Wildgoose

Super Moderators
  • Content Count

    6,513
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    293

Everything posted by Wildgoose

  1. Wildgoose

    HP 25500 and DSR?

    You’ll need a RIP (raster image processor) which would be in the top level of VM. The printer doesn’t come with a RIP program? The last printer I looked at had a rip that was part of the package.
  2. Wildgoose

    Oki 711WT Printer Troubleshooting Registration

    Are there any bleed adjustments you can make with the RIP software?
  3. Wildgoose

    Vinyl is not sticking. Any suggestions?

    Do YOU get to choose the substrate or was this the customers choice? Sounds like it's not vinyl friendly and a more appropriate sign material would be in order. I don't think the Coro-plast sheets have issues at all so they must be made from another type of plastic.
  4. Wildgoose

    What's the best method?

    I know this is an older post but I just saw it. I do a lot of HTV and I would also recommend that you find a way to print this but should you ever decide to do multi-layered on a shirt it is best to layer the outlines and not stack the layers like sign vinyl. If you stack layers you with end up with a really thick and heavy feel. Most HTV can be layered but it just isn't a great way to go. The trick with layered outlines is designing with some overlap from each lower layer so you don't have the gaps that Dakota mentioned. HTV will do a lot of shrinking and distorting when you start to apply heat so the outlines method will help to keep your registration looking better. A good example of this method is a two color name or number. If you place the main (inside) color down first and then apply the outline layer afterword it will end up with crisp perfect width outlines where if you try to actually layer whole layers like you would a sign then the lower (outside) outlines will end up slightly off in at least one direction and the problem is compounded if there are a long string of text like a player name. Back to the outline method the thicker you can get away with on the outline the better to allow some misalignment between the press cycles because your lower (inside) layer will shrink a bit but it works really good. I do thousands of dollars worth of high school and club sports uniforms and its very lucrative. I design in Adobe Illustrator and it makes this method of design really easy. Any time you have an object with outlines adobe will extend the inside solid half the width of the outline when you convert from an object that has live outlines. Meaning that the outlines are added as a stroke and not as an offset line. I think for other programs you would have to experiment. I will attach a file with two versions of a number. One with just two stacked layers and one with the outline method so you can dissect them and see what I mean. 2 nines.eps
  5. Wildgoose

    Vinyl is not sticking. Any suggestions?

    The only other alternative besides a high bond adhesive would be to do a flame treatment. Sounds crazy but you can actually take a torch and (very carefully) wand it over the recycled plastic and then cover the whole area with a base color to build on. I have done this one time and it worked. Mine was on one of those folding A frame signs that was made from recycled plastic. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240397917_Treatment_of_low_energy_surfaces_for_adhesive_bonding
  6. I would also add that with your prior experience you already have a good idea of the basic mechanics of building a cut file. Learning new software is rarely fun but knowing what you are trying to accomplish you will pick it up a lot faster than some dude who has never done it at all. I use Adobe Illustrator that was a serious PIA to learn, like months of learning and years of later perfecting, when I have to try and get something done in Inkscape, corel or even vinyl master (although it's a lot more intuitive) I struggle because my brain is wired a certain way. You will probably go through that process to some degree. Slice loves SignBlazer and there are many who still use it but as new computer systems come out the likelihood of long term usability becomes more and more a question. Good luck on your endeavor, I have VM Pro that I have been slowly learning in order to be of some use as a moderator. Slowly. It is a really well thought out design and cut program. I don't know what things are missing in the base Cut version but the Pro version is great. (I still like AI best but I'm weird and I use a mac so there's that...)
  7. There is a comparison chart for VM. https://www.uscutter.com/static/PDFs/VinylMaster_Comparison.pdf Can you export a file in a universal format like EPS or SVG from your old software? If so you can open that up and cut it in the cut version. Not sure if the silhouette studio exports at all or outside of it's native proprietary file format. You can see in the chart what formats VM will import.
  8. Wildgoose

    What is wrong with my file?

    I don't think stray nodes would cause the second copy to suddenly be turned 90deg and have all that gibberish. I lean toward the memory being overloaded or perhaps static. If you can cut one just fine but two is a problem than it's probably your machine limitations. To be sure your file is ok turn the view to outline and select the whole thing and see if you can see any weird parts light up (indicating a stray node) or hidden layer that doesn't have any fill colors assigned. You can also usually see each item in the layer stack over on the side and select each item by clicking the little round button in it's layer and see what lights up. This is a pretty basic design so there should not be too many items over there. If some of them are in groups tool them open and be sure there aren't hidden items stuck in a group. I think you will see them just from going into wire frame but sometimes not.
  9. I can't remember what terms VM uses to discuss these kinds of things. The ball in question is either a 1 or 2 color object. If 2 color and the white is layered on top of a black circle then ungroup it and just use the white. If its a single color object and what appears white is actually a hole in the black circle it is a compound shape and you can usually release it which will make it a 2 layer object. Sometimes if I am unsure if something is layered or a compound (hole or "knock-out") I will create a new object and change the color and drop it down so it is on a lower layer than the object in question and drag it in behind the object to see if I can see the color show up behind it. When dealing with black and white on a white screen it can get confusing.
  10. Wildgoose

    My cutter doesn’t completely finish the cut

    I was typing the same thing when Dakota beat me to it. There is some erroneous instructions that are floating around to use half a credit card depth. That's literally about 10 times too much. Even the cheap vinyl is usually only 3 mil thick which is very nearly the same as a human hair. Too much blade out causes a surprising amount of problems and is by far the number one set up error of new users. When set correctly and cutting though the vinyl with just enough force to scratch the liner lightly you should be able to see just a touch of light between the bottom of the blade holder and the vinyl if you get down at eye level while it is cutting. If after correctly getting dialed in there is a setting in your software called "Overcut" which will drag the knife a little farther past the end of the start point. Most cutters do not need overcut if set up correctly. IF you DO use it don't get too carried away, a little bit will do it. You are basically compensating for the castor action on the blade tip so your overcut in theory should not need to ever be more than the blade offset value you used to get good square corners.
  11. OR maybe get an external optical drive. They don't cost much.
  12. Once you move the blade around you typically see the X & Y values change as you move. You need to zero that back out once you get it to the start point that you want it to be. Otherwise it still has the other origin point set and will start from the old one. I don't know your cutter to know how to reset the zero point but it will be there somewhere.
  13. Wildgoose

    Help, please!

    I concur with Sue2.
  14. Wildgoose

    mr

    Is it picking up the blade between cuts some of the time and cutting the zig sags or is the blade staying down the whole time?
  15. Another nice trick for applying application tape to your prepared graphics is to do the upside down method. Meaning that once you have cut and weeded your vinyl you roll some app tape out with the sticky side up and then gently lay the vinyl down into it face first so to speak. You typically bend or hang the vinyl in a U shape so that the center touches the sticky app tape first and ease it into it applying pressure with a squeegee to the back side of your vinyl. I tend to keep hold of one side of the vinyl and squeegee the other down before letting the other half down. Works great for small(ish) stuff up to about 36 inches if you have app tape wide enough to have some leeway in case your aim is off a little.
  16. Wildgoose

    carrier sheet on mh cutter scraps ?

    I do the same with HTV. It's extra expensive and often used for small LC work. I keep a bin that I throw all my scraps into and regularly dig in there for pieces when I need a one-off. I also agree with darcshadow that most of those can be cut just fine by adjusting the pinch rollers and not messing with the cutting mat. The mat's are rather stiff and cause about as much problems as they cure. I have a couple and use them once in a while to cut things like stencils or perhaps a piece of paper but a couple payers of app tape on the back of the vinyl will do just as well for most regular sized things.
  17. Wildgoose

    carrier sheet on mh cutter scraps ?

    Your pressure is your pressure. If it was right when you cut the original it will still be correct. Speed may need to be a little slower if you were cutting at high speeds simply because there is a lot more mass/weight flopping around.
  18. Wildgoose

    Vinyl Cutters Made in the United States

    Ioline is the only one I know of for sure. There may be others.
  19. Wildgoose

    Storage Ideas Vinyl and accessories

    I like the space saving ideas. You might consider keeping your good rolls of vinyl in plastic wraps so they don't dry out as fast. If you burn through them fast it won't matter but if you are like me and have rolls sitting for extended time it definitely helps the lifespan. HTV is less touchy that way but App tape is way way more likely to dry out and be ruined.
  20. Wildgoose

    Need Help with Oracal 651 and RTape

    When needed I use the AT65 like you have. Clear is just not that great even though some customers seem to prefer it. I usually just tell them that I'll do it but that I highly recommend a quality paper app tape so they know I didn't recommend it in the first place. I do the recommending in an email or something written that can be sent to them to remind them later because some seem to forget what you told them.
  21. Wildgoose

    MH 721-MK2 Cutting magnets?

    I think you can laser cut them. Probably need a high end laser to do that but I'm pretty sure that's one way that the cool looking fridge magnets get cut. A die cut machine could stamp them out too I would imagine. If they need to be contoured to the design it gets into part of the industry where the big dogs with deep pockets have a corner on the market.
  22. Have you heard of a bread making machine? You add the ingredients and it stirs it up and lets it rise then in the end bakes a little loaf of bread? What you are attempting is sort of like taking a bread machine and adding the ingredients for cinnamon rolls and and expecting it to come out correctly. Be a good idea to take some time and do some research about contour cuts and cutters that have optical eye's vs those that don't. It CAN be done sort of but not without some education and practice and a whole lot of patience. It IS possible to align a basic cutter to registration marks manually but it will always be less accurate. Your workflow will be something like this: #1 design the graphic, #2 add a contour line around the perimeter and registration marks, #3 print a test print, #3.1 calibrate your printer to your design software or verify the scale, #5 Print the project (or a test job) #6 load your print design into the cutter software (usually without the actual graphic, you only need the contour line and the registration marks from #2) #7 align your cutter to the registration marks (see individual cutting software for specifics), #8 attempt the cut (and hope your cutter is also in calibration with the design program.)
  23. Wildgoose

    Pinch Rollers on MH 721 not moving easily

    Oh gosh I would use some teflon dry film lubricant that won't drip and won't attract dust.
  24. Wildgoose

    New Program

    Letter may be missing a few things compared to Pro but it's better than the Cut (basic) version. https://www.uscutter.com/static/PDFs/VinylMaster_Comparison.pdf I would most definitely chose VM over sure cuts.
  25. Wildgoose

    Multi layer vinyl?

    Wet app will probably make a mess. If you were more experienced it would be different. Check out the The Parchment Trick which is sort of like using a light board to align a stack of layers or to install multiple layers in place. Another cool option is to get your hands on a nice sized piece of Gerber/3M 225 premium cast vinyl and use the clear silicon backing instead of the parchment paper for even clearer see through. I buy some of this 225 for a couple specific clients from my local sign supply house so I save all my backing for just this type of thing. If you have a lot of these to do it might be worth buying some just for the liner. I use mine up first because it's pretty expensive and the cuts do not make any issue with later transfers. Be sure the slick side it placed to the next layer because the backside is not going to release. I also use that stuff to make an occasionally light weight stencil by placing about 3 layers of regular app tape on the back as a make shift carrier and then cutting out the stencil.