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Completely new to the vinyl world. ive had my cutter for about a month and I am absolutely loving it. ive ventured into the heat transfer vinyl a little and made a couple shirts for me and my daughter. I just used an iron and it has worked fine. I'm starting to get interest from my baseball team and my daughters softball team for shirt orders. im not mass producing shirts with an iron. lol. so ive started looking at presses. im completely clueless on them. what are some things to look for/have to have/stay away from, etc? this wont be a full time business type deal. more of a side hobby for me and make a few shirts for friends and family type deal so I obviously just need a low budget one. I searched ebay and amazon tonight and checked out several different ones, but im not even sure what I am looking for. I saw several that were less than $100. seems like a no brainer, but didn't want to get one that cheap and it not have something I need or wrong size, etc. any help is appreciated, as I know there will be. this forum is a great asset, especially to a newbie. lol. another thing, what does everyone use for shirts? my first couple I did I just ran to the local fabric/craft store and paid astronomical prices just to try it out and was pretty happy with it. nice to have something local if I was ever in a pinch. ordered some siser easyweed and am in the process of making some work shirts for my dad with that. just didn't know if there was something else out there that was a little cheaper and still worked good or not. we all know even if its not a business, the more profit the better . so what does everyone else use or stay away from? just trying to get a little background on this stuff so I can at least pretend I know what im doing thanks again everyone!

Question for anyone doing banners, only place I can find to order banner blanks that are already made to size is uscutter is there any other companies out there selling pre sized and finished blanks?

Hello everyone! I am not sure if this is the right place to post this, I was trying to find the correct subcategory for the MH871. I need some help. My cutter will not cut anything small and detailed. I am trying to print two sugar skulls, around 2.5-"3" wide and 3-3.5" in length but the pics below is what it's doing. I am also trying to cut text that's around 4" wide and 2.5" long and it messes up every time. The cut speed is 330, press is 150. I've tried on cut press 130 up to 170 and it won't work either. I've also tried slowing down the speed, down to 120. AND also tried it on two different brands of vinyl. Please help me!

Hey y'all, My name is Sarah, and I've been cutting with the MH871-MK2 for about 1.5 years now. I love it, I really do, and it's done awesome work for me. I do vinyl decals, etc., for business and personal use, and it's never let me down once I figured it out! Until recently... I added heat transfer vinyl to my business for t-shirts and things of that ilk. I did a couple large designs, and my cutter did as expected, but when I try to do smaller things, especially letters, it literally chews them up. Edges don't meet, shapes are skewed, and the letters end up looking terrible. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I'm using Jet Pro Soft Stretch, so I know the vinyl is not a poor or low quality... And I've tried every combination of force, overcut, velocity, everything that I can think of. I would really appreciate ANY help at all, and suggestions, anything!! I'm at a loss for what to do... Thanks in advance, Sarah

Question for everyone, looking to order new vinyl cutter. I like the titan 3 was torn between the 28" and 68" like the 28" price but don't want to be limited in the future on design sizes. anyways I saw on ebay they have a 54" cutter for sale for a really good price and that would be a good size for the me. question is was there anything wrong with the 54s and should I purchase a cutter that has no warranty like the one on ebay. Thanks for the help. http://www.ebay.com/itm/162057826790

We are adding handmade SIGNS to our Home Decor and Gift products SOLD On-Line. Looking at Vinyl material and mixed media design options for Fall and Christmas products. Can anyone suggest sources of Fonts for lettering, and vinyl materials worth using in a Circut Create machine. Should we investigate other die-cur machines for better SIGN making options? Any start-up kindness, help or suggestions would be really appreciated. Nancy and I are both newbies as cutters, but have been in crafts since 1988. www.CottageComforts.net and www.Rose-CoveredCottage.com since 2012 for Home Decor and Gifts that make memories ... !

Good morning, I've been having some issues with my oil slick vinyl. I've ordered from two different companies and no avail. The vinyl is sticking to the backing paper. I've tried the depth of the blade but I am leaving no impression on the backing paper. I've noticed when I Try to separate the vinyl from the backing paper(fresh roll) It doesn't peel off smoothly it stops every 3 cm or so. I am clueless on what to do. Thank you for the help.

Ok.....I finally got my CT630 working! Now the question is how do I set it so that I'm not wasting a lot of vinyl for small designs??? Is it possible to rotate the image so that it cuts lengthwise and not vertically on the vinyl? And can I set it up were it will cut the same image side by side....in case I have to continue to cut vertically. Thanks!

Hoping to chat with some folks about vinyl choices for caps in particular but in general as well

Hey guys! My names Axyl and I run a small vinyl sticker business in Western Australia. Refine Pro-24 & Signcut Pro Last weekend my cutter started malfunctioning mid-cut. The screen is stuck on "Thank you for cutting!" And the actual cutting module keeps repeatedly bashing up against the side of the machine as soon as I flick the power on. I'm stressing out like crazy because I have a lot of people relying on me for business stickers and car vinyls etc. If anyone has any idea on how to fix this error, or perhaps anyone in WA, or even Australia can fix it. Even Refines contact details would be greatly appreciated. Thanks heaps guys! Axyl

Is there such thing as an affordable automatic vinyl weeding machine? I am aware that the weeder sheeter exists; is there something that weeds the inner pieces as well as the background pieces? Thanks!

Hello everyone! I am wanting to make a monogram tote bag for myself. I found the the faux leather tote bag at Hobby Lobby on clearance for $11. Everyone on etsy selling these for $25 or more. I have a uscutter plotter. The problem is I don't know which heat transfer vinyl works on this type of material. Everywhere I have read says this material is a pvc not leather. Please if anyone has made these and know which vinyl works I would appreciate them letting me know. Thanks

Hi, I’m new to the community and would appreciate your honest feedback. Does anyone know if it’s possible to make 50k+ selling small vinyl decals that are less than 15” online via. Etsy, Ebay, and/or Amazon? Thanks!

Hi. Does anyone know where I can find/order removable / Temporary wall vinyl in neon (flourescent) colors or glow-in-the-dark (photoluminescent). Thanks.

When I was in IKEA sourcing out my media basket parts for another DIY I'm stumbling through, I saw they had stands all over the store with hanging meter stick rulers that are IKEA branded digitally printed on paper. Customers are free to use them to measure items in their showroom when cruising around their store. They're free for the taking - I asked. I wouldn't take a whole pile of them in one go or anything but two here and there are perfectly acceptable according to the sales rep I was talking to and he encouraged it. It dawned on me that I could use two of these freebies taped onto my vinyl cutter (one on the front of the cutter and one on the back - upside down so the numbers and measurements could be read easily while facing the front of the cutter, both properly measured and aligned of course) to assist in lining up vinyl on the cutter for consistent tracking. Simply align the front most part of the vinyl from the roll or scrap piece to the same ruler line on the back of the cutter's ruler line (both left edge and right edge) and you're more than likely going to be tracking straight. Do some feed tests to see just how accurate or far off your alignment is and adjust accordingly. If you wear these rulers out over time, just replace as needed. They're also handy to quickly see if a scrap piece of vinyl you're wishing to use will fit a design you plan to be cut before you go through the hassle of setting it up. Checking the net, people do make an adhesive tape or transparent film type ruler too though for a more permanent and professional look for your cutter. A Bing Images Search shows adhesive ruler tape (Safe for work). An example of this is also attached to this thread. I don't know exactly where to buy this stuff but with some more Google searching, I'm sure one could obtain it.

I'm trying to figure out what to charge to physically apply vinyl to an awning, for a business. The Awning is 20'x7' and the vinyl length in total is 13.8' x 4.5'. The vinyl is broken up into sections, as it is mostly verbiage. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Hello Everyone! I am hoping that someone can just kinda give me some simple straight forward advice on vinyl choices. I started my printing company about a year ago and every time I think I have this stuff figured out something happens to make me realize...I indeed, do not. I have a lot of requests at the moment for outdoor yard signs and then some more permanent type of signage on establish MDO boards. I want to be able to offer good prices but being so new I am afraid that if I go with a less expensive vinyl that it will somehow just slide off the coroplast in the middle of the night. hehe. So- anyway...I have been using Orajet 3551 with 215 laminate for anything vehicle. What is the cheapest material that I could get away with for yard signs that for the most part will be disposable for the customer. And for the more long term outdoor signage that isn't vehicle..what is the best to use for that? Thanks for any knowledge you can send my way. And if anyone out there that wants to be my mentor and field my questions on a daily text basis just let me know. Thanks!! Angie

Hello, this post will be a work in progress as I brainstorm (and fumble) my way through a process to make a working media basket for my Copam CP-2500 vinyl cutter on a low budget. The goal here is to get others to make a similar media basket for their cutters, regardless of brand (unless they've purchased a factory stand that already includes a media basket). I'll edit this post to be more concise and proper once I work through some design challenges (like how to mount it to my existing stand), what sizes and dimensions I'll use etc. It is not intended on being an instructional article per se (at least off the start), but rather a bit of motivation for others to use to make one themselves for their cutters. We can also brainstorm and post ideas on how to overcome design challenges and make improvements since others may have better ideas than myself. This post may be rewritten as a "How To" though if I make some satisfactory progress in the period of time to come. Running cost total so far: $19.99 CAD So far the materials I've sourced out include: 1 - IKEA shoe rack called LUSTIFIK for $7.99 CAD that I will disassemble and cut and drill accordingly to make the basket frame and arms. There are ample metal tubes included in this shoe rack as it is. It will easily fit a 38" or longer (or shorter) plotter stand since the pipes can extend horizontally or lengthwise depending on how you're positioning them. Also, IKEA sells these metal tubes separately in their Drapery section of the store for $1.99 or more (I can't remember what the larger tube piece cost). I will need to buy two more "arms" in the future so I have 4 in total (you get 2). 1 - 54"x84" 60% Polyester and 40% Cotton Window Curtain for $12.00 CAD from a discount merchandiser for the basket material. I wanted a material that was as static friendly as possible in it's blend since we all know that static and vinyl cutters are no fun and pure Polyester is a static unfriendly material. I looked this up on the web and I was led to believe that the more Polyester blend, the worse off you'll be since it holds a negative static charge. Cotton on the other hand seems to be neutral in static charge. The material had to be strong enough to take some abuse but not heavy enough to cause other issues. I'll obviously need to get someone to cut and sew this material into a suitable looping "W-shaped" basket but that's where I'll employ my Mother to help I also chose a brown color for the basket since my Copam is beige and the store didn't have a black curtain available at the time I was buying. I have attached some pictures of what I've got so far and I'll add more pictures as I go along... I have also attached some images of a USCutter stand (from this website) so those images are Copyrighted by USCutter and all credit goes to them accordingly. I'm sort of emulating the USCutter stand as a template to work from. My plan is to cut the curved/rounded sections of the bars exactly in half to make identical sections for the front facing frame section as well as for the rear facing frame section. The arm extensions simply slide into the curved pieces as well. I'll need mounting brackets of some type too and the goal is to slide the basket arms forward and backward as needed to allow room for the media to come off the cutter into the basket. Of course, I think they should be able to retract so not to take up space when not needed. Anyhow, this is Day 1 of my design challenge. I'll post more as I progress. Stay tuned! Your comments and feedback (good or bad) are encouraged. Let's make this design something functional and decent but not too "ghetto looking".

Today I am cutting Vinyl lettering for a trailer. I am using Adobe illustrator to create my layout and then sending it to Sure Cuts Alot 3 Pro to cut on my Titan 2. The first file cut some of the text higher than the rest of the word. I decided to start all over with a fresh file and even arranged things a bit different. The same text is cutting out offset each time and then some are and some aren't. I created outlines in illustrator before sending to SCAL. Any idea why this might be happening? I have a customers vehicle here for install and need to figure out ASAP!

I have just purchased the US Cutter SC Plotter. and Sure Cuts A Lot 3. The cutter is not cutting the right direction. I am cutting "Growing in Grace". It is 15 inches in Hieight and 120 inches long. It wants to cut it across the vinyl. I have changed direction with my mat and it does not make a difference,,,, cuts the same either way. Not sure what I am doing wrong

I am working on a small project for my wife, some vinyl typography applied on the second surface of glass. The silver leaf is used within the vinyl lettering. The problem is I am using two layers of vinyl to make up the letter forms and when I apply the mona lisa metal leaf adhesive it seeps inbetween the tiny gaps of the vinyl layers as its a liquid glue (like watered down elmers glue really) and leaves a glue stain which can be seen through the glass, it also doesnt seem to adhere the silver leaf very well but thats probably my lack of skill lol!. Im wondering what kind of glue should I be using - I was thinking of using some kind of spray on glue but it needs to dry optically clear so it doesnt make the silver leaf look drab- anyone have any suggestions for this. I could buy the oracal 383 gold leaf and easily evade all of these issues but I like the look of the silver leaf, plus i really only need a small amount. if only I could get to work for me :/ any suggestions would be a great help. Thanks

Hi, I noticed that when my plotter is cutting the vinyl, it scratches it while moving from one point to another. I tried troubleshooting by adjusting the needle, the up_speed, pressure, and baud rate. I finally tried pressing the vinyl down with my fingers while cutting and that helped. So now I want to know how I can keep the vinyl as flat as possible on the plotter. An even better solution would be to allow for the needle to go up higher when moving from one point to another. Any suggestions?

Hi, " I want to start a small online business on Etsy and sell my designs as (small wall decals and car stickers: max 8*8"). I need some help with cutter and vinyl choice: 1. I did some research for "desktop vinyl cutter" and finally I decided to buy Cricut Explore (air) print and cut. Before buying I want to make sure that it is a good choice: a. Can it do a good quality print on vinyl (ex Oracal 631) for colourful designs b. what other options I have (other than silhouette cameo) with the price range of 300-500$ c. Is it a good choice if I print and cut 10-15 stickers per week? (durability of machine;blades,etc). 2. For wall decal I will buy Oracal 631. Tell me if it is not a good choice. 3. For car stickers I don't know which vinyl I choose (waterproof and lasting at least 5 years) 4. I live in Canada ... Is there a trustable and famous company I can buy supplies and cutter (other than ebay and amazon)

So I am part of a Huge car club and I create and make my own Decals for my cars, it got the attention of the club president and now wants to use me as his source for the clubs decals. I have done decals and just used transfer tape from hobby lobby. I want to get some good stuff and a large amount. Since I am doing car decals mainly for windows or wherever they stick them what would be the best transfer tape for me to buy. club president wants to buy from me in bulk, and I use oracal 651 as my vinyl of choice. what will be best since they may sit and i will not be doing the applying for anyone.

I'm cutting rolls of vinyl usually anywhere from 12 x 12 to 12 x 24 on my cricut explore air the problem I'm having is trying to place the rolled vinyl onto the tacky cricut mat, is there anyway to get the vinyl to flatten out?