sidxyz1

Speed...er, excuse me, Skeeter: I've reset my settings to factory default after re-installing the blade--so i'm running at a speed of 30. And, wow, the idea of a 120" decal make me cringe. windasm: Yeah, I've seen that happen; but no, that's not the case here. I've had less problem since the last time I re-installed the blade, but still have an issue occasionally.

I've had a lot experience with Adobe Illustrator and vector art in general, so I think the art itself is OK. Plus, I can cut the problem shapes individually, and they work fine. I'll post the vector art when I get some time; in the meantime here's a picture of the design: http://www.etsy.com/listing/65218309/vinyl-wall-words-all-things-grow-with As always, thanks for all the input, Sid

Well put, Alien.

OK, I reinstalled the blade using Speedoggy's direction and the Graphtec videos. I may have found just a tiny bit of crud in the holder. In general, everything seemed to be in good condition. I then cut the same design I've been experimenting with--the result was different, but still not perfect. I think I may turn the design to see it that makes any difference--the main problem spot seems to be the first shape that the cutter cuts. If I change the orientation maybe it will cut better--I've cut that shape by itself, and then it cuts perfectly. Also, I still haven't tried the 3-in-1 oil that mr300s suggested, but I will now. Thanks, Sid

I'm kind of new at this so I don't know if this common or not--I haven't found any reference to it in these forums. Is it common for rolls of Oracal 631 to have tiny holes (less than 1/16" across)? I've only found 2 of these--one each on 2 different 10 yd rolls, so it's not a huge issue, but both times the holes were right in the middle of a design so it had to be cut again. Also, I've noticed what seem to be little splits in the vinyl on a few occasions--the one today ended up in the weeded area so it wasn't a problem. These seem like splits in the vinyl, but I can't say positively that my cutter didn't didn't make some bizarre, random cut. Has anyone else experienced either of these things?

Sorry to take so long getting back to people. Speedoggy: the cutting strip seems in good condition, and the problems appear at random spots, not like when the blade is at a certain area on the strip. Clos762: I think maybe re-installing the blade and playing with the offset, like you mention, is my next move--I've done this many times, but you never know... And, yeah like Speedoggy points out, the CE5000-60 does test cuts. I mentioned earlier that the lower right corner of the triangle on the test cuts seems blunted, like it's being torn instead of cut completely. Actually, I wish the Graphtec did bigger test cuts like my USCutter MH721 did. 34Ford: I agree that it seems like the problem should appear more often if it's Offset related. Last night I cut the same design twice and the problem areas moved--that's unusual, they usually happen in the same spots if I cut multiplies. Thanks to everyone, and again, sorry to take so long responding, Sid

Thanks for the input, 34Ford. I generally changed my fonts to outlines so it's just vectors that I'm cutting. And it happens regardless of what font I started with: seris, san serif, script, whatever. Also, it will happen on artwork as well as letters. The fact that it doesn't happen on every shape seems weird to me, too. Thanks again, Sid

To Speedoggy: I set everything on the cutter itself because I don't think they make the controller for Macintosh. Everybody I've talked to has their Offset set at 0 on Graphtecs. Either 0 or +1 seems to give me the best results, but not perfect. Maybe I need to re-install the blade into the holder again, and start over from scratch. I've done this many times, but maybe this time's the charm. Thanks for the input, Sid

Speedoggy: I've looked at the blade with a small magnifying glass, but there's no obvious damage. mr300s: Clean Cut blades look inexpensive enough that maybe I should try one to see if it makes any difference. MM64: I've seen reference to "over cut" on these forums, but I can't find anything like that in Cutting Master 2. Thanks to everybody for their advice. Does anyone have any thoughts on my comment about the test cuts? -- (As I do the little test cuts, I now notice that the lower right corner of the triangle always seems kind of blunt, like it

Thanks mr300s, I'll try the drop of oil. By the way, i see you use the Clean Cut blades--do like them pretty well? Maybe I should change my blade. Thanks again, Sid

I bought a US Cutter MH721 six months ago, then shortly decided to upgrade to a GraphTec CE5000-60. I use Cutting Master 2 cutting software with Illustrator on a Macintosh. I cut mostly Oracal 631. Now, I

Many thanks for posting these instructions. I just used them to get my new MH721 set up and connected to a Mac G5 -- it couldn't have gone more smoothly. Thanks again, Sid

Hi everyone, I'm Sid from North St. Paul, MN. After lurking on this forum for several weeks I've just gotten a USCutter MH721. Following whitecastle's instructions from the Mac Users Board, I got it set up without a hitch. Hope it continues to go this smoothly. My wife and I have been graphic artists for 20+ years, but we're completely new to vinyl cutting, so I'll probably be asking a lot of questions in the coming months. Thanks, Sid