What an alignment template does
A jig fixes where the blanks sit. An alignment template fixes where the artwork goes. It is a drawing of the jig at exactly real size: every pocket outline, a crosshair at each pocket center, a bleed line outside each blank edge, a safe-area line inside it, and an origin mark that matches the physical jig. Drop the template into your UV printer or laser software, snap your artwork to the crosshairs, hide the template layer, and print.
The jig generator exports the template as SVG (millimeter units) or PNG at real size, together with a CSV of pocket centers listing x, y, rotation and pocket number. The rest of this guide is the procedure for using them.
Step 1: Generate the jig and template together
Generate the jig and the template from the same settings. If you change the clearance, spacing or plate margin later, every pocket center moves, and an old template will be wrong by a fraction of a millimeter per pocket, accumulating across the plate. Keep the jig file, template and CSV in one folder per blank type, named with the blank size and date.
If you have not chosen clearance yet, read jig clearance and tolerance first and cut the test-fit coupon.
Step 2: Fix one origin (zero point)
Every alignment error starts with two different ideas of where zero is. Pick one physical corner, usually the plate’s top-left, and make three things agree:
- the origin mark engraved on the jig,
- the origin of the template file,
- the machine’s zero point or the corner stop the jig butts against.
On the eufyMake E1, Zero-Point Alignment works this way: you line the material up with the zero point or the bed’s scale marks, set the design to the material’s actual size, and align it to the matching coordinates. eufyMake positions this mode for edge-to-edge prints on square or rectangular items, and the July 2026 Studio update raised its height limit from 100 mm to 130 mm. The same July release lists “jig batch positioning” for aligning multiple items to fixture holes at once (shown as an image caption in the release notes). Details are in the eufyMake E1 jig guide.
On a laser, the simplest registration is to cut the jig in place: do not move the sheet after cutting the pockets, and the pockets are already in machine coordinates.
Step 3: Register the jig on the bed
A jig is only repeatable if it goes back to the same place. Use a fixed corner stop, a printed L-bracket taped to the bed, or magnets. eufyMake warns that a magnet sitting at an angle can lift one side of the jig, and the height sensor may read that raised edge as the highest point, skewing the print. Check that magnets sit flat and square.
Camera-based placement has a known weak spot. eufyMake says alignment “can drift as you move toward the edges because of natural lens distortion,” that the E1 camera is most accurate at the bed center, and that a jig is the best way to stay accurate near the edges. A jig registered to a mechanical stop does not depend on the camera’s view of each blank.
Step 4: Import the template at real size
This is where most templates go wrong. Two rules:
SVG: use millimeters. CSS defines absolute units as 1 in = 2.54 cm = 96 px. An SVG whose width and height are given in mm has an unambiguous size. One written in unitless pixels depends on the importing program’s pixels-per-inch assumption, so a template can come in scaled. The generator writes mm units.
PNG: the DPI must be in the file. PNG stores physical size only in the optional pHYs chunk, as pixels per unit with the unit set to meters. The PNG specification says that without pHYs, “the physical size of each pixel is unspecified,” and with the unit set to 0 only the aspect ratio is defined. At 300 DPI the pHYs value is 11,811 pixels per meter (300 divided by 0.0254). A full 330 x 420 mm template at 300 DPI is 3,898 x 4,961 pixels. eufyMake also recommends at least 300 DPI for image files and 400-600 DPI for stickers or tiny details.
After importing, measure something you know. The plate width or the distance between the first and last pocket center should match the generator’s numbers to within a tenth of a millimeter.
Step 5: Place artwork on the crosshairs, with bleed and a safe area
Each pocket center is marked with a crosshair. Center the artwork on it. Then deal with edges:
| Zone | Where it sits | What goes there | Starting value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bleed | Outside the blank edge | Background color or pattern only | 1-2 mm past the edge |
| Trim line | The blank edge | Nothing critical | 0 |
| Safe area | Inside the blank edge | Names, numbers, logos, QR codes | 2-3 mm inside the edge |
eufyMake explains why bleed exists: small alignment shifts “can leave thin unprinted edges,” so extend the design slightly beyond the object. It gives no millimeter figure, so treat 1-2 mm as a starting point and adjust from your test print. Size bleed with arithmetic, not guesswork: a blank can sit anywhere within its pocket clearance (0.3 mm per side if that is what you cut), and your machine adds its own registration error. Bleed must exceed both combined.
For white-underbase prints on dark or clear blanks, eufyMake’s White Underbase Choke setting shrinks the white layer so it does not peek out at the edge of the color. That is separate from bleed and worth setting at the same time.
Step 6: Run a test print
Never let the first real blank be the test. Two quick methods:
- Paper or tape over the jig. Lay paper on the loaded jig (or on empty pockets) and print just the template outlines or crosshairs. Measure the offset at the center pocket and at all four corner pockets.
- Outline-first on tape. eufyMake’s tip 32 describes putting painter’s tape on the bed glue side up, printing the offset outline of the design onto the tape, placing the blanks into the printed outlines, then printing the design centered on those outlines.
If the center pocket is right but the corners are off, the scale is wrong (go back to step 4). If every pocket is off by the same amount, the origin is wrong (step 2). For a jig sitting on a mat or a raised plate, eufyMake also notes that its Snapshot height reading can be off by 1-3 mm when using mats; confirm height with Assisted Snapshot before printing.
Step 7: Variable data from the CSV of pocket centers
Batch personalization means a different name in every pocket. The CSV of pocket centers gives each pocket a number and its x, y and rotation. Add a column with the customer text for each pocket number, and you have a merge file that ties order lines to physical positions.
- LightBurn has a Merge/CSV variable-text mode. Its documentation says the Offset value is added to the current row index, and Grid Array, Circular Array and Copy Along Path can increase the Offset for each copy automatically. LightBurn asks for UTF-8 CSV files so accented names display correctly.
- xTool Studio batch processing for different designs uses a downloadable XLSX template rather than a CSV; paste your columns into it. xTool notes that a row with any blank variable will not print.
The batch personalization workflow covers how to number pockets so they match order lines.
Common template problems and fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Whole layout scaled by a few percent | PNG missing pHYs, or SVG imported in px | Re-export PNG at 300 DPI with metadata, or use mm SVG |
| Every print shifted the same way | Origin mismatch | Re-zero to the jig’s origin mark |
| Corner pockets worse than center | Camera distortion or scale error | Register the jig mechanically; re-check scale |
| Thin white sliver on one edge | Bleed smaller than clearance plus drift | Increase bleed by 0.5 mm steps |
| Text clipped near the edge | Text outside safe area | Move text inward, keep 2-3 mm margin |
Ready to build one? Generate the jig and template in the generator, or start from a preset such as the eufyMake E1 4 in coaster jig or the xTool O1 Omni 2 in round keychain jig. For sizing common blanks, see the blank size reference.