slice&dice

Since you've already made profitable use from these machines over the years, perhaps just consider donating them to a local high school graphics arts department? Pay it forward.

" weird noise " -- like a grinding noise? Motherboard.

Motherboard.

RIch, that was nice of you. It's good to have a URL that's stable for the download, since as you see in this 14-page thread, over the years so many hosts have come and gone. Between the one you just linked and that MediaFire repository I've created, they should stay available for a while to anyone requiring the program. I noticed you renamed the file to "7" which is smart. Although it shows up as v.6 during installation, after it's opened, the HELP/About menu will refer as v.7.0.0 which was added by whoever applied the 'crack' to get rid of the start-up screens. As far as copyright, it was held by Jerry Bonham (R.I.P.) under his company ColorChrome PTY, Ltd., which no longer exists. Back in 2009 there was some talk about legal wrangling for those rights, but AFAIK, nothing ever came of it. As noted in my post, the biggest problem people will face when trying to download & install is their antivirus getting alerted. It's not a "trojan" or harmful, but it will appear like the kiss of death to those danger-scanning softwares. You may be accused of trying to spread a malicious file, although that's not true. That is the #1 issue with doing what you're doing, and it may even be the answer why USCUTTER stopped hosting the installer. Anyway, good to see ya, and yes, I recall you from way back! I've been around here for a decade now, when I first started my signmaking career with SignBlazer, and still use it.

USCUTTER has disabled their directory/archive containing the SBE software and the user manual. The company has a business arrangement with supported VM software (as noted by Mz. Skeeter above) so they've decided that offering a 'Free" program for download is a conflict of interests (and may even be a contractual violation with regards to FutureCorp., the maker of VinylMaster) Anyway, I do not want to continually keep attaching the .exe download to a multitude of posts and clog up server space with it on these Forums. For one thing, if USCUTTER doesn't desire to offer it, then by extension, this is their domain, and I have no intention of going against their wishes, whatever their rationale is for making that decision to pull it from accessibility on their support pages. Secondly, the installer file itself is problematic from a purely technical standpoint, because of the code it contains to bypass the Registration and "Nag" screens at startup (since there's no way to register it, someone 'cracked' the installer file to bypass the countdown, but as a result, now the file will show up as having a "trojan or malicious code" when it's inspected by Windows Defender or 3rd-party antivirus protection schemes). In other words, people who try to download or install SignBlazer will encounter a warning not to do so, because of the way that file now reads as a threat. If you are still willing to obtain a copy of SBE, and understand all of the forementioned, then go to this post wherein the file was attached and can be accessed (34MB). EDIT: The file will not be allowed to be attached within a posting here on this Forum server, it's too large. Let me try to offer it using MediaFire. https://www.mediafire.com/file/fjk69hgu2cpnr16/signblazer_setup.exe/file Hopefully that works for you?

It's good to see the Forums back up & running. While the server was inaccessible, I even managed to accomplish some work, instead of spending time here! Shave and a haircut, 2 bits. https://youtube.com/shorts/dxU-SgOtVSM

Carbon Steel blades are not going to 'wear down' with infinitesimal contact against vinyl. I have the same original blade running in my SC2 since day one, years ago. Never changed downforce. It's possible your blade tip is broken, have you put in a new CleanCut blade?

Highly suggest you open a support ticket with FutureCorp directly, give them a chance to troubleshoot you on this.

Hi, that was a nice response, the guys who are Font Gurus around here certainly are good. One thing to mention, when using a script font like this, that kinda overlaps/connects letters, make sure you WELD before cutting, to eliminate the intersections being cut out.

Just rotate the entire cutting machine around. No seriously, how are you connected to the computer? USB? Give us some more details, we're not sitting there in the room with you.

There are printing companies who will run stickers for you all day long, as many or as few as you require. Try ZooPrinting, they have many options for printed sticker (labels) work, even low-volume. Vinyl Labels are adhesive-backed vinyl printed in full color on one side of 4 mil permanent adhesive. Vinyl Labels come in a range of sizes, starting from 12" x 12'" for $9 plus shipping.

Well, besides suggesting that google is your friend, the 'concept of kerning' is simple to explain -- adjusting the spacing between letters, so that they appear proportionally correct in relation to each other. In the example of the word WINSTON above, the 'I' should kinda 'nest' or be nudged closer under the overhang of the 'W' and not be all the way out there that far. Design software has controls available for setting the kerning. Alternatively, you can literally just make letters/text into objects, and move them manually. (Which the WINSTON example above probably requires). HELP menu is a useful thing in any software, it provides ways to get things done.

MrsYee, there's always a learning curve when getting up to speed on new design software. The upside is that you have a program with lots of advantages, plenty of different options, and a great built-in graphics Library. Stick to it, and post here as you go along with tips, tricks, advice and ideas for others who are using VinylMaster. Your participation in the Forums is certainly welcome.

What about drawing a shape (rectangle?) that covers the selected area of this window? Then, bring in your flag graphic, and size it to that. When I'm doing work on store windows (decals), this is my method. I take a head-on photo of the store, and make sure I know the dimensions of something specific in the photo (the width of the glass door, for instance). In my design program, I'll import the picture, and then draw a rectangle over it at the proper size of that measurement, and enlarge the image to match that drawn box (resulting in a 100% full-sized scale of the storefront) which allows me to then design a decal to fit.

Appears that blade is not spinning freely. Try a new blade holder, that is the only thing I can think of.

Now that you have a working cutter, it will be easier to sell it to someone else. Getting rid of this cutter and getting a better one sounds like a good option at this point.

Getting rid of this cutter and getting a better one sounds like a good option at this point.

Elimination of static charge is a step in the right direction. I just stuff the dryer sheets(s) into one end, and anti-static spray is available at walMart or Target, or Grainger or Amazon or ULine. Drilling a new hole is a good idea, yes. Not sure about the effectiveness of the metallic string in that kit, but it can't hurt anything! If you do decide to order it, bundle other items like squeegees, app tape, vinyl, weed tool, knife, blank banners, whatever -- to offset the cost of the USCUTTER flat rate shipping. Best of luck, and doing an upgrade in cutters to a servo unit usually is a worthwhile investment anyway.

Always use dryer sheets inserted into the ends of the cardboard tubes (vinyl rolls). Spray anti-static. Avoid placing the equipment onto carpeting. Dry air conditions are not good (a room with an a/c operating, for example), use a humidifier. Make sure the ground wire is touching bare metal on the stand, not just the powder-coated surface. There is also an anti-static kit sold by USCUTTER --- https://uscutter.com/Anit-Static-Kit-for-Vinyl-Cutters

Cool, another win for Jerry Bonham, from the Great Beyond!

Wow, this is strange, SignBlazer is vanishing from the public domain. As abandonware, it's not supported and USCUTTER has apprently decided to no longer host the file. The 34MB installer cannot be attached here, it's too large for the Forum server to handle.

Darn it, apparently USCUTTER has cut off server access to that download. (it's not supported by USCUTTER, they do not have any relation to that software anymore).

You need this done, so maybe just use SignBlazer Elements, and just follow the steps like I showed. (Export your design as .eps from VM, Import to SBE, do the 'white box welding' and then re-Export for use/cut in VM) Sometimes, a workaround is necessary when you get stuck not knowing what to do in one program, there are alternatives.

I used to have it on a laptop computer that went kaput. Never went through the process to have it unregistered, nor reinstalled into my current machine. I find myself perfectly fine with SBE, providing what I need, which is text-based signage. Every once in a while I miss VM for the vector engine quality, but have gotten along with Inkscape's Convert To Path feature.

I went ahead and produced a short screencapture video showing what I did in SignBlazer, have no idea how to accomplish this same thing in VM. bandicam 2022-06-23 11-43-48-301.avi