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Showing content with the highest reputation on 02/14/2019 in all areas

  1. 2 points
    If the dealership has used decals on their vehicles before, then they already have an idea of the price they're willing to pay and are probably looking for a deal. You can always ask them what they've paid in the past and then see if you can, or even want to, beat that price. i have customers tell me they'd like me to do their decals because i'm reliable and fast. if they have order from someone else before, i will ask them what they've paid in the past. if it's a ridiculously outdated low number, i will them that it is and what an average shop will charge them now days. they usually complain about having communication issues with other companies, or missed deadlines. if i am willing to beat the price, i'll give them a price. if i'm not, then i point them in the other direction. if they're a difficult customer, then i don't bother quoting at all.
  2. 2 points
    I don't know about anyone else, but even though I pretty much only cut with 651, pressure is partially determined by color and age of the vinyl. There's a 'happy medium' setting that i can typically use, but when changing to black or white, or some old vinyl - I always make sure to use the test button on my cutter because it's the quickest and easiest way for me to test the settings, and it has very minimal waste.
  3. 1 point
    Yup, the lessons are the part you do not want to miss before going to the good stuff.
  4. 1 point
    I did not mention anything about blade offset... The blade depth has to be set correctly on EVERY vinyl cutter just like I posted above. It does not matter whether it is a stepper cutter or a servo cutter. The Zencut has a servo motor also. The directions are the same. The blade depth has to be correct for the vinyl thickness that you are cutting. Even if you get a 15" Titan 3 or a Graphtec, you still have to set the blade depth correctly before you start cutting. Blade offset is a totally different thing. How did you set your blade depth in the blade holder, before you even started cutting?
  5. 1 point
    We know your story, and your many GUEST names. So you finally signed up. And what your describing makes no sense. The cutter cannot cut any deeper than what you have the blade depth set at. If you set the blade depth correctly. It cannot cut any deeper. I have posted hundreds of times on here how to set the blade depth correctly. I just posted it again today. Post above. Sounds like too much blade exposed out of the blade holder. You should just barely see and feel the blade tip out of the blade holder. The correct combination is less blade, more force. the blade cuts vinyl with the very tip of the blade. That is all that it needs. Also check out the teflon cutting strip, make sure there are no scratches or gouges.
  6. 1 point
    The end result is you can easily determine your hard costs (assuming no mistakes). I usually allow for some errors so I don't take a beating should I screw it up. If you know how much you will spend to make them then all the rest is how much you want your time to be worth and if you're smart allow some extra $$ to put toward your equipment. A lot of people try to buy the cheapest vinyl too thinking it will save them a bunch of money. I disagree especially on small decals. Higher end vinyl usually weeds easier and the cost per piece is not significant especial if it ends up costing you time. Product properly bid is paid for by they client, any of your time lost during the build is paid for by your own pocketbook. I agree with Dakota and his bottom feeder comment. Unless you have an "in" of some sort good luck getting enough out of those to make it worth it.
  7. 1 point
    I would say check the manual, but I just did and the manual is worthless. If a machine is going to display vague error messages the manual should tell you what they mean!
  8. 1 point
    I have a Graphtec, so settings are a little bit different. My speed is set to 15 (64 is max speed) and a force of 30 (31 is max force) with a 60 degree CleanCut blade. My 651 vinyl setting is speed 8 and force 10. I use a dedicated blade and blade holder for PhotoTex with the blade sticking out just a hair more than with regular vinyl.
  9. 0 points
    Sorry, didn't realize you where cutting fabric. I back out of everything I said.