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kimmy

I know it's all been said...but i'm swimming in alligators! Gotta sec to help?

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Okay. I've been researching and researching. By all of this, I think I've officially a)overloaded myself with info, b)backed myself into a gridlock corner, c) read the same posts so many time and visited the same sites so many times i can't remember what i've read/seen, and, finally, d) nearly put my husband into a permanent slumber with my ranting....LOL!

My husband has finally granted his approval to start a homebased sticker business.  Banners, signs, etc. small at first...hopefully expanding? I'd like to be able to take it on the road: We often go to the dunes and races and things; love to be able to do some work out of the RV.  Thing is, there isn't another in my town, so i want to make wise choices as far as equipment goes. Yep, mother of four, on a budget. I've got 500 bucks or so to play with (give or take).  Need help selecting a cutter. Of course, I would LOVE a Graphtec, but i think i'm going to have to earn it.

So...budget cutters. Any help/input would be greatly appreciated. What i'm really looking for from anyone is: what intro cutter can hang with a decent workload, and what software is recommended. I have windows 7. I see all the package deals on EBAY from both USC and SWhse, not sure if that's such a good way to go...i'm suspicious that these are the lowest intro models possible....would i be right?  ;D ;D It's all so overwhelming! ha

Any help, like i said, would be awesome. Thanks guys, looking forward to any input. PS: For my husbands sake, please help me make a decision!  :thumbsup:;D ;D haha, just kidding! :)

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Guest sciondrgn

Well mine pretty much started just like yours as I'm sure alot of others did.

I got tired of paying the crazy prices the locals were charging for signs for our car club. I started with a Creation PCUT 36", it was overkill for what i needed but I snagged it on one of the no reserve auctions from USCutter for the same price a 24" is. I started doing the decals for the local car clubs and it really picked up,. I used that cutter for 2 years roughly before getting my Graphtec. I expanded out got a heat press and it's just gone from there.. I am by no means a full time gig even out of my home but It brings in some extra cash ;D

All my equipment and upgrades has been paid for time and time again with that first PCUT I got.

Good luck with the new biz!  :thumbsup:

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Well mine pretty much started just like yours as I'm sure alot of others did.

I got tired of paying the crazy prices the locals were charging for signs for our car club. I started with a Creation PCUT 36", it was overkill for what i needed but I snagged it on one of the no reserve auctions from USCutter for the same price a 24" is. I started doing the decals for the local car clubs and it really picked up,. I used that cutter for 2 years roughly before getting my Graphtec. I expanded out got a heat press and it's just gone from there.. I am by no means a full time gig even out of my home but It brings in some extra cash ;D

All my equipment and upgrades has been paid for time and time again with that first PCUT I got.

Good luck with the new biz!   :thumbsup:

same here -started with a pcut and worked up - the p-cut and laserpoint are pretty much the same machine except the laser for contour cutting I have not done much of.  right now I find it hard to recommend a cheaper cutter as the pcut and lp are not going to be carried any longer at usc and the refines have been having more trouble it seems witht he latest batches.  you might watch cl or ebay for a good used cutter or even look at the seiki machines at sunie.com - many people have had great success with those

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Thank you, I appreciate the feedback.  Okay, so i tracked one down on USC site. It comes with signblazer elements. good? or shall i upgrade some?  also, they make the stand optional. Do you need one? Or is that 150 bones better spent on software?

Thank you. I've heard many positive things about the PCUT. :thumbsup: Also, i've heard many positive things about The laserPoints. Input anyone? ;D

I'm not looking to retire (okay, i wish) but a little extra income surely never hurt anyone! ;D))))

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Thank you Dakota,

I've been watching ebay like a hawk. thing is: is that older software that they all come with going to be compatible with win 7? on the flip side, if i upgrade the software, will it be compatible with an older cutter? UGH!

I ran into this site where it was (and i'm not kidding) a giant Seiki bash fest. not kidding. expletives, even! People were saying their cuts were jagged and the software was hard to use and not very agreeable. Needless to say, that definately steered me awayyyyy from those....kind of scary. If i had an extra 500 to pitch to the wind, i'd say, cool. But...i'm wary. I look to the masses on this site for wisdom.  :thumbsup:

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you can download Signblazer right now and try it..  It is free software, you can find it at the top of the Signblazer thread,  I have to disagree with the Seiki bashing. I still have mine and it made me alot of money, I currently use my Graphtec 30"   And the software is Flexistarter.  which is very user friendly.  granted, it is more of a cutting software, than design software, but you can also download  http://www.inkscape.org  which is also FREE and use it to design in.   Also Seiki cutters can be found for less money on EBAY..  I have used Flexistarter for over 4 years.  I like it alot.  

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Tinaski--thank you so much, i appreciate your research, i shot them an email to see if it's still avail and shipping to ca. I do craigslist...but only on the west coast LOL! Perhaps i should expand my searches...you are a craigslist searchmaster, aren't you? (thank you!)

Speedoggy,  i will totally go play with these programs now.  I am digging this site. Thank you for everyone's cents. :thumbsup: 

Love this feedback....anyone else? ;D

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I have a Refine. I got it because I never worked with a cutter before and I had to learn, so I wen with the cheapest one just in case.

I have been using it for 3 years now. I didn't think it was going to hold so much use and I thought it wasn't going to last much, but it is still going strong after all this time. I have made so much money with it.

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Tinaski--thank you so much, i appreciate your research, i shot them an email to see if it's still avail and shipping to ca. I do craigslist...but only on the west coast LOL! Perhaps i should expand my searches...you are a craigslist searchmaster, aren't you? (thank you!)

Speedoggy,  i will totally go play with these programs now.  I am digging this site. Thank you for everyone's cents. ;D  

Love this feedback....anyone else? ;D

that is funny,  :thumbsup: you JUST shot the email to  Tinaski,  he is the one who has been selling it for while now.  LOL

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ROFL I've been HAD! LOL  I'm thinking it's still available, ya think?  LOL

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i have a us cutter mh871 that i love its easy to use the instructions suck but there is a GREAT how to set up in this forum also the signblazer it comes with is pretty easy to use along with inkscape [free]!for design pretty hard to beat i also have an old roland pnc960 that works good but i like the mh better it will cut 34 in vinyl ive cut as big as 30 in and no problems def.get the stand you can rollit around it has the vinyl holder for the roll i have the roland just on a table but you have to buy a vinyl roll holder roller from some where to let the vinyl roll the stand is better have fun do simple lettering first its easy to cut play with getting the sizes right with cheap vinyl or use the pen that comes with it and butcher paper to play with the cutter its cheaper than vinyl have fun  mike

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personally from experiece,  you will always want a larger cutter than that.   (15")  makes you very limited on what you can make.  a good 24" is standard. and a 30" is even better if it's in your budget .  I have never needed larger than 30"  A good 24" is great to start with.  

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were in illinois thats indi

but our first graphtec was a 15" and you can do alot more with it than ya think anything that is 14" you can cut

it dont have to be total size of the sign just of one design or part of the sign -- its a good price -- and a lot less headache than some china cutters

and there is a plug in for adobe and corel draw 

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ps i have lurked here for a year and i have learned soooooooooo much from these folks they are the smartest and most helpful bunch ive ever seen they took me from nothing im no good at computers now with there help i can vectorise and scale and squeegy [with out bubbles ]im doing screen print with vinyl thanks bear down i can contore cut pretty much get by every day because these guys help you thanks to all of you, mike

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hahaha good thing...i felt so...sniff sniff...preyed upon! hahaha! yes, it does say NEWBIE under my name...LOL!!  it's cool--but that's funny, don't care who you are! :thumbsup:

S-doggy,  (you sent me that tip so we're on nickname basis now, LOL)  I've actually been looking in the 30 to 36 range....that oughta do it, i think. I'd like to be able to do decently sized vehicle graphics for trailers/work trucks, etc....

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Wow Mike, that's really cool. i'm already stoked with the feedback I've recieved. WAY better than venturing out on your own :thumbsup:

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hahaha good thing...i felt so...sniff sniff...preyed upon! hahaha! yes, it does say NEWBIE under my name...LOL!!  it's cool--but that's funny, don't care who you are! :thumbsup:

S-doggy,  (you sent me that tip so we're on nickname basis now, LOL)  I've actually been looking in the 30 to 36 range....that oughta do it, i think. I'd like to be able to do decently sized vehicle graphics for trailers/work trucks, etc....

As I stated I have a 30" Graphtec, and my main source of income is large vehicle graphics,  Fullside, cars, trucks, semis etc. 

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Here is my .02. 

There are 2 options I would personally go with.  Either a Uscutter refine or a copam. 

I have 2 refines, and they have made me a ton of money, but there are risks involved with cheaper cutters.  Some people have problems with jagged cuts, mine does this at times but I can usually work them out, or they are small enough to be not noticable.  Also if you are running it out of an RV....I assume you are using a generator?  I would be a bit worried about the quality of the power from the generator, these are not shielded or grounded extremely well as they are cheaper.  I have run mine for over a year, almost every day, and they are hanging in there strong.  They have their quirks, and their problems, but overall how can I complain, a $400 machine has payed for itself at least 10 times at this point in profits alone, well worth it.  Not everyone has good luck with them, but dang mine have been good to me, I keep sinking money into other pats of my business (more vinyl, shirt stock, heat press, vinyl, etc etc) and the refines just keep cutting.

All that said, if you can scrape up the extra cash, I would go with a copam.  Its a better machine hands down.  It will cut nicer, you will have less adjustment, it will track better, its grounded and shielded better, and it will stand up to more load.  The people who have them on here pretty much universally are happy with them, and they are a nice step down in price from a graphtech or roland, but still a bit above your $500 budget (they are $700 and change). 

The following is just blatent opinion and advice:  I would get a 24" cutter, a good compromise of size and portability (I have 30" and am glad I do, but if I was wanting portability I would want the smaller size).  No matter what cutter you get, make sure you get a stand if it doesn't come with one.  Don't skimp on vinyl, buy and use the good stuff from the start (Oracal is what I use, great stuff), same goes for app tape (R-tape is my favorite).  No matter what cutter you get, invest in some clean cut blades for them....www.cleancut.com.  Great people, and an even better american made product, makes my cheap cutters work way way better, single best upgrade I have made so far by far.  Sign blazer is great to start, but I found it wanting in the end and found a used version of flexi 8.1 pro, and I love it. I would start with sign blazer....and upgrade in the future if in your opinion it calls for it. I do all my design in inkscape(free) even though I have illustrater($$$), for vinyl I think it is a great great program.  It has its quirks as well, but I am faster in it than I ever have been in illy.  Some things i design in flexi too, like text changes and stuff, but the bulk of everything starts in inkscape for me. 

Good luck!

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tlzimmerman,

Thank you for the feedback. I appreciate your .02...you offered more like .05, though...LOL

I have heard good things about the refines...and really, i've had my heart set on a COPAM. I'm always on the lookout for a used one...but not surprisingly, you don't see them. awhile back there was a refurbed one on this site and i kick myself for not jumping on it. Grrr....

anyways, i've downloaded the free version of signblazer...pretty easy to use. i'm also going to get the inkscape...got the tip to go get it.

I appreciate your feedback concerning blades and vinyls....question: will these less expensive machines accomodate vinyl that is of a lasting thickness? What i mean is, if i'm looking for a 5-7 year vinyl, does the thickness of the vinyl matter? or is it all about the quality of it, as you've stated? 

Thank you!!!  ;)

Kim

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Funny enough, longer lasting vinyls are thinner (if I remember correctly), a calendared vinyl(5 year) and a cast vinyl(7-10 year) are actually very similar chemically, the big difference is how they are manufactured.

Calendared basically pressed out repeatedly with rollers until its flat, and as such wants to rebound and return to its original shape which is why it shrinks and cracks quicker when heated, cooled, heated, cooled, and blasted with UV.  Cast vinyl is liquefied with solvents, cast into its desired width, and then the solvents are evaporated, which is why it holds its shape better even though its thinner, and also why it conforms better to compound curves.  Interesting to know, but makes complete sense when you think about it.  The difference in price is due to the manufacturing, not the materials involved.

That said these refines I have will cut cardstock (I do it rather often for custom wedding invitations), and sandblast mask...which is very thick, as well as reflective and metallic vinyls which are much tougher than standard calendared or cast.  If you did all those tasks all day every day, I am sure they would take their toll on a lesser built machine, but I have done them all on occasion without incident.

Yes....I tend to give a dollars worth of advice with a pennies is all thats needed.....but hey its all free to you so what do you care...haha.

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Oh, i'll take millions and millions, it's ALL good! Free advice rocks, thank you very much!!

Custom invitations...how clever! You've been doing this awhile, huh?  I'm going to check out the Refines....

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Oh, i'll take millions and millions, it's ALL good! Free advice rocks, thank you very much!!

Custom invitations...how clever! You've been doing this awhile, huh?  I'm going to check out the Refines....

I've been doing it about a year and a half. 

Always remember for the refine, if you get one with issues, you have to pay to ship it back to USC for service/return, weigh that in your decision when you buy, thats a chance you always have to consider when dealing with these machines.  I think the vast majority of users are happy though.

I notice they don't have the 24" refine on the website right now, wonder if they are out or something....I think they sell a ton of them.

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Guest Marek

I have been using my Lp 24 for about a month now with no major issues . I have had some jagged cuts but when I went back and checked the EPS file it was the file - too many nodes  in one segment of line . I do have one pet peeve issue with it tho ... There is a trim ridge built int the discharge side of the cutting deck and my vinyl keeps on snagging on it when the edge runs over it ..not a huge issue but annoying . 

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