Welcome to Easy Cut Studio!

Major features include

Works with your installed TrueType and OpenType fonts on your computer
Supports a wide range of vinyl cutters/plotters including Roland, GCC, Graphtec, USCutter, Secabo,
Summa, Mutoh, Ioline, Refine, Seiki, Saga, Rabbit, Liyu, Redsail, PixMax, Vevor, Vicsign, KNK,
Silhouette, Vinyl Express, and more.
Works with thousands of free TrueType, OpenType and Dingbat/Wingding fonts
Import various file formats, including SVG, AI, PDF, EPS, PNG, WPC and GSD.
Drawing tools to draw and edit shapes
Auto tracing feature to automatically convert images (including jpg, bmp, gif, png) for cutting
Create rhinestone templates and lattice shapes
Weld overlapping letters and shapes together
Select styles, including Shadow and Blackout, to change the look of your letters and shapes
WYSIWYG Interface - What you see is what you cut.
Language Supported: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese (
Simplified), Dutch.
Available for Windows and macOS

System Requirements

(Win) Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10

(Win) Intel Pentium or equivalent processor
(Mac) Mac OSX 10.6 - 10.15
(Mac) Intel based processor
512 MB of RAM or greater
100 MB of available hard disk space
USB Port 1.1 or 2.x
Installing the USB driver

In order for this software to work with certain cutting machines, you will need to have the correct driver installed.
The driver can be installed in various ways, and in some cases may already be installed on your computer.

The driver should be installed before you connect your cutting machine to your computer for the first time.

Installing Driver
"USB Driver Install" option under the Help menu. From here, you will be able to choose your cutting machine model
to install the driver. If you model is not listed, it may not need a driver to be installed or the driver must be installed
separately from an install disc/download from the manufacturer of your cutting machine model.
Activate Licensed Version

To activate the Full Licensed Version, you must have a license for the software.
The computer you activate the software on does not require an Internet connection. However the activation process
will be easier from a computer that has an Internet connection.

A single license can only be activated on one computer that you use. If you need to move the software to a new
computer, you can choose to Deactivate under the Help menu (Requires an Internet connection). Simply uninstalling
the software from a computer does not automatically deactivate it.

To activate the licensed version, please do the following (Method requires an Internet connection)

Install and launch "Easy Cut Studio"

Click the "Activate" button or choose "Activate" from the "Help" menu.
Enter your name and serial number in the appropriate fields.
Click OK and the software will attempt to connect to our servers to activate your software on your computer.

If you get an error saying the information is invalid, please note the following:

Make sure you don't have any firewall/security software blocking "Easy Cut Studio" from connecting to the
Internet.
If you do not have an Internet connection, Please send the Site Code to us, and then we will generate your
activation code manually. .

The following are steps to manually generate your Activation Code.

Install and launch "Easy Cut Studio"

Click the "Activate" button or choose "Activate" from the "Help" menu.
Enter your name and serial number in the appropriate fields.
Check the "Activate manually" checkbox. Once checked, you should see the Site Code and Activation Code
fields appear.
The Site Code field will already be pre-filled in, and cannot be changed.
Send your Site Code to support@easycutstudio.com . Usually you will receive your activation code soon.

If you get an error saying the information is invalid, please note the following:

1. Make sure you installed the correct version of the software for your license.
2. You may contact support@easycutstudio.com for assistance.
Cutting Mat

"Easy Cut Studio" allows you to create your designs using an on-screen virtual cutting mat as your workspace. The on-
screen cutting mat can be set to be 12"x12", 12"x24", 8.5"x11", A3, A4, or a Custom size.

You can change the size of your mat by choosing the "Mat Size" from the "Cutter" menu, or by choosing the Mat Size
in the Document properties tab.

The on-screen mat will prove to be very powerful and useful, as you can visually see all of the shapes laid out on the
mat, before cutting anything. Once you have everything laid out the way you want, simply choose "Cut with..." from
the "Cutter" menu or click the Cutter toolbar button. For more information on cutting, please see the Cutting with
Cutting Machine section.

The on-screen virtual cutting mat allows you to adjust the properties of each shape laid out on the mat. Simply select a
shape on the mat with the Selection Tool and it will be hilited with 8 blue circular selection handles. These handles will
allow you to set the position, size and angle of the shape, just by click and dragging one of the handles.

Free Move - The handle on the top-left corner of the selection box is used to move your selection anywhere on
the mat.
Vertical Move - The handle in the top-middle of the selection box is used to move your selection up or down on
the mat.
Horizontal Move - The handle in the middle-left of the selection box is used to move your selection left or right
on the mat.
Stretch - The handle in the bottom-right corner of the selection box is used to scale/resize the shape. While
scaling with this handle, the shape will retain it's proportions if you hold down the Shift key.
Stretch Vertical - The handle in the bottom-middle of the selection box is used to scale/resize the height of the
shape.
Stretch Horizontal - The handle in the middle-right of the selection box is used to scale/resize the width of the
shape.
Rotate - The handle on either the top-right corner of the bottom-left corner of the selection box is used to rotate
the shape to the desired angle. If the Rotate type in the Properties window is set to "Skew", the top-right and
bottom-left corner handles will allow you to rotate along a separate axis.
Cut With Cutting Machine

To begin cutting your design, either choose "Cut with.." from the "Cutter" menu, or click the Cutter toolbar button
above the mat.

Before cutting, make sure you do the following first:

1. Your electronic cutting machine is connected to your computer. It is recommended you connect the cutter
directly to your computer and not to use a USB hub.
2. Your cutting machine is turned on
3. Material/Mat is currently loaded in your machine.
4. If your cutter has an Offline/Online mode, make sure it is set to Online

If you get an error when trying to cut, that the cutting machine could not be found, we recommend you reset the
connection before trying to cut again by doing the following:

1. Turn the cutting machine off

2. Unplug the cutter's USB cable from the computer
3. Unplug the Power Source from the cutter
4. Wait 10 seconds and then plug in the Power Source to the cutter
5. Connect the USB cable back into the computer
6. Turn the cutting machine on

Choosing your Cutting machine

Choose Manage Cutters under the Cutter menu to add the cutting machine model(s) you will be using with the
software.

From the Cutter menu, you can then choose the cutting machine you are currently using. That will set the default
machine that is to be used whenever you choose to Cut with the software. You can always change the default machine
by simply selecting a different machine from the Cutter menu. When you choose a Cutting machine, the on screen mat
will change it's appearance to resemble the type of mat used with a particular cutting machine.

Cut Settings
The cut settings window is where you can specify settings to be used when cutting your project. Settings may vary
depending on the cutting machine model you are using.
General
The General tab has the basic settings for cutting your project.

Cut Mode: where objects will cut relative to the cutting machine's origin.

WYSIWYG - is the what you see is what you get mode, where it will cut the shapes where you place them on
the mat relative to the cutter's origin point.
Origin Point - will automatically shift the design so that it starts cutting it at the cutter's origin point.

Cut Selection Only: you can choose to have only the selected shapes on the mat to be cut instead of everything on the
mat.

Mirror H/V: Mirror the design horizontally and/or vertically.

Use software speed & pressure: If your cutting machine has the ability to have the speed and pressure controlled
from software, you can enable this option, or set the speed and pressure on the cutting machine itself.
Getting Started

Below is a brief description and steps to get started.

Starting "Easy Cut Studio"

After launching "Easy Cut Studio", you will be presented with the an on-screen virtual cutting mat. This is where you
will add shapes to be cut with your machine. For more information on using the on-screen mat, please see the "On
Screen Virtual Mat" Section.

Adding Characters to the Mat

To add characters to the mat, you can choose one of the Type Tools from the Tools Panel to type text on the mat.
You can also use the Fonts tab from the My Library window to click on the characters you wish to add to the mat.

Note: If you are typing, but nothing shows up on the mat, the on screen mat may not have current focus, so click
somewhere on the main window/mat to give it focus and start typing again.

Adding Shapes to the Mat

To add shapes to the mat, click on the shapes shown in the Shapes tab of the My Library window. Shapes will be
added to the center of the visible area of the mat.
Changing The Properties of the Placed Objects
Once the objects are added to the mat, you can modify the placement, size and rotation in 2 ways.
1. Choose the Selection Tool from the Tools Panel and you can click on the objects on the mat to select them. Once
selected, they will then be hilited and will show 8 blue circular handles which can be used to move, resize and change
the angle of the selected object.

2. Once an object is selected, you can use the Properties panel to change attributes, such as position, size, and color.
You can type in new values and hit the Enter/Tab key to apply the new values, and the on screen mat should reflect the
new changes.
Preview Your Design
Before cutting your design, you can choose to do a preview to see what outlines will get cut, drawn or printed. To do a

Preview, choose "Preview" from the "Cutter" menu or the Magnifying Glass toolbar button . The on screen
mat will be redrawn with outlines where the actual cuts will be made. This is useful when "welding" shapes together to
see what will get cut. For more information on welding, please see the "Welding" section.

Cutting Your Design With Your Cutting Machine

When you are ready to cut your design, choose "Cut with..." from the "Cutter" menu or the Cutter toolbar button

. For more information on cutting, please see the "Cutting With Cutting Machine" section.

Saving your Design Layout

You can save your project at any time by choosing "Save" or "Save As..." from the "File" menu, or by clicking the
"Save" toolbar button. This will allow you to save the settings for your design, so you can open it again at a later time
for further modifications or for cutting with your machine. The saved project files, will have the file extension (.ecs5).
Workspace

You create and manipulate your designs using various windows and panels. Any arrangement of these windows and
panels is called a workspace.

The software has two predefined workspaces (Basic and Advanced) which you can choose from the "Window ->
Workspace" menu. You also have the option to save your own custom workspace.

Workspace Overview
Below is a screen shot of the "Advanced" workspace. The "Basic" workspace is the same, but has the "Layers" tab is
not separated.

1. On-screen virtual mat: Here you will be able to visually see and manipulate objects added to your design layout.

2. Toolbar: quickly access features in the software.

3. Tools Panel: select tools to create, select and manipulate objects on the mat.

4. Tool Options: shows available options for the current tool chosen in the Tools panel.

5. Properties Panel: change settings for documents, objects, text and layers.

6. Status Bar: change the zoom level and displays various status messages.
Saving Workspaces
If you want to arrange your windows and panels to your own liking, you can save the layout to your own custom
workspace. Go to the "Window" menu and under the "Workspace" submenu , you can choose "Save Workspace".
You will be prompted to choose a name for your workspace and it will be added to the "Workspace" submenu.

Manage Workspaces
If you want to delete or rename a workspace, you can choose "Manage Workspaces" under the Window ->
Workspace menu.
Creating Text

Text can be added by either using one of the Type Tools from the Tools Panel, or by choosing characters in the
Fonts tab of the My Library window.

Type Tools
You can add, edit and delete text by using on of the Type Tools from the Tools Panel. The Type tool has 4 different
types of type tools (Horizontal Type, Vertical Type, Type on Path, Type on Arch). To access the different types, you
will need to click and hold the mouse button over the Type tool and the available types will be available for selection.

Type Tool

Select a Type tool . The pointer will change to an I-beam cursor.

Click on the mat where you want the text to be added.
Type the characters you want to add
When finished entering text, you can click elsewhere on the mat to start a new line of text, or choose the
Selection Tool from the Tools Panel to select the text for moving, scaling, and rotating.

Vertical Type Tool

Select a Type tool . The pointer will change to an I-beam cursor.

Click on the mat where you want the text to be added.
Type the characters you want to add
When finished entering text, you can click elsewhere on the mat to start a new line of text, or choose the
Selection Tool from the Tools Panel to select the text for moving, scaling, and rotating.

Type On Path Tool

 Select a Type tool . The pointer will change to an I-beam cursor.
Click on the mat where you want the text to be added.
Type the characters you want to add
When finished entering text, you can click elsewhere on the mat to start a new line of text, or choose the
Selection Tool from the Tools Panel to select the text for moving, scaling, and rotating.

Type on Arch Tool

Select a Type tool . The pointer will change to an I-beam cursor.

Click on the mat where you want the text to be added.
Type the characters you want to add
When finished entering text, you can click elsewhere on the mat to start a new line of text, or choose the
Selection Tool from the Tools Panel to select the text for moving, scaling, and rotating.

Fonts Library Tab

The Fonts tab in the My Library window will show the available characters for the chosen font. To add characters, you
click on the desired character and it will automatically be added to the on-screen virtual mat.
Welding

Welding allows you to make overlapping shapes to become a single shape, by joining shapes together wherever an
overlap occurs. There are 2 ways to weld overlapping shapes.

Method 1: Using the Weld Property

1. Arrange the objects so they overlap

2. Select the objects you want to weld together, and in the Properties panel in the Style tab, check the Weld checkbox.

3. Now if we do a "Preview" by choosing "Preview" from the "Cutter" menu or choosing the Preview toolbar button,
you should see which outlines will be cut as indicated by the red outline. You should notice the overlapping areas are
removed and will not be cut now.
Method 2: Using Union Path

1. Arrange the objects so they overlap

2. Select the objects you want to weld together, and choose Union from the Path menu.

3. This is a permanent weld as it will generate a new shape based on the overlapping shapes, while the Weld checkbox
from method 1 is only temporarily welded when you do a Preview or actually cut the project.

Welding Text

Text is added as a group of letters spaced apart based on the specifications built into the font. To adjust the letters so
they overlap, you can do either of the following:

Decrease the Tracking (Letter Spacing) from the Text tab of the Properties Panel to squeeze the letters closer
together.
Choose Ungroup from the Object menu, which will allow you to freely move/drag the individual letters from the
text.
Pages

Pages represent virtual cutting mats. Each project can have multiple pages. This is useful if your overall design will
have multiple layers of paper, so you can layout your designs on multiple pages and preview the overall design.

Each page can be assigned a name and color to help identify each page in your project.

Add/Remove Pages
You can add pages by choosing "Add Page" from the "Page" menu in the main menu bar or in the menu button in
the page bar.

To remove pages, you can choose "Delete Page" from the "Page" menu in the main menu bar or in the menu button
in the page bar. You can also click the close button in the page tabs.

Page Order
The page tabs show the order of the pages, where the left-most page is on top and the right-most page is at the bottom.
You can change the order by dragging the page tabs to a new location in the page order. To move a page, click and
hold the mouse button in the page tab you wish to move. Then drag (left or right) and release the mouse button at the
new location. When dragging, you will see a vertical line indicating where the page will be inserted.

Previewing Pages
You can do a preview to see what is going to get cut when you decide to cut your design with your Cutting machine.

To preview the current page, choose "Preview" from the Cutter menu or click the Preview toolbar button . You
will see the lines that are to be cut, drawn, or printed.
Import Artwork

Iimport vector artwork from SVG, PDF, EPS, AI, WPC and GSD files, giving you the power to cut your own custom
artwork.

There are numerous sites where you can download .svg, .pdf and .eps files. You can also create your own .svg files
by using compatible software such as Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, or a free program called Inkscape.

"Import.."from the "File" menu or clicking the "Import" toolbar button . This will bring up a dialog to choose
the files you wish to import.

"Place Image"option from the "File" menu.

If you want to cut our a Raster/Bitmap image (jpeg, gif, bmp, png), you will need to convert it to vector artwork by
tracing the image. You can also use the built-it auto tracing feature by choosing "Trace Image.." from the "File"
menu or clicking the "Trace Image" toolbar button. For more information on using the auto trace feature, see the Trace
Image Section.

Export Artwork
If you want to export your design layout, you can export by choosing the "Export..." option from the "File" menu.
You can choose to export as SVG, PDF, BMP, JPG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, or FCM.
Trace Image Files

This software allows you to import image files (.bmp, .jpeg, .gif, .png) and will trace the image for cutting. Please
note, results may vary depending on the source image file. To trace an image, choose "Trace Image" from the File

menu, or click the Trace toolbar button .

Input Settings

Choose an Image: click to choose an image file you would like to trace. The program can accept most .bmp, .gif, .jpg
and .png files.

Image Settings

Mode: choose which tracing mode you would like to do.

Monochrome - will trace as if the image is a black and white image.

Contrast: this value will determine the cutoff to whether parts of the image should be traced. When you adjust
the contrast value, the preview will change to a black and white image showing what parts of the image will be
traced. To see trace results, click the Update Preview button.
Color layers - will segment the image into the specified number of colors.

Max Colors: the maximum number of colors to segment the image in to. You can turn off colors by clicking on
the color boxes.

Single Color - choose a specific color from the image to trace. To choose a color, click the color button, and
then click on the preview image to choose a color.

Contrast: this value will determine the cutoff to whether parts of the image should be traced. When you adjust
the contrast value, the preview will change to a black and white image showing what parts of the image will be
traced. To see trace results, click the Update Preview button.
Output Settings

Smooth: higher values will result in a smoother trace.

Detail: lower values will remove smaller shapes

Single Line Threshold: this can be used if you are tracing images that have outlines shapes that are not filled solid to
prevent having double lines.

Break Apart Outlines: if checked, the trace result will be saved as separate layers for each outline created.

Blackout: removes internal outlines.

Add Image Layer (Print+Cut): adds the source image as a layer under the traced outline, and sets the traced outline
layer to "Print+Cut Cut" so that it will only be cut and not printed.
Drawing

Using the drawing tool you can draw your own shapes directly on the mat. You can draw both curves and straight
lines.

Drawing Straight Lines

Click on the mat to add the first starting point, then click where you want to end the line segment. You can continue to
add end points to continue off the existing shape.

Drawing Curves
To make a curve, you will need to click and drag the mouse. As you drag the mouse with the mouse button down, a
tangent line will appear (line with two circles at each end) which you can move around, which determines the shape of
the curve.

Closing the Shape

To finish a closed shape, you will need to add the last end point on top of the starting point.

To close the shape, move the mouse over the starting point
 Once you are over the starting point, the cursor will change showing a
little diamond in the bottom right corner under the drawing tool cursor

Click to add the last point and the shape will automatically close and end
the path

Open Paths
If you want an open path (not closed), you can hit the Enter or Escape key on the keyboard to end the current shape
you are drawing

Adding Points
You can add additional points along an existing line or curve

Move the cursor over the edge of the shape. Once you are over the edge,
the cursor will change showing a + (plus sign) in the bottom right corner
under the drawing tool cursor

You can then click to add a point at that particular spot along the edge

Deleting Points
You can remove points by clicking over an existing point
Move the cursor over one of the existing points and the cursor will
change showing a - (minus sign). You can then click to remove that
particular point from the shape.
Edit Shapes

By using the edit tool .you can move and delete points in a shape

Editing a Line

Move the cursor over an existing point of a straight line. The cursor will
change showing a arrow cross.

You can also click and drag to hilite several points at once

Click and drag to move the point

Release and you will have the resulting shape appear

Editing a Curve

Move the cursor over an existing point of a curve. The cursor will change
showing a arrow cross.

You can also click and drag to select several points at once
 Click and drag to move the point

Release and you will have the resulting shape appear

You can also alter a curve by adjusting the circular points along the
tangent line

Release and you will have the resulting shape appear

Deleting a Point
Click on a point you wish to remove. You can also click and drag to
make a selection box to hilite several nodes at once

Once the nodes are selected (shown in blue), you can hit the Delete key
on the keyboard to remove them from the shape.
Simplify

The simplify feature is useful for trying to reduce the number of nodes/points in a shape.

Threshold: this can be a value between 0 and 100, where higher values will typically result in fewer nodes but
eventually may start to deform the shape.

Show Nodes: if enabled, it will show the nodes in the Input and Output preview boxes

Input: display the number of nodes in the original shape and a preview of what the original looks like to compare to
the output.

Output: displays the number of nodes after the simplification with the specified threshold and will display a preview
of what the result will look like
Path Boolean Operations

Under the Path menu are boolean operations which can be applied on two shapes to create a new shape based on the
combination of the two shapes and the operations chosen.

Union
The union boolean operation will combine two or more overlapping shapes into a single larger shape. This is similar to
the "weld" option in the Appearance properties section. The difference is this is a permanent weld as it generates a new
shape based on the overlapping shapes, while the "weld" option in the Appearance properties is only temporarily
generated when you do a Preview or actually Cut the project.

Intersection
The intersection boolean operation will operate on two overlapping shapes, keeping only the areas that are overlapping

Exclude
The exclude boolean operation will operate on two shapes, removing any areas that are overlapping between the two
shapes.

Front Minus Back

The front minus back boolean operation will operate on two shapes, removing any overlapping areas from the shape on
top or in front. In the example below, the circle object is in front/on top of the heart shape.

Back Minus Front

The back minus front boolean operation will operate on two shapes, removing any overlapping areas from the shape on
the bottom or in the back. In the example below, the heart object is behind the circle shape.
Rhinestones

Ccreate rhinestone templates. You will need to select an object on the mat, and then choose "Rhinestones" from under
the "Effects" menu to bring up the Rhinestone window shown below.

Stone Size: Either manually enter the size of the stones you intend to use, or select from the standard values in the
table above.

Stone Spacing: You can enter the amount of spacing between each stone.

Fill shape with stones: If checked, it will fill the object with stones, otherwise, it will only place stones along the
outline of the object.
Shadow Layer (Contour Cut)

The Shadow Layer option will add a layer that generates an outline around the selected object. To add a shadow layer,
choose Shadow Layer from the Effects menu.

Type: Choose the type of shadow to generate.

Shadow - standard shadow

Shadow (Rounded) - shadow with rounded corners
Shadow (Straight) - shadow with beveled corners

Size: How far to offset the shadow outline from the shape.

Miter: If you are using the standard Shadow type, this controls when a corner is changed from pointed to beveled.

Inset Shadow: If checked, the shadow will offset into the shape.

Blackout Shadow: Removes inner outlines.

Print+Cut Outlines: This will set the generated shadow layer to have cut line type of "Print+Cut Cut" and will set the
original shape to "Print+Cut Print". This way the original shape will be used for printing only and the new shadow
layer is only cut.
Tools Panel

The Tools panel, by default, appears at the left side of the screen. You use the tools in the Tools panel to create, select
and manipulate objects on the on screen mat.

Some tools have a small triangle at the lower-right corner of the tool icon, indicating there are additional hidden tools
beneath it. To see the hidden tools, click and hold down the mouse button over the tool icon and the hidden tools will
appear.

Tool Options
Some Tools will have options which will be displayed in the horizontal area above the Tools panel and Mat area.
Below shows options displayed when the Selection Tool is selected.

Select A Tool
You can select a tool by doing one of the following:

Click a tool in the Tools panel.

If there is a small black triangle at the tool's lower right corner , you can hold down the mouse button to view
the hidden tools, and then click the tool you want to select. Below is an example of the Type tool options that
are available under the Type tool.

Tools
Below is a overview of the available tools.

Selection Tool
The selection tool is used to select objects on the mat. Once selected, you can move, scale, rotate the selected
objects. If you click and drag to make a selection box, the selection box must completely enclose the objects
you want to select unless you hold down the Shift key. The Tool Options will allow you to choose between 2
different styles of selection handles to move/scale/rotate objects.

Selection Lasso Tool

The selection lasso tool is used to make an arbitrary selection area on the mat. Once selected, you can move,
scale, rotate the selected objects. The selection area must completely enclose the objects you want to select
unless you hold down the Shift key.

Edit Tool
The edit tool allows you to modify shapes on the mat by moving and deleting nodes/points in outlines.

Type Tool
The type tool is for adding/editing characters on the mat.

Vertical Type Tool

The vertical type tool adds characters vertically (from top to bottom).

Type on Path Tool

The type on path tool is for adding characters to flow along a given path/outline.

Type on Arch Tool

The type on arch tool is for adding characters to flow along an arch

Draw Tool
The drawing tool allows you to draw lines and curves on the mat to create your own shapes.

Freehand Draw Tool

Draw freely using a single line thickness. The Tool Options will allow you to choose how much to smooth the
line.

Brush Tool
Draw using a specified brush thickness. The Tool Options will allow you to choose the size of the brush.

Eraser Tool
Erase parts of shapes. The Tool Options will allow you to choose the shape and size of the eraser.

Draw Shape Tool

Create rectangles, rounded rectangles, circles, triangles, stars, and polygons.

Color Picker Tool

Copy fill and stroke between objects. With an object already selected that you want to change the fill and
stroke on, use the color picker tool to click on another object that you want to copy the fill and stroke from. The
Tool Options will allow you to choose to copy the Fill, Stroke, or both Fill & Stroke.

Gradient Tool
If an object is filled with a gradient, you can click and drag to change the start and end positions of the gradient
fill.
Knife Tool
Click and drag to create a cut line where an object will be separated into separate segments.

Crop Tool
Click and drag to create a crop box area. Anything outside the crop box will be removed.

Distort Tool
Select an object and move any of the 4 corners of the distort box to distort the object.

Stencil Tool
Click and drag to create a stencil bridge

Zoom In Tool
The zoom in tool increases the view magnification of the mat. You can click on the mat to zoom in, or click
and drag to create an area to zoom in. The Tool Options will display additional options to zoom out, zoom to
selection, zoom to fit.

Ruler Tool
Click and drag to measure distance and angle as displayed in the Tool Options area.

Hand Tool
The hand tool allows you to move the mat within the workspace window.
Library

The Library window allows you to choose additional pre-made shapes, fonts, or projects to add to the on-screen virtual
mat.

Shapes
The shapes tab is where you can choose pre-made shapes to add to the mat and is organized into the following folders.

Favorites - from the thumbnail view, you can right click on a shape and choose to add it to the Favorites folder.
Library - shapes that come pre-installed
My Designs - here is where you can organize your own files.

To add a shape from the Library to the on screen virtual mat, you can do one of the following:

Click on the desired shape. This will automatically add the shape to the center of the visible on-screen mat area.
Click and hold down the mouse button, to drag the shape to the desired location on the mat and then release the
mouse button to place the shape.

Fonts
The fonts tab is where you can see the available fonts and characters for each font.

Projects
The projects tab is where you can see projects you have saved or downloaded.
The projects are organized into the following folders:

Favorites - from the thumbnail view, you can right click on a project and choose to add it to the Favorites
folder.
My Projects - projects you have saved by choosing Save Project from the File menu.
Properties Panel

The Properties Panel allows you to change the settings for the virtual mat and any objects placed on the mat.

Show/Hide Property Settings

The different Properties settings can be shown by clicking on the icon tabs on the right side. If you want to display
multiple tabs you can double click on a tab icon.

After double clicking the icon, that tab should be visible with a new splitter bar added above.
If you want to collapse the tab, double click on the splitter bar above the icon of the tab you want to collapse.

Property Tabs
Different settings will appear depending on what tool is currently selected from the Tools panel and what is currently
selected on the virtual mat.
 Document - Change the view settings for the mat (mat size, measurement units, zoom level, etc.)

Position & Size - Change the position and size of the objects on the mat

Fill & Stroke - Change how the objects are filled (color, pattern, gradient)

Style - Change object styles (shadow, weld, cut line type)

Text - Change settings for text added to the mat (font, size, spacing)

Layers - Organize the display order of objects

Hints - Shows quick help/tips. For full help documentation, please see the Help file accessible from the
Help menu.
Document Settings

The Document settings allows you to change settings for the on screen virtual mat.

Mat Size: Choose the size of your mat. This will correspond to the physical size of the cutting mat or material you will
be using in the cutting machine.

Orientation: Choose whether the mat should be displayed Vertical (Portrait) or Horizontal (Landscape).

Units: Choose the unit of measurement (Inch, cm, mm) to use for manipulating objects on the mat.

Show Grid: Check if you want grid lines to be displayed

Grid Lines: The distance between each major grid line.

Subdivision: The number of divisions between each major grid line. These grid lines will appear slightly lighter in
color than the major grid lines.

Workspace Alpha: This will allow you to specify if you want the objects to appear semi transparent so you can see
what is underneath.

Show Outlines Only: If checked the objects will not be filled when displayed on the mat.
Position & Size Settings

The Position & Size settings allows you to change the position and size of objects on the mat.

X: The horizontal position of the object.

Y: The vertical position of the object.

Nudge: Slightly shift the object Left, Right, Up or Down on the mat.

H Align: Horizontally align the object to the Left, Center, Right side of the mat

V Align: Vertically align the object to the Top, Center, Bottom side of the mat.

To Page: If checked the alignment will be aligned to the mat area. If not checked, the alignment will be aligned to the
selected objects.

W: The width of the object.

H: The height of the object.

Keep Proportions: If checked, it will keep the current aspect ratio of the object when re sizing it.

Rotate: Rotate the object clockwise or counter-clockwise.

Fill & Stroke Settings

Fill : Choose to have no fill, color, pattern, or gradient.

Fill Opacity: Choose a transparency for the fill. A value of 100% will be completely opaque.

Stroke: Choose to have no stroke, color or pen color.

Stroke Opacity: Choose a transparency for the stroke. A value of 100% will be completely opaque.

Width: Thickness of the stroke.

Join: How corners will be drawn on the screen.

Miter - stroke with pointed corners. If the length of the pointed corner exceeds the Miter threshold, the corner
will be changed to a beveled corner.
Round - stroke with rounded corners.
Bevel - stroke with squared corners.

Miter: If the Join is set to Miter, this controls when the stroke will change a corner from a pointed corner to a beveled
corner.

End Cap: If the path is an open path, this determines how the ends of the stroke are displayed.

Butt - stroke with squared ends

Round - stroke with semicircular ends
Square - stroke with squared ends that extend half the line width beyond the end of the line

Line Style: Choose between a solid or dashed (perforated line). You can also click the Edit button to create your own
custom dashed line.
Style Settings

Style: Choose how you wish the objects to appear.

Normal: Original look

Shadow: Expands the outlines

Blackout: Removes interior outlines

Shadow Blackout: Combination of both the

Shadow and Blackout styles

Flip: Flip the objects horizontally or vertically.

Flip Horizontally: Flips the selected object

along the Y axis

Flip Vertically: Flips the selected object

along the X axis

Weld: Check to enable welding to combine overlapping edges. For more information, please see the Welding section.

Cut Line Style: Choose how the outline is to be treated when cutting.
Cut - normal cut line to be cut with the cutting blade.
Draw - line to be drawn with a pen instead of cut with the blade.
Print+Cut Cut - When doing a Print+Cut, this will be cut but not printed.
Print+Cut Print - When doing a Print+Cut, this will be printed but not cut.
Color Layer Alignment (PRO Version) - When doing a Cut by Color, this will be cut in all colors to be used a
a key to align the different color layers.
Text Settings

The Text settings allows you to change settings for adding or editing text on the mat..

Font : This drop down list shows the available fonts to choose from. It will show the name of the font and a sample of
the font on the right hand side. This software can only use vector based fonts (TrueType) and not raster/bitmap based
fonts. The program will load the fonts that are loaded in your system.

Bold: Change the font style to Bold if available for the specified font.

Italic: Change the font style to Italic if available for the specified font.

Reload: Reload the font list.

Alignment: Choose to justify text to the left, right, or center.

Size: Enter the font size (height).

Width: You can change the width of the individual characters. This is entered as a percentage relative to it's normal
width.

Tracking: You can change the tracking (spacing between the letters) of the individual characters. This is entered as a
percentage relative to it's normal spacing.

Leading: If you have text with multiple lines, the Leading will change the spacing between the lines of text.

V Offset : You can change the vertical offset of the individual characters to raise or lower the character from the base
line of the text.

Rotate: Rotate the individual characters.

Organizing Fonts
From the "View" drop down menu, you can choose how to view the list of available fonts.

All: shows all of the available fonts

Favorites: shows the list of fonts that you tagged as a favorite. You can add/remove a font from the favorites list
by clicking the Add/Remove Favorite button
Project: shows the list of fonts that are being used in your current design project

Adding Additional Fonts

This software loads the fonts that are installed in your system. Fonts can be downloaded from the internet and installed
in your system via the Fonts control panel.
Layers Panel

The Layers panel is used for organizing objects in your design layout. Each object is added as a new layer and you can
see a preview of the contents of each layer.

There are two types of Folders in the Layers window. The first is a normal folder which can be added via the Add
folder icon button on the bottom of the Layers window. This will add a folder where you can add layers to for
organizational purposes.

The second type of folder is a "Group folder" which are automatically added when you group objects together via the
Group option under the Object menu.

Visibility
Indicates whether objects in the layer are visible or hidden. The visible icon indicates that the layer is visible. If
objects are hidden, they will not be visible in the Preview and will not be cut when cutting with the machine.

Lock
Indicates whether objects in the layer are locked or unlocked. The lock icon indicates that the layer it locked and
cannot be edited.

Color
Color of the layer. This color will determine the display color for all objects added to the layer. To change the color,
you can choose "Layer Properties" from the "Layer" menu or double click on the layer to change in the Layers Panel.

Name
Name of the layer. You can name the layers to help identify each layer. To change the name, you can choose" Layer
Properties" from the "Layer" menu or double click on the layer to change in the Layers Panel.

Create A New Layer Folder

Layer folder can be used to help organize/group layers together. New layer folders will be added above the current
selected layer.
To add a new layer folder, do one of the following

Click the New Layer Folder Button in the Layers panel.

 Choose New Layer Folder from the Layers menu button in the Layers panel.
Choose Insert Layer Folder from the Layers menu from the main menu bar.

Delete A Layer
You can delete the current selected layer by doing one of the following:

Click the Delete Layer Button in the Layers panel.

Choose Delete Layer from the Layers menu button in the Layers panel.
Choose Delete Layer from the Layers menu from the main menu bar.

Moving Layers
The order of the layers in the Layers panel determines the hierarchy of the objects on the page. Layers at the top will
appear on top of layers beneath it. By creating multiple layers in your page, you can control how overlapping objects
are displayed.

You can rearrange the order of the layers by dragging them within the Layers panel. You can only move a single layer
at a time. To move a layer, click and hold the mouse button in the layer you wish to move. Then drag and release the
muse button at the new location. When dragging, you will see a horizontal line indicating where the layer will be
inserted.

Lock/Unlock Layers
Locking layers prevents you from selecting and editing them.

Hide/Show Layers
Hiding layers prevents them from being displayed on the mat. Hidden layers/objects will not appear in the Preview and
will not be cut when cutting the page with the cutting machine.
File Menu

New Project: start a new project with a new blank mat

Open Project: open an existing project that was previously saved (.scut files)

Save Project: save your current project in it's current state. The project will be saved a project file (.scut4) which can
later be re-opened by choosing Open Project. If you already working no an existing file you opened, it will save the
new settings to that same file, otherwise it will prompt you to create a new file.

Save Project As...: same as Save Project but allows you to specify a new filename to save it to

Import...: display a file choose dialog to allow you to choose supported file formats (svg, eps, pdf, png, ai, wpc, fcm)
for importing files to the mat.

Export...: export the contents of the current page to various file formats (svg, pdf, png, bmp, jpg, tiff)

Trace Image...: displays the Trace Image window for choosing images files to convert for cutting

Place Image...: adds an image to the mat (for printing).

Print Setup...: setup printer properties

Print: print the current page to a printer

Recent Projects: submenu will show the recent project files used.

Exit: quit the program

Edit Menu

Undo: undo the last modification made to objects on the mat

Redo: this can be used if you did an Undo and want to go back to the state before you did that Undo action.

Cut: this will remove the current selection from the mat and save it to the clipboard to allow you to Paste it onto the
mat

Copy: copies the current selection to the clipboard to allow you to Paste it

Paste: this is enabled if you did a Cut or Copy operation on a selection and will place the cut or copied objects onto
the mat. The pasted object will be slightly offset from the original cut or copied objects location.

Paste in Place: same as Paste but pasted the objects in the exact same spot on the mat from which it was cut or copied
from.

Paste (Auto Fill): this will fill the mat with whatever was cut or copied

Select All: selects all the objects on the mat, which will surround all the objects with a bounding box and the blue
handles to allow you to move, rotate and stretch the objects.

Deselect All: if something is selected on the mat, it will de-select it.

Preferences: opens the Preference window to set settings.

Object Menu

Transform

Move: displays a window to move an object. Choose to move the selection to an Absolute Position on the mat,
or Relative to the current position.

Rotate: displays a window to rotate an object

Scale: displays a window to scale an object either by Dimensions or a Percentage.

Arrange

Bring To Front: moves the current selection to the top/front in the layering order. Example -Blue square is
moved in front of the heart and circle.

Bring Forward: moves the current selection up in the layering order. Example - Blue square is moved in front
of the heart.

Send Backward: moves the current selection down in the layering order. Example - Green circle is moved
 behind the heart.

Send To Back: moves the current selection to the bottom/back of the layering order. Example - Green circle is
moved behind the heart and blue square.

Align

Align Left: aligns the left side of all selected objects.

Align Right: aligns the right side of all selected objects.

Align Top: aligns the top side of all selected objects.

Align Bottom: aligns the bottom side of all selected objects.

Align Centers: aligns to the center of all selected objects.

Align Horizontal Center: aligns to the horizontal center of all selected objects.

Align Vertical Center: aligns to the vertical center of all selected objects.

Group: combines the selected objects into a group object, so that when you select the group, and try to move, scale, or
rotate, it will modify everything in the group together. In the Layers window, a group will be shown as a folder with
the letter G on it.
Ungroup: this will take the objects in the selected group object, and remove them from the group so that you can
modify the individual objects individually.

Break Apart: if an object has multiple outlines in the shape, you can break it apart.
The following example is breaking apart the Ring shape from the Basic Shapes Library. First select the object on the
mat.

Then choose Break Apart from the Object menu and it will spilt the outer circle and the inner circle into separate
shapes and can also be seen as separate layers in the Layers window.

You could then modify each part of the original shape separately
Merge: merging is the opposite of Break Apart, where it will take separate outlines and combine them back into a
single shape. Select the outlines you with to merge together.

Choose Merge from the Object menu and it will take the outlines and make a new combined shape. You can see that
the two separate outlines/layers were combined into a new single shape and layer.

Duplicate: Make copies of the selected object by specifying the number of rows and columns.

Duplicate Rotated: Make copies of the selected object while rotating each copy.
Example 1 - with the Offset value set to 0, it will rotate the duplicate copies around the center.
Example 2- with the H Offset value set

Hide: makes the current selected objects not visible on the mat. When it is hidden it will not cut.
Show All: makes all objects on the mat visible.

Lock: makes the current selected objects locked so that it cannot be modified.
Unlock All: unlocks all objects on the mat so they can be modified again if desired.
Path Menu

Union : combine multiple objects into a single object.

Intersection : retain the areas that are overlapping between two shapes

Exclude: retain the areas that are not overlapping between two shapes

Front Minus Back: removes areas where the object on top is overlapping the object underneath it

Back Minus front: removes the areas where the object underneath is overlapping the object on top

Simplify: displays the Simplify window to help reduce the number of nodes/points in a shape while trying to maintain
the original shape without distortion.

Split Path: Select 2 nodes on an outline to split the outline into 2 separate paths.

Reverse Path : reverses the node/point order so that the first/starting point becomes the end point and the end point
becomes the starting point.

Object to Path: Takes the current selected object and commits any effects (including Rhinestone, Lattice, Shadow).
Can also be used to take text and convert it to paths where it will no longer be edited as text, but can then be edited
using the node tools.

Close Path: If the outline is an open path (Start and End points do not meet), it will automatically close it.
Layer Menu

Add Layer Folder: adds a new Layer Folder to the Layers window.
Duplicate Current Layer: adds a copy of the current layer.
Delete Current Layer: delete the current layer and the objects in that layer.

Arrange:

Raise Layer: moves the layer up, so that the objects in the current layer will be on top of whatever objects are in
the layer above it in the Layers window
Lower Layer: moves the layer down, so that the objects in the current layer will be underneath whatever objects
are in the layer below it in the Layers window.
Layer to Top: moves the layer to the top so that it is above all other layers
Layer to Bottom: moves the layer to the bottom so that it underneath all other layers.

Show/Hide:

Show All Layers: makes all layers visible

Hide All Layers: makes all layers not visible
Toggle All Layers: if a layer is visible, it will make it hidden and vice versa

Lock/Unlock:

Lock All Layers: makes all layers locked to prevent them from being edited
Unlock All Layers: makes all layers unlocked so you can edit them.
Toggle All Layers: if a layers is locked, it will make it unlocked and vice versa

Send Layer to Page...: allows you to move the layer to a different page in your project

Layer Properties... : allows you to change the various properties of the chosen layer
Page Menu

Add Page: adds a new page to the current project

Delete Page: removes the current page from the current project

Page Properties : allows you to change the name and color for the current page

For further information on using pages, see the Pages Section.

Effects Menu

3D Rotate: rotate the shape along the X, Y and Z axis.

3D Extrude (PRO VERSION): 3D extrusion to the specified position and depth.

Bulge: offset any of the four sides of the shape

Canned: effect to make the object appear it is wrapping around a cylinder.

Lattice: give your shape a lattice appearance.

Puzzle Generator: create a jigsaw puzzle

Rhinestones: specify stone size and spacing to make a rhinestone template

Shadow Layer (Contour Cut): create a shape layer with a specified offset.

Tiling (PRO VERSION): if the design is too wide for your cutting machine, you can split up the design into smaller
tiles so you can cut each tile separately and then reassemble them back together.
Title Crawl: make the object appear as if it is vanishing off into the distance.

Wave: wave distortion with specified number of cycles and amplitude.

Weeding (PRO VERSION): add a weeding border and any number of horizontal and vertical lines.

Wrapper: transform shapes so that it can be wrapped around a conical object (cone, cup, tumbler, cupcake wrapper,
etc.)
View Menu

Show Outlines Only: when enabled, it will only display the outlines of the shapes on the mat. If disabled, it will fill in
any closed shapes for viewing purposes only.

Zoom In: increase the zoom level of the on screen mat

Zoom Out: decrease the zoom level of the on screen mat

Zoom Selection: Zoom to whatever objects are currently selected

Fit to Window: changes zoom level so that the entire mat is visible on the screen

Actual Size: changes the zoom level to 100%

Snap To:

Grid: if enabled, when moving objects, it will automatically keep the objects aligned to the closes grid line
Objects (Bounds): snap the selected object to the closest outside edge of another object.
Objects (Center): snap the selected object to the closest center of another object.
Objects (Sub Layers): allow to snap to child layers within a group. If not checked, it will ignore the edges of
objects within a group and only snap to the outside edges of a group.

Show Grid: add horizontal and vertical grid lines to the workspace. The spacing of the grid lines can be customized in
the Document tab of the Properties window.

Show Mat Cake Circle: adds circles to the the mat grid.

Ruler Units: choose between inches, cm, and mm for the ruler units on the mat.
Text Menu

Font: choose a font to use. The font can also be changed from the Library window in the Fonts tab, or the Properties
window in the Text tab.

Size: choose a font size to use.

Convert Text to Outlines : converts the selected text to outlines so that is treated as shapes/paths and can no longer be
edited as text using the Type tool or Text options in the Properties window.

Load Font File: temporarily load a font file (.ttf, .otf) to be used until you quit the program.
Cutter Menu

Mat Size: choose the mat size you plan to use with your cutting machine. You can choose from one of the predefined
sizes or choose Custom Size to enter your own size.

Mat Orientation: choose between Vertical (Portrait) or Horizontal (Landscape).

Preview: this will display the lines of the current page that will be cut, drawn, or printed if you chose to cut or print
the design. This can be useful if you are using the "weld" option so you can see what the welded objects will look like
before they are actually cut.

Cut with...: choose when you are ready to cut your design with your specified machine to bring up the Cut Window.

My Cutter : From here you can choose your default cutting machine to be used or choose Manage Cutters to add a
new cutting machine model to the list.
Window Menu

My Library: show the My Library window where you can choose Shapes, Fonts, and Projects

Project Notes: add your own notes which will be embedded into the project when saved.

Workspace: you can customize size and positioning of the windows and save it to a Workspace preset.

Basic: automatically arranges the windows to the basic configuration where the Properties bar is not split.
Advanced: automatically arranges the windows to the advanced configuration where the Properties bar is split at
the Layers tab.
Save Workspace...: You can save the current layout of your windows to your own custom workspace which
will be added to the Workspace menu.
Manage Workspaces: allows you to rename and delete any custom workspaces you saved.
Help Menu

Online FAQ: http://www.easycutstudio.com/faq.html

Install Driver: option to install or uninstall the USB driver needed for various cutting machines. For further
information on installing the driver, see the Installing the Driver section.

Check for Updates: check to see if a newer version of the software is available which will have new features and/or
bug fixes.

Deactivate: If you purchased a license and used your serial to activate the software on your computer, you can choose
this option to deactivate the installation to allow you to install the software on a different computer you are using. This
process requires an Internet connection.

If you ever have issues re-installing the software, contact us at support@easycutstudio.com and we will help you get
up and running again or on the web at http://www.easycutstudio.com/support.html
Contact Us

E-mail:
support@easycutstudio.com

Web:
http://www.easycutstudio.com/support.html

FAQ:
http://www.easycutstudio/faq.html