Note: For more information on how to start screen printing, see Reading Guide for xTool Screen Printer.

STEP 1 Mount the screen and place it in the working area

1. Get the screen frame and flip it to the bottom face. Release all the wrenches.
2. Get the coated screen with the side of the corrugated board facing down. Fit it into the frame and make sure the four corners are all in place and the screen is centered in the frame.

Get the four tensioning strips. Fit one into a side groove and tighten the related wrenches. Move on to the rest of the strips until all four sides of the screen are stretched.

Note: Pull the screen to tension it while fitting the rest of the three strips into the groove.

Careful: Do NOT put all four strips into the groove and then tighten the wrenches all at once.

3. Now flip the screen frame back to its printing face. Tear off the corrugated board. If the tensioning strips come off, repeat the previous step.

1. Hold the screen frame with its bottom side facing up.
2. Insert it into the frame connector on the base of the printer as shown below:

STEP 2 Open or create a project

Open a project

Note: The project file can contain information such as processing patterns, processing modes, and processing parameters. However, if the machine model, processing mode, or material thickness used in the project varies from the current situation, you need to reset the corresponding parameters.

Create a new project

STEP 3 Select the processing mode and material name

Note: - If you can't find your material in the list, you can click More xTool materials to search among more materials in the Material EasySet Library. If you still can't find the name of your material, you can select User-defined material.

Note: After you select a material from the material list or Material EasySet Library, the software will automatically set parameters for laser processing. The default settings apply to xTool materials. You can adjust the settings based on your needs.

STEP 4 Choose the frame size of the screen on the canvas

STEP 5 Set the origin calibration

1. Before processing, perform origin calibration by clicking the Origin calibration to ensure accurate mapping of the processable area in the software.
2. Click the Back to origin to send the laser module back to the origin position. It will move close to the upper right corner of the screen frame.
3. Click the Next.

4. Move the laser spot to the upper left corner of the screen frame.
5. Click Done.

Note: It's recommended to place a small square sticker in the upper left corner of the screen frame for positioning. Place the bottom left corner of the small square sticker against the upper right corner of the printable area.

STEP 6 Design objects for processing

Note: XCS supports importing the following image formats: SVG, DXF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, BMP, etc.

Note: You may need to rotate the pattern depending on how you will place the material to be printed. For example, a T-shirt is usually slid onto the working platform for printing, so you need to rotate the pattern by 90 degrees. The rotating direction depends on how you place the screen assembly in the working area of xTool S1.

Note: XCS provides recommended processing parameters for coated screens, you only need to select Coated Screen as the material, and XCS will automatically set processing parameters for the screen.

STEP 7 Set parameters for processing

Note: You need to set parameters for every object. A missed object may fail to be processed. The parameters that can be set for bitmap objects and vector objects are different. You can select multiple objects of the same type and set parameters for them at once.

STEP 8 Set the processing path

In the bottom-right corner of XCS, click the icon next to Process.

• All together: Engraves multiple objects at the same time in the set sequence and direction. The laser module travels a longer distance since it needs to travel across the empty space between each object over and over again. Therefore, the processing time is usually longer.

• One by one: Engraves objects one by one in the set sequence and direction. The laser module travels a shorter distance since it can finish engraving one object before moving to the next. Therefore, the processing time is usually shorter.

• By layer: If this feature is turned on, xTool D1 Pro will engrave the objects layer by layer.
• Divided into subtasks: If this feature is turned on, XCS will pause processing each time when xTool D1 Pro finishes engraving a layer and remind you to replace the screen for the processing of next layer.

Note: If you need to engrave multiple screens for multi-colour printing, it is recommended to turn on By layer and Divided into subtasks.

• From top to bottom: Engrave a pattern from the top to the bottom.

• From bottom to top: Engraves a pattern from the bottom to the top.

STEP 9 Preview the processing area

STEP 10 Start processing

(2) Set Move laser module: Moves the laser module forward, backward, to the left, or to the right.

  Speed: sets the speed at which the laser module moves; setting range: 1–150 (mm/s)

  Distance: sets the distance the laser module moves at each time; setting range: 1-300 (mm)

On the bottom-left corner, click the button, and XCS will show you the processing path.