Wildgoose

What Flexi is similar to SignCut Pro?

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My subscription is just about up and I am finally planning to purchase the dongle for SignCut Pro but thought I would make sure I didn't want to go a different route. Who uses Flexi and has enough experience with signcut to tell me which version I would need to get to have a comparable system to SignCut Pro as far as the cutting, nesting weeding part of life. I realize that Flexi is a full meal deal and can do tons more but it looks like to get all the cutting features I would have to go in deep, maybe I'm missing something so I thought I would ask. I already design in AI so the design tools would be a bonus but not necessarily needed. The dongle for SignCut is $300 or thereabouts which is $50 cheaper than the cutting software that typically goes with my Summa cutter and it has more features for the $50 less.

 

I just want to make an informed decision. Any would be appreciated.  

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All I use Is Flexistarter with my Graphtec,,  Great cutting software,  you own it, comes with dongle, can be had for under $130 on EBAY.   I have looked at trial version of Signcut,   All I have ever used is Flexistarter for 6 years.    Bought my son the same for his Graphtec. 

 

Several people on here use Flexistarter

 

This is used, probably because it has been opened,  He sells a lot.  He is a distibutor

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FLEXI-10-Vinyl-Cutting-Plotter-Software-Dongle-Key-Contour-Cutting-USED-/371012592545?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276

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I used sign cut but I never really used all the extra doodads that it had with it so I may not be able to give you a fair comparison however I use Flexistarter now and love that I'm not paying for subscriptions anymore.

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Are you guys using version 8 or 10?

 

Ok let me give you a few real world scenarios to see if it is comparable to SignCut. 

You have a large detailed design and during the install you make two mistakes and need to replace one little piece over here and another little larger spot over there where the wind blew and the vinyl stuck to itself and is ruined. The rest of the design is ok. Can you isolate two spots (or more) on a design and just cut those two leaving a user determined (say 1/4") overlap to patch it up and will the program nest those so as to utilize the vinyl as efficiently as possible? 

 

Does flexi read the vinyl width from the cutter? Or do you have to tell it how wide it is?

 

Can you insert weeding lines and a weed boarder?

 

Does Flexistarter have a cut by color option? 

 

Sorry for so many questions!!!!

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Are you guys using version 8 or 10?

 

Ok let me give you a few real world scenarios to see if it is comparable to SignCut. 

You have a large detailed design and during the install you make two mistakes and need to replace one little piece over here and another little larger spot over there where the wind blew and the vinyl stuck to itself and is ruined. The rest of the design is ok. Can you isolate two spots (or more) on a design and just cut those two leaving a user determined (say 1/4") overlap to patch it up and will the program nest those so as to utilize the vinyl as efficiently as possible? 

 

Does flexi read the vinyl width from the cutter? Or do you have to tell it how wide it is?

 

Can you insert weeding lines and a weed boarder?

 

Does Flexistarter have a cut by color option? 

 

Sorry for so many questions!!!!

Yes, it cuts by color.  And it also has it's own contour cutting program,,  could be used on another cutter as such.   Like Pcut, MH. etc.

 

Yes,  I can pick a piece out of a design and cut it. 

 

When you choose the cutter and driver. It is in the software, and determines the vinyl width.  You can also use user defined, and change the vinyl width.

 

You cannot insert weed lines,  It does have weed border, and does put some vertical and horizantal weedlines

 

It also has tiling, It also has optimize cutting order.  I use it for making stripes.  (Cut a section then advance to the next section, all the way to the end.)

 

You can do node editing, basic design. 

 

It also has overcut.  weld.

 

I have Flexistarter 8.5, 8.6   and a 10 (not installed)  for my other son in case he wants to do decals.

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The only thing I don't like is I do all my designing in Inkscape and then import it into Flexistarter.   

There's no editing in flexi if you need to make a change.  I should say VERY little editing options.   

 

You can't even weld an object.    You have to rely on the auto weld but if you only want one thing welded you have to go back into inkscape and make the change.  Then import it into flexistarter to cut.  

 

Just ignoring.   

 

But it's a HELL of a cutting software.   It's the ONLY software option that NEVER gave me a problem with cutting.  

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I`ll sell  Flexi 10 starter with dongle for $100.00 + shipping

 

mark-s

OK mark, good to know. I may try downloading a free trial or something to give it a whirl before I decide. I like the $ound of $100 better than $300. I'm  just so used to signcut that it worries me and I spent money on SCALP thinking it was going to be awesome and was disappointed. Flexi is much less worrying because they definitely know their stuff but I have been worried that the base versions wouldn't do much. The Summa comes with MacSign and Winplot to do rudimentary cutting but without upgrading there isn't much in the way of utility. No nesting, no tiling etc... 

 

The only thing I don't like is I do all my designing in Inkscape and then import it into Flexistarter.   

There's no editing in flexi if you need to make a change.  I should say VERY little editing options.   

 

You can't even weld an object.    You have to rely on the auto weld but if you only want one thing welded you have to go back into inkscape and make the change.  Then import it into flexistarter to cut.  

 

Just ignoring.   

 

But it's a HELL of a cutting software.   It's the ONLY software option that NEVER gave me a problem with cutting.  

Thats not new to me because there is even less options available in Signcut 

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The nesting function is not available in flexi. And yeah it can't weld in starter which is funny because you can break things apart. I do remember having far more software issues with signcut and having to reinstall a couple times where Flexistarter just keeps on plugging along. Really depends on personal taste I guess but that part about no subscription is what finally sold me.

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Don't know the answer to that. My "Graphtec" is actually a rebranded vinyl express w/o the arms systems so I have no way of telling.

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CorelDraw + Flexistarter to run the cutter. My Flexistarter 8.5  'contour cut', will only cut a circle around the objects. Never quite figured that out?

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I'm not sure about Flexistarter and someone will have to verify it, but you can change the desk top to look like Adobe, CASmate,Corel, Flexi5x, Flexi7x, Inspire, Omega, Signlab, Sign Wizard or you can customize it to your liking.

 

Sorry about the blurry attachment.

post-24657-0-51639100-1393724254_thumb.j

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CorelDraw + Flexistarter to run the cutter. My Flexistarter 8.5  'contour cut', will only cut a circle around the objects. Never quite figured that out?

Flexistarter with contour cut  program did not come out til version 8.6 vs 2,     I have 8.5,  there is no contour cut program on it.     Can you show a screen shot of your feature?  

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I'm not sure about Flexistarter and someone will have to verify it, but you can change the desk top to look like Adobe, CASmate,Corel, Flexi5x, Flexi7x, Inspire, Omega, Signlab, Sign Wizard or you can customize it to your liking.

 

Sorry about the blurry attachment.

Ok that's pretty cool. So how many here run their flexi on a mac? I assume it is mac compatible or has a mac version? It would be real nice if it was cross compatible. SignCut Pro is, once you buy the dongle you can just down load it into whatever machine you want and then hop back and forth with the dongle. That's actually one of the reasons I have been wanting to get the dongle bought because I have had my windows 7 laptop doing the blue screen any time I let it update and I'm scared of getting caught needing to get a job done. Currently while on subscription you can't swap from machine to machine without de-registering from the other computer and it is limited to 5 times. Tough decision here and I am going to have to make it within the next couple weeks. 

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I'm not sure about Flexistarter and someone will have to verify it, but you can change the desk top to look like Adobe, CASmate,Corel, Flexi5x, Flexi7x, Inspire, Omega, Signlab, Sign Wizard or you can customize it to your liking.

 

Sorry about the blurry attachment.

You can do that with Flexistarter.  I use the Casmate  version for node editing.  It seems to work better for me. 

 

Flexistarter has a Mac version at 8.5.  and has not been updated.  Rarely can you get it cheap. .  PC version you can get for about $105,  much cheaper than the retail price of $395.00.

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I just checked the price on SignCut Pro dongles and they have evidently went up. Now priced at almost $400. Hmmm. I could buy a copy of each version of flexi starter. 

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In the end I have decided to stick with Signcut Pro. Even at $400 for the dongle it is the best for my situation. The biggest factor being that I work on a mac but currently cut with a windows. With the Dongle I can load up both computers so if one dies I am still cutting without any downtime and if I upgrade my laptop to a macbook which i am considering I will still be good to go then as well. 

 

The only other cross platform cutting software that I could find out there is Macsign which came with the Summa cutter and the version that I would want is double the cost of SignCut Pro and I am not sold on the layout and look as much as I have become accustomed to the Signcut layout. 

 

Thanks to all who have pitched in on this thread. 

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Hello Wildgoose.

I just bought at USCutter a Graphtec CE6000-60, after selling a Roland GS-24, because of Graphtec Studio stand alone software support Mac OS X and it's really good, if you are long time Mac user (I'm a video editor, jumping into this awesome industry of custom design) you can tell that Graphtec understand the Mac, plus the plotter is great, less noisy, nice LCD screen, really easy to setup, even the plugin for Illustrator reed the measurement form the plotter vs Roland I had to enter the dimension overtime in Illustrator.

It's just a month old, but I had such a nice experience with it that I want to have perforation cut, so I'm selling it (crazy right) to upgrade to Graphtec FC8600-100 42" or Summa D120 or S2 120.

Since you are a Summa user, my concern is the Mac support, the MacSign software. I just downloaded a trial version of MacSign and it looks like it was deign by a company that doesn't understand the Mac OS environment and I know the full version is on the $500+. So, researching I've found that most Mac Summa users are using SignCut, which I download a trial today (haven tested) but looks like totally a Mac environment.

 

What would be your advice if I go Summa? 

 

Thanks in advance for any support.

 

In the end I have decided to stick with Signcut Pro. Even at $400 for the dongle it is the best for my situation. The biggest factor being that I work on a mac but currently cut with a windows. With the Dongle I can load up both computers so if one dies I am still cutting without any downtime and if I upgrade my laptop to a macbook which i am considering I will still be good to go then as well. 

 

The only other cross platform cutting software that I could find out there is Macsign which came with the Summa cutter and the version that I would want is double the cost of SignCut Pro and I am not sold on the layout and look as much as I have become accustomed to the Signcut layout. 

 

Thanks to all who have pitched in on this thread. 

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If you're going Summa then yeah I think id do the SignCut. Pro 1. You can get the dongle really cheap now at USCutter. Well under what I paid. I have the Summacut series cutter ( just in 30"). I don't know what the differences are between it and the S class. I would talk to Phil Johnson.

Here is his email: philj@summa.us

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Hey thanks alway for your fast response, like Phil Johnson, hahaha! He knows me all ready, he has been helping me a lot, since I'm still new to this business. The S2 class has a 3year warranty, touch screen, higher cutting speed and USB for cutting without a computer, plus ethernet connection.

 

On SignCut and MacSign, like you said, for MacSign you have to be the full version, but on other side, SignCut has an option that can send the job cut to InkScape so not using Illustrator wouldn't be a problem and the reviews of people using it with Summa are great. Unfortunately, on demo versions you can't use to much of them.

 

Btw, please if you know anyone looking for a great plotter in literally, literally new conditions for 15% less of the price, I did post for sale my brand new Graphtec CE6000-60 here at the forum (I bought it on May 19, at USCutter, great service) It's sitting in my room at the moment giving it time to sell, since I'm using more my Sawgrass SG800 printer, doing small sublimation work with. But I want to upscale to wall home decor and a solvent/latex printer for full color walls and auto decals ...It's start as a hobby, but I wanted to be a full time work.

 

Like other equipment posts I have, but they are Apple products so I can't post them here, but they're mine too and selling reason is the same, to invest toward a Graphtec FC8600-100 or SummaCut D120/S2 D120

 

Well thank very much for your help and have a good day.

 

Wilmer Cordero

wilmer.ochmedia@gmai.com

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