slice&dice

You don’t only have to use designs from the Design Space store. You can either create your own SVG files (within Inkscape, an open-source program), or use other free SVG files which can be found all over the internet.

When I'm sending a file for printing at an online producer (banner or vinyl decal), I upload a pdf. ZooPrinting is one of the largest suppliers of large-format output and they say --- "File Preparation -- In order to ensure your files are print-ready, we recommend that you upload them in PDF format. ----- If you are uploading PDF files created in Photoshop, please be sure all layers are flattened. We also accept .JPG (JPEG), .EPS and .TIF (TIFF) file types, however PDF is the preferred format. --- Use the CMYK colorspace (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, blacK). These are industry standard printing colors. CMYK colors are different than RGB (Red, Green, Blue), which are used to display colors on your screen. Use a minimum resolution of 150 dpi at 100% size for image files. Specify trim area with crop marks. (Don't place crop marks inside the work area.) Artwork should have 1/8" (0.125") bleed extending past the trim line. This is to prevent minor cutting variations from leaving unintended results at the trim edge. Safe Area is the 1 1/4" (1.25") area inside the trim line. Do not put critical information or images within the Safe Area. This is to prevent minor cutting variations from leaving unintended results at the trim edge. If you want printed borders, they must be placed a minimum of 1/8" (0.125") inside the trim line and include bleed. This is to prevent minor cutting variations from leaving unintended results at the trim edge.

No mechanics I've run across will do that. In fact, the markup on parts is a major element of what keeps their business alive.

You need to profit from the shirts, too. If you owned a car mechanic garage, would you agree to just replacing parts that customers bring to you (they ordered cheaper from RockAuto online)?

Double-check to make sure the bracket arm is not cracked (broken). The MH cutters are notorious for having that arm snap due to over-tightening pressure of the knurled knob/locking nut.

The long-awaited addition to the USCUTTER plotter machine models, the LP3, is now headed out to early-adopters. If YOU just got an LP3, how do you feel about it? Impressions? Overall ease of use? Good value? This thread is open for those who are thinking of purchasing the LP3, as well as feedback from folks who jumped-in and ordered already and are now using theirs.

Get yours now! LP3 is shipping. $600 for the 24" and $700 for the 30" and $800 for the 48" (53)

USCutter is apparently getting ready to introduce an upgraded LaserPoint 3 ---- the ordering webpage is being created, although nothing shows up there yet. (no photos, no details). Anyway, it's on the way, probably soon.

Ooooh, Sue, that's a great font match ! I downloaded the font; it's very pretty and I'll keep Trajan in mind when needed. By the way, jZorn, remember to KERN your text apart just as in the example you provided.

The long line is a Separator. SignBlazer software includes an assortment of them within the graphics Library (DRAW menu - Library - Design Elements - Separators 1, 2 and 3) The things around the 'AND' could be considered "Flourishes" ? That's what I would define them as.

Yep. Whenever encountering a business owner, I talk to them about needing signs. Just going into a restaurant for lunch, I'll mention that they can put up a decal with their hours on the window or door, or a decal with their website, or hang a banner for a seasonal promotion, or perhaps a wayfinder sign for their restrooms, etc. etc. I was buying a slice of pizza at another place (different than the one above. Hey, I eat a lot of pizza during the month, what can I tell ya, it's my weakness) and noticed there was a great 2'x8' space on the fence out front, and suggested putting up a banner. End result? $100. in my pocket and a Home-Run Special provided in the bargain.

Darn it, I was hoping to get the new LP3 unit when it became available for sale, but since I sold my MH last week, I'm sitting here without a cutter at all. Some jobs are drifting in (even though I moved out of my storefront location, some repeat clients want things done, and I'll be able to accomplish them in my garage in the meantime) and I bit the bullet and ordered the SC2. I also added the optional Media Basket with my order, since I do long jobs (for banners) and I like to keep the vinyl off the floor. With shipping and the 34" SC3 Sale Price with the catch-basket kit, my order came out to $420. (I have 3 jobs now pending for more than that!) Once again, USCUTTER comes through.

Hi Steven, welcome. First of all, let's just slow down, take a deep breath, and approach this logically and calmly. We can start with grammatical accuracy and an overall professional attitude. This may seem like quibbling, but using properly punctuated sentences, adding capitalization when appropriate and communicating in a manner that is business-like, goes a long way towards showing your clients that you know a thing or two about a thing or two, and thus, making money in this enterprise. Beyond that, when you post here we cannot see or imagine anything you are doing at your end, so please describe things in a step-by-step fashion, pointing out what exactly is happening, or not happening, and provide as many details as you can. That would include offering actual files of jobs that you're getting stuck on. OK, with that housekeeping introduction out of the way ---- Have you gotten the cutter to work properly using the simple file that dakota offered you to try?? That is an example of graphic an MH cutter handles well, and I suspect that you're trying to achieve something beyond the basic work that beginners (newbies) should be attempting right from the get-go. This thread is less than 12-hours old, and in order for you to progress towards resolution of your problem, you'll have to make an effort to clarify what exactly is going on.

Dakota, it's sweeeeet. I like it a lot, cuts fast (compared to the MH) and much quieter. Not graphtec quiet, but certainly quiet enough for my needs and budget! BTW, I used paypal and they gave me 6-months' No Interest credit terms to buy this equipment. In other words, until September, my intention is to create signs and banners and decals and magnets and earn $$$ to pay this off, while not a penny came out of my own pocket up front.

A few years back, I owned an SC machine. It was manufactured with the set-screw on the back rail in the wrong position, so that when sliding the pinch-roller assembly over to hit that stopper, the rubber wheel would not be in contact with the lower grit roller. At the time, I created a thread here about this issue, and also called it to the attention of USCUTTER so they could contact their people in China and have factory engineers fix the problem. Well, guess what? Today I got their Brand New Improved SC2, and it has this same defect. I kid you not. So, I took out my electric drill, made a new hole (1.25" over) and put the screw in position where it belongs. Now, when the roller assembly is moved over to that stopper, the wheel remains in contact with the grit roller up front. Anyone who owns the SC2 should be aware of this, because if you slide the right-hand spring-loaded wheel all the way over to the end of the rail where the factory places the screw, it won't hold your vinyl properly and it'll scrunch up or not feed properly. And so it goes...

David, After running the cutter with VinylMaster, it also waits for the entire design to trace/load into memory, before starting to cut. It seems that the onboard processor is "holding" until the entire job has been transferred. This is apparently not related to any cutting software settings, since it does the same thing with both SB and VM.

Indeed there is, but although this was selected, the machine waits for the entire job trace to complete before responding. I tried messing with the baud rate (upped it from 9600 to 14400) and that speeds up the data feed time, but the machine continues to wait for the total design. My next troubleshooting step would be to install VinylMaster software and see if that changes the way the machine behaves.

*UPDATED* So, when using the SC2 cutter, running SignBlazer, I notice that when sending the job to Cut, it doesn't start right away and let the data flow along while it's cutting, but rather the entire job has to trace and finish feeding into the machine before the cutting head starts moving. This doesn't seem normal (certainly my MH never waited like that). Any ideas?

Yes, the SC2 is a very nice unit. Smooth, fast, relatively quiet. (The serial cable included was not a Null Modem DB9 cable, so it doesn't communicate, but I'm using the USB in the meantime and have a support ticket in to get them to send me a null cable). I'm already producing the work that was waiting, and I am very glad this machine got here finally (delayed by UPS for two extra days due to severe weather snowfall in this area, so the delivery truck couldn't make it out here).

Just measure it yourself, it should be 32.5mm according to the specs of this eBay ad. item 161683840725

I would take apart the bracket arm that holds the pen/blade and examine it closely to see if it's not cracked. That is actually a common thing on the MH units, and is often overlooked. (overtightening the knurled knob will crack it)

Keep in mind that blade holders have very precise measurements -- distance from the bottom tip to the retainer ring is what you need to verify. Check yours for the specifics of the MH type. Also, check your bracket/holder arm and make sure it's not cracked. They have a tendency to break when you overtighten the knurled knob --- you have to look really closely to see the fracture (take it apart and examine it off the machine).

You can take a 9volt (square) battery and use some wires to connect it with the leads on the solenoid, if it JUMPS, then you know the issue is not a dead cutting head unit, but is rather just the Z chip. And if it's the Z chip, on your machine, that's not going to be so easy to track down and replace. (On the older MH machines, it was actually a really easy thing to do, the Z chip was not soldered in, but inserted into a receptacle port on the motherboard, and user-replaceable, for $5.)

Now I'm wondering what happened with Beeson !!

What program is native for a vDoc file? Google says Superior SQL Builder. EDIT -- nevermind, it's a VinylMaster proprietary file format.