haumana

Thank you for updating your post, and letting us know how you resolved your issue. There will be a good chance that someone will need this information in the future. On a slight tangent, did you try to save your file as an .eps out of inkscape? I'm curious to know if VM would have done the same thing. I'm guessing it might have, since you seem to have isolated it to bend a node issue. (just can't help being curious though )

a picture of the not-so-sharp edges would be helpful. if the vinyl is on a roll - when you feed the vinyl, do you make sure that there is enough slack so the machine isn't pulling it off the tension of the roll? are your pinch rollers placed equally spaced about an 1" from the edge of the vinyl? If you're trying to cut something detailed and intricate, have you tried slowing down the speed?

As minimal as this manual is, it's a pretty much a very simple machine to use, and the rest of the setting can be controlled in the software. Bummer on your Graphtec , but yea! for the servo!! https://www.uscutter.com/static/PDFs/TITAN_Manual.pdf

Could be the tape is old, could be the cutter cut the vinyl, but didn't really cut the adhesive under the vinyl, could be you didn't squeegee it good, etc. have you tried to peel the backing away (vs. peeling the tape up to release it)? you can also try squeegeeing the back of the paper too.

what software are you using to send the graphic to the cutter? how are you cabled to the cutter? serial or USB? do you get any errors when sending the graphic?

Meaning, you cannot get the machine to go into offline mode?

go olfa, you won't regret it. Hahaha. I've only had to change my cutting mat once - because the sun caught the corner of it, and warped it like crazy. I wrote to the manufacturer and asked if there was any way to fix the warp, they said no - and that it should have never warped in the first place, but wanted me to ship it to them so they could see if for themselves. No shipping labels, no offer to get a replacement one for a slight discount. I still have it, and it now protects the glass top of my main desk. It's convenient that I can just cut stuff right in front of my keyboard and now worry.

.47 is kind of a big offset. set your blade depth correctly. slow the machine way down for those tiny 2mm circles.

Which one(s) do you prefer? I started out with a Fiskars, but found that the OLFA felt a bit more sturdy.

I like to use a rotary cutter, and one of these for weeding.

Customer's attitude often dictates prices for me - that includes their attitude that my time is not as important as theirs. If they're a problematic customer just trying to set up an initial meet, I can only imagine what kind of customer they will be when it comes to picking-up the job and actually paying for it. I am not the only game in town, and it they do not like my prices, or my business hours - they can find someone else who will be more inclined to get their time wasted. I know, it's kind of a harsh way of looking at it, but a) I'm a hobbyist, that is willing to take the 'one-off' jobs what some shops won't; and b) I have yet to meet a job that pays so well, that I'm willing to accept the aggravation that goes along with any lack of respect for what I do, and my time to do it.

OP mentioned that they were using VM, but didn't say which version. I gave them the steps to do so when I tested what they were trying to do in my VM DSR. Hopefully they will give it a go, and learn the process of doing it.

I started off as a hobbyist, and still consider myself a hobbyist. 10+ years ago I started off with an original LaserPoint (LP). Even as a hobbyist, I had word of mouth jobs and got that machine paid in a very short amount of time. Last year I picked up a Graphtec CE6000-60 Plus, haven't regretted it. It will take me a little longer to get this machine to pay for itself, but I know it will. The Graphtec is so much better, it actually makes me wish I bought it a lot sooner - it would have made some of my jobs a lot easier to get done. BTW - Nothing is wrong with my LP, just thought it was time to get a "back-up" machine since the LP is very well taken care of, but also getting old. Now the LP is my back-up machine Like Slice recommends - go directly to Graphtec. (Do not pass Go, do not collect $200, just head straight for the right machine the first time out)

I run into the issue sometimes as well. When I do, it's usually because it's time for me to age out my vinyl and/or application tape - which means, buy new vinyl and/or app tape. It happens, and it probably happens to me more often than it does to others on the forum who do this for a living. I'm a hobbyist and 'word of mouth' business, this is not my "day job" so I do not go through vinyl as quickly as others. When I run into this issue, it's usually because my vinyl is old and/or the app tape is old.

I cannot speak as to why your guy takes months to do the numbers for you. It is possible, that he just has too many jobs if he's the only game in town. Trolling the forum for answers, and searching YouTube will go a long way for "how to" on a lot of stuff. So, that being said, outside of just posting to this forum, what have you tried? - Type your text - Select your text (if not already selected) - Effects > Inlines & Outlines > Outline Effect