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I switch pens halfway through my drawing. However this means that the second pens position is slightly different from the first pens position. Usually by a couple mm. I move the paper over slightly to compensate.
Is there a better way for me to do this instead of moving the paper around each time I switch pens? Like a track I can attach my clipboard to and move it over by a few mm using a pc?
We have some detailed suggestions for minimizing the difference between the positions of different pen tips, in our documentation here:
https://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/Multicolor_Plot_Tips#Troubleshooting_pen_alignment
You should be able to get consistent alignment by using procedures like these. (It may not be exactly the same position — for example if you’re using different pen types, but the differences should be consistent.)
If you know how much to shift, one thing that you can do is to use the “walk” commands in the Manual tab of AxiDraw Control. Movements made there can be used to compensate for changes in pen position. You can also potentially shift the graphics on one or more layers of your drawing.
You asked: “Is there a better way for me to do this instead of moving the paper around each time I switch pens?” The answer is yes: moving the pen or the drawing is a better method. We would definitely recommend _not_ moving the paper.
The manual xy adjust in the control panel is too much with my plotter.
I’m not sure that I understand. You said that you were moving by several mm. The manual moves allow you to adjust by as little as 0.001 inch (0.254 mm). That should give you adequate resolution.
Is there no solution for moving the paper via the computer?
The AxiDraw does not have motors to move the paper. So… no? However (again) you can move the drawing or your pen, or the initial starting point.
Are you guys using a clipboard?
That’s one of the common solutions for paper holding.
Anyone thought of using little weights to hold the paper down?
Yes, that is another common method.
I just came around the problem with different pen barrel sizes.
As the best possible solution i suggest a pen holder that centers the pen. The original Axidraw pen holders do not center the pen, so every different pen will have a different offset. If you plan, like me, using half a dozen different pen sizes in a project, moving the paper wont work.That’s a possible part of a solution. It is not, on its own, enough to solve the problem entirely.
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