I have finally hit my frustration point. I really thought this machine was going to be it! The focus on the camera is terrible. What it displays on the screen is not what prints! I am so tired of wasting material 'cause of this. I am trying to start up my small business and I am having so many set backs! I have calibrated my machine and I actually think it made it worse. Please help!
The camera is only designed to allow for ~1/4" precision. If you’re not achieving that after successfully completing the calibration process, then some pictures/screenshots will allow support to determine if there are additional troubleshooting steps you can try, or if the machine needs to be repaired or replaced.
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I will need to upload some pictures. I understand the aprox 1/4 inch precision but maybe I am not fully understanding it? Is the camera supposed to have a full picture of the crumb tray to display in the app?
Also, thank you for your quick response. 
Are you using the set focus tool before placing your design? If you are trying to align your design on a specific object, you may need to make a jig.
Photos of what you are seeing and trying to do will help.
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Yes, I do use the set focus tool. But not before placing my design. You are saying I need to use the tool before dropping my design that I would like to print?
Note: GF staff have a Staff title under their names. Being public forum, we fellow users try to help each other out while waiting for official support to show up. 
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It will show the full printable area, which is ~11x19.
Yes, you should use “set focus” before placing your design. The primary function is to match the image to what is actually on the bed.
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Which is great! I love this community! Any bit of advice, will help so much!!!
Mm. Makes sense. I will work on uploading pics.
Yes. Use the set focus tool. Watch to make sure that the beam hits directly on the material to cut/engrave. Then place your design.
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I will give that a try!! Thank you for that.
One additional point, because this is frequently misunderstood - Open the design, do a rough placement where you want it to go, THEN click with the Set Focus tool in the center of the design. The view will change slightly depending on where it is on the board. Then you can shift where you have the design placed and it will be a more accurate reflection.
AFTER you use Set Focus in a spot is when you will get the most accurate view at that spot.
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Have you done the camera calibration routine?
Yes, I did.
No it doesn’t. This can be confusing when you start out. It shows the full cuttable area but less than the full crumb tray and less than a full 12x20 sheet of material.
And yes, use set focus before dropping your artwork. It gives you the most accurate view. If there are holes in your material from previous jobs, watch the head to make sure that the red laser dot lands on material and not in a hole or you’ll get a misleading view.
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I’m sorry about the trouble, and I want to help. There’s been some great advice in this thread already (thanks, everyone!)
Often, when we see a large offset between the design position and the final print, it occurs because the head was physically moved or accidentally bumped, which affects the current calibration. I extracted the logs from your Glowforge to investigate a couple of prints you may have had trouble with, and it looks like the printer head did not start from the “home” position on a couple of recent print jobs. The head may have been inadvertently moved or bumped while preparing a print. I’d like to take a closer look at another print, if you wouldn’t mind running a test.
Could you please try the following steps:
- Turn your Glowforge off, and wait about five seconds
- Turn your Glowforge back on
- Wait until all motion has stopped for 30 seconds
- Try any print
- Reply here with the date and time of the print you ran, and let me know how it went. If the issue continues, I’ll investigate further
Thank you!
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It’s been a little while since I’ve seen any replies on this thread so I’m going to close it. If you still need help with this please either start a new thread or email support@glowforge.com.