[ Home | All Archives ]
previous | most current | next

      Saturday, December 24, 2016


geekstuff
10:49 AM - 12/24/2016

The topic: A little bit of crafting geekery

----------------------------------------------

Way earlier this year, I was able to score the Silhouette Mint and the Silhouette Curio for a great price.

The Mint is a stampmaker. I wasn't really thrilled with it, but I used it when I was making the holiday cards and it's better than I thought. Quick and easy.  There are limitations, the ink is proprietary (which means it doesn't use other - cheaper - ink). It's a self-inking stamp, so there are no stamp pads involved. Although I've done a little Googling and found out that it can be done with other inks. The only thing I don't like is that the consumables are so spendy.

The Curio is an embosser. It is an etcher. It is a cutter. It cuts deeper than the Cameo. But the size of what you're working with is limited to 6" x 8.5". The Cameo does 12" x 12" (unless you're using something like a roll of vinyl, then the length is a lot longer, ten feet!). You can buy a larger base which is 8.5" x 12" (same as the Silhouette Portrait).

I was checking out some of the things it can do yesterday and some of them caught my interest. The debossing looks kind of neat. I think I'd like to try the Print & Cut option (the Curio uses the same software as the Cameo), then deboss. I can think of all sorts of projects for this.

So, to Print & Cut I need access to a printer. Now for the geekery.

This laptop is connected to the B&W laser printer. Not to the color inkjet printer. At one time it was, when I was using the old router, but the connection kept dropping and the pages I printed would only partially print and I'd have to start over. When you're using specialty paper (card stock, photo paper, etc.) the loss cost starts adding up. And let's not even talk about the frustration level. Which was set at high. banghead

My answer was to uninstall the printer. Every last bit of it. And just go use the PC when I wanted to print something in color.

Well, I figured maybe since we'd gotten the new router, things might go a little more smoothly. Instead of setting it up as a network printer, like the laser printer (which can run from any computer without having to share), I decided to set this up as a shared printer. Which means the host computer will need to be turned on. Not a problem, since I can't see doing massive amounts of color printing from the laptop.

I turned on the printer (the computer was already on) and downloaded the software to the laptop. I start it up. The laptop cannot see the printer. Why not? Why can't it see it? I check the network looking for it. Trying to access the PC, I get a message box that it wants my credentials. My login and password. Say what?

141031029

Back to Google to find out what this latest bump means. I go back ot the office and check out the printer properties. Clicking on the sharing. Ah, I have to change something. I click again and I change the permission that no login or password is needed to access this printer. Save it. Walk back to the family room. And the laptop still doesn't see the printer. It sees it on the PC, but it can't access the printer. Back to the office I go.

I click devices and printers, check out that printer. Try to print a test page. The printer utility box pops up, the one that lets me know the available ink and the progress of the current print job.

The computer cannot see the printer. ARRGHHH!! I get the message to check connections. I start checking.

Now, the printer isn't right next to the computer and there is a live USB extension cable that connects to the cable from the printer. I check it out.

There was swearing. There was yelling, there was more swearing, there were threats. Some cat peed where the two cables connected. The cables were ruined (and I'm glad there was no fire). This was a recent turn of events. I disconnected both cables and pulled the tangle of extras from a drawer and found another extender cable and another cable for the printer. The connected area was thoroughly wrapped in electrician's tape and put in this container that's for outdoors and keeps the connections dry. Tested the printer and test pages printed out from both the PC and the laptop.

So, now, I'm good to go!

 


Commenting is not available in this channel entry.
All Archives


lisaviolet is seventy something, married with no kids, takes care of lots of cats, likes taking photographs, loves Southern California weather and spends altogether too much time avoiding her responsibilities.

In her spare time, she makes pretty things to sell in her store.

March 2024
S M T W T F S
          1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31            



SVG Cutting Files at SVGCuts.com


website design by





©lisaviolet 1996-2024
Photographic images are the property of the photographer,and may not be copied, printed, or otherwise reproduced on any other site or used in any other publishing medium without the written permission of each individual photographer and kennel/cattery owner. Cathouse privacy policy.