Embedded Image (slightly worrying)

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I cant post the file on here (personal family stuff) but I was trying to create some things for a family members funeral when I ran into this issue. Hopefully I can give enough details for it to be replicated.

Basically I used Inkscape to create an SVG with an image in the middle of an ornament like object. I embedded the black and white PNG into the SVG and saved it as an Inkscape svg file.
It loaded up fine in the GUI. I set the cut lines to the normal Proofgrade medium acrylic settings. Then I set the image to Speed 1000, Power 90, Convert to dots, LPI 195. Basically the same as the SD Photo for that material with a lower power and maybe slightly higher LPI.

Everything looked good and so I tried to print it. This is what happened. https://youtu.be/nR6PmDmbop8

That was very worrying, so I tried moving the file over so it wasn’t as near to the edge, but I had the same result. It was very loud and didn’t sound quite right so I ended up hitting the power switch. I then tried narrowing down the problem. First I tried different settings, I changed a few things like the speed and LPI, but that had no affect.

After about 4 other tries, I tried it again with the same file, but with the image not embedded in the SVG. There was a little popup in the Glowforge UI which allowed me to point to the file and it loaded just fine. That new popup is actually what made me think to try and embed the image in the svg. When I tried this in the past I sort of just scaled the image and placed it in the GUI instead of the svg. Anyways, long story short, as soon as I hit print with the new file (same exact settings as listed above) it worked just fine.

A few things to note. It doesn’t look like it was going too fast or skipping steps, but it looked like the code made it do that weird abrupt “clunk” sound right where the final cut border would have been.

That’s all I have been able to discern on the issue unfortunately. I ran out of time to troubleshoot and finish making the things I was supposed to make. Sorry, I know a file is preferred in this case, but I hope that is enough detail to replicate the problem. Thanks

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If you tell Glowforge a date and time, they can take a look at things on their end.

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Thank you for letting us know about this. I’m sorry for the worry.

There’s an issue with our software in handling images that include flipped bitmaps and it looks like that what’s happening here. We will be making improvements in this area.

It sounds like you figured it out, but in case you want to embed the bitmap image in your main design, here’s a couple options to try:

Take a screenshot of the image
This method is super-easy and can provide great print quality.

  1. Open the image you want to print in your browser or in design software
  2. Enlarge the image by zooming in. Make sure the entire bitmap fits on your screen and that it looks good. Be careful: if you make a bitmap too big, it can look pixelated or boxy.
  3. Take a screenshot
    a. Mac: Press Shift-Command-4 and click and drag a box around your image. You’ll find the screenshot file saved on your desktop.
    b. Windows: Click on the Start Menu and search for the Snipping Tool. Open the Snipping Tool > New then click and drag a box around your image. Click the Save icon and name and save your file.
  4. Embed your image in your SVG
  5. Upload your file to the app and print

Make a copy of the flipped image in Inkscape
This method is a good choice if you want to be able to continue to edit your file later.

  1. Open Inkscape
  2. Go to File > Open and select your file
  3. After the file opens, select your bitmap artwork
  4. Choose Edit > Make a Bitmap Copy
  5. Inkscape will make a bitmap copy on top of the original artwork
  6. Click the top artwork to select it, drag it off of the original artwork, and delete the original artwork. You’ll be left with the bitmap copy
  7. Select File > Save As and save the file as a Inkscape SVG file
  8. Upload your file to the app and print
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