ShaneGreen

I started doing my design work in Inkscape, but when I updated to VM Pro I don't seem to have a reason to open Inkscape much any more. It should be noted that I'm not a very good designer and have the artistic skills of an arthritic orangutan. Someone who can actually draw might not find VM to have enough options. Once I get in image the way I like it I usually save an extra copy as an SVG just as a backup. I'm always leery of any proprietary format. I ended up with 10 years of cad drawings that couldn't be opened after a computer crash left me without CadKey97 and noting on the market that supported it anymore. So there's my paranoia, that, and the native vdoc aren't viewable as thumbnails in other programs. If you save your designs to another directory besides the location of the actual program files it shouldn't be a problem to uninstall. When you install it probably went to a directory like.... c://Program Files (x86) / FutureCorp / Vinylmaster / But when I save an image I use one of the "This PC" folders, like Documents/VinylCutter/ArtWork Just be sure to do an actual "uninstall" and don't delete it.

I didn't loose any files uninstalling. But you might want to back them up. I keep all my work files in a different directory than the program files.

Try uninstalling and then download a new copy and install it. Be sure to save your Product ID or whatever they call it. I had a problem for a short while where VM would shut down about once an hour. I downloaded a new copy and reinstalled and haven't had an issue in over a year.

Usually that would mean either an overloaded memory or a communication hang up. Shutting off a plotter will usually reset both. I've never had a problem with overloading the memory buffer on my LP2. It's cut jobs that took over two hours. And It's not uncommon for me to go all day, sending dozens of cutfiles to it without an error. I used to turn it off between orders, but found it wasn't necessary. Then again, I use VinylMaster Pro and I'm not sure how the different software manufacturers handle buffer clean up. So unless it's a ginourmous file, I'd suspect a communication problem. Try Mz Skeeter's advice and get a Tripp-Lite Keyspan Adapter, it seems to solve most usb chipset issues. You might also try just changing out the usb cord and making sure that you don't have a bunch of excess software running. I tested out a high-end thumbnail viewer for a while, but found that when it was open my HP printer would lock up with a waiting error. The viewer was chewing up resources .

Nice description Cardudenc. Just an FYI for someone using another type of plotter, double check what the white pinch roller decals indicate on your machine. On your Seiki and SC it's where NOT to place the pinch rollers since there is no grit roller under the decal. However, on an LPII and some other machines the white decals show you where the grit rollers are. LPII pinch rollers have to be UNDER the decal.

"Group" makes them one big basket of parts that is treated as a whole. But they can later be "ungrouped". ie. "Kids, get in the van." "Weld" permanently joins them. ie. "you've got simese twins." Ok, that's a horrible anology. . .

In VM you would select the word "Police" and the black bar. Then "weld". This will make it all one big piece. "Weld" is found in the side menu, near the bottom. The icon is two white, overlapping boxes. That will open the shaping and welding tools.

On a lot of plotters you can substitute a pen adapter by wrapping some masking tape around an ordinary pen until it's thick enough for the carriage to hold it firmly. Ultra fine point Sharpies do a nice job.

Looking at the ovals/circles, they look to be uniform. Are they all turning out the same? If they are consistent, but not accurate, then that rules out a lot of possible issues. For instance, if some were almost round but others were egg shaped then it might be a problem with the material feeding, but if they are all identically egg shaped then it's not a material feed problem.

The wife, I and both kids this Christmas. Emptynesters now, so it was nice having them home!

Slice&Dice, I use 60 CleanCuts on everything. They make a much better cut then the 45s.

White is my nemesis. No matter what brand I try it takes more pressure and just doesn't leave as nice a cut as the other colors. I've noticed I can cut a 24" x 60" red or black 3M reflective in two passes and it's a nice clean edge. Cut the same design in white reflective and there is so much drag that the 1st and 2nd cut don't always line up...frustrating. As for the Greenstar, I bought a bunch with my cutter for practice. Didn't care how much I wasted or gave away at the price. It was a great learning experience, because once I got good at cutting and weeding it I switched to 651 and it was night and day different. The 651 cuts, weeds and lays so much nicer! Can't imagine how much time and headache I would have saved myself if I'd just started with 651 and a CleanCut blade....but think of all the lessons I wouldn't have learned.

Design it as though you were weeding out every-other octagon. Then weld it all together. If two shapes are next to each other then it cuts both outlines, so the adjoining side is cut twice. But if every-other image is removed/ punched out / whatever-your-softwared-calls-it and the cutting program thinks it's empty (weeded) space and then welded, there won't be overlapping cuts....I think.

When you are in the vinyl spooler and tell it to cut, is it showing the square on the image of the plotter?

The type of blade you're using can have a big affect on not lifting the center out of those letters in the future (I know you eliminated them on this project). A lot of folks on here kept preaching the value of a good quality blade, especially the CleanCut brand. I finally listened and it's made a huge difference in the ability of my LaserPoint II to handle detail. Check out this topic from last spring for info and examples.

Sure is a small world. Growing up we had to go to Morris or Ottawa if we wanted fast food. . .or anything. I only get up there now for weddings and funerals.

mfatty, I grew up in Seneca. College in Decatur and then lived in Mount Prospect and the Rockford area before running away from the snow and ice! Dakota, I'm with you on the humidity. Spent New Years on top of a mountain in Colorado a few years ago. It was cold, but comfortable. Got back here to 25 degree warmer weather and felt chilled all month. The humidity gets you down deep. ~ I used to have golden retriever that would burrow down in the snow like that and do everything he could to stay outside. The Vet said not to worry, that he'd let me know when it got to cold. . .still couldn't bring myself to let him stay out very long.

If you're using VinylMaster, I went to their YouTube channel and watched EVERY video. Grab a pen and paper and make notes. I listed the name of the video and the minute and second they started talking about the thing I was noteing. Not everything will apply to you, but you'll start to pick up little bits and pieces that will later be second nature. Videos that I knew were important I watched multiple times. Then take a cheep roll of vinyl and practice. Then practice some more. Just learning to properly set the blade to Mz Skeeter's instructions eliminated a huge chunk of my headaches. I probably used up over 200 square feet of cheep stuff before trying my first roll of 651. What a difference a good vinyl made! By starting with the cheep stuff and a factory blade I learned a lot of invaluable lessons. I've burned through yard after yard of 24" vinyl learning before ever attempting to sell anything. It's a long process to get decent at what you're doing. Be patient.

Grew up in a small farm town an hour south-west of Chicago and sub-zero temperatures weren't that uncommon. After 30 years living in the South I can't wrap my head around being that cold. It's 22 here right now and I worry about the dog when he goes out to the bathroom. My thoughts are with all of you up north. . . stay safe!

Give irfanview a try: https://www.irfanview.com/ It seems to show most common file formats and there are plugins for obscure ones. It also has some handy tools for bulk renaming, etc. I used Adobe Bridge for a couple of months and kept running into problems with it gobbling up resources and hanging up.

I'm with Mz Skeeter on this one. The error box even says "CutspoolerVM3.exe." VM3 as in VinylMaster Version 3. The layout of the pages looks just like a stripped down version of VinylMaster. Well what do you know? Went over to the Signmaster website and it's owned by Future Corp, the same folks who own Vinylmaster. I learned something new today and it's not even noon yet!

I've also got string, a spray bottle with a little soapy water, a sprayer of rinse water, window cleaning squeege and some rubber covered magnets.

There is an old rule-of-thumb in engineering that if you buy a piece of equipment you will spend an additional 50-150% in accessories. So we always estimated the best we could and then doubled it. Buying your first cutter isn't much different. Once you add in squeegees, good blades, tape rollers, straight edge, computer cables, knives, weeding tools, magnifying glass, cutting mat, material storage and software upgrades you can easily rack up way more than the cost of a budget cutter. I know I did. Then turn around and buy your consumables: vinyl and transfer tape. Slice&Dice is right, that $200 upgrade is just a small piece of the puzzle.

There are a lot of folks out there who use good ol' 651 sign vinyl on ceramic, plastic, glass and "stainless" tumblers. As long as the glass is nice and clean and you let the item sit for a few days before throwing it in the dishwasher it holds up really well. And you don't need a heat press. It won't hold up as long as sublimation and it can be snagged or scratched off, but it does hold up. Back in March I personalized some Dollar Store plastic tumblers for a family get together and figured if they held up through the weekend they had done their job. My Dad has been drinking coffee out of his everyday since and it still looks like new. So sign vinyl is great for craft projects or personal items, however I wouldn't offer them to business customers since you can feel the image and they won't last as long as sublimation.

My LP2 uses a Roland blade holder. I've got the ballpoint pen and holder combo and it comes in handy for testing, but it's so thin and faint that testing is about the only thing it's good for. I'm needing to plot a nativity scene onto a paper roll to use as a pattern for a yard decoration. So the line needs to be thicker and heavier then the ballpoint. Anyone know of a good marker or felt tip that will fit this cutter? I've got a Sharpie that is just slightly smaller, does anyone have any tips on how to get it to mount securely in the cutter head?