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KDM_Freak

Some Advice & Help Would Be So Much Appreciated

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Hello all, 

 

          My names Mike & Id just like to start off with I'm new to the page and the vinyl world as well. I apologize for posting in the wrong section ( If I even did, I tried my hardest not to ). I have done research for the past month now on vinyl and plotters ETC and having trouble getting to understand it all. I want to open a small out of home business doing decals for cars (Im on many different car pages with thousands of people on each) and maybe even making banners depending on how successful I become at it all. I also use a Macbook Pro 13" laptop and see some issues with that alone but then I see some greats and how Mac is the way to go. My overall question is I see two starter kits I feel is good but just not 100% sure for what I want to do. One is the 

Vinyl Cutter Bundle - Sign Cutting Plotter w/ Sure Cuts A Lot Pro Design Sale 31.5" Laserpoint II, Tools, Supplies, Tot Value $1,200+  Off Ebay threw UScutter and The other is the SC basic business kit. 

PLEASE HELP, as to not wanting to spend a crazy amount upfront and just want to get my feet wet to make back what I put into it and after that start to profit. 

- THANK YOU IN ADVANCE _ Mike

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mike first thing - lpII is the same as a p-cut but with a laser pointer glued to it for MANUAL registration mark setting to contour printed things like t-shirt transfers - that will help to decide if you want a p-cut or lpII.  on the bundle - don't do it - get some oracal vinyl and avoid the house brands altogether - it is much better to just get the colors you need and a quality vinyl.  personally start with white, black, red, and go from there.  even though it will come with scalp I personally would get the flexiStarter software - IMHO a much better cutting software.  you can download signblazer free to design in - Scalp does a couple of things nice like rhinestone transfers and the tracing capability is respectable - but other than that it is a crafters software that has been slightly altered to make it work with a plotter.

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I would go with this, hands down. http://www.uscutter.com/Copam-Professional-Vinyl-Cutter-w-Sure-Cuts-A-Lot-Pro-Design-Cut-Software   It's on sale too, so that's even a bonus, hundred bucks towards supplies. I've had mine since 2010 and it's cut some things that i didn't even think would be possible. The only problem it had was a tracking issue but a new pinch roller corrected it. It certainly paid for itself and a future Graphtec :thumbsup: . Def worth the price IMO.

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I and many others were in the same spot you are in right now. I can tell you from personal experience that if you are willing to put in the effort you can make enough money to get your ROI very easily. Very easily! I went with a P-Cut originally because it was a little above the bottom and yet was still affordable to start with. There are a few things that you have to learn with a budget cutter but they aren't rocket science. A couple years into it and I dropped over $3K on a new one if that gives you any indication of profitability. 

 

If you are running the mac (I do too) you might look into SignCut Pro cutting software, it seems to be the most mac compatible cutting utility out there but it does basically no design so you have to have a design program of which there are several which are also friendly to mac. I happen to run Illustrator which is tough on beginners but Inkscape has a mac version and it's free and quite a few on here use Corel draw and they say it's easier to use so you have some options out there. I would steer you to Inkscape to start with just because it is totally free and a great program to have around even if you end up going some other route later. 

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Thanks for all the great ideas and help ! I did look into the copam before I posted but for the price and get no basic starter kit I was a little unsure of due to not knowing how well the market really is (which looks realistic to me now) so now if I just go with a copam what supplies do I exactly need ... weeding tools a must, cutting board, software (which now I'm lost on I want a good one for beginners but can keep me up to date so I can keep learning more then just decals) and of course vinyl which all the different kinds I am as well lost on. Thanks again for all the help guys im sorry for the noob questions but I know we all started somewhere :)

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Do a search and you can find a good list. I can't remember what the topic was but there was a list made not too long ago about what supplies for start-up. You have a computer so just download Inkscape for free and start playing with it. Whatever cutter you end up with will come with a cutting program. It may just be Sure Cuts a lot Pro 3 which isn't great but would work for what you are starting out aiming for. I wouldn't try using it to design with but if you get a little practice in on inkscape you can just export your files into SCALP and cut them. Inkscape has a good tutorial section in the help menu and there are lots of youtube videos out there for about anything you can think up.

 

Quick list: vinyl, app tape, squeegee's, exacto knife and blades (buy a hundred), cutting mat and at least a 24" ruler. I use a clear craft style ruler for cutting evenly around my junk after applying the app tape so they look nice and square for customers. You will probably want some good cleaning solution and rubbing alcohol for surface prep. (if you are doing installs) Also some good quality 3M masking tape for intalls. 

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I just posted and think it got deleted due to being on my phone ha .. but last question promise.. I looked around and saw 24" plotters are perfect to start off with for a small home business. Is this correct ?

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24" is perfect for most shops too, not just home businesses. I have a LP2 I bought last year that works fine but has very little use because I walked into a better deal with Dakota for a Graphtec and basically mothballed the LP2. Looking at the Titan models now but I just can't fully convince myself no matter how hard I try.

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