karkess

Which way to go?

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In the photo --- 

4' EMPIRE t-square (Home Depot)

4' x 8' cutting mat (no grid)

2' t-square

34" SC cutter (with media catch-basket, available from US CUTTER for LPII model just $30 --  I had to drill holes in the SC stand to accommodate this worthwhile accessory)

http://www.uscutter.com/Catch-Basket-for-LaserPoint-II-Vinyl-Cutters

 

and Vinyl (15" 24" and 30' rolls)

 

Posed with three 24" x 96" maxmetal(dibond) signs ===  $700 job.

 

This is not rocket science.

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^^^I like the catch basket.  How long have you been doing this? And how long have you had your SC?  Any problems?  I tried putting together a starter package comparable to the what they sell bundled and I couldn't get close to their price.  Probable going to go with the 34" off ebay and add on from there.

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Here goes:

4' t-square

 

2' t-square

 

Olfa break away knife (cutting apart & weeding)

 

31" Laserpoint 2 (also have a 24" graphtec but that is something to work up to if out of the budget)

 

Application tape roller http://www.uscutter.com/APPRoller-Tape-Application-Roller

 

Tape measures - you can never have to many and it's nice to have a center point model

 

Squeegees - 3m gold and I keep a bunch of the orange ones uscutter always has on sale. Some I give away some I use.

 

Workbench - Mine is 4 x 8 and covered with a sheet of maxmetal (sign substrate) and I cut all over it so once a year I flip it over and on the second year I replace it with a new sheet.

 

Vinyl - I carry mainly Oracal 651 in 24" with a few 30" rolls, currently stocking 30 colors in the 24".

 

Don't get me started on heat transfer vinyl because that'll be your next progression.

 

Oh and then sublimation.

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^^^Awesome posts!  Funny thing is I was just out and at a local shop and told the guy there I was getting ready to order a cutter, and he wants me to make car decals for him.  Naturally I told him it'll take me a bit to learn, but his logo is just all simple text and no graphics.  Oh!  I can't wait to do some heat transfers and dye subs.

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^^^I like the catch basket.  How long have you been doing this? And how long have you had your SC?  Any problems?  I tried putting together a starter package comparable to the what they sell bundled and I couldn't get close to their price.  Probable going to go with the 34" off ebay and add on from there.

 

Without a catch-basket, vinyl will just roll out onto the floor.

I started a thread on how to retrofit the LPII catch-basket frame into the SC stand.

http://forum.uscutter.com/index.php?/topic/39737-who-wants-a-great-deal-on-a-media-catch-basket/#entry304245

 

My original cutter (which I still own as a backup) is the MH 871, which was the primary unit when I opened my sign store in September 2011

At some point, I busted the USB port (tripped over the cable and ripped it out).

In the meantime, I've fixed that, and even found a second MH on craigslist for $90.

 

But, as the MH was out of commission, I went into the SC model.

The one thing that bugged me was the improper positioning of the set-screw on the back rail, which allowed the right-hand pinch roller assembly to slide too far over and miss contact with the lower grit roller (which causes the vinyl to crumple when feeding).

The solution was to redrill another hole myself and relocate the set screw a bit farther inwards from the edge.

I suspect that problem still exists on all SC machines, unless the factory made a change in the production line (which, knowing China, I seriously doubt)

 

The bundle from eBay includes a bunch of stuff and you can get started the same day it arrives.

You'll be needing to order more consumables fairly quickly, however, especially when you get some production jobs lined up.

Be aware that the app tapes they provide are 6" and 12", which are very narrow widths.

The banners are miniscule (2x4) and the 15' rolls of vinyl will go really fast.

 

I personally avoid using the SureCutsALot software, and prefer to work in SignBlazerElements.

http://support.uscutter.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/GetAttachment/190/24198

 

 

Best of luck.

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^^^Downloading SB now.  I tried one version I found but it seemed to be from the Windows 98 era.  Maybe this one is better.

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It looks dated (SB) but it functions fine for most vinyl work. I agree with slice about the catch basket but you can get by with a cardboard box to catch your vinyl. I did as Slice suggested and retrofit a basket to my stand last year. I believe we have an informal support group for heat transfer and dye-sub. It truly is an addiction.

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I believe we have an informal support group for heat transfer and dye-sub. It truly is an addiction.

 

I asked Banner John to check into adding a sub-forum for Dye Sub, but haven't heard back yet...

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Dye Sub is becoming a larger part of my business and even Uscutter is having a webinar about it so the timing is probably perfect to do just that.

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I have

2,  MH 721  28' inch cutters

2, Clam Shell Heat Press

1, Swing away heat press for my dye sub

1, Dye sub printer RICOH 3120 DN

1, 24 inch printer for posters and such

a 24x36 light table that kicks some butt ..

 

and my screen printing.. with about 20 screens total.. and alot of ink..

I have 35+ Different Colors Rolls of " Oracal 651"24 inch vinyl

I have 10 Color's of 631

and about 15 color's for Heat Transfer vinyl

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Dye Sub is becoming a larger part of my business and even Uscutter is having a webinar about it so the timing is probably perfect to do just that.

I think i'm going to go to that online. and check it out..  :)

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I think i'm going to go to that online. and check it out..  :)

Can't beat the price

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Woot!!  Ordered my cutter this morning!  I bought the package on ebay.  I also ordered some white oracal 651 vinyl for the job I mentioned previously (Once I figure everything out).  Can anyone tell me if the application tape they give to use with the greenstar will work for the oracal?

 

BTW!  I want to say "THANKS!" to everyone who helped me in this thread.  Seriously, the people on these boards are among the most helpful I've ever encountered on any forums!!!

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The app tape will work. I like the R tape better but I use both. Is it wide enough for what you are building? My starter kit only came with 12" and I was trying to tape two wide which works but is tough and you will probably get some bubbles at the overlap.

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As noted, the bundle provides narrow width app tapes (6" 12") and you should order the proper width(s), because overlapping is not the preferred method & your applied results will indeed have bubbles along the seam line.

 

After you receive the unit, can you post back here with what you found about that misplaced set-screw issue on the SC unit?

It would be interesting to see if the problem was addressed at the source in China.

 

 

Here is a photo of the rear of my SC machine, the red arrow shows where the set-screw was placed by the factory (if you slide the pinch-roller assembly over until it hits that point, it will completely miss being in contact with the lower grit roller) --- I corrected the error by drilling a new hole and locating the screw over a bit (green arrow).

 

I know this entire subject has been addressed numerous times by me (including earlier in this thread) but it's not a small matter, because if that pinch roller isn't in contact with the lower grit roller properly, the vinyl will bunch and not feed cleanly.

 

Let us know what you discover.

TIA.

 

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^^^The cutter should be here on Tuesday.  I'll definitely check out that issue and post back.

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Actually mine is missing the screw all together and the hole is still in the wrong place anyway.

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