hockeygirl

Not sure what swap everyone is using, but I just got these today and they are exactly identical to the ones from Roland... and costs less... http://shop.swab-its.com/71-4501-p3.aspx

Looks like it's a really old one... don't think this one is auto-opening. I don't know if it's a good deal or not, but if you decide to buy it, make sure the temperature is good.

I'm assuming you're talking about layering for cut vinyl... You can insert your own manual registration marks (I use diamonds) and place them at the corners of your design. For every color, cut the diamonds as well, and match them up after everything is cut and weeded.

I use a lab bench with stool height chair, so I can work either standing up or sitting down.

I haven't had my printer long enough to do most of the maintanance on it yet. Swap 1-2x per week, depending on usage Wipers and cap tops - replaced 6 months after I got the printer (part of the 1 yr service contract from the dealer - bought a demo unit from them) Heads - dealer put in new printheads before delivery, so ~8 months Haven't done anything else with my printer - I'm sure I'll be asking questions when I need to replace more stuff

I have a Roland - so I guess I'm partial to it...

Thanks! I'll give that a try!

I heard from someone that you can print on Oraguard laminating film. I was wondering if anyone here has tried it? Rarely I would get a request for printing on transparent vinyl... if I can print on the laminate with same results, I may do that instead of buying a roll of transparent that doesn't get used much. Thanks!

The Goo Gone Pro Gel worked pretty well for me when I replaced my cutting strip. Might want to try that...

Have you tried locating a service center via Graphtec's website? http://www.graphtecamerica.com/ASClocator.html

You'll find all the info you need here: http://cobraink.com/epson1100.htm

I still don't see how vehicle graphics can be "professional" if it's printed on a dye ink printer. It needs to be laminated for it to be colorfast when it's exposed to all the elements, and with lamination, it'll be too thick to be applied to a vehicle even if it's just a decal... just a thought...

gsactivewear.com - if you're in NorCal, you'll get it next day if you place your order before 4pm

if your design was traced using Live trace is Illy, it'll trace both black and white, you'll just have to delete one, or select only to cut the black.

What cutter? If you have a MH-series cutter, select Refine as your cutter and it should fix the problem.

You can download plug-in from Graphtec website to cut directly from Corel. Bring your own design to be cut.

You could probably get away with using Oracal 651 for windows if you want to save a few bucks. I've had a few on my truck for at least 4-5 years now that's been through extreme weather (-20 degrees to 112) every year. As for transfer tape, I use both Maintape and R-Tape.

There are a lot of aftermarket ink out there that are pigment ink, depending on what printer you use. If you use an Epson printer, chances are, you can get your ink through cobraink. Lots of members on this forum use them with great success for t-shirt transfers. I'd be careful when it just say "universal" because it doesn't specify if it's dye or pigment, and dye ink has a tendency to fade after washing.

You'll need to convert any bitmap graphics into vectors before you can cut with a vinyl cutter

Siser EasyWeed is what most people use on cotton shirts. Just remember to mirror your design before cutting. We've all made that mistake at one point or another...

I think this happened once and I adjusted the tension on the cable and that seemed to do the trick. Worth a try.

What brand of vinyl/app tape are you using?

Try a null modem cable, sometimes they work a little better than serial cable. And make sure you have the baud rate on both the cutter and the software set the same.

I bought my roll from mumpower for $65 shipped. The corner rounders, Walmart craft department, $3.99.

Also make sure you don't have a border around your design, sometimes... zoom to fit and if your design is small on the scree, you have a border around it that's much bigger.