Spencer Vector

CE-7000 help! die (full) cut and perf cut settings???

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Hello, I just recently got my CE-7000-40 (15") and I am having trouble finding the right setting for die cutting (full cutting out w/ backing) as well as the perf cut settings for regular ol Oracal 651 permanent vinyl. I assume the perf cut settings will be the same as the full cut, in regards to blade length and force setting, but instead just need the cut pattern option enabled. Oh and I have been using tool holder position 3, of which I gathered is needed for full and perforated cutting. Can full or perf cuts be done in tool position 1? Sure seems like having a surface under the vinyl would assist in the blade getting through, as opposed to tool position 3 which has the gap. 

I have set up two dif "conditions" set up on this machine and have read a bunch online. I have seen from users on this forum (mainly MZ SKEETER), that the blade length should be set by manually testing it by hand cutting vinyl. Ive read the blade protrudes as little as possible while still cutting the layer of vinyl only, and very minimal cut into the backing. And that once the blade is set correctly that one should use the force settings to cut all the way through. Well problem is, the force doesn't seem to be enough to get all the way through. How is this even possible? This is only 2.5mil thick vinyl? The only way I was able to get a good clean cut out, and good clean perf cut, was by extending the blade from what I've gathered on there is too far. How else is this achieved? Why wont my brand new cutter, just picked up last week, cut through standard Oracal 651 without exposing the blade too far?

The settings I have tried so far:

Condition 1: speed 30, force 14, acceleration 2 - this one I was going to use for "kiss" cutting only, so not a full cut.

Condition 3: speed 20, force 20 (tried 30 also, to no avail), acceleration 2 - this was going to be my "die cut" or "full cut" and "perf cut" condition/setting. 

I am planning on using both conditions to do either kiss cutting or die cutting. Sometimes it will be either and sometimes it will perform both cuts on the same sheet of vinyl. Anyway, can someone please tell me what settings I need to consistently die cut or full cut reg ol permanent vinyl? Should I be using tool holder space 1 or 3?

My apologies for the long winded request. This is super frustrating and I just need some guidance. Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

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First thing, is slow the cutter down.  It is not a race.  Start with speed 2-3.  You want quality.  Learn your cutter.  I have never had my Graphtec over speed 6.  New in 2008. It cuts perfect. Buy another blade holder or 2, so you don't have to keep adjusting the blade depth.  Make sure the blade holder is in the correct position,in the carriage arm so that blade is cutting over the groove. If you are cutting over the teflon strip with the blade exposed too far out, you could be cutting up the teflon strip. There are no settings for blade depth. You have to experiment until it is correct. Make sure you haven't broken the blade tip off by extending it too far out and running too fast. Blade tips will break very easily. 

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On 3/26/2022 at 4:07 PM, MZ SKEETER said:

First thing, is slow the cutter down.  It is not a race.  Start with speed 2-3.  You want quality.  Learn your cutter.  I have never had my Graphtec over speed 6.  New in 2008. It cuts perfect. Buy another blade holder or 2, so you don't have to keep adjusting the blade depth.  Make sure the blade holder is in the correct position,in the carriage arm so that blade is cutting over the groove. If you are cutting over the teflon strip with the blade exposed too far out, you could be cutting up the teflon strip. There are no settings for blade depth. You have to experiment until it is correct. Make sure you haven't broken the blade tip off by extending it too far out and running too fast. Blade tips will break very easily. 

Thank you for the reply! So the reason I was using 20 (contour and perf cut) and 30 (kiss cut) as the speed is because that is what they are using in the Graphtec training videos for the CE7000. One would think that they would be using the ideal settings in those training videos, no? I have not seen one video from Graphtec that shows anyone using anything slower than speed 10 for any cutting, but I haven't watched them all either. So I find it odd that you would suggest that. Part of the reason for purchasing a more professional/industrial cutter is to speed up production. I want it to cut as fast as possible, while still giving me professional cut results. This machine should be able to handle that consistently. I will absolutely try it on a lower speed, to see if I notice any cut quality differences, but on speed 20, cutting all the way through, I am now getting very good cut results. So not sure why I would want to slow it down. Esp considering that is what Graphtec themselves have recommended for perf cutting speed in the training video. They show to use Speed 30, Force 30 and Acceleration 2 for perforated cutting. I am using speed 20.  

Also I wanted to clarify that I am using tool position 3 (with the channel) for all cutting that is going through the vinyl. I have not used tool position 1 (on the teflon strip) so no damage has been done to the teflon strip. I just could not understand why I couldn't get through the vinyl using tool position 3.

I have since been able to perform consistent perforated cutting, but I had to adjust the blade to stick out further than what I have seen you suggest on this forum in other threads. So I am hoping it isn't out too far. Currently, my only way of checking on the condition of the blade tip is to use the included louple that came with the machine. It works great for dialing in the depth, but its not strong enough to really see the condition of the blade tip itself. So I will need to find something to look closer. I am a screen printer, so I do have loupes for looking at screen mesh. Those should get in close enough. So now even though I was able to get my cuts clean and consistent, I do wonder if my blade is exposed too far. I can't get it to cut all the way through with any less so my brain says its ok, but your replies to others in other threads does have me wondering. 

Finally I wanted to add what I am using this machine for. I bought it specifically to use the "print and cut" functionality, though not exactly for how it was designed to work. The function is designed to send artwork to an inkjet or laser printer, with the included reg marks from the Graphtec plug-in. And the machine reads the reg marks and cuts accordingly. My process is a bit different. I send my art to an all black in jet printer, to print film "positives" for the screen printing process. The graphtec registration marks get "burned" into the screen/s along with the artwork and are printed by hand onto permanent outdoor vinyl. We are using all kinds of ink colors on all kinds of vinyl colors, so the registration marks are whatever color is the most contrast to the vinyls color. Then I put those sheets into the cutter and sent it the cut information. And what do you know? It works perfectly! This machines sensors are able to read many colors of reg marks on many colors of vinyl. We were a little worried the sensors would have issues with dif color combos, but it has read almost everything we have thrown at it so far. If the print color and vinyl color are both dark then it doesn't want to read them. So I have figured a quick and easy workaround when that happens. I was able to cut dark navy blue ink on black vinyl, but did have to use the workaround to change the reg marks color, for more contrast. Having figured all of this out, I am absolutely addicted to hand printing and perfectly perf cutting stickers!

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The reason I said start slow, is because you just got the machine a week ago. Why blast your way out of the gate with it? You didn't even know how to run the machine. Starting out like that, can break blade tips right away.  Too many people see wrong directions on setting up blade depth, using a credit card or post it notes and this is just too much blade exposed out of the blade holder.  Then they come here with all kinds of problems, cutting strip gouged. scratched all over.  And if using Clean Cut blades, that can get quite expensive.  The videos are with trained people (most of the time)  who already know how to run a Graphtec. We have had several people come here with detailed designs, cut like crap, wondering what is wrong.  Oh,  they are running at max speed, When they slow the cutter down, it cuts great..  I don't care how fast you run your cutter.  It's your cutter. 

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7 minutes ago, MZ SKEETER said:

The reason I said start slow, is because you just got the machine a week ago. Why blast your way out of the gate with it? You didn't even know how to run the machine. Starting out like that, can break blade tips right away.  Too many people see wrong directions on setting up blade depth, using a credit card or post it notes and this is just too much blade exposed out of the blade holder.  Then they come here with all kinds of problems, cutting stripped gouged. scratched all over.  And if using Clean Cut blades, that can get quite expensive.  The videos are with trained people (most of the time)  who already know how to run a Graphtec. We have had several people come here with detailed designs, cut like crap, wondering what is wrong.  Oh,  they are running at max speed, When they slow the cutter down, it cuts great..  I don't care how fast you run your cutter.  It's your cutter. 

My sincerest apologies, didn't mean to touch a nerve. Was just curious why you suggested such dif settings compared to the MFG. You mention it is because I am new to the machine, but then state you yourself, whom I assume has enough experience with the CE7000 (or other similar Graphtec machines), never even goes above speed 6. So you can see why that sounded off to me...? It just seems strange to not get faster output, if you can. The way I see it is if the machine is designed to work faster, keeping the same cut quality, then I am def going to use it to it's capabilities. Why wait around for the cutter if I do not have to? Thats money down the drain. I'm not new to cutters really, just this Graphtec. I will do some speed tests to see if I notice any differences in the cut quality, but even at speed 30 my kiss cuts are perfect. And at 20 the die/perf cuts are also perfect. And from what I can tell, the worst thing that can happen would be to damage the blade or get poor cut results. Obviously I do not want to make a habit of damaging the blades, but if I do it's not much of an issue. These OEM blades (CBO9U) are available locally for $12 each. So not bad at all. Just need to find the best blade depth for contour/perf cutting, to reduce the machines stress where we can. 

Having said all of that, I assumed that I would set the blade per the MFG instructions (like yours) and that would allow for kiss cutting and contour/perf cutting, by adjusting the force for each condition. Then assigning each condition to each Illustrator layer (kiss and perf cut layers), and the machine would make the blade depth adjustments using the spring loaded tool holder...? Isn't that why it is spring loaded? I saw a video on YT of a vendor using this machine and the machine performed both a kiss cut and a perf cut back to back without any adjustments of the tool at all. They sent the file to the machine, it first cut the kiss cuts and then the perf cuts. Again, no tool adjustments were needed between cuts. The machine made the adjustments between the two layers. This is also something that I am looking for figure out. 

I truly do appreciate you taking the time to reply though. And please believe I meant no disrespect at all. I just want to dial this thing in. So if anyone (including yourself) reading this thread uses the perf cutting function on their CE7000, what blade depth, force and speed are you running? And have you ever been able to perform both kiss cutting and perf cutting at the same time without adjusting the tools or media between cuts?

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No nerve touched here.  Just seen too many problems on here.  You would too, if you read the forum.  I have been here since 2008, almost daily.  I own 2 Graphtec FC cutters.  Both 30".  You will not see an old timer on this forum,( with a high end cutter) that cuts at that kind of speed.  We are all volunteers on here.   I am usually answering questions on here, while I am cutting.  I have had an online business since 2006.   I don't have problems with my Graphtec cutting right the first time.  My niche' is very large  8'-16' L decals. .  Enjoy your cutter. 

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What has Graphtec Tech support told you?  If you want to run at those kind of speeds, like their videos, then you should be contacting them.    I can only imagine the kind of damage you could do to the carriage head, carriage arm, and pinch rollers, if the vinyl ever got jammed up.  :o  We had one of those on here not too long ago. 

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18 hours ago, Spencer Vector said:

So all the old timers aren't using their cutters to their full capabilities? Gotcha. 

Think of it like a sports car, just because it can hit 200mph, doesn't mean it is designed to cruise at 200mph all day.

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1 hour ago, darcshadow said:

Think of it like a sports car, just because it can hit 200mph, doesn't mean it is designed to cruise at 200mph all day.

I didn't buy a sports car to drive around at 25mph all day either though. I bought a sports car to go fast. Isn't that the purpose of the sports car?

And don't get me wrong, I absolutely understand that running it slower is intended to reduce the wear and tear on the machine. And to get optimal cutting performance. I get that, but all of the MFGs training videos show them running it at speeds of 20-30, as if that is normal. At least for the functionality I intend on using the machine for. And these are training videos. Videos specifically to educate the end user on how to set up and use their machines. If running the cutter at the speed of 20 or higher was bad, they would surely address that in the videos. I will def try to run it slower and see if I notice an improvement in cut quality, then I will consider using slower speeds routinely. If not, which I assume will be the case as I am not sure how the cuts could get any better, then I will keep using the speeds recommended in their training. Kiss cutting Oracal 651 is easy work for a machine like this, no? Cutting it at speed 20-30 should be more than fine. Contour and perf cutting might need slower speeds, we will see. I upgraded from hobby cutters to a more robust and professional machine for a reason. 

I am a screen printer firstly, and cutting vinyl and making stickers is only a secondary offering. So I am not using my machine all day long, every day. I will prob fire it up once or twice a week for a 3-5 hours at a time. Sometimes less. 

20 hours ago, MZ SKEETER said:

What has Graphtec Tech support told you?  If you want to run at those kind of speeds, like their videos, then you should be contacting them.    I can only imagine the kind of damage you could do to the carriage head, carriage arm, and pinch rollers, if the vinyl ever got jammed up.  :o  We had one of those on here not too long ago. 

I am still waiting for a reply from them. Their only form of support is via email tag. I expect to hear back from them today though. So I will update the thread with their reply. I suppose it is possible that they are not using ideal speeds in their training videos, but that would be weird for training. idk. And I never thought about what would happen if the vinyl buckled and jammed the machine. So that I will def take into consideration. I do plan on getting a set of these "push arms", linked below" designed to mount on the pinch roller bar, and help hold down the vinyl between the pinch rollers. They appear to be a must have upgrade for the CE7000, from sound of the reviews. Esp on my 15" model which only has two pinch rollers. I wondered if I could get a third roller and install it onto the bar myself, but then I saw these arms. 

Graphtec Push Arms

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I have never seen or heard of those push arms. They just look to be something that some guy made and is selling on Etsy, from Sweden.   Both of my Graphtecs are 30"  and 1 has  2 pinch rollers, standard,  never needed a 3rd pinch roller. FC8000-75, I bought used. It came with 4 pinch rollers, because they were cutting reflective, and used 4 pinch rollers to pull the heavy material. Those were added to the cutter. Tracks great, and I do long graphics.   We didn't have a reply for that person,  He bent the carriage arm up, it wouldn't cut anymore.   I think it was a CE5000-60.  Was it worth fixing,  who knows,  You would have to buy another used cutter. Being here for years, we see all kinds of mistakes, that you wouldn't think of. :o

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On 3/29/2022 at 10:06 AM, MZ SKEETER said:

I have never seen or heard of those push arms. They just look to be something that some guy made and is selling on Etsy, from Sweden.   Both of my Graphtecs are 30"  and 1 has  2 pinch rollers, standard,  never needed a 3rd pinch roller. FC8000-75, I bought used. It came with 4 pinch rollers, because they were cutting reflective, and used 4 pinch rollers to pull the heavy material. Those were added to the cutter. Tracks great, and I do long graphics.   We didn't have a reply for that person,  He bent the carriage arm up, it wouldn't cut anymore.   I think it was a CE5000-60.  Was it worth fixing,  who knows,  You would have to buy another used cutter. Being here for years, we see all kinds of mistakes, that you wouldn't think of. :o

Yeah, those push arms are 3D printed and being sold from Sweden. Reading the reviews though tells me folks see a solution to an annoying problem, and how well they work. I have only cut 12" sheets of 651 on mine so far, and could see that even the middle of those sheets raising up more than I would like to see. Im not using a cutting mat. And when I load the sheets I find myself pressing down on the center of the sheet, and extending my fingers outward towards the sides in an effort reduce any slack or bulge. And then lowering the pinch rollers. But even still, there is some slack during cutting. And it's usually minimal, but once it was more than I would like to see. I will say though that I am really cramming as many cuts onto a sheet that I can. I am hand screen printing stickers and die/perf cutting them out. So I am squeezing as many as possible onto each sheet. So I can see that I will need to be more cautious with how many I can fit, and how close to each other they are. Obviously the stiffness of the sheet overall is compromised after half the sheet has been cut, leading to slack/bulging. But I do want to get as many as I can on each sheet so I see a possible value in these arms. Instead of ordering them from Sweden though, I am reverse engineering them. I have access to a few 3D printers. Took a caliper and did some measurements on the machine. I have a file that I will hopefully test print tomorrow. My measurements might not be right on this first try, but I think I will find something that will work. Might even run more than one arm between both rollers. As long as the bottom of the arm is slippery enough, these things should really help hold the media flat while cutting without a mat. Thinking about using an adhesive backed teflon strip material or even super soft felt like used on the Etsy version. I will be sure to post pics and any test results I come up with as soon as I get one to fit the machine. 

And I imagine you have seen all kinds of stuff on here. I sure hope to not be just another statistic! lol  For real though, I am absolutely geeking out to this sticker making process, because I love screen printing so much, and I could talk about this stuff for hours. I am still waiting to hear back from Graphtec. It's proving to be a bit difficult to get even simple questions answered. Sent my request in Monday and still haven't heard back. So not too stoked on that. That kind "service" seems to be the standard these days though unfortunately. They have plenty of folks ready and willing to answer the phone to sell you a new machine, but when it comes time to help those who have already forked over their money, you jump through hoops. I did get ahold of  sales guy there, but he just keeps referring me to the training videos. And unfortunately the training videos just do not have the answers to the questions I have. It would take a 5 min conversation on the phone for me to get the answers I need and here I am trying to scrub training videos and playing email tag. I just want to dial in my process. 

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Never once have I had a problem with bulging vinyl in the middle,  I cut 30" wide rolls with 2 pinch rollers.  But then again.  I only use 50 yd rolls.  The vinyl is flat on the rolls.  Have you tried using a roll? 

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11 minutes ago, MZ SKEETER said:

Never once have I had a problem with bulging vinyl in the middle,  I cut 30" wide rolls with 2 pinch rollers.  But then again.  I only use 50 yd rolls.  The vinyl is flat on the rolls.  Have you tried using a roll? 

I have not tried using rolls. The main purpose for this machine is to cut those hand printed stickers. And I can only print on sheets so big. And that is a 12x24" sheet max. I will prob offer some more normal vinyl cutting options also (signage and window stuff), but I already have folks reaching out for stickers. These are going to be popular. Your average customer would be better off going through the big sticker companies. They can print, laminate and cut them much faster than I can. These are more for a niche market, like street artists or just artists in general. Ugh, sorry I'm rambling now. Anyway, if the more standard type of vinyl jobs do present themselves, I will absolutely be looking into rolls. Thats just not something I am focusing on. And I can just only hand print pieces of vinyl so big, so sheets are a must. 

The bulging I experienced wasn't really much. Bulging might be a poor choice of words, but this machine is the first time I am cutting without a cutting mat. So watching it bulge slightly is new to me. Honestly I think it has mostly to do with the perf cuts being to close to each other. Those areas are basically cut out completely making that corner very flimsy. Also the order in which the machine does the cuts. Its so weird. It starts are a random few in the bottom right corner, then goes up to the top left and cuts down that row to the bottom, then goes almost to top right, then up and back down. I have no idea why it chooses that route. I assume the machine or the plug-in are dictating the most "efficient" route. If I am not mistaken, you can program the cutting route, no? So maybe I can tell it where to start and where to end. And I think that would reduce any chance for slack. I also will be smarter about what size stickers go where on the sheet and how far apart they are spaced. More testing is needed, but I don't mind doing it. 

Here is a link to a video edit with me testing the process on some 12x12" sheets.

TESTING VIDEO LINK

 

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I don't think you mentioned which vinyl cutting program you are using.  But your cutter should have came with Graphtec Pro Studio.  Which is a version of Flexisign Pro.  Over a $1000 software.  Vinyl cutters cut, how the design is created.  Graphtec Pro Studio has step by step cutting.  Some others do also.   Example I cut very long designs.  My cutter may advance 4 ft before it starts cutting, but it will come back to the front and finish the design.  Step x step cutting, you tell the cutter how much to cut, say 4 inches,  it cuts the first 4 " then advances to the next 4" and on until the full design is cut.  BUT tracking has to be very good to do that. or your cuts will not match.  I can cut 16 ft long and never have to use step x step.  I have adjustments on my pinch rollers to hold the vinyl better, so no slips. My cutter tracks great. 

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On 3/28/2022 at 1:03 PM, MZ SKEETER said:

What has Graphtec Tech support told you?

 

So I just got some info back from Graphtec. Take into consideration this is from a regional sales manager, and not a tech, but they advised their tech support is for literal technical issues with the software or machine hardware. They are not intended to help with cut condition settings or blade depth inquiries. BUT this sales manager says he uses an FC or CE series machines daily, so he should know his stuff. 

 

Quote

When I perf cut, I use a speed of 25 or 30. If 20 works for you, then it works. Great starting point IMO. The person with the 6 might be right for what they're doing, but in my opinion that's too slow. The speed I mentioned earlier works for most things I do and if 20 works, stick with it. That's why there are adjustments for users. Most of it comes down to blade depth, which you only want out as far as the material is thick and then adjust your force accordingly to get the through cut. Make sure you're using the forward through cut tool position and in your condition settings you assign that condition to tool 3 as well as in the software.

Try setting the UP setting at .018. The cuts should hold to where when done you can flick them out with your finger. I think you're on the right track. It comes down to experience and making sure your doing what's best in your environment- for your materials. Again, this is why the adjustments are there.

 

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4 minutes ago, MZ SKEETER said:

I don't think you mentioned which vinyl cutting program you are using.  But your cutter should have came with Graphtec Pro Studio.  Which is a version of Flexisign Pro.  Over a $1000 software.  Vinyl cutters cut, how the design is created.  Graphtec Pro Studio has step by step cutting.  Some others do also.   Example I cut very long designs.  My cutter may advance 4 ft before it starts cutting, but it will come back to the front and finish the design.  Step x step cutting, you tell the cutter how much to cut, say 4 inches,  it cuts the first 4 " then advances to the next 4" and on until the full design is cut.  BUT tracking has to be very good to do that. or your cuts will not match.  I can cut 16 ft long and never have to use step x step.  I have adjustments on my pinch rollers to hold the vinyl better, so no slips. My cutter tracks great. 

 

I am using the Graphtec Cutting Master 4 software/plugin and sending the files out of Adobe Illustrator. That functionality is part of why I bought this brand machine. To my knowledge no other cutters have a plugin to cut directly from Illustrator. Or at least not when I bought the machine back in the summer last year. 

I will have to dig into how to customize where to cut and all that stuff. Oh boy! lol

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It's about the software, not the cutter that uses plug ins.  Sure Cuts a lot can use plug ins. That software is used on many value cutters. Including Graphtecs. I think there are others. Signcut.  I can agree with part of what the guy said, about me running on speed 6.  I cut very detailed long graphics. Our orders are night and day apart.  My cutter has a basket,  the vinyl would never roll back into the basket correctly at those speeds, nor do I think my designs would be cut perfect. I only have to cut my design 1 time, and I know it is alright. No way could I walk away from my cutter, cutting long graphics at speed 20. 1 little kink of vinyl not rolling in the bottom of the basket correctly, pushes the vinyl up, making more kinks and creases.  The vinyl should roll into the bottom of the basket like ribbon candy, but it doesn't always. It's fabric, and fabric moves with motion of the vinyl. Front and back.   My niche' is long, detailed graphics.   You might lose 12" of vinyl, while I would lose 8-16 ft of vinyl and time. That is just 1 graphic, not a bunch of graphics clustered together to save space. 

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On 3/31/2022 at 11:00 AM, MZ SKEETER said:

It's about the software, not the cutter that uses plug ins.  Sure Cuts a lot can use plug ins. That software is used on many value cutters. Including Graphtecs. I think there are others. Signcut.  I can agree with part of what the guy said, about me running on speed 6.  I cut very detailed long graphics. Our orders are night and day apart.  My cutter has a basket,  the vinyl would never roll back into the basket correctly at those speeds, nor do I think my designs would be cut perfect. I only have to cut my design 1 time, and I know it is alright. No way could I walk away from my cutter, cutting long graphics at speed 20. 1 little kink of vinyl not rolling in the bottom of the basket correctly, pushes the vinyl up, making more kinks and creases.  The vinyl should roll into the bottom of the basket like ribbon candy, but it doesn't always. It's fabric, and fabric moves with motion of the vinyl. Front and back.   My niche' is long, detailed graphics.   You might lose 12" of vinyl, while I would lose 8-16 ft of vinyl and time. That is just 1 graphic, not a bunch of graphics clustered together to save space. 

Yeah, makes sense. I can say that Cutting Master 4 works quite well with Adobe Illustrator. On those DIY type of cutters, I always had to save the .AI to an .SVG or other kind of vector file. It has been a while, but I remember them not even liking vector .PDFs. Anyway, adding the registration marks, for Cut and Print functionality, is very easy in Illustrator. This cutter, its amazing censor, and the software are exactly what I was looking for. It was an 8 month wait, and I did entertain the thought of cancelling my order and getting something else, but I am really happy I stuck with it. I am toying with the idea of using a cutting mat though. Because then I could just do straight contour cuts for a cleaner edge. The perf cutting is really great, but it does leave a fuzzy edge. Contour cutting would be much cleaner, but without a mat I would assume they would just fall out of the cutter as soon as they were cut free, causing issues possibly...? Maybe jam it up? The fuzziness on the perf cuts is very minimal, and to be honest, many people prob wouldn't even notice it, but if it can be cleaner, I might go with a mat. I love the idea of never needing a mat, and dealing with the adhesive on it, but again maybe it means a better end product. idk. 

Oh and my push arm prototypes were printed today! I am pretty excited about those and will be testing them tonight. I will be sure to post results. I really want to push the pinch rollers out as far out to the edge of my media as I can. So I think these push arms will help keep it all flat, even with the push rollers are on the edges of the media. And here again, a mat would fix both of these issues. I could have the rollers out and off the media, on the mat, and there would be no slack because the media is stuck down. I do understand that talking about cutting mats is prob not something discussed here often. I am def working smaller scale than most on here, I assume. 

To mat or not too mat... 

Here is a question, is there a way to set the machine to not use the inside of the rollers as the only cutting area? Can I turn a setting off that will allow the head to move past the rollers?

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