproduction of this material, in part or whole, is strictly prohibited without the
written permission of Varitronics, LLC. For more information contact: Varitronics®
at 2355 Polaris Lane North, Suite 100, Plymouth, MN 55447 USA
Trademarks
VariQuest is a registered trademark of Varitronics, LLC.
All other brand or product names referenced in this manual are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective companies or organizations.
2355 Polaris Lane North, Suite 100, Plymouth MN 55447 Phone: [phone]
Y1423606 Rev B
Cat # 20144-03

VariQuest® Cutout Maker 1800 User’s Guide iii
Standard Warranty
Standard Warranty
Varitronics, LLC warrants the equipment and accessories comprising the
VariQuest®Cutout Maker 1800 will be free from defects in material and
workmanship for one (1) year from the date of customer purchase. Original serial
number must appear on product. Removal of serial numbers will void this
warranty and any equipment and accessories that have been altered or modified
in any way and are not as originally purchased will void this warranty.
Varitronics will at its option repair, replace or refund the purchase price of any
accessories, supplies or equipment found to be defective under this warranty.
THIS WARRANTY IS EXPRESSLY IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE.
In the event of breach of this expressed warranty, or any other warranty, whether
expressed or implied, Varitronics liability shall be limited to the remedy provided
by the preceding paragraph. IN NO EVENT WILL VARITRONICS BE LIABLE
FOR ANY DIRECT, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, NOR
WILL VARITRONICS EVER BE LIABLE FOR BREACH OF WARRANTY,
WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY
OF THE MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS, IN AN AMOUNT GREATER THAN
THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED BY THIS
EXPRESSED WARRANTY. No agent, distributor, salesperson, wholesaler or
retail dealer has authority to bind Varitronics to any other affirmation,
representation or warranty concerning these goods.
FCC Notice
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 communication.
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.
CAUTION: Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for
compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility Notice)
This Class A digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference Causing
Equipment Regulations.
Cet appareil numerique de la classe A respecte toutes les exigences du Reglement sur le material
broilleur du Canada.

iv VariQuest® Cutout Maker 1800 User’s Guide
Safety Information
Warning Symbols
Safety Information
The instructions in this manual have been labeled with various types of caution
and warning messages.
The symbols preceding these messages indicate information that must be
followed to avoid damage to property or injury to users of the Cutout Maker or
people in the vicinity of the Cutout Maker.
The degrees of damage or injury that may result from failing to properly follow the
instructions in this manual are classified as follows:
WARNING
Improper use of the Cutout Maker may result in serious injury or death.
CAUTION!CAUTION!
Improper use of the Cutout Maker may result in injury or damage to property.
Warning Symbols
Different types of instructions are labeled with the following symbols (other
symbols are also used in this manual):
Warning
• Connect the Cutout Maker to a 120V power source ONLY.
Connecting to a power source of any other voltage may result in fire or electrical
shock.
• Do not damage, crease or fold the power cord.
Altering the power cord, placing heavy objects on it or allowing it to become dam-
aged, creased or folded may result in fire or electrical shock.
• Do not connect the Cutout Maker to a two-way or multiple-way extension
cord.
Doing so may result in fire or electrical shock.
• Never insert or remove the power plug with wet hands.
Doing so may result in electrical shock.
• Do not remove the gantry cover or base shroud from the Cutout Maker.
Doing so may result in electrical shock.

VariQuest® Cutout Maker 1800 User’s Guide v
Safety Information
Warning Symbols
• Always hold the plug firmly when removing it from the power socket.
Do not simply pull on the cord.
Pulling on the cord to remove the plug from the power socket or applying exces-
sive force when doing so may damage the cord, which may in turn result in fire or
electrical shock.
• If the Cutout Maker overheats, emits smoke, or gives off an unusual odor,
turn off the power switch immediately and remove the plug from the power
socket.
If these problems occur, contact your Cutout Maker dealer. Continuing to use the
Cutout Maker after such problems occur, may result in fire or electrical shock.
• If metal objects, water, or other liquids get inside the unit, turn off the power
switch immediately and remove the plug from the power socket.
If this problems occurs, contact your Cutout Maker dealer. Continuing to use the
Cutout Maker after this problem occurs, may result in fire or electrical shock.
• Always be sure the Cutout Maker is properly grounded.
Failing to do so may cause power leakages, which may in turn result in fire or
electrical shock. If for some reason youare unable to ground the unit, contact your
Cutout Maker dealer for instructions.
• Never disassemble or modify the Cutout Maker.
Doing so may result in fire or electrical shock. If the Cutout Maker breaks down,
turn off the power switch, remove the plug from the power socket and contact your
Cutout Maker dealer.
Warning

vi VariQuest® Cutout Maker 1800 User’s Guide
This page is intentionally left blank.

VariQuest® Cutout Maker 1800 User’s Guide vii
Contents
Copyright ....................................................................................................................ii
Trademarks .................................................................................................................ii
Standard Warranty ....................................................................................................iii
Safety Information ....................................................................................................iv
1 - Features, Accessories and Materials
Features .................................................................................................................. 1-2
System Accessories .............................................................................................. 1-3
Materials ................................................................................................................. 1-4
Paper Classifications ......................................................................................... 1-4
Classifications for Unspecified Paper Types ..................................................... 1-4
2 - Components and Specifications
Components ........................................................................................................... 2-2
Perspective View ............................................................................................... 2-2
Gantry Cover Open ........................................................................................... 2-2
Side View .......................................................................................................... 2-3
Control Panel .................................................................................................... 2-4
Specifications ......................................................................................................... 2-5
3 - Getting Started
Unpacking and Positioning ................................................................................... 3-2
Unpacking the Cutout Maker ............................................................................. 3-2
Verifying Packaging Contents ........................................................................... 3-3
Positioning the Cutout Maker ............................................................................ 3-4
Setting up the Cutout Maker ................................................................................. 3-5
Connecting the Power Cord .............................................................................. 3-5
Connecting the Cutout Maker ............................................................................... 3-6
Connecting to a VariQuest® Design Center ..................................................... 3-6
Connecting to a Personal Computer ................................................................. 3-7
4 - Operating the Cutout Maker
Loading Material .................................................................................................... 4-2
Typical Operating Sequence ................................................................................. 4-3
Operating Example ........................................................................................... 4-3

viii VariQuest® Cutout Maker 1800 User’s Guide
5 - Maintenance
Maintenance Summary ..........................................................................................5-1
Replacing the Cutting Blade ..............................................................................5-2
Replacing the Cutting Mat .................................................................................5-6
Oil Gantry Rails ...............................................................................................5-10
Clean Tip Sensor .............................................................................................5-11
6 - Troubleshooting
Process ...................................................................................................................6-1
Tips ....................................................................................................................6-1
Troubleshooting .....................................................................................................6-2
Error Codes ............................................................................................................6-4
Servicing the Cutout Maker ...................................................................................6-6

VariQuest® Cutout Maker 1800 User’s Guide 1-1
1Features, Accessories and Materials
This chapter provides an overview of the VariQuest®Cutout Maker 1800 features,
accessories and materials. The following information is contained in this chapter:
• “Features” on page 1-2
• “System Accessories” on page 1-3
• “Materials” on page 1-4
• “Paper Classifications” on page 1-4
• “Classifications for Unspecified Paper Types” on page 1-4
VariQuest®Cutout Maker 1800

1-2 VariQuest® Cutout Maker 1800 User’s Guide
Features
Features
• The Cutout Maker is designed to allow even first-time users to quickly produce high
quality cutout shapes from sheets of construction paper, cold laminated
construction paper, card stock, bond paper,
VariQuest® Vinyl Sheets and
VariQuest® Magnetic Sheets.
• You can easily create single or multiple cutouts using the
VariQuest® Design
Center Software
.
• Atwo-buttoncontrolpanelwithanLCDdisplayisprovidedfor controlling the Cutout
Maker and displaying status and error messages.
• Choose from a variety of types and sizes of materials.
VariQuest® Design Center
Software
provides automatic setup selections for shapes, fonts and collections.
With the VariQuest®Cutout Maker 1800 and VariQuest®Design Center
Software, you can produce a variety of cutout shapes, fonts and collections.

VariQuest® Cutout Maker 1800 User’s Guide 1-3
System Accessories
System Accessories
The Cutout Maker comes with a Starter Maintenance Kit that contains:
• Blades (3-pack)
• Blade/Chad Removal Tool
• Tweezers

1-4 VariQuest® Cutout Maker 1800 User’s Guide
Materials
Classifications for Unspecified Paper Types
Materials
CAUTION!CAUTION!
Use of material other than that specified for use with the Cutout Maker may result
in poor cut quality and damage to the blade.
There is no direct correlation between paper weight and the classification of paper
as “light weight” or “heavy weight” among manufacturers of construction paper.
Due to the large variation of paper classifications, VariQuest®Cutout Maker
paper is defined below.
Paper Classifications
• Light construction paper: 40-50 lbs
• Heavy construction paper: 60-80 lbs
• Cold laminated light construction paper: 40-50 lbs light construction paper + the
VariQuest®Cold Laminator dual-sided laminate.
• Cold laminated heavy construction paper: 60-80 lbs heavy construction paper +
VariQuest®Cold Laminator dual-sided laminate.
• Cardstock: 80-100 lbs
• Bond (copier) paper: 20 lbs
Classifications for Unspecified Paper Types
Refer to the following tables to determine the paper weight for unspecified paper
types. These tables will help determine if you have light or heavy construction
paper. Weight measurements are determined by a scale based on number of
sheets and size of paper.
Light Weight Construction Paper
9"x12" 12"x18" 18"x24" 24"x36"
100 sheets 1-1.3 lbs 2-2.5 lbs 4-5 lbs 8-10 lbs
500 sheets 5-6.3 lbs 10-12.5 lbs 20-25 lbs 40-50 lbs
Heavy Weight Construction Paper
9"x12" 12"x18" 18"x24" 24"x36"
100 sheets 1.5-2 lbs 3-4 lbs 6-8 lbs 12-16 lbs
500 sheets 7.5-10 lbs 15-20 lbs 30-40 lbs 60-80 lbs

VariQuest® Cutout Maker 1800 User’s Guide 2-1
2Components and Specifications
This chapter shows the locations of the major VariQuest®Cutout Maker 1800
components and provides detailed system specifications. The following information is
contained in this chapter:
• “Components” on page 2-2
• “Perspective View” on page 2-2
• “Gantry Cover Open” on page 2-2
• “Side View” on page 2-3
• “Control Panel” on page 2-4
• “Specifications” on page 2-5

2-2 VariQuest® Cutout Maker 1800 User’s Guide
Components
Gantry Cover Open
Components
Perspective View
Gantry Cover Open
No. Name
1Gantry
2Control Panel
3Cutter Bed
4Blade Holder Assembly
1
2
3
4

VariQuest® Cutout Maker 1800 User’s Guide 2-3
Components
Side View
Side View
No. Name
1USB Cable Receptacle
2AC Power Cord Receptacle
3DC Power Supply Fuse (2 Amp)
4OFF (0) ON (1) Power Switch
1234

2-4 VariQuest® Cutout Maker 1800 User’s Guide
Components
Control Panel
Control Panel
The control panel provides buttons to manually start and stop cutter operation.
Pressing the GO button starts the cutter when all of the software selections are
completed and the LCD display indicates a "Ready" condition exists.
• Pressing STOP retracts the cutter blade and pauses the cutter operation.
• Pressing
GO restarts the cutter operation from the point at which it paused.
• Pressing
STOP a second time without pressing GO clears the cutter operation,
retracts the cutter blade and sends the cutter blade back to the home position.
The LCD display shows the status of the operation underway and/or shows the
error that caused the operation to stop.
No. Name Description
1LCD Display Lists cut job status (cutting, pause, error, etc.).
Shows the options currently selected.
Displays error messages and instructions.
2“STOP” button Pauses the cut job currently in process. Pressing STOP
while a job is paused cancels the job.
3“GO” button Starts the cut job selected.
1
23

VariQuest® Cutout Maker 1800 User’s Guide 2-5
Specifications
Control Panel
Specifications
Cutout Maker 1800 Technical Data Sheet
Output
•Maximum cutout size: 11-1/2” x 17-1/2”; up to 2’ x 3’ when tiling
•Minimum scrap size: 4” x 6” (101.6 mm x 152.4 mm)
Machine
•Display: 4 line, 16 characters LCD graphical display
•Cutting speed: up to 6” per second (simple shapes)
•USB port: 1
•Dimensions: 33” W x 21.5” D x 12.5” H
•Weight (machine only): 41.4 lbs
•Weight (machine in its package): 55 lbs
Materials
•Tested & qualified materials: construction paper, cold laminated construction paper, cardstock,
bond paper, VariQuest®Vinyl Sheets and VariQuest®Magnetic Sheets
•Material sizes: standard construction paper 9” x 12” (228.6 mm x 304.8 mm) and
12” x 18” (304.8 mm x 457.2 mm); other standard size: 8-1/2” x 11” (215.9 mm x 279.4 mm)
Electrical Characteristics
•Input current: 1.7 Amps
•Input voltages: 100-240 VAC
•Input frequency: 50-60 Hz
•Max Output Power: 100 W
•Interface: USB
Environmental Characteristics
•Operational requirements: ambient temperature 32°F to 122°F (0°C to 50°C);
relative humidity: 20%-80% (non-condensing)
•Storage requirements: ambient temperature 0°F to 140°F (18°C to 60°C);
relative humidity: 10% - 95% (non-condensing)
Agency Approvals
•UL, CUL: Listed to UL/CSA 60950-1:2003
•FCC: Meets FCC – CFR 47, part 15, Subpart B, class A emissions limit
•Canadian standard: Meets Canadian standard ICES-003, Issue 4:2004, class A emission limits
Other
• Manufactured in the USA
The information provided in this Technical Data Sheet indicates performance under normal conditions. It is intended only as a source
of information without guarantee and does not constitute a warranty. Purchases may need to independently determine the suitability
of these products for their specific purpose.
All brand or product names used on this sheet are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or
organizations. As part of our continuous improvement, we reserve the right to change this Technical Data Sheet without notice.

VariQuest® Cutout Maker 1800 User’s Guide 3-1
3Getting Started
This chapter provides instructions for unpacking and setting up the VariQuest®Cutout
Maker 1800. Keep this guide near the Cutout Maker so it can be available for reference.
The chapter contains these sections:
• “Unpacking and Positioning” on page 3-2
• “Unpacking the Cutout Maker” on page 3-2
• “Verifying Packaging Contents” on page 3-3
• “Positioning the Cutout Maker” on page 3-4
• “Setting up the Cutout Maker” on page 3-5
• “Connecting the Power Cord” on page 3-5
• “Connecting the Cutout Maker” on page 3-6
• “Connecting to a VariQuest® Design Center” on page 3-6
• “Connecting to a Personal Computer” on page 3-7

3-2 VariQuest® Cutout Maker 1800 User’s Guide
Unpacking and Positioning
Unpacking the Cutout Maker
Unpacking and Positioning
Unpacking the Cutout Maker
The Cutout Maker and accessories are packed in a cardboard carton with foam
padding for protection during shipment. Carefully unpack the items and keep the
packing materials. If you need to ship the Cutout Maker in the future, repack the
system as shown in the figure.
WARNING
Due to the weight of the unit, we recommend that 2 people lift the Cutout Maker
from the carton. To avoid personal injury, use proper lifting techniques when
removing the Cutout Maker from the carton.
No. Description No. Description
1Cardboard Cover 6CM1800
2End Cap (rear, key cutout) 7Packing Foam
3End Cap (front) 8Blade Assembly Foam
4Shipping Container 9Gantry Rail Foam
5Foam Cradle
1
7
6
5
4
2
3
8
9

VariQuest® Cutout Maker 1800 User’s Guide 3-3
Unpacking and Positioning
Verifying Packaging Contents
Verifying Packaging Contents
After unpacking, verify that all of the following items have been included in the
Cutout Maker box:
No. Description
1Electrical Power Cord
2USB Cable
3Cutout Maker 1800
4Maintenance Kit
1
23
4