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9.4 Basic speed control
The Timing tab of AxiDraw control lets you set the basic movement speeds for the Axi-
Draw. The two numbers at the top under the “Movement speeds” heading set the speeds
used for the horizontal (XY) carriage motion.
The first item in the list, Writing/Drawing speed, sets the maximum speed that will be used
when the pen is down. The second, Pen-up movement speed, sets the maximum speed
that will be used when the pen is up, traveling between two points.
The default value for these two speeds are 25% and 75%, respectively. You can adjust
these speeds. However, please keep in mind that the quality of printing that you can
achieve is a trade-off between speed and neatness.
Working at high speeds:
When using wide-tipped permanent markers or other writing implements that make
broad marks, one might go as high as:
Writing/Drawing speed: 50%
Pen-up movement speed: 90%
Everyday use:
Most of our sample drawings and tests are made with a medium speed that is a com-
promise between speed and precision. This is a good balance for fine-point permanent
markers and wide-nibbed fountain pens:
Writing/Drawing speed: 20%
Pen-up movement speed: 75%
Working with precision:
When working with fine point pens and tuning for higher precision (with writing or draw-
ing) a good starting point might be:
Writing/Drawing speed: 10%
Pen-up movement speed: 50%
There are additional factors besides speed that influence that influence precision. These
factors include the pen lift and lowering speeds, the weight of your pen, where on the page
you are plotting. You will generally get neater results when the pen is closer to the base, as
opposed to when the Y axis is further extended. Thus, if you are addressing an envelope
or writing a note on smaller paper, err on the side of mounting the paper closer to home.
