Zenom vs EzCad 2
Zenom is positioned as a modern replacement for EzCad 2 on the same machines: the same JCZ controller board, a familiar parameter model — and a current-day platform around them. This comparison is dated and factual: every claim is verifiable in the product, and the last section honestly lists Zenom’s current limits.
Data as of 2026-07, against EzCad 2.14.10.
Platform
| Zenom | EzCad 2.14.10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | 64-bit Windows application (.NET 8) — large layouts and rasters are not capped by 32-bit memory | 32-bit application |
| Controller link | Direct USB to the JCZ board, no vendor DLLs | Via MarkEzd.dll |
| USB driver | WinUSB, installs from inside the app; one click restores the EzCad driver | Own vendor driver (the two are mutually exclusive) |
What Zenom adds
Working without the machine:
- Marking simulation on the canvas through the real marking pipeline — line order, jumps, passes, playback speed and a time breakdown after the run.
- Live marking-time estimate that updates as you change parameters.
- Built-in controller emulator — the entire program works with no hardware connected.
- Animated laser-path preview right in the hatch dialog.
In the editor:
- GPU-accelerated canvas.
- Dark theme, command palette (Ctrl+K), smart guides and object snap.
- Undo history panel with thumbnails and preview (100 steps per document).
- Scoped editing inside groups, live symmetry with welding at the axis, editable arrays whose parameters can be changed after creation.
- Image tracing with adaptive binarization, noise filter and area selection.
Around the job:
- USB driver setup from inside the app — no Zadig.
- Built-in auto-update.
- Autosave with crash recovery.
Compatibility with your EzCad setup
| What carries over | |
|---|---|
| Board and protocol | The same JCZ (BJJCZ) LMCV4-FIBER-M board — no hardware changes |
| Lens correction | .cor files connect as-is |
| Device configuration | markcfg7 imports in one step — field, galvo corrections, delays |
| Pen parameters | EzCad pen library .lib imports into Zenom presets |
| Parameter model | 12 pens, hatch parameters and delay semantics familiar from EzCad |
| Going back | The driver dialog restores the original EzCad driver at any time |
Zenom’s current limits (as of 2026-07)
Honesty over polish — if a workflow below is critical for you, check before switching.
Not in Zenom:
- Fly mark (conveyor marking) — not implemented; parts are marked stationary.
- SHX / single-stroke fonts — not supported; a thin contour TTF marked without fill is the workaround.
- PLT/HPGL import — convert to DXF/SVG first.
- Keyboard-prompt variable text (the EzCad 2 keyboard prompt) — Zenom’s sources are serial, date/time and file; edit the text manually when needed.
- Spiral and arrow shape tools (present in EzCad 2) — drawn with the Path tool or combined from primitives instead.
- CO2 and UV sources, DSP controllers (Ruida, Trocen) — Zenom targets galvo fiber machines on the JCZ board.
- Point mode and pen end-compensation parameters — stored for compatibility, not applied yet (the UI says so honestly).
Implemented, with final hardware validation still in progress: continuous-loop marking, rotary split burning and the raster scan path work in the software and are going through on-machine validation milestones.
Try it on your files
The 30-day demo includes every feature — import your real layouts, run the simulation, and mark on your machine. Request a demo or read how licensing works.