Instructions for downloading and installing WinLINE BREN OEM Edition are on the Download page.
For BREN 6 Series cutters manufactured after January 2010, use a standard USB cable. Please follow the installation instructions carefully. Don't connect the cable to the cutter until the WinLINE installation program prompts you.
For all other BREN models, including 5 Series cutters, use a USB to Parallel cable (also known as an IEEE 1284 cable). Install the USB to Parallel cable before you install the WinLINE software by plugging the cable into a USB port on the computer. Next, run the installation program. Don't plug the other end of the cable into the cutter until you are prompted by the installation program.
If your computer has a standard parallel port (LPT), you can use a standard centronics parallel printer cable with WinLINE to print to BREN 6 series and 5 series cutters. Connect WinLINE to the LPT port to which you will connect the cable (usually LPT1, LPT2, LPT3 or LPT4).
Yes, you can connect the driver to any valid Windows port later, including LPT, and network ports. To configure the driver to print to a particular port, in your Windows Printers Folder, right-click on the icon for your BREN cutter, select Properties and then click on the Ports tab. Select a port that is available for your BREN cutter.
Yes. If the cutter is connected to another computer on the network, install WinLINE on the host computer and then share it:
Windows 7: Click Start > Devices and Printers > right-click on the icon for your BREN cutter and select Printer Properties > Sharing. Check "Share this printer" and enter a Share name. Click OK.
Windows XP: Click Start > Settings > Printers > right-click on the icon for your BREN cutter and select Sharing. If you don't see an option for Sharing, you must first enable Sharing. Select "Share this printer" and enter a Share name. Click OK.
Once the cutter is shared, it will have a network name in this format: //HOSTNAME/SHARENAME where HOSTNAME is the name of the computer that hosts the cutter.
Next, restart your computer and install WinLINE for your cutter. In the WinLINE installation program, or afterwards, select the network name for the cutter from the list of Ports.
Alternatively, if the cutter is connected directly to the network (for example with a JetDirect print sharer) and has its own TCP/IP address, connect the WinLINE driver to the port that corresponds to the TCP/IP address. If the TCP/IP port is not listed in the list of ports at installation time, connect the driver to the port called FILE: and change it after installation: In your Windows Printers Folder, right-click on the icon for the cutter and select Printer Properties. On the Ports tab see if you can select the TCP/IP port for the plotter from the list of ports. If the port is not listed, click Add Port > Standard TCP/IP Port > New Port and configure the network port for the cutter. Uncheck "SNMP Status Enabled". Uncheck "Enable bidirectional support". On the Advanced tab, select "Start printing after last page is spooled" and then click "OK".
Note: Windows x64 non-administrator users must be added to the Print Operators group to gain permission to print to a TCP/IP printer.
Enter the serial number on the label affixed to your BREN cutting machine.
During license activation, your BREN cutter's serial number is authenticated with the WinLINE License Server. If the serial number endorses a valid entitlement to use the software, the software is activated for use with the cutter.
You can enter a valid serial number later to activate the software after installation. To enter a serial number after the software has been installed, click Start > Settings > Printers and right-click on the icon for your cutter. Select Printing Preferences and then on the About/Help tab click the button to enter your machine's serial number and activate the software.
There are 3 scenarios that will result in an error activating the serial number:
Contact BREN to determine your entitlement to use the software.
Use the manual activation procedure. Click Start > Settings > Printers and right-click on the icon for your cutter. Select Printing Preferences and then on the About/Help tab click the button to enter your machine's serial number. Type your serial number and then hold the shift key down while you click OK. Follow the prompts to activate the software using a web browser on a computer that is connected to the internet (it may be the same computer if your web browser works).
WinLINE Software is installed OK but the activation status does not persist on your computer even after a manual activation attempt.
After you have installed the WinLINE driver, access the driver's Setup dialog from your Windows Printers Folder. Click Start > Devices and Printers. Right-click on the icon for your BREN cutter and select Printing Preferences to access the WinLINE Setup dialog. When you save a configuration by clicking OK the configuration becomes the default setting for the driver. You may also change the WinLINE configuration directly from some programs by clicking Printer Setup. When you change WinLINE settings that way, the changes apply only to the current print job and do not alter the default settings.
Configure WinLINE's media size to be no larger than the physical media you have loaded into the cutter by default. When you send information from an application program such as Corel Draw or Microsoft Word to the cutter, configure WinLINE's media size to be the same as the Page Size you have set in the application program.
Click File > Print from standard Windows drawing programs such as AutoCAD, Corel Draw and Illustrator, and from Office programs including Word and Excel. Configure the line width in your drawing program to be as thin as possible (.001 inches or mm).
Bren Cutters manufacturer from January 2010 onwards support Plug and Play through USB connections, providing the USB port on the cutter is configured correctly.
The USB port on the cutters are configurable. Configure the USB port on the cutter for Common mode:
Press the MISC key on the cutter's front panel to find the option (USB printer type) and switch that option to Common. Once that change is made on the cutter, it will auto install and show up in device manager as (Printing Support) when the cutter is attached to the computer via a USB cable.
So, in summary, the procedure to install WinLINE with a USB cable is:
With a USB to parallel cable, the USB port does not have a fixed name. Rather, Windows will allocate a different name to it depending on what you plug into it.
Usually, the name will be something like this:
USB001
USB002
USB003
etc.
You have to plug the USB to parallel cable in to the computer's USB port before Windows will give the cable/port a name. Do so before you install the WinLINE software. Plug it in without any printer connected to the other end. Windows should see the cable, then afterwards when you install WinLINE you should see a USB port available for selection in the list of ports.
If you don't see a USB port in the list from the WinLINE install program after you've previously attached the cable to the computer, proceed with the installation anyway and just connect the driver to the port called FILE:.
Afterwards, to see the list of ports, in your Windows Printers Folder, right-click on the icon for the driver you installed and select Properties. Next, select the Ports tab.
Scroll down through the list of ports.
What USB ports are listed? If you see several USB00x ports listed, you'll need to try each one until you find the right one. Start with the highest number. Select the port by clicking the box next to it and then click the Apply button. To test the printer, make it ready to print and click the General tab and then click the Print Test Page button. If nothing happens, try another port until you see something happen with the cutter.
Do any of the ports result in the cutter doing anything?
Note: Make sure you don't have a blade in the holder when you print test pages, so you don't waste any media.
If you are using a parallel cable, the driver must be connected to a parallel port on the computer. Parallel ports are called LPT1, LPT2, LPT3 or LPT4. Connect the driver to the appropriate LPT port.
After installation, to see and change the port, in your Windows Printers Folder, right-click on the icon for the driver you installed and select Properties. Next, select the Ports tab.
Scroll down through the list of ports. Look for parallel ports (LPTx).
If you see several LPT ports listed, try each one in turn until you find the right one. Start with the lowest number (LPT1). Select the port by clicking the box next to it and then click the Apply button. To test the printer, make it ready to print and click the General tab and then click the Print Test Page button. If nothing happens, try another port (LPT2 and so on) until you see something happen with the cutter.
Do any of the ports result in the cutter doing anything?
Note: Make sure you don't have a blade in the holder when you print test pages, so you don't waste any media.
Bitmap images will not be processed by the cutter. Only vector geometry and text will be processed. Make sure each vector or text object has a very thin, non-white outline (.001 or less) and no fill.
Access the WinLINE help that is included with the software. Click Start > Settings > Printers > right-click on the icon for your BREN cutter and select Printing Preferences. Click the Help button on the About/Help tab.
Ask a question at the Technical Support page.