ACJ GRAPHICS

looking for advice

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hi all,

 

i think i am in the market for a new cutter thinking about the graphtec ce600 24 inch model? i have now ( dont laugh) the $199. mh series 14 in and also the 34 in mh series. i recently went to a swapmett to sell some decals. there was one other vinyl guy there. he had the whole shabang a bazillion decals graphtec machine i'm thinking of getting and the works. heres my thing i had lines out the door and everyone was telling me that "he didnt know what he was doing" and that he was rude. i can understand the rude thing. my tiny 14" cutter made me over 500.00 in one day. sure it had a few mess ups and i kept having to shut it off to clear memory. BUT.... i could do exactly every decal he had on display. with my 200.00 cutter why should i spend 1700.00? could someone give me a idea?? and im not being smart when i say i dont want to hear that "its a better machine" what makes it better and what will I gain if i spend that kinda money? i am just trying to justify buying a machine  when i already have a machine that could cut everything he had.( i think i did way better then he did in sales) i do need some help and advice? THANKS EVERYONE

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Well the GraphTec will cut finer, cleaner detail. But, if you are sure your current cutter would cut every graphic as well as the other guy using a GraphTec in your example, it sounds like you're not cutting that great of detail; so maybe you don't need a better cutter. 

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Reliability,speed,service (if ever needed). And more that owners will post I'm sure.

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I got by with a P-Cut for 2-1/2 years so I know where you are coming from. Basically the difference really comes out when doing really small or really large or many many copies. Small is tough no matter the machine and requires all the parameters to be perfectly dialed in. Easier with a servo motor and more quality built machines. Large/long cuts it's all about the tracking. My old cutter I got by with using step-by-step cutting so the longer graphics got cut a little at a time but trying to do a two layer sign with detailed overlays was almost impossible to turn out real clean work. I got to where I was careful to design my stuff to accommodate the abilities of my cutter (when I was doing the design). 

 

New cutter, WOW what a difference. Yes it's an investment but if you look at what you just said: "made me over $500 in one day" is 3 or 4 good days worth of work really that much of an investment to something that will last for years and years of trouble free cutting?

 

I often do fairly large quantity shirt or hat orders. My P-Cut was not able to make more than about 8 or 10 of any design without locking up or having static issues. So if I was making one of the 200 shirt orders then I would literally spend hours and hours hovering over the cutter in case it started to go crooked or whatever and prepared to stop it quick so it didn't ruin a bunch of vinyl. My new one I can load 10yrds of HTV and start it and go do something else while it cuts the whole roll without worry. I figure just babysitting time alone has probably paid for my new machine if my time is worth much. 

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Last year  forum member Bossman696,, (owned an SC cutter) gave us a design of his to cut on our Graphtecs, and we posted our images,  He could really see the difference, All the great sharp details are there,,   It sure convinced him,  be bought a Graphtec right away...

 

 

 

http://forum.uscutter.com/index.php?/topic/42357-lease-vs-purchase/

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You can make money with a cheap cutter....you can make money with an expensive cutter.

It depends on your designs, how detailed they are, and your own skill and experience. 

Now if you are at a craft show/meet and you are running a cheap cutter and the guy next to you is running an expensive cutter, and you are lucky enough to be selling more than he is, maybe because of his lack of skill, but now imagine what YOU could do with a better cutter.

 

The graphtec is way more quiet than the MH and other cheaper stepper motor cutters, it takes less time to set up, and it can cut way more precise.

I feel that a graphtec would work wonders in your hands.

 

And remember quality and good customer service is key. Not just having an expensive piece of equipment.

You can still have an expensive piece of equipment and do crap work with it..

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OK WILL THE GRAPHTEC ACCEPT SMALLER PIECES OF VINYL? SOME TIMES I HAVE 6' PIECES THAT I NOW LOAD INTO MY EXISTING MH SERIES CUTTER? OR WOULD I JUST HAVE TO USE 24" METERIAL

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I cut 2"-3" wide vinyl    Any small size will work...as long as the pinch rollers can stay on it.....I make the most out of my scraps.

 

Also a tip for short scraps for any vinyl cutter..Or too short for the pinch rollers... . I use cello tape and tape 2 pieces together under the vinyl, so the pinch rollers have a place to roll on....

 

Note:  I turn off my media sensor as well as my pinch roller sensor.   I did that the first day...

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The Graphtec is whisper quiet and dead on accurate. I can do stuff with it that I couldn't do with my LaserPoint. No messing around with unfinished cuts and pigtails like the value cutter. No memory, or static issues. It can cut 100 of the same design out, or one long 10 foot design. The tacking is very accurate. Can cut smaller lettering and details.

 

I have a MH series cutter in the basement for a backup just in case. I think I would be embarrassed to cut with it in public. Doesn't the noise drive everyone crazy, or are they intrigued by all of the commotion?

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The Graphtec will not only use smaller pieces of vinyl, it will scan the size of the piece and let you know how much room there is to cut in.

 

There is also a feature, but I've never used it, that will let you block out an area in a piece of vinyl - say if you had a piece with a hole/scratch in it, you can tell the cutter where the bad spot is and it will plan around it.

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The Graphtec is whisper quiet and dead on accurate. I can do stuff with it that I couldn't do with my LaserPoint. No messing around with unfinished cuts and pigtails like the value cutter. No memory, or static issues. It can cut 100 of the same design out, or one long 10 foot design. The tacking is very accurate. Can cut smaller lettering and details.

 

I have a MH series cutter in the basement for a backup just in case. I think I would be embarrassed to cut with it in public. Doesn't the noise drive everyone crazy, or are they intrigued by all of the commotion?

my mh is quite  in fact cant reallyt even hear it at all. but most venues its outside so maybe ambient noise deadens/kills it?? i don't know

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Mz Skeeter said, " I turn off my media sensor as well as my pinch roller sensor.   I did that the first day..."

 

+1 on that... you're likely to have issues with the sensors on while trying to cut the really small stuff. (without a carrier sheet below it, that is)

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well i just pulled the trigger and bought the graphtec. im as confused as a newborn baby at a nudie bar lol i used to use sure cuts alot but now it seems to not work with it now. seems to cut way larger? i don't know. what do you guys use as a cutting program. that's the next expense lol

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I use Flexistarter8.6,  but also have Flexistarter 10 ,  just purchased a used one a month ago, cheap...

 

But I also have Illy CS2   Inkscape.org.....

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