Very new and unsure

[beeseen 0]

Hello,

My name is Mandi and I'm a graphic design student. I've recently designed some logos for some local organizations and businesses to be made into vinyl decals. I stopped by the one shop to pick up the decals for a club and saw the set up the young kid had and thought I can do this. I've got a lot of computer experience (hardware and software) so that won't be an issue. I'm struggling to find a decent cutter that will last me for a little while. I'm looking for something basic, possibly even used if the price is right. I'd like to stick right around the $250 or lower price range. I am a student on a budget, so I can't afford the latest and greatest. My main goal is to do a few jobs now and then for people I design logos for and maybe make a little extra money to help pay for school.

Any advice you guys have, would be great. This is an awesome forum and I've read through and found a lot of useful info, but I'm still not sure what machine to go with. How big do I really need? Do I need contour cutting?

Thanks.

[rrc1962 0]

Are you planning on printing and cutting decals?  If yes, then you need contour cutting, and if you plan on doing a lot of it, you'll need a good cutter and some decent software.  You can contour cut with cheaper cutters, even cutters not designed for contour cutting, but you wouldn't want to do it all day long.  For cut vinyl graphics a cheaper cutter will get you started and depending on how involved you get, may suit your needs for quite a while.

How big depends on what you want to do.  For cutting small decals, a 12" cutter may work for you.  If you want to do graphics for signs, vehicles, etc. then you'll want at least a 24" cutter.

[Truckntran 0]

Definitely check out used cutters, even in pawn shops.. I saw an old Roland cutter in a shop in central Texas  a while back for only $199 that originally was over $1500 new.. but make sure you can bring it back if you can't get it to work or it is broken.Or, demonstrate the cutter before you buy it. .  ALso... lots of the older software, Signblazer is one of these, seems to work better on older systems using XP with serial ports instead of USB connections.. A 24 inch cutter is a great do everything size for most sign work.. A 15 inch machine only can cut about 12 inches in many cases, that limits you to using tiled layouts and it is a unnecessary pain.

Basic stuff you will be doing in no time, and there is no limit to how creative you can eventually get. Good luck!

And don't forget to charge appropriately for your work.