Monkeywithumbs

I know this starts out like soooo many other posts, but, please, stick with me In order to use my laptop for cutting, I had to get a usb to serial adaptor 'cause even though my ctn630 has a usb port, I could never get it to work. My adaptor arrived fresh from Hong Kong, hooked it up, installed driver that came with cable, set SB port accordingly and whala! It freakin' worked! Oh my, happy moment!.. I then unplugged cable and tried to push my luck by using a usb extension for more range (I'm just greedy like that) I plugged it back in and windows "new hardware found" prompt came up again telling me to install the driver for the new adaptor again. Thinking my greed was getting the best of me, I removed the extension and went direct again. Same prompt. Reinstalled the driver, and all was well again. Unplugged and re plugged the cable again and "new hardware found" prompt came up again! Very interesting, I thought. Maybe in HK, they just keep their driver disks in their drives and install them every time they want to use something. That seems highly impractical, especially for the Chinese. Anyone know how to get the driver to stick? Am I in some sort of very, very bad "Groundhog Day" sequal or did I just get what I paid for? I dunno, the cable came from the same hemisphere and relative price range as my cutter which I have been very, very happy with and still am, matter of fact! Thanks in advance! MWT

Duh.

Hey everybody! Now this is just, ahem..."hypothetically" speaking. Let's pretend that one made a sign with cheap vinyl applied on top of plywood painted with exterior, latex semi-gloss paint. Would the chances in hell of the vinyl sticking be increased at all by applying a layer of clear (cheap) vinyl over the whole sign? I realize that the clear has to stick as well, but it will have much more adhesive surface area with which to cling on for dear life with. Ooh, or what about spraying a clear coat from a rattle can? Any thoughts? BTW, I do have airbrushes and am considering the masking approach (I just happen to have some yellow Avery mask), although the time investment would be more than double, I would reckon. Hypothetically, of course Thanks! P.S. I am a house painter by trade. Go figure. "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten." :-

Hello all, I would like to use my laptop to cut with. It only has usb ports while my Creation P-Cut only has serial and has ran FLAWLESSLY (knock on wood) from my desktop for a good while now. I remember having the typical set-up issues, but not a glitch since. I am a bit hesitant to switch due to the fact that SB will only let you cut from one computer (which I understand) and in order to switch the cutter, I believe I will have to transfer SB. I truly wish that I could run SB on both machines. Am I safe in assuming that I can always just switch SB back if I have too many problems? I have read that the keyspan usb-serial converter is recommended, but someone said that they got a "cheapo" off of ebay and it was working ok. Is it still? I pretty much believe that you get what you pay for, but my P-Cut has been a definite exception to that rule (knock on wood). Thanks in advance for any help that may be given. I must say that this is the best forum that I have ever subscribed to, on any topic, as far as the members and the administrators willingness to help others goes. Period. You guys are amazing.

I had been using an old pick that I had laying around for awhile and it worked great. The point was a bit blunted, so I bought a couple new Craftsman picks (with padded grips) and did not like how sharp they were at all! I went back to my old trusty. I will just file the tip off of the new ones because they just grab too much of the backer while the duller one lifts the vinyl right off. Just a hint, if anyone can use it. I read somewhere to use a x-acto knife to weed, so I tried it......yea right.

See if this attaches ...lol

This is what I use the back of my cards for. I call it an "APPOINTMENT MINDER" Gives people a place to jot down notes and stuff that's always directly connected to me

Thanks for the help! Wildstyle, do you mean actually flip the whole thing over and peel the backing paper from the tape as opposed to visa-versa, or just turn it upside down? I definitely need to up the tack rating...lol. What makes me wonder is how it works fine for the one roll of royal blue vinyl that I have but not for the other 12 rolls...lol...I do have some Avery yellow paint mask that I bought from a local sign shop that I will try. I'm sure Avery makes a good product.?? China markers-excellent! Dakota- I am a house painter so I just may have a lot of tape here shortly (4 LARGE rolls) Shame I don't really use tape that often when I paint. I'm sure I get what I pay for, but transfer tape can be quite expensive for a hobbyist So a "real" squeegee wouldn't make that much difference? Today I made some home made wet app solution from a recipe I found in here. It seemed to work a little better, but I still have to get the vinyl onto the transfer tape! I did like having the luxury of being able to move the work around but I still have some to learn when it's time to remove the tape. I think that is where a squeegee might help. What's the deal with the felt ones? Are the just for window tinting?? So much to learn, but that's what it's all about for a noob, right? I'm really enjoying it for now (it's not my JOB, that's why) In a year or so, I hope to be good enough to make some $$ doing this (20 years of painting houses is quite long enough, thank you very much!)

I am having trouble getting the vinyl to adhere to the transfer tape. I think it may be due to the (cheap!) vinyl that I got off of e bay because I don't have the problem with another roll of vinyl that I also bought off of ebay, but from a different seller. The tape is 12" paper type -also cheap ebay stuff I am wondering if there is a trick such as letting it set-up for awhile or to use a a proper squeegee (now I am using an 8" window squeegee and a pvc ID card...lol). Should I buy some "real" squeegees and if so, what are the best kind to get? I am thinking 3m with teflon sleeves? Also, is there a pencil or pen that is good for marking on vehicles with that will come off easily? Thanks in advance!

Well, I've been using print shop (newer version) A LOT for the past year or so as opposed to the 3 weeks (or so) I've had SB elements...lol. I can see the potential in SB, it's just an obscure interface to me still. I am having a lot of fun with my new Creation PCUT. I find that the serial connection is more stable than the usb. [move][glow=red,2,300]Just wanted to use the marquee!! Very cool![/glow][/move]

Anybody else into Print Shop? It's very user friendly (for me, anyway). The text design and layout is much easier than SB and they can all be saved as a .wmf, either in parts or in their entirety.