Wildgoose

Super Moderators
  • Content Count

    6,513
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    293

Everything posted by Wildgoose

  1. Wildgoose

    Design software

    Have you tried creating a simple square of a given size and printing it to see if it comes out the correct size? I'd start with that and maybe it will help you nail down what's going on. Some files can have hidden objects that are outside the visible spectrum which can cause printing problems. I have the VM Pro version and just tested my size with a 50mm square. It nailed it perfectly. If you do something simple and it works then you know there is something else going on causing the problem.
  2. Wildgoose

    What to get? (Heat Press Setup)

    I would recommend this press as a budget start up machine: 15" x 15" Digital Swing Arm Heat Press (uscutter.com) I wouldn't go any smaller than 15"x 15" and I would recommend staying away from the combination options. I ditto darkshadow about a swinger vs a clam. I've had both and clams will burn you in the end (or back of hand) ha ha. You might consider a heat press pillow as well. Any time you have a set of buttons or some thick seams on garments they tend to hold the press up off the surface and can cause failure. I ran a similar press to this when I started out and got several years of service with it. I upgraded and gifted it to a friend who still uses it on hobby work. There are more expensive options to be sure and they are probably worth the money but it depends on your budget and likely use. A 16x20 machine is nice but also a bit big on smaller items so it can complicate things. I ended up upgrading to the Fusion which has interchangeable platens and its fantastic (but way high end). I upgraded when I decided that the side gig was a full on business and went for it. Good luck and I can guarantee you will have loads of fun with a heat press. Use the Siser Easyweed and Easyweed Stretch HTV. It's the best in the industry IMHO. I use the stretch for any color they carry and the regular non stretch for other colors they don't offer in the stretch. Great product. Just remember to mirror you file because you cut on the glue side. I mirror mine when I save them so I don't forget. It's easy to see that it's backwards and if I am cutting the logo in regular sign vinyl I flip it back over in the cutting software. You will under stand this stuff once you do some of it.
  3. Wildgoose

    Downloads/drivers

    I run on mac and once had the beta version of Sure cuts a lot pro (SCALP) I was unhappy with it but it IS a viable mac friendly option which are far and few between. They used to offer support at their own website. They probably still do although I am unsure to what extent. Sometimes just getting hooked up the first time can be the biggest challenge. IF you are still struggling you might give a try at a different program. SignCut Pro is what I use and they offer a free trial that you could give a shot. The best part about those guys is they actually have live tech help so if you struggle getting hooked up you can put in a support request and a tech will call you and help you. I have even had them remote into my computer to fix a couple connection issues I was having. Once you are running you will probably figure out the path to get the other pogram hooked up too and be off and running. You may find SignCut to be a better option. They used to offer a 1 year subscription with new cutter purchases which is how I got started with them. Something happened and that stopped being available from USC which is too bad IMO.
  4. Wildgoose

    Sublimation

    I used to sublimate but just couldn't make it pay well so it peetered out. 350deg is on the very bottom end of temp if I remember corretly. I did more garments and dog tags than anything but had to do some test prints at different temps and dwell time to get the colors happy. I struggled with navy blue looking good and dark. I think the more expensive gel printers may develop a bit more vibrant colors but I didn't want to invest that deep and wanted laerge format. I think mine was an Epson WF 7310 with refillable cartridges. It was an affordable way to enter the market. If I had a brink and mortar store I think it would have been worth continuing. I let my printer set too long and it plugged up and I never got it unclogged so I gave up. Glad you got it up and running.
  5. There is/was a small vietnamese resturant about a mile from my day-job office that had a lunch buffet. The poor owners had to close down due to the covid restrictions and never made it back. They attempted to do pick-up/take-out but it wasn't enough to sustain them. Among other things they had IMO the worlds best spicy ckicken and their long bean stir fry recipe was to die for. I feel bad for them and my cravings for their great food go unsatisfied.
  6. Wildgoose

    Here's a sign for your shop.

    Great font choice. Something like that speaks on a subliminal level along with the words.
  7. Wildgoose

    Oracal 751RA (RapidAir)!!! Sounds awesome!

    I finally got around to using some of the RA variant. Here are my results: #1. I grabbed the roll without looking and used it to cut some very small elements for my son-in-law. The vinyl has an interesting grid/crosshatch built into it that may or may not disappear with time. I think it has some relation to the adhesive that has the same pattern and allows air to get out from under when installing. For small work I would not recommend the RA. We got it done but it was a sketchy thing trying to keep small elements in place while weeding. #2. I used some of this as a cover layer on some Dibond signboard. It worked great and I could definitely see a difference from what you would ordinarily see if you messed up with the squeegee and created a bubble. So I would say for regular sized jobs and large coverage areas this is a good product with benefits from the air release adhesive. It's still a thin cast product requiring transfer tape (I tried without like wrap vinyl) and will stretch if unsupported, so don't skip this step if using it for solid cover.
  8. I was online ordering some HTV and needed to replenish my sign vinyl in black. I noticed that USCutter is carrying some of the RapidAir Technology variant and decided to give it a go. I don't have a job for this yet but black stuff comes along fairly often. I will return and do a product evaluation as soon as I get a job for this.
  9. Wildgoose

    MH365 plots a wonky path

    Way to end the year being a jerk slice. He did exactly what we ask people to do. Come back with results so other people can learn from their experience. Just because Ubuntu is an out of mainstream option is no reason to berate him, it's pretty cool to see it be functional for technically savvy users. ditto - your experience is great help for the rare Ubuntu user that comes along. If you stick around or stop by from time to time you may be able to help others. I appreciate Ubuntu users (tried it myself for a while but am not computer literate enough to work through the issues.) I run on a mach system which in the cutter community is an oddity as well. most do use windows based programs. ArtCut is a nice (free) option and impressive that it is multi-platform compatible.
  10. Wildgoose

    Ready for a new Machine!!

    I have a Summa in 30". Or are you talking specifically 34"?
  11. Wildgoose

    A New Venture

    Welcome from across the country in Idaho. I agree with revious comments. Proper set-up (or rather the LACK of it) causes 99% of new user issues. Hand setting the blade depth like Skeeter explained is the first and most important, then dial in your pressure from a low number by small steps like 5g each step until it is cutting through the vinyl and just lightly making a mark on the carrier sheet. I usually suggest a speed setting at around 1/4 to 1/3 the may speed your machine is supposed to be capable of. If that max is 1000 mm/sec then 250 to 300 mm/sec I think most people run around the 170 to 200 mark. I even run that slow on my $3500 machine. going faster doesn't make the cut more accurate. In similar fasion going at the slowes speed may not yield the best results either. Just a nice consistent speed that will pull the blade around corners well.
  12. I concur. But by that same token it is also a bit of a old wives tale about the 60deg being so much better. There are also trade-offs with them also being easier to break a tip. I use a Summa and the standard factory blade is only 36deg. I can tell you from experience that I can cut basically every bit as small with the 36 as I can with a 60. Now, when it comes to thickness the 36 is limited and as you work into thicker materials the amount of blade shoved into the cut does in fact come into play and will mess around more in extreme corners. But for basic 2 and 3 mil vinyl you are probably good to go with whatever you want. I'd try both and see if you find any difference. I DO wholeheartedly support the vote for Clean Cut blades, they will outlast the cheaper blades. A quality blade TAKEN CARE OF meaning staying out of your cutting strip will give you at least 6 months of regular cutting. I have been running on the same blade for 14 months.(summa blade but similar quality as the CC) So long that I misplaced my stash of new ones and I started to get worried and ended up ordering some new ones Ha ha. The others will turn up but we moved last year and I haven't found them yet. I like you am a AI designer and no there isn't really anything that can be done in other design programs that is missing in AI. They used to have one over on Illustrator by being able to do true block shadows but with the new updates Illustrator made to let that happen it's as good as it gets. I used to have to build those manually and it was a bit more time consuming. I DO agree with people that Illustrator is a bear to master, sort of like learning a reverse polish calculator I guess. But once you figure it out I really have no desire to spend time on other programs. I am a Mac guy and I use Sign Cut Pro 1 which is outdated and hard to even find these days. I own a dongle that I paid a few hundred for about 10 years ago so no subscription fees. It's a bare bones cutter interface but has most of the cutting bells and whistles that the highest versions of the others have. It works on both platforms (Mac and windows) which comes in handy sometimes but you have to own a dongle to quickly change between computers. They have Pro 2 out now and if my dongle ever dies I'll probably consider going to that upgraded version.
  13. Wildgoose

    Font & Softwares ...

    I think she means that by the time she gets them to be the same size the font point size (like 12pt or 24pt) are drastically different. human, I have seen similar between programs so I suspect it's something within one or both programs and how they interpret the data to produce the text. For instance when I had my beta version of SCALP it was set up to cut from live text without having to do any outlining compared to SignCut Pro which expects that to be done ahead of time. Similarly I have an embroidery digitizing program and within that you start with a basic font size such as 1.00 which is a true inch height in that program and then if you want to you can grab the handles and stretch it or compress it to fit a given size constraint yet the program still considers this the 1.00 even though it may actually have been heavily modified. I have to be careful when doing this that I go back and actually type new text for the next file if I am building personalized names or something because if I just erase the letters and change the name for the new file they will retain that morphed size. Not the same thing you are seeing but shows that programs may treat font size and other characters differently within their circle of influence.
  14. Wildgoose

    Need help......again

    My pleasure. That font is a commercial font and may be hard to find a free version. At least you know the correct one and can offer it at whatever price it comes in at or a cheaper alternative if they don't want to pay to match exactly. The other cool part about the program is it gives you a list of close fonts in order of percent matching and really helps finding a similar font.
  15. Wildgoose

    Need help......again

    The font is 4BigMedicineDNA (regular *Oblique) [SignDNA / (Commercial)] If you plan to do this kind of work often you should consider buying the Find-My-Font program. Probably one of the best bang for the buck programs available. I even use it on my own files sometimes when I can't remember which of my many fonts I used to create something. It's about $50 last time I bought it. Also, there are tricks to utilizing font search software. The one you posed was so washed out that it wouldn't work as it was. I picked the most distinguishing letter (in this case the P) and traced it out so it was clean, then screen shot the trace and used that for the search... whalla we have the correct font.
  16. You might also double check that there is no "play" in the grit roller. I have heard of some cutters (don't recall the specific cutter model) occasionally having a set screw get loose and allowing some play from forward to back etc... This could account for a gap.
  17. I agree with Slice that many letters are not the same height. I think I read somewhere that usually the height is associated with Capital A but can't confirm this. I always use a box the size I want my text to double check regardless of settings. Most font's have letters that are different heights slightly and I have sometimes adjusted them thinking it would look better but it usually makes them look slightly off. Those people who build fonts know their stuff and visually appealing does not always = exactness. Sort of similar to how some words look better when visually centered vs exactly centered when in stacked word art. There ARE fonts that run true such as M54 jersey fonts etc... but most have some minor height differences that make little difference in the end.
  18. Wildgoose

    printing

    Vinyl Master Pro will for sure.
  19. Wildgoose

    SummaCut D60 loading 6 inch width vinyl help?

    In this pic you reposted they have the left one moved off the detent position and that's most likely the problem. Left set and the right slides. Your question about the cutting head is valid if the cutter is turned on in this pic because it will move over, self check and then park just inside the right roller. It could be the angle of the shot because one of the other I couldn't see the pics roller due to the carriage head being where it should be. Perhaps they shut it off and pushed the head over?
  20. Wildgoose

    SummaCut D60 loading 6 inch width vinyl help?

    Thinking about it I realized I may have given you bad info. My brain was not engaged fully. On small pieces the LEFT pinch roller will be locked in it's detent position and the right side will slide to make the width work. Similar to if you have a 20" wide roll or any other sized full width rolls the left side goes out to the approximate width and the right side will then adjust within that 6" wide grit area to accomodate the exact width of the vinyl. Sorry to state that backwards and probably caused you additional frustration. I think any errors you are getting is probably from not having the left side in the detent and the auto-measure (called Polling) is getting confused.
  21. Before I started using plastisol screen print transfers I did many many left chest sized HTV copies and often set my Summa to run as I went to bed. It would cut a whole roll through the night (a couple times a whole 50yd roll) and be waiting there for me when I got up. I get smart later and only pull that sort of thing in dire emegencies now that I have found out about the plastisol option but I get the OP's point about letting it work while you're taking a break.
  22. Wildgoose

    SummaCut D60 loading 6 inch width vinyl help?

    I can't see the far right pinch wheel. Be sure that it is in it's detent position. There is a definite spot and sort of a click sound very faint. Once it's in the corret spot then you slide the left one over until you are on the vinyl. Your left pinch roller is close to the edge but within tolerance that I use when cutting on scraps. You can cut down to about a 2" wide piece. As to it not scanning you probably have a sensor out. I've never had mine do that so I can't give you much help on that specifically. Summa offers free live tech support regardless of who owns their products. Look them up and give them a call. They are wonderful. On a side note perhaps you are using a broken blade or too much cutting force which can cause the smaller peice to react weird. Could be some gunk built up on the grit roller underneath. Summa recomends yearly cleaning with a soft plastic bristle brush. I find a stiff toothbrush works great to kind of sweep out any debris that finds it way into the roller. That particular vinyl appears to be quite stiff. Summa's usually squish a substantial track into the vinyl when clamped down. If you are having to run some higher cutting force to get through it that could be some of the reason as mentioned. If possible it's better to leave a little more sticking out past the roller (like about 1/2"). There is a spot in the machine control that will let you turn off the width sensor and some people do this but I like having it measure the width. Summ's strong pressure ususally renders the vinyl unsuable from the roller out so having a known measurement is key to making sure the whole thing gets cut. Also your D60 is a 30" machine (same as mine) and typically come with just two pinh rollers but sometimes if people are cutting heavy materials they add a third middle pinch roller which have lighter pressure and reduce the smallest possible width by a couple inches. If your machine has three you wil have to use all three.
  23. Wildgoose

    Help with transferring over to imark plus 1.0

    I use Illustrator but not for print work, or at least not for production print work. I would think the magenta special lines probably need to be on a separate layer. Have you tried that? Your I-MARK software should give you specific instructions. Another possible issue could be the I-MARK software was designed for a certain version of Illustrator. My cutting software prefers Illustrator version 8 which is older and simpler than the new higher tech versions. For instance Version 8 does not support multiple art boards. You can save your work in older legacy versions within the program by using "save as" and when it comes to the screen that lets you choose the .ai format (as opposed to PDF or EPS etc.) you will toggle open the drop menu and choose an older version. There is likely something along those lines to look for.
  24. Wildgoose

    Customer service

    Sounds like you're a man of many cutters!
  25. Most of us were in your shoes at some point and understand the frustration when it seems like inanimate objects have conspired against you. At some point you will look back and wonder why it seemed so hard to get to work right. My niece has a cricuit and there are some things that it does better than what we here on the forum consider a "real cutter". Such as craft paper on the little cutting board they have. But once you're used to the real thing you won't go back. I have turned my activities into a part time business and so at the moment I use mine to make money, but I can tell you I doubt I will EVER have a future that does NOT have a cutter tucked over in a corner somewhere. Their just too much fun and too handy for all sorts of nik-naks that I don't see myself without one ever again.