BobbyD1120 1 Posted October 5, 2015 I have an Graphtec plotter and we currently die cut decals and sell on mostly Amazon. A few weeks ago we received a call from Amazon vendor central and they are starting to sell our products directly. We have finalized our vendor account and received our first PO from them. It was a very small PO for only about 26 items however we are hopeful to start receiving much larger volume orders from them. The process of using the plotter to make our decals has been working for us. However as you know it takes considerable time to die cut, then weed, then mask every single decal. With the anticipation of larger volume orders from Amazon and the possibility to taking our business to the next level I wanted to explore the option of printing our designs onto a clear vinyl that you see with many other items such as the ones you buy in big box stores such as Walmart and Target. Unfortunately Im not sure where to begin. Could you point me in the right direction regarding the equipment I would need, supplies, etc? Thank you! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jburns 239 Posted October 6, 2015 How large are your graphics? Printing on clear can be done, but to get the best colors you would need a white under base or printed base coat of white. (I think most colors are formulated to print on white media). So you can perhaps print on white media, then machine contour cut around the color parts. Or print on clear- with a printer that has white ink. Note: From what I have read white can be challenging in liquid inks- but perhaps less in thermal systems. ( Disclosure: I am biased printing on clear- I have a small thermal printer). Others will probably chime in. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pshawny 410 Posted October 6, 2015 What you are making aren't "Die Cuts". Die cutting is a totally different thing. Personally, I prefer the look of a cut vinyl decal to a wall cling. I can totally understand the time and effort involved and can see the need to speed that up for large volume. These printer/cutters have white ink. https://www.rolanddga.com/products/printers/versacamm-vsi-series-wide-format-inkjet-printers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BobbyD1120 1 Posted October 13, 2015 Thanks for the responses. So I believe I will just stick with cutting them like Im doing now verses printing them. So this leads me to another question. Is there a more automated way to weed and mask vinyl cut graphics. Right now we are doing everything by hand and its taking considerable time. We manually be hand weed every decal then manually apply the application tape. We have a APPRoller however we still have to manually squeegee each one. This is taking considerable time. I really need to find a way to better automate and speed up this process. After some quick research I saw this on YouTube http://www.weedersheeter.com/pricing/index.htm/ Does anyone have any experience with it or could provide options for me? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Go-C Graphics 856 Posted October 13, 2015 Thanks for the responses. So I believe I will just stick with cutting them like Im doing now verses printing them. So this leads me to another question. Is there a more automated way to weed and mask vinyl cut graphics. Right now we are doing everything by hand and its taking considerable time. We manually be hand weed every decal then manually apply the application tape. We have a APPRoller however we still have to manually squeegee each one. This is taking considerable time. I really need to find a way to better automate and speed up this process. After some quick research I saw this on YouTube http://www.weedersheeter.com/pricing/index.htm/ Does anyone have any experience with it or could provide options for me? Or you can charge an amount that makes it worth the time it takes to weed and tape. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted October 13, 2015 Or you can charge an amount that makes it worth the time it takes to weed and tape. that is actually the case in a lot of these situations - people try to be the cheapest and compete with Chinese labor . . . and then move on in a year or so when they find they have not been making a living wage for their work 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pshawny 410 Posted October 13, 2015 There is this thing that will weed vinyl for you. I've seen posts before about the weeder and people didn't think it would really work that well for everything that needs to be weeded. For some stuff...sure, but not for everything. How much time will it take to re-cut and place pieces that it accidentally removes. The sheeter is interesting and I thought about buying one once. Maybe even look at a cold laminator. Used would be around the same price and maybe be more useful. Personally, I ended up getting a WeberMade app tape holder and a BigSqueegee yard sign tool. Works like a charm. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KYSIGN 233 Posted October 13, 2015 You can google weedersheeter, I have never used either the weeder or the sheeter but I would like to try the sheeter. Did that sound ridiculous or is it just me? 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pshawny 410 Posted October 13, 2015 that is actually the case in a lot of these situations - people try to be the cheapest and compete with Chinese labor . . . and then move on in a year or so when they find they have not been making a living wage for their work This is true. I've seen vinyl decals for sale that after running the numbers they are making $1 profit on a $20 sale after calculating cost of materials, seller fees, and shipping. If they work 40 hours a week they could maybe clear $15k/year after taxes. To some people that is enough or at least more than they are making now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
