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dave532

Hello from a beginner

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Hello to all from Minnesota.

 

I recently acquired a Mimaki cutter and have very little experience.

With this forum's help I hope to have it up and running tut sweet!

 

Thanks,

 

-Dave

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Hi there Dave. How's the weather in Minnesota? Cold I'll bet!

So, you're beginning to cut vinyl, congrats. What types of things are you seeking to create? Signs? Banners? Hobby?

What led you to this Forum?

 

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Unusually warm so no complaints....yet.

I have a need to make simple numbers and letters for my race car. My

sponsor used to do this for me but eventually just gave me his

Mimaki CG-60st and plenty of vinyl. Unfortunately the computer

and software he was using with it died and is not recoverable. So I came upon

this forum in hopes of finding software that will work with my cutter and also

learning other tips in using the cutter with my workstation or laptop, etc.

 

-Dave

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Dave, you're in luck, you came to the right place for the advice you'll need!

1. Working with vinyl requires some tools. Hopefully you also got those along with the cutter. (Simple tools, but essential ----  xacto knife, tape measure, scissors, weeding/picking tool, 12" ruler, masking tape, app tape).

2. Get a cheapo windows laptop (older Dell or HP), and run SignBlazer on it ---  Your machine-specific driver is included with this program. 
http://www.uscuttersupport.com/downloads/Software/SignBlazer/signblazer_setup.exe

3.  Working Space -- you'll never have enough! I've found that a 30" x 96" Costco banquet table is nice. Also, an app-tape roller/dispenser is very useful. USCUTTER sells a good one.
https://www.uscutter.com/APPRoller-Tape-Application-Roller

4. Remember, when doing car number decals, the slant must be reversed on the other side!

 

shot.jpg

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Outstanding....this is very helpful!

I was not aware of Signblazer, that sounds like it is exactly what I need.

Do you suggest a cheaper laptop due to the need for a serial port? Or an older operating system?

 

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1 hour ago, dave532 said:

Outstanding....this is very helpful!

I was not aware of Signblazer, that sounds like it is exactly what I need.

Do you suggest a cheaper laptop due to the need for a serial port? Or an older operating system?

 

You're welcome!  SignBlazer will get you up and running, but be aware that it's very basic and has some limitations (and is never updated, since the creator, Jerry Bonham, passed away and left us this legacy as 'abandonware').

Anyway, it runs on current versions of Windows (AFAIK) and the main reason I suggested an older machine was a price consideration, but yes, if that Mimaki is not USB connected, then a computer with a serial port is needed. I'm on a Dell Latitude D520 (the D630 units also have the required port).

 

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You can use a USB to serial adapter. Keyspan is the recommended one.

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Thanks again to all, my projects are relatively simple but I heard that getting something to talk to a Mimaki was difficult. Looking forward to trying these ideas out.

I'll start installing/hopefully cutting this weekend.

 

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Hello and Welcome from Florida.  This is a great forum to belong to, lots of helpful and friendly members.

Doug

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