Cutting Cardstock on Epilog Mini - 30 Watt

[Jay Johnson Smith]

Hi,
Can someone please help me.
I'm new to the Epilog laser and am trying to cut 80LB Cardstock.
I need to know the following:
Power =
Speed =
Frequency =

I called epilog tech support and they asked me what cardstock was. I had to explain to him what it was. When I told him it was 80LB I lost him again.
Your help is appreciated.
Jay

[Robert Walters]

Hi,
Can someone please help me.
I'm new to the Epilog laser and am trying to cut 80LB Cardstock.
I need to know the following:
Power =
Speed =
Frequency =

I called epilog tech support and they asked me what cardstock was. I had to explain to him what it was. When I told him it was 80LB I lost him again.
Your help is appreciated.
Jay

Tell them is cardboard like used on thick greeting/birthday cards and invitations.

OR

You could just give it a try yourself and see what works for you.
Humidity can play in as a factor too between summer/winter.

[David Somers]

Jay,

Epi has a halloween project in their listing that uses cardstock. For a 50 watt helix the setting they used was 70% speed, 20%power and 500 frequency. They don't give the weight of the card stock however. That at least gives you a starting point for some test cuts.

If you have to explain paper stock weight to someone try this. Ask them to pick up a regular sheet of paper. That is probably 20 weight, meaning 500 sheets of paper, a ream, will weigh 20 lbs. 80lb stock simply means 500 sheets will weigh 80lbs, each sheet weighing 4 times as much. So have them put 4 sheets of paper together and that will be roughly the thickness of 80lb cardstock. It is rough, but will give them a decent idea as to the thickness.

Dave

[Jay Johnson Smith]

Thank you both for the quick reply. I'll try the settings you suggested.
Have a great day.

[Robert Walters]

If you have to explain paper stock weight to someone

If you have to explain paper stock weight in this business, especially tech support, you know you are in trouble and should probably ask to speak to a manager.

I know I'm being a bit crass here, but if someone can't relate thick paper to cardboard, wood veneer, or thick plastic film they are either ignorant (unknowing) or inexperienced enough to be providing the assistance as needed and they themselves should be requesting the help of their peers/boss to provide the proper and correct information to customers.

We all "don't know" things in our lives, but we take the time to educate ourselves not send a customer off with "Sorry, no clue" unless that is actually the proper answer, in this case I don't believe that to be. </end_rant>

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

Hi,
Can someone please help me.
I'm new to the Epilog laser and am trying to cut 80LB Cardstock.
I need to know the following:

Do a search on this forum for "cardstock" and you will find a lot of threads on this topic. The search button is in the top right corner.

[John Pletcher]

On my 50 watt Helix I cut 110 lb cardstock at 75% speed 25% power, 1000 hz.

[Darryl Hazen]

IIRC, 50/50/500 is the setting for 35 watt Epilog.

[Cara Huber]

Hi Jay,
I cut a lot of cardstock and it will vary, depending on a lot of factors. Generally speaking, low power and fast speed if all else fails. If you use higher power, you'll probably see more burnt edges. I also use an Epilog 30 watt.

Dave -- your explanation of paper weights is a good way to help folks understand, but I need to correct you on one thing. you said "500 sheets of paper, a ream, will weigh 20 lbs" This is strictly incorrect, it doesn't. In truth, 500 sheets of the parent size sheet (as manufactured at the mill) will weigh 20 pounds. Confusion ensues as most people don't know how large the parent sheet is, or that each "type" of paper, i.e. bond, cover, index, generally indicates a different size. Parent sheets are referred to as basis sheets, which is why this is called basis weight on the label. For instance, your example of 20 lb bond, the basis sheet is 17 x 22 at the mill. So, 500 sheets of 17 x 22 20 lb bond weighs 20 lbs. A basis or parent size sheet can be as large as 25 x 38, and sometimes larger. This is a confusing issue for a lot of folks. Although in general, the higher the number, the heavier the paper. But when comparing, the numbers can really throw you off if the basis is different. For example 100 lb. text is lighter than 65 lb cover.

Hopefully I didn't muddy the waters too much, but considering this forum is filled with very precise people, I thought further explanation was necessary.

[Robert Walters]

500 sheets of the parent size sheet (as manufactured at the mill) will weigh 20 pounds.

Hopefully I didn't muddy the waters too much, but considering this forum is filled with very precise people, I thought further explanation was necessary.

Hi Cara,

I always knew that the weight was of the parent sheet, but didn't know/realize it was 500 sheets because some reams of equal thickness can be 250 sheets (40lb bond, linen, or common cardstock).

I had always imagined the mill had a giant room where this massively long roll or single 20ft by 20ft parent sheet lived. lol


I think we all stepped in muddy waters the day we thought to ourselves "I want a laser", so no worries there.


Jay,

The reason I suggested that you just try it, is that there are a lot of environmental factors involved.
heat, cold, humidity, static electricity, etc. All of these things can vary what settings you need.

You could run that exact same job for three months, then on the fourth month wonder why some edges are charring a tad, or are not cutting cleanly. That exact same job could have summer settings, and winter settings.
Maybe even the moisture content in the paper itself could vary from lot to lot.


The other reason is that from experimentation, can find some really neat effects that were unexpected.
Create the look of an aged document with charred edges, perforations for a tear off sheet, shading, watermarking with a laser, etc.

[David Somers]

Thanks Cara! Appreciate that! I knew it was based on a larger sheet but hadn't mentally tied that to the fact that a "ream" of paper in the store doesn't weigh nearly 20 lbs.

Paper products are fascinating sometimes. It can be such a mix of old and new terminology and technology. And don't get going on typography!

Thanks again!

Dave

[Jay Johnson Smith]

Hi Jay,
I cut a lot of cardstock and it will vary, depending on a lot of factors. Generally speaking, low power and fast speed if all else fails. If you use higher power, you'll probably see more burnt edges. I also use an Epilog 30 watt.

Dave -- your explanation of paper weights is a good way to help folks understand, but I need to correct you on one thing. you said "500 sheets of paper, a ream, will weigh 20 lbs" This is strictly incorrect, it doesn't. In truth, 500 sheets of the parent size sheet (as manufactured at the mill) will weigh 20 pounds. Confusion ensues as most people don't know how large the parent sheet is, or that each "type" of paper, i.e. bond, cover, index, generally indicates a different size. Parent sheets are referred to as basis sheets, which is why this is called basis weight on the label. For instance, your example of 20 lb bond, the basis sheet is 17 x 22 at the mill. So, 500 sheets of 17 x 22 20 lb bond weighs 20 lbs. A basis or parent size sheet can be as large as 25 x 38, and sometimes larger. This is a confusing issue for a lot of folks. Although in general, the higher the number, the heavier the paper. But when comparing, the numbers can really throw you off if the basis is different. For example 100 lb. text is lighter than 65 lb cover.

Hopefully I didn't muddy the waters too much, but considering this forum is filled with very precise people, I thought further explanation was necessary.

Hi Cara,
May I ask what settings you use to cut cardstock.
I'm getting burnt edges as you mentioned.
I have tried Georgia Pacific white cardstock 110LB
Vector setting:
Speed = 25
Power = 20 %
Freq = 500 HZ

[Bill George]

Joy, start keeping a sort of log book of settings as what works for you. Try turning down your power or increasing your speed on Your laser. Trial and error a bit until you get what works for you and then log it.
PS Put your brand, model and power of your laser in your signature line, then folks can be more helpful.

[Jay Johnson Smith]

Thank you Bill,
I have an Epilog 30 Watt laser.
I have tried Georgia Pacific white cardstock 110LB
Vector setting:
Speed = 25
Power = 20 %
Freq = 500 HZ

I took a look at the forums and one Epilog website. They have a couple of cardstock projects that they cut with a 50 Watt laser.
The funny thing is that one of their projects uses 500HZ frequency and the other 2500.
I know I probably have to use more power and slower speed than they recommended on their website.

Thank you all for your kind help.
Have a great day.
Jay

[Jay Johnson Smith]

IIRC, 50/50/500 is the setting for 35 watt Epilog.

Thanks Darryl,
These are the best settings for me.
Jay