JMC 0 Posted February 16, 2011 I am looking for a cutter/plotter or?LOL have been doing some reading and man am I confused now , atleast 10x more than before I joined the site I am looking for a reliable tool to make graphics/masking for painting ,maybe a sticker here and there for the kids ,neices and nephews etc 24" seems like a good start and I get lost after that but I have already read that this is junk or stay away from that etc ,what do the pros and the others who may not be pros but would do things differently if had a chance to do it different so what do you guys recommmend as far as ease of use/learnability ,reliabilty,and parts availabilty Im no graphic designer but can get my way around a pc and use photo shop alright LOL any help and insight would be great thanks for any help at all Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jay2703 704 Posted February 16, 2011 I started out with a PCut from USCutter and the free SignBlazer software that came with it. It was a great investment and and paid for itself quickly. Rolands and Graphtecs are the Cadilacs, PCUts and Refines are on the low end. In the middle are Copams and the ZenCut machines. The better quality machines have servo motors where the lower end machines use stepper or incremental motors which are not as accurate an noisier. If contour cutting is something you may be intereested in, the laserpoint has a manual indexing system while the higher end machines have ARMS or automatic registration mark sensors to align printed media for cutting around the outside of individual printed decals. I'm not sure what your budget is but I would get the best cutter you can afford. That's the bast place to start. Jay Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JMC 0 Posted February 17, 2011 thanks for the way you broke down the main players as far as whos who, as far as a budget lets say a grand, but I would like this to be a package kind of deal and keep my spending right at 1000 contour cut, lasers, automatic trade mark readers , I pick things up quickly but care to also dumb that down abit for me Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jay2703 704 Posted February 17, 2011 I would look at the Copam and ZenCut Green. The Copam is a good machine for under $1000. It has stepper motors but still a great machine. If your budget is a little more than $1000 I would go with the ZenCut Green and the stand. It has the servo motors and ARMS. ARMS is used for contour cutting. Print out a sheet of decals on a regular printer. An index mark is printed on the sheet. The ARMS reads the index marks which tell the cutter where the printed items area on the sheet. The cutter will trim around the periphery of each of the printed decals cutting them out. Contour cutting may not be something you need now but it is a nice feature. The servo motors make the machine much quieter and I think more accurate. Jay Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JMC 0 Posted February 17, 2011 thanks you !you have been most helpful Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mabscotthandyman 1,410 Posted February 18, 2011 Hello and welcome Dan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JMC 0 Posted February 20, 2011 what about the gcc puma III I was looking around and have found some deals I have never made a decal or sticker in my life so I will be jumping in head 1st on this ,I dont mind spending the coin for quality ---just dont want to over spend if I can avoid it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mabscotthandyman 1,410 Posted February 20, 2011 what about the gcc puma III I was looking around and have found some deals I have never made a decal or sticker in my life so I will be jumping in head 1st on this ,I dont mind spending the coin for quality ---just dont want to over spend if I can avoid it That is a good machine servo motors and good tracking. But at the price point I would probably pop on the graphtec or roland . Dan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roxanneupnorth 106 Posted February 20, 2011 Dan have you owned any GCC Cutters?.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JMC 0 Posted February 21, 2011 what about the gcc puma III I was looking around and have found some deals I have never made a decal or sticker in my life so I will be jumping in head 1st on this ,I dont mind spending the coin for quality ---just dont want to over spend if I can avoid it That is a good machine servo motors and good tracking. But at the price point I would probably pop on the graphtec or roland . Dan ok but that would entail spending more and if I can get the same machine for less it would only make sense to get the gcc instead of the graphtec or roland ,I am a complete newb to this so please edumacate me Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jay2703 704 Posted February 21, 2011 The ZenCut's are rebadged GCC machines. I would almost bet that the Green is the Puma III. Not positive though. I have an EnuraCut+ which is a GCC machine re-badged for SignWarehouse. I love it. I only wish it hade the contour cut feature. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JMC 0 Posted February 21, 2011 I noticed the gcc had a greater cutting force than graphtec,I will be cutting sand blastmasking mainly at 1st and then the warranty was better on the gcc , we could be splitting hairs, this 1 claims this and the other company claims that, and so on just hate to make a bad purchase since I have no clue on any of this figure its best to ask Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jay2703 704 Posted February 21, 2011 I thnk the GCC Puma III would be a great machine. What kind of price did you find it for? Make sure you get a stand. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JMC 0 Posted February 22, 2011 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280468316280&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT says make offer and free shipping comes with stand Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JMC 0 Posted February 22, 2011 thanks for the welcoming ,but the link I posted does it seem like a good price for a decent machine Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,709 Posted February 22, 2011 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280468316280&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT says make offer and free shipping comes with stand Sorry, but he does not seem to be a reliable Ebay business, If that is the cutter you want to go with,, then purchase from a reliable business that will give you support. THese businesses have been around. Or do more searching on the internet. http://www.signsupply.com/hardware/gcc/Puma-III.asp Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JMC 0 Posted February 22, 2011 ok cool thanks ,I also found a roland cx24 for 700 used but local I hate to buy things used because you never know what your gonna get but is 700 a good price for a used roland cx24 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,709 Posted February 22, 2011 another Puma111 here. was $1250 http://www.hhsignsupply.com Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JMC 0 Posted February 22, 2011 can you find 1 for 1000 LOL thanks for your help on this ,I havent really shopped that hard yet but so far your 2 were cheaper than my 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,709 Posted February 22, 2011 I just used a search engine like dogpile.com (this search engine covers many search engines) and entered GCC puma 111 vinyl cutter. the 2 I already gave you are in the business of selling vinyl cutters, not some fly by night EBAY store. your welcome Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JMC 0 Posted February 22, 2011 I usually google everything ,but when doing so you need to know what exactly your after and since I really have no clue when it comes to these I have been using ebay just to see prices and compare models etc , wether its ebay or a real store in the end its the same product ,I will be buyng in a month or so.. I just want to have all my ducks in a row and my pencil sharp when I make the order Im a custom metal finisher by trade this is something I am trying to add to it and thanks for you help and the links Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,709 Posted February 23, 2011 have you considered that UScutter does sell the GCC cutter under the name of Zencut Green and Zencut Black. That is an option also. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jay2703 704 Posted February 23, 2011 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280468316280&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT says make offer and free shipping comes with stand I wouldn't go any more than $1,150 on it, I think it's the same cutter as the USCutter ZenCut Green. http://screencast.com/t/h50Jt96J Jay Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JMC 0 Posted February 23, 2011 jay that 1 says add a stand for 150 for 1300 + the shipping ,the 1 skeeter posted was 1250 and shipping was 47 --so far the cheapest I could find it for was 1250 skeeter I have given thought to things being the samething under a different brand name and why I am here asking all these stupid questions from all the reading I have done so far alot of it seems to come down to what software you use also ,is there any that I should stay away from or a program that I should lean towards or look into more than another guys have been a big help so far Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
