freezermink

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Everything posted by freezermink

  1. not all that exciting nor funny to anyone else, but funny to us at the time. back in the ol' high school days with some friends. lets just say it was a misunderstanding involving an actual frozen mink.
  2. sweeeeeeet. also, rog's advice about blade depth has helped me out a few times already. he's good people.
  3. great video. i don't really have anything to comment on as far as contour cutting or printing, but i do find it hilarious that you and I both chose to throw a cactuar decal on our printers.
  4. don't know if its worth mentioning or not, but make sure that the rollers not in the very middle of the plotter. there is the small area of the plotter in the center where the junction point of the rollers is located... if the pinch roller is there it will hold the vinyl in place in the middle and try to roll out the ends and cause it to go crazy. you'll see its marked off by the little white marker just above the middle. easy to overlook if you're not looking for it. ask me how i know.
  5. freezermink

    Best Oracal Matte Black

    the oracal 651 matte black i have used was incredible. it weeded like a champ, the app tape (conform R) worked great, and it lasted for 3 years as a stripe decal on my car without a single sign of wear.
  6. so forgive me for my ignorance on the subject, as i've really just started with this venture. i've been searching the vast internets, mostly on this forum for the answers to my new found quest to be able to print on vinyl. i've got a few questions (which will probably seem very basic), but most of the threads on here concerning this subject are unclear or incomplete, and some posts seem to be quite misleading. 1. i have an mh721. it does not have the ability to contour cut. i know that this is a problem. is there a solution to that issue or am i doomed before i begin? 2. assuming that i am not doomed and that there is a way to get around the contour cutting, what is the most effective and least expensive way for me to get starting in printing on vinyl? here is what i have learned: for my purposes (mostly for fun, possibly a bit for profit) the epson wf1100 with the eco-solvent inks seems to be my best bet. 3. if the wf1100 is the way to go, what is the process involved? will i need to cut all my vinyl down to 13", print what i want, then run it through the cutter? (here's that damn contour cutting thing again). 4. when printing, again assuming the wf1100 option, are there certain vinyls that i HAVE to use, or certain vinyls that i can NEVER use? (i would love to be able to use the oracal 651 stuff, among others, as thats what i am stocking now and intend to continue to do.) 5. if i am to purchase the epson wf1100 printer, are there conversion kits that i can purchase to convert it to solvent based inks or is it as easy as purchasing and installing, for example, the cobra pigment ink cartridge kits? 6. there has been many opinions on laminating or clear coating vinyl. what is the real verdict? is laminating as simple as layering on clear vinyl? what types of clear coats are available? i'm sure there are going to be those 'well you should have started with a contour cutting plotter', 'why don't you sell your POS and get a real cutter', or 'pony up the big bucks and buy some REAL equipment'. well yeah, that'd be great and all, but I have what i have, and i'm really incredibly happy with it so far. i won't be printing much, but the option would be nice, so something inexpensive and effective is my goal. thanks guys, for your patience with me and any help you can give. my hope is not only that i may be able to understand this process a little better, but that this thread may possibly shed some light on some misconceptions that may be out there. thanks again for your time.
  7. freezermink

    Blade Holder

    once i got my blade depth to a point where i was getting accurate, clean great cuts, the blade holder was hitting the vinyl when it dropped, causing the same sound you're describing. i now use it as a sign that lets me know that my blade depth is correct. if its the blade holder isn't hitting the vinyl, my blade is too far out. i didn't know if it was good for the blade, the holder, or the carriage, but it seems to be working great.
  8. freezermink

    Where to host website?

    same here. blue hosts pricing was great, i grabbed my domain and signed up for two years. their support is fantastic. one of the support guys even called the day after i signed up to see if i had any questions or concerns about the service, or if he could offer any help to get me started. i didn't really need any, but the gesture was rad! i used webhostingpad once. once was enough. their support is garbage... get what you pay for.
  9. so i was messing around doing test cuts for some designs i was working on and noticed a strange size difference in SB between what i specify and what actually cuts. i just tested out a rectangle. i made it 350mm wide by 180mm tall. the rectangle that actually cut is approx 356mm x 184mm. i did a smaller one as well - 150 x 60mm that came out ~152 x 61. so it seems the margin of error is proportional at about 1.7%. now for decals and stickers, wall art etc, a couple mm is no big deal, as even the layered stuff that i've done scales correctly so things line up as they should. but i'm not satisfied with the inaccuracy. if i need to cut exactly 350mm, i would like to know that i can do that. doesn't seem logical to me. using an MH721 and SB. i even imported a shape from AI and it shows the same. any ideas?
  10. freezermink

    size accuracy issue - just noticed this today...

    update - i used the SB software "cutting size correction" function within the setup of the cutting screen - i input the sizes that it was intended to cut, and input the sizes that it actually cut, and it seems to be dead on now. so i think i'm ok. however i am still possibly looking for a solution out of the software so that if i use different software in the future, or reinstall, etc, i know i will be as accurate as possible. it seems like a calibration of the cutter itself would be in order, but i have yet to find that solution. suggestions?
  11. freezermink

    size accuracy issue - just noticed this today...

    its the USCutter MH721 and signblazer software. i checked through the manual and all the settings i could get to and it doesn't look like there is a compensation setting... or at least any that i can find. i've been searching around and haven't seen any similar problems, but i'll keep looking. thanks for the help-
  12. freezermink

    Chuck Norris Approved...

    chuck norris is not hung like a horse. horses are hung like chuck norris.
  13. wait wait. i understand the idea, but that is not a square inch. a square inch would be multiplying the width by the height. 12" X 24" = 288". then multiplying 288 X .55 = $158.40. your method actually makes more sense, but i just wanted to make sure that its understood so there isn't confusion. what you're proposing is more like by the linear inch. i've seen a fair number of people on here choose to charge by the square inch, which is basically the same idea, but you'd have to adjust your price per square inch... lets say 12" x 24" = 288 in^2. 288 x $.07 = $20.16. i don't mean to be condescending, i just wanted to clarify so when someone read it and went to do their own pricing it would make sense Also when a customer is reading your website and they see $.55 per square inch they don't flip out because they wanted a 12" x 24" decal that is going to cost them $158!
  14. freezermink

    ok, set me straight on some vinyl printing.

    makes total sense. so then the 'contour cutting' function embedded within cutters is simply a method to precisely line up reg marks for cutting outlines. looks like the flexi-starter software might be my next purchase... followed by an epson 1100 and some vinyl. i need a decent all around printer anyhow. seems like a no brainer. i have this POS hp printer at the moment and i swear it can sense my anger towards it. it literally prints whenever it wants to and uses whatever colors it chooses. speaking of that... can those pigments used on the vinyl also be used on regular paper for basic printing or would i need to swap out cartridges or something along those lines?
  15. freezermink

    ok, set me straight on some vinyl printing.

    ah ha! so then i am assuming that though my machine does not have the 'contour cut' capability, i still can perform the process with the correct software. awesome. see this is the info i'm looking for. i knew there'd be ways around some of this stuff.
  16. freezermink

    ok, set me straight on some vinyl printing.

    i totally understand where you're coming from. if, for some reason, i found some client that needed a large quantity done and i couldn't provide it, this is exactly where i would look. however, i think you're missing my point. i'm not looking to outsource a sticker or two if i decide, on a whim, that i want to make one or give one to a friend, etc. i'm not really in this with that intent (yet). i would simply like to know what is possible and what is not, so that if, down the road, i can spend $2-300 and obtain my own means of simple printing for fun and a small bit of profit, it'll actually be worth the investment. i'd love to be able to have the clients to outsource the stuff. when i do... you guys are the ones i'm going to call, asap! already the posts on here have solved many of the issued i was confused about. specifically - a few posts had mentioned solvent inks and pigment inks in the same context with the epson - as well as using 'whatever' vinyl, not the vinyls you guys suggested above. many thanks guys!
  17. freezermink

    Newb Urgent Question about printing stickers

    forget all those. ask Freezermink to help you out. TOP notch work. by the way, hey stetson i've got some stickers i might need to outsource... can you print them for me?
  18. this afternoon i was noticing a bit of noise when the cutter assembly was moving back and forth along its track; it sounded like things weren't tight. i inspected and the only thing i could find that seemed loose was the belt itself. it seems more loose than i would expect a toothed belt to be. i took the endcap off and noticed a simple tension adjustment screw and proceeded to tighten the belt juuuuust a bit. i ran some test cuts afterwards and things sound much better, and the cuts seem to be ever so slightly better as well. my obvious assessment is that the belt was indeed loose... however i'm wondering how far to take it. how far should i tighten it before i'm going too far? is there a standard deflection that i can measure like a toothed timing belt on an engine? should i not be meddling with things so as to not bust my cutter? any input would be great. i'm all about leaving it how it is, because its been cutting great lately... but i also love tinkering with things like this and getting that extra little bit out of them. thanks guys!
  19. i cut a design with some open paths the other day... pasted the vector from illustrator to SB to cut. it seemed to do just fine. i used the opened paths (just straight lines - acted as a ribbed segments) to act as a texture in the design and it worked exactly like i thought it would. not sure if yours will give you the same results but its worth a shot.
  20. whether he started a fight or not, i would STRONGLY take what Skeeter had to say seriously. your website IS full of copywrited material. not only is it all extremely unoriginal, but any of those images can put you up to your neck in lawsuits, lawyers and legal fees to the point where you'll have to sell everything you own just to stay afloat. search up on copywrite issues on this forum or any... what you're doing is illegal and gives us a bad rap, whether its 10% of your business, or 1 sticker. if any one of those businesses finds those images for sale on your website you're toast. and for the record, you did open the door with your unnecessary comment on the quality of the pic. this forum is one of the best resources i've ever found, but you gotta play by the rules.
  21. freezermink

    Getting better....slooooowly

    i really can't imagine it would be the fault of illustrator... i thought once its a vector in an eps it really shouldn't matter what its origin was? i haven't been doing it long, but illustrator cs3 and SB have been a perfect match so far with my machine... not to say that it compares, its just tough to believe. you'll have to keep us updated on the corel experiment for sure!
  22. freezermink

    belt tightness specifications on mh series cutters?

    i hear that. i think i'll leave it alone now that things sound like they should again. but man... what if tightening it just a LITTLE more made it waaay better?! or if i turn that screw just 1/4 turn more maybe it'll turn my vinyl to gold! i guess we'll never know.
  23. freezermink

    Decisions, Decisions...

    given what the front looks like.... 3rd pic is my vote.
  24. hey guys, i just got my shipment of chrome vinyl in for one of my first jobs... i cut out a test decal to see how it would look. it cuts and weeds great, but there seems to be a heavy orange peal effect... like with the paint on a car. attached is a pic, from some angles it looks fine, but from others it looks really sub-par. its the schein holographic chrome from signwarehouse. if this is simply how it is, i'm unfortunately going to have to send it back, as its pretty unacceptable for what i need to do. anyone have experience with it or have any suggestions?