Epilog Laser Mini Illustrator Print alignment/Preview Not able to Align (after Windows Update?)

Machines
1

Hi,
We run Illustrator to print on the 40 Watt Epilog Laser Mini and have done so successfully for many years.

Since what seems to be linked to a Windows update, The printer repeatedly losses touch via the USB (we seem to be able to send over the network more successfully), and if it does send via the USB this seems to be because of turning the machine off and on several times.

The print preview in the initial print dialog page that opens in Illustrator, the first time print is hit, doesn’t allow the preview to show. Then when you cancel and hit print again, the preview shows and this used to be ok and aligned properly to the document size based on the default Epilog Driver settings matching the artboard created in Illustrator.

Now the preview is misaligned, miscaled, turned sideways, and oftentimes has a dotted line down the center of the page that doesn’t allow the print to align properly on the preview and on the material in the printer when cut, or even show up on one side of the dotted line. At times it seems ignoring the print preview and just matching the document size (artboard) to the material size in the Epilog Driver menu makes it work regardless of what the preview shows, but at other times it only prints half or none of prints.

We attempt to change the Epilog print drivers default (and per print) horizonal and vertical heights of the print as well but these seem to reset every time the print dialog box opens to get to the preferences of the printer to set the speeds and powers and sizes and raster vs vector settings and almost never changes the drivers size of the material to match the size of the document (it does sometimes, but it seems we are getting lucky and don’t know why it works… sometimes after 3-4 times opening the preferences and going back to the Illustrator print menu repeatedly, the preview occasionally finally matches the document size. Most times, it does not though).

We’ve never been able to run a Raster and Vector combined file together either which seems odd, but i heard this was a thing with using Illustrator (Not sure if that is true or why it would be).

Anyone else experiencing this and have the solution to be able to just hit print in Illustrator and only need to change things likes speeds and powers if they need to be changed (not because it’s almost always wrong)?

2

Very annoying what happened to you after years of trouble-free work.

It looks like your driver is messed up. Maybe you are using the wrong driver (since the windows change), your existing driver has become corrupted (for whatever reason), or you need a driver update.

  1. To check if the driver is up-to-date:
    • Go to device manager, find the epilog driver and give an update command.
  2. If the update command causes Windows to report that the driver is already up-to-date, the driver may still be corrupted.
    • Find the driver file with Windows Explorer, remember the path and name, put an “x” in front of the name (so that you always can return to this one).
    • Now force reinstall the driver (even if the version number of the old one was OK).
  3. If for some reason you are using the wrong driver (e.g. a generic driver instead of a specific Epilog driver), windows should forget the current driver and find the right driver.
    • Turn off the epilog and disconnect the USB link.
    • Remove the current driver in Windows Device Manager.
    • Shut down the computer, wait 10 seconds, then restart the computer. Note that the Epilog is still off; the USB is NOT connected.
    • Turn on the Epilog, wait until it appears ready to use.
    • Connect the USB link to 1. the Epilog and 2. the computer.
    • The computer should then search for an Epilog driver.

This is what I can think of at the moment. I hope this helps.

Best from Suriname
Pieter van der Hijden