darcshadow

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Everything posted by darcshadow

  1. You have a 3rd mouse you could try? It's unlikely, but possible that both your mice have a hardware problem. Or try both your mice on a different computer.
  2. Does it work on other programs? Could be a setting issue with your browser some place.
  3. darcshadow

    Bikemike's picture thread

    I maybe wrong and others can correct me, but I don't believe there are vinyls designed for heat transfer to non fabric materials. If you're putting a decal on a mug/glass, standard vinyl is what you'd use. You maybe getting confused with sublimation, which uses heat to transfer a printed image to a mug.
  4. darcshadow

    Need help

    One suggestion from a design standpoint, I'd use a script font so that the heartbeat line flows as one continuous line.
  5. darcshadow

    Need some help with an image please!

    What program are you using to vector? This image shouldn't be hard to do and I did a quick test using Inkscape and the autotrace came back with a pretty good result.
  6. darcshadow

    Is the MH machines worth it?

    Had to look it up, no, not much, just a few little things.
  7. Having the thick black areas between the colors helps as well since a minor misalignment will not be as noticeable $45 sounds about right to me.
  8. darcshadow

    Is the MH machines worth it?

    It's just terminology really. The "science" behind a lot of stuff is actually pretty basic. The Engineering is where it gets complicated. The science at the core of a Titan V is the same as that of a bottle rocket. The engineering of the Titan V is amazing.
  9. darcshadow

    Is the MH machines worth it?

    The rocket part is simply a controlled expansion of gasses directed out of a nozzle. Think bottle rocket. The science for it is pretty basic, just a simple chemical reaction. The term rocket science has become inaccurately associated with all things rocket. It'd be like if you called everything associated with building and flying a jet airplane Jet Science.
  10. To be clear, Inkscape can be used for cutting, but it was not designed for cutting. I started out using signblazer for everything but it just wasn't up to the task of some of the things I wanted in terms of design. Inkscape was free and can do some very complex operations so I started playing around with it for the design, then save it off and import it into signblazer. The down side of signblazer is that it does not have an over cut option and with the MH cutter, you need an over cut option. Turns out, Inkscape has a basic cut ability, and it has an over cut option so I switch to using Inkscape for design and cutting and for me, it has worked great.
  11. darcshadow

    Is the MH machines worth it?

    That statement always makes me chuckle. The actual science behind a rocket is not complicated, it's the mechanical, aeronautical, and electrical engineering to make a rocket fly and hit the target that is the hard part. Anyone can make a rocket, controlling where it goes is a whole different story.
  12. You probably don't want to store you vinyl in the garage. Vinyl has a pretty narrow temperature range for storage. I think something like 65-75. You'd have to check the MSDS sheet for the vinyl you have.
  13. darcshadow

    Is the MH machines worth it?

    Inkscape is a decent design software and best of all it's free.
  14. darcshadow

    Is the MH machines worth it?

    Yeah, the MH can cut just about any scrap size. The pinch rollers can be moved easily to hold quite small pieces. I've had mine for about 6 years. From what I've read on here the SC model is a step up from the MH, and it is what most on here recommend as an entry level machine. I get my vinyl from USCutter. I started with the sample pack of Greenstar but buy oracal anytime I need more. I use 651 for most everything I do and have not had any issues with it. But if you're doing larger decals for outside use 751 or 951 are quite a bit better, in terms of lifespan. It is also easier to work with and conforms to curves easier than 651.
  15. darcshadow

    Is the MH machines worth it?

    I have a MH and while it is the bottom of the barrel, it works quite well for me. I too just do like things here and there not a real business. The majority of what I do could probably be done on a 12" machine, but it's really nice to have the option of running something bigger when needed. It is also easier/less hassle buying vinyl for a 24" machine. 24" rolls of vinyl are pretty standard. The MH does take some learning and tweaking to get to cut small detail well so if you're planning on doing small stuff with lots of detail the MH is not a good choice.
  16. darcshadow

    Scaling and Artboard Help

    Wonder what the reasoning/logic is behind limiting the design space size. A 1x1" vector uses the same amount of memory as a vector 1x1 mile in size.
  17. darcshadow

    Activation

    And, while I know it sucks to pay for something and not have it work correctly, you could always give a different piece of software a try. Signblazer, is old and no longer supported, but it's free and works surprisingly well given it's age.
  18. You might try running it on a serial cable. As stated, the cutter doesn't have much memory, but in theory anyway, the amount of memory shouldn't really matter if you have the comms are working correctly. The memory is basically just a buffer to allow the computer to send the data to the cutter faster than it is able to cut. So in theory, once the cut is done, the memory should be clear and you should be able to cut again. I do this all the time with no problems using the cut function in Inkscape. From my time here on the boards though it sounds like I am the one off as lots of people report problems and resetting the machine/clearing the memory is what fixes their problem. Personally I suspect resetting the machine is fixing a different problem and everyone just accredits it to a memory problem.
  19. darcshadow

    Poorly cut

    That looks like way too much blade. For normal vinyl anyway, you can only just barely see the blade. I also agree with haumana, that cut doesn't look like the blade is rotating. I suppose it could possible that is caused by too much blade exposure and too much pressure. Look for Mz. Skeeter's posts on how to set correct blade height and start from there.
  20. darcshadow

    Is it the app tape or is it the vinyl?

    I drove the road to Hana back in '11. Man was that fun, only down side was the wife being with me I couldn't drive like I really wanted to. I was doing the speed limit or below the entire drive and she still complained I was driving too fast.
  21. darcshadow

    Vinyl catches on edge

    Some times the simplest solutions are overlooked the easiest.
  22. darcshadow

    Connecting Segments

    Overcut could explain not closing the cut fully, but if the egg is a solid path the cutter/software shouldn't be cutting it segments.
  23. It'd also be worth your time to work with and learn AI so that you can do your design in AI and skip the vectoring portion. Vectoring is never as good as an original vector, especially when fonts are involved.
  24. darcshadow

    Vinyl catches on edge

    same here, just used some clear scotch tape.
  25. darcshadow

    Connecting Segments

    Ok, so the egg has three segments when cutting the plastic, it does the same when cutting Vinyl? That sounds like a design issue. If the egg is designed as one continuous line it should cut that way. Post the egg vector and we'll take a look at it. The fact that it cuts the vinyl just fine in one pass and the plastic takes 4 passes and doesn't cut perfect would be a tracking issue for the plastic. But if we can get it to at least do the whole egg in a continuous segment that would help.