go10go4

I'm trying to find a solution that will remove the glue after vinyl has been stripped from a banner or other substrate. So far I seem to be striking out. I have tried alcohol, paint thinner, and orange solvent (concentrated and diluted). The area is still very sticky after I have applied these. Any suggestions?

I'm trying to find a solution that will remove the glue after vinyl has been stripped from a banner or other substrate. So far I seem to be striking out. I have tried alcohol, paint thinner, and orange solvent (concentrated and diluted). The area is still very sticky after I have applied these. Any suggestions?

I just found out about Jerry's passing. I had been away from the posts while busily immersed in other projects. What a loss. He was a great guy and a great resource. Everyone at SB has been so kind and gracious with their help and input. Jerry will be missed immensely.

Bruce, I'm having problems with graphics created in Corel. I often have to create "line art" in Corel for objects which don't convert to vector format, or which are very complicated and need to be simplified. I trace around these objects and then import the lines into SB. But when I save them and import into SB the lines are usually doubled, whether I created them in hairline, 1 pt., 2 pt., etc. All the lines are doubled and the cutter cuts double lines. Sometimes the lines are also cut at random lengths; in other words, the lines are doubled and also cut into many pieces, which makes weeding almost impossible. I'm inclined to think the software is interpreting the lines are multiple nodes lines, but that isn't the case. What's the secret to getting single lines from Corel? Larry

Thanks for the replies. I converted to curves, but it still double cuts any lines. BTW, you can weed hairlines very easily, so long as they aren't cut into multiple sections. That's where I was having problems. SB was tending to double line at the same time it was cutting the lines into multiple sections. That became very tedious.

If I understand you correctly, the image is a scanned image. That's a problem from the get-go. A scanned image will be a raster image, which can't be cut on a vinyl cutter. In addition the process of scanning usually causes minute pixels to be picked up on the scan, and these show up on the image in many unwanted areas. I recently did a scanned image in Corel, where I used the three-point curve tool to go around text that was custom drawn by the customer. The outlining of the text took me about 6-8 hours alone, not to mention cutting and weeding. The result was a vector image, but it was very laborious. Scanned images don't lend themselves to being "outlined" the way you wanted. The pixels are too dispersed and random to allow this to happen. I wish it were otherwise. I could have saved a lot of time. Changing the raster image to a vectorized image only makes the problem more pronounced.

Bear, I also live in FL and I have used FDC 5 yr. calendered for outdoor applications. It has great durability. I have used it on banners and custom signs.

You can do sublimation a couple of different ways. One is with dye sub inks - almost always done with Epson printers, because Epson printheads don't heat the ink. HP, Canon, others heat the ink, making them unfeasible for dye sub. I had a 1280, but found the printhead clogging to be a major issue. The newer Epsons (4000, 4800, etc.) don't seem to be quite so prone to clogs. One of the problems with sub ink is lack of suppliers. Sawgrass inks sought a patent for the sub process and basically control the sub ink market. Only other current supplier is TOG in Texas, which has a lawsuit pending against Sawgrass. Sub inks are somewhat expensive. Another way is with dye sub toners. I have a Konica Minolta with dye toners. Very expensive ($1,000 for toners), but actually less per print than sub ink. You never have to worry about clogging. You can print a week from today, and there will be no issue with image transfer. With the sub ink, the printer almost always has to be used daily to keep the heads from clogging. Standard ink jet transfers don't work well with mugs. I do both OEM laser toner transfer and dye sub toner transfer with mugs. Both methods work well. The OEM toner has a definite "hand", or feel to the mug; the dye sub has none. Both methods can use either a mug press or the mug wraps. I have an Okidata dedicated to OEM toners, and use it for T-shirts, mugs, etc. With the dye sub toners I do mugs, license plates, dog tags, garments, etc. Let me know if I can help you with any dye sub applications. Larry

Get an older version of ACDSee free: http://www.oldversion.com/program.php?n=acdsee The new version costs about $50, but the older versions, which work great, can be downloaded. This is one of the best multi-format viewers for images.

I also do sublimation, but got very frustrated with clogged printheads and ink lines. I went to dye sub toner - much more expensive initially, but soooo nice to be able to shut it down and know that it will perform next time without cleaning, purging, etc., etc. The Epsons simply don't do a good job with sub inks, at least not the early models like the 1280. I hear people with the newer 4800, etc. say it works well for them. The vinyl is a nice addition when you have simple designs and limited color images. Not necessary to dye sub at $5 per polyester shirt; you can use cheaper shirts and the end product is much less expensive than dye sub.

Jerry, I tried to send an email to your website address, but it isn't working. I tried to obtain an activation code for SB today, but only received the old code, which doesn't work. I entered all the pertinent info. after uninstalling SB from my old computer. But it never gave me a new code. Can you help? Larry Myers lmyers@tampabay.rr.com

Jerry, I did as you recommended and it worked great. I'm up and running again. Thanks again for all the helpful advice on this forum. You Aussies are awesome.

The DTG machines for imprinting directly on garments is very, very expensive. It may be relatively cheap per sheet, but the upfront cost is huge compared to screen print or vinyl. The DTG's run anywhere from about 12-15K to 100K and more for the top-of-the-line. They are also susceptible to printing problems, because many use an Epson engine which is notorious for printhead clogging. Some of the units have a proprietary printing head, but these are not error free by any means. With respect to vinyl vs. screen print, when you factor in the time to prepare and clean screens, the cost between the two narrows (assuming your feel your time is worth something). On a large run this isn't an issue, but for short runs cleaning screens for small orders becomes an issue. This is especially true if you treat your waste products as they should be treated - hazardous waste. If you use solvent inks and you soak up the residue in paper/rags, this is considered hazardous material. The cost to get rid of it is large compared to vinyl waste.

Ken, Can you tell us what part was the culprit so we can look for this solution if the problem happens to us?

Creak, I like that table. Mind if I ask what you paid?

Jerry, One of the reasons this forum is so valuable and appreciated is your contributions. To have a software developer, supporting US Cutter, take an active interest in the needs of the end-users is gratifying and above the call of duty. I know what you mean about being flamed on other forums. I hope it never happens here. Keep up the good work! To you and all your compatriots down under, happy new year. Larry

If you're using SignBlazer, go to the "cutter" screen, then choose the "setup" icon in the menu bar at the top. A dialog box with various settings will come up. About 1/2 way down on the right side you will see offset. Choose .25 - you'll need to type this in, because it operates in increments of .10. Save the configuration and name it. You'll be prompted to do so. That will take care of offset.

If you're using SignBlazer, go to the "cutter" screen, then choose the "setup" icon in the menu bar at the top. A dialog box with various settings will come up. About 1/2 way down on the right side you will see offset. Choose .25 - you'll need to type this in, because it operates in increments of .10. Save the configuration and name it. You'll be prompted to do so. That will take care of offset.

Scottie, These types of problems are usually communication issues between computer/cutter. If you use SignBlazer, make sure the settings are the same as in device manager. If device manager says com6, make sure SB does also (Go to cut mode, settings, then use the variables at the top of the settings panel to make changes.). Make sure baud rate in SB matches that in device manager, also. Also make changes as needed between "direct cut" and "cut manager" in the same panel settings. Usually direct works best. Keep changing variables until the cutter responds. The key is to make certain that the panel is set up properly. However, "properly" varies from user to user. There is no set defined settings that work for everyone. You will probably have to experiment a little to find the solution, but once found, it will perform almost flawlessly.

What is the distinction between "direct" and "use cut manager" in the setup? I had a difficult time setting up a different computer to run SB after uninstalling from the previous computer. It didn't work when I chose "direct", and actually froze the computer on several occasions. Then tried "cut manager" and that refused to work. Finally went back to "direct" and somehow managed to get it to work. What's the significance of these options, and is one supposed to be chosen over the other? And on what basis is one chosen over the other?

I looked for a length of warranty, but didn't see anything. That's an area for concern. The Chinese presses generally don't have a warranty, except that supplied by the seller. Ken, are you going to offer a warranty of any sort?

I use heat presses for very specific items that require a definite temperature to work properly. For a simple vinyl transfer an expensive heat press probably isn't necessary. But I press OEM laser transfers and dye sublimation transfers that have to be done in specific temperatures - 375 degrees, 400 degrees, etc. And they have to be done with even temperature w/o any cold spots throughout the transfer. For me a $600 press isn't an option; it's a necessity. If I only did the vinyl, I could probably use cheap presses. I would suggest, however, that if you are thinking about expanding beyond vinyl transfers into specialty imprinting that you consider a quality heat press. The specialty transfer papers for garments and hard goods are very temperamental with regard to temperatures, so a 385 degree transfer means just that - 350 won't work and 400 won't work. It's difficult to achieve those specific temperatures w/o a quality press. One of the problems w/ the import presses is that they digitally read 350 or whatever, but do a laser temp. reading w/ a Raytek laser temp. sensor and you'll find how far they can deviate.

Be wary of heat presses on Ebay. The cheaper ones are Chinese made. However, unlike the Creation units that have proven themselves to be reliable and dependable, these have not. Heat presses must distribute the heat evenly oven the entire surface and they must be durable. One thing you will readily notice with the Chinese heat presses is little or no warranty. Most of the sites selling these don't even talk about a warranty. If one is offered, it is minimal at best. Most of the good heat presses have a lifetime warranty on the heating element. I can tell you from experience that this is worth a lot. A bad heating element can make things very difficult in a production environment. Not all heat presses are created equal. A press with cold spots in the platen is virtually worthless. You can have an excellent result, except for one small spot, but that spot can ruin the entire job that you run. I believe in saving money when feasible. But I've never been able to convince myself that a press with no warranty and of questionable construction is worth 1/3 the price of a quality press. Even if one were to be offered with a good warranty, is it worthwhile to pay $200 plus dollars to ship and return the press in the event of a problem? I paid $600 for my Mighty Press (15 x 15), and it's worth every penny.

As I understand it, the blade offset is a value which compensates for the fact that the point of the blade doesn't align with the point assigned in the software program. Because the blade drags (is pulled by the cutter), as opposed to a tangential blade (which actually pushes the blade), the point will "lag" behind the point at which the software tells it to cut. The offset setting in the software allows you to align the actual point of cut with the software assigned point. Well, that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it. Unless, of course, someone tells me otherwise.

You might try changing the blade offset. This can be done in the "cut" mode by using the setup tab at the top. Look on the right side of the dialog box that pops up. It has blade offset in mm. Try .25 and see if you notice any difference. Can't guarantee that will work, but it may solve your issue. In any case, "Book 'em Dano!" Been wanting to say that and just couldn't resist. Good ol' Hawaii Five-O stuff with Jack Lord.