Dirt Hero

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Everything posted by Dirt Hero

  1. Looking at purchasing one of the Graphtec FC8600 cutters. Any thoughts on pros/cons of these units in your workflow? My local Epson dealer took me thru a demo with one, but curious to get feedback from daily users.
  2. Dirt Hero

    Thoughts on the FC8600 Cutters

    We have been running Epsons from the 9000 series since they came out with the 9900 and the color gamut is always impressive. Some of the art we reproduce is very vibrant, so we wanted to retain that gamut as much as possible in the decal realm. In addition, we want to see the possibility of running canvas off the S80 without the need for coating, which is a time-consuming part of our current process. The flatbeds are certainly more than we want to spend, but an initial look into the Summas make it a contender.
  3. Dirt Hero

    Thoughts on the FC8600 Cutters

    Excellent observations here. I'm glad you are getting to travel with peace of mind. The decision to invest in a solvent print & cut setup is more difficult than I had anticipated. Initially it seemed like a no brainer, for it would allow us offer our custom designs with nice margins. But in some case scenarios, the margins are not all that larger than if we were to outsource the production. Our production environment for producing fine art on stretched canvas is laborious, but the quality is tops. It of course took time to perfect the process and we suffered plenty of headaches throughout. Hence, that is why I am on here inquiring about equipment and workflow for decals. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts.
  4. Dirt Hero

    Thoughts on the FC8600 Cutters

    I had my business in the home for many years as well, living in Phoenix, the printers never took kindly to the summer heat so I know where you are coming from. If you mind me asking, you say you left the print end of the biz for travel and changes in economics, would you elaborate on the economics a bit more? I know on the canvas side things have diminished greatly as there has been nothing new innovation-wise in awhile. Many artists/photogs have moved on to producing their work on metal substrates. Do you still work in the design end of things?
  5. Hi. I 'm new to the forums and the decal business. As we are in the stages of drawing a business plan, I am looking to find out how a decal company can acquire branded logo templates. We are looking to work within the motocross space with our own designs, but also offering branded decals legitimately. For example, Fox is a big player in this space with a number of branded decals that come on their parts. Often, riders will want to change the decal coloring to match the bike color or helmet color in lieu of the standard Fox decals. What is the best way to get these templates from such companies like Fox? Is the a license or royalty play?
  6. Dirt Hero

    Thoughts on the FC8600 Cutters

    I would agree that there is bias in some of these settings, so I appreciate hearing from those using it in their actual workflow. I have only used Epson printers during the past decade in a fine art capacity, so going with the S80 for solvent work seemed the natural choice, but I will certainly give the Rolands a look as well.
  7. This refers far more to their manufactured parts than it does to decals, where counterfeit parts could get a rider injured or killed. And please do not presume to anything about what I can or cannot afford. Yes a forum should be about sharing experiences and opinions, respectfully. Drop the drama and the hostility. I have reached out to Fox and waiting to hear back. I also reached out to several other smaller brands, two of which requested to see mockup samples. So maybe you don't know everything?
  8. Dirt Hero

    Thoughts on the FC8600 Cutters

    This is help This is helpful. The Graphtec comes bundled with the Epson S80 and it will be our first cutter. When I say the best, I'm looking for a cutter that can handle intricate cuts on a regular basis. Many of our designs will go beyond basic geometric shapes so I want a dependable machine where the workflow will be quick and consistent. If there are some issues with the optical eye on the Graphtec, that is something I will need to research. I will also look into the Summa T for comparison.
  9. Dirt Hero

    Thoughts on the FC8600 Cutters

    My sales rep seems to think highly of their machines. Best choice for decals cuts? Consistent accuracy with both perf and kiss cuts? Any potential issue that might come into play in a production environment?
  10. Good to know. I would be selling direct to consumers from my website.
  11. I thought you were done here. I guess not until you get your condescending remark in.
  12. That is why I am here and I am grateful for the feedback. I have zero interest in stealing. It was a logical question from a new user. I did NOT say I planned to recreate the artwork, I merely posed a hypothetical "what if" question. There are quite a few places out there offering branded decals and I am trying to get an understanding on the matter. As my original post says, we will offer them "legitimately".
  13. I appreciate the input. To be clear, we are not interested in creating our own designs using Fox branding and trying to get approval. We simply wanted to work with their existing templates if possible. I figured it was a license play. Is there a work-around? What are the consequences of recreating the artwork and selling? Because I do see a few decal companies, small operations that likely can't afford license fees, offering a pretty robust line of Fox decals for other products in their lineup, such as mountain bike parts. However, it seems most of those companies are located overseas.