What To Do When Roland Utility Won't Open (And You Want to Pull Your Hair Out)

If launching the Roland software suite has become a source of frustration between DG Connect, DG Connect Hub, the print utility and Versaworks - you are not alone.

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Half the time some of them are grayed out, the other half of the time the status probably says "Setup Incomplete" and you're likely left spending a lot of time asking WHY!?!

Part of the issue is if the applications aren't opened and launched in a specific order there are errors and miscommunications between them. Read on for how to avoid the errors and for the best Roland startup workflow.DG Connect and DG Connect Hub are one of the most common points of confusion for Roland users, and honestly, Roland hasn't made it easy to figure out.

They are two completely separate things, and you actually need both of them running at the same time.

Roland DG Connect — The Browser Version

Roland DG Connect is a web-based portal that you access through your browser at connect.rolanddg.com. You sign in with your Roland account credentials, and it needs to stay open and logged in in the background while you're working with your machine.

There's a bunch of useful stuff here if you want to take advantage of it - but you don't have to use it at all if you don't want to either. I have found, however that it does need to be logged into and running for everything else to work correctly.

Roland DG Connect Hub — The Desktop App

The similarly named "Roland DG Connect Hub" is a separate desktop application that is downloaded and installed on your computer. This is where the actual machine and material setup happens — you use it to select your material, complete your printer setup, and access the BN2 utility.

It uses the exact same login credentials as the browser version of DG Connect, which adds to the confusion because they look and feel similar. But they are not the same thing and cannot replace each other.

The Correct Order to Open Everything at Startup

This is where most people run into trouble. Roland's system requires both— DG Connect in the browser and DG Connect Hub to be open and running simultaneously. But there's more to open and launch and the startup order matters!

This order is what I have found works consistently to avoid errors and miscommunications between the systems.

Step 1: Make sure your Roland BN2 printer is powered on and connected to your computer. I lift up and down the pinch rollers so the fan starts and the machine comes out of sleep mode.

Step 2: In your browser, go to connect.rolanddg.com, sign in, and leave that tab open.

Step 3: Launch DG Connect Hub and sign in (using the same credentials as step 2)

Step 4: From the DG Connect Hub, launch Versaworks. (I am using a Mac so the Hub looks a little different than PC)

When Versaworks launches, it will have the printer's status as "Setup Incomplete". That is normal at this point.

Step 5: From the DG Connect Hub, open the Roland Utility. Since you have everything else running it should NOT be grayed out. If it is, unplug and re-plug in the printer to the computer.

Step 6: Click Setup in the Roland Utility to begin the material setup process.

I know this can be confusing and tricky and that's just the start up!

So if you're a Roland user and you've been losing time to troubleshooting or struggling with printing or cutting - whether that's related to the software or hardware - Silhouette U offers same day, personalized support and a library of exclusive member-only videos.

You watch a free Roland video tutorial in full before you join and browse and preview our entire library.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing products through my links, I receive a small commission. That's what helps fund Silhouette School so I can keep buying new Silhouette-related products to show you how to get the most out of your machine!

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