Working With Your Pen Tool

People often call in worried that there is something wrong with their machine because they are having trouble with the pen tool. A good rule of thumb is if you are getting quality cuts with your Inspiration, then there is nothing wrong with your machine. If you are having trouble with the Pen Tool in your machine it is more likely to do with how your pen is positioned in the Pen Tool, what pressure you are using, or it could be that the thumbscrew on your Pen Tool is not holding the pen securely enough.

Getting started with the pen tool can be a tricky task since it is so different than using the blade holder. With the blade holder the adjustments are as easy as a click of the dial. With the pen tool there is a bit more adjustment for how far down to have your pen in the tool.  When your pen and pen tool is in your Inspiration, the pen should rest about 1/8” above your paper. Since every pen manufacturer makes their pens a little different, you will need to learn how visually adjust your pen so it sits properly in the Pen Tool. You will also want to use a lighter pressure, I tend to use a pressure of about 14, but for every individual and even Inspiration this setting can change. You can watch a Pen Tool tutorial in our videos section under Tools & Accessories for some great help on using this tool.

You will also want to make sure that the Pen Tool thumbscrew is tight enough to hold your pen in place.  Tighten the thumbscrew just enough that your pen does not slide around inside of the Pen Tool. Occasionally this nylon thumbscrew can become stripped and will no longer hold your pen in place, especially if you accidentally over tighten it.  Pazzles offers a replacement metal thumbscrew for you if you’ve found that your nylon thumbscrew is stripped and doesn’t properly holder the pen in place.