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A little pet project I`v been working on. Everything is a complete redraw. mark-s

let me know your thoughts

I have been asked by several forum members to make a video showing how to use parchment paper to layer vinyl. Hope this will clear up questions of what I have been talking about. In the video I use clear app tape. This works great with paper taper too although not quite as easy to see through. I use this a lot for second layer effects that I want perfect. Link:

Keep this in mind. You can get by with many things,but not cheap vinyl. I have never layed claim that I'm anything other than a idiot with a couple cutters.In fact it's more fun for me if I'm fixing them. So I have figured this out. I can get away with just about everything anyone says has to be done. No keyspan, cheap ass cutters, and the list goes on. You can't in anyway get buy with crappy vinyl!!!!!!!!!. Do not (all new guy's) buy crap vinyl off Amazon or anywhere like that. It's trash. The stuff I got was given to me. It plug's your cutter, it waste's blades, and more important paitent's. Then you get Pissed and quit. Please Please listen to me. It's great to mess with these machines. Use good vinyl or you'll end up giving up. That's exactly how I got my old US Cutter back.

Very nice I cut this a while back but from a disk I bought I think it was a 55 or 56?

That doesn't sound like sign vinyl.. And if it's that thin,, the blade would have to reset for it...too much blade exposed. Then maybe it wouldn't curl up while cutting. Cheap sign vinyl is usually thick., stiff. At least what I have seen.. To start with, you should set your blade depth correctly, by taking the blade holder out of the machine, and firmly cut across a piece of scrap vinyl, you will be cutting. You should only be cutting the vinyl and barely a mark on wax paper backing, Adjust blade to get there, Then put the blade holder back in machine, and use the force of the machine to get there, same results, only cutting the vinyl and barely a mark in wax paper backing.

Thank you both for your posts. dakotagrafx that is it. I think I can go from there. Thanks for the video.

So here is where I have to chime in. I'm a Millwright. A cutter/plotter is in no way a die cutter. You've heard the term tool and die.A die cutter has an opposite side in the same shape as the stamping part. Thats how every automobile plant works. For that matter any stamping maching.

Madrone Bold is close mark-s

is it by chance like this?

I don't run a laser point either. In a nut shell the laser is almost just a gimmick. At the end of the day it just points on the vinyl and you move things around to manually set the registration marks from printed graphics for contour cutting (around a print such as a t-shirt transfer). From what I have read it is just about as easy to move the knife blade over the points rather than the laser which is offset. Other than that slight gimmicky thing the cutter is a pretty good start-up model.

You will have to use a vector based software, like Illustrator, Corel or even FREE inkscape.org software to trace and vector your design. LXi Apprentice doesn't have a vector trace feature in it. Picture from the internet? Unless you have permission from the design owner, or a license to use it,,, or it is public domain images, you don't have the right to use it. There are copyright laws against those type of uses...

Primal looks great to me too. If you want a touch of constructive criticism I would possibly point out the points on some of the white background letters on the pet shop have chopped ends. This is a setting that can be adjusted sometimes to round the corners (Sometimes that doesn't look right either) Some wild fonts and severe corners give that result when offsetting. If you want the regular look and are having a few that mess up I go after them by hand and fix them individually. Just one of my little pet peeves. That is real minimal and probably not noticed by very many people if any. Had to look pretty hard to find something to bring up. Great work!

So im new to the emergency vehicle pricing and i want to see what your thoughts are on price for these. Keep in mind the blue suv had a silver corburn stripe on top and bottom, I had to outsorce it since it was printed with a black edge and lamanated wide than the stripe to help seal it. it was supplied to me in small rolls. Vinyl used was orcal 5600

Nice work. I wish my first job was smaller like that...nooonoooo I had to install a 11' long 13" tall WORD 12' off the ground. UGH! still fun.

Pulled the trigger yesterday on the machine. It will take an absurd amount of time to get the funds posted and wired and the machine shipped but in a couple weeks I will add custom embroidery to my little business. I have been reading and watching every bit of info I can get my hands on since I started on this quest. Embroidery is a little more complicated than I gave it credit for and digitizing for the designs is another of those dark arts that look to take some time to understand and get good at.

I took an online coarse to learn Adobe Illustrator and it has paid off in spades. I like to hand draw a rough sketch then scan it in and work over the top of the drawing. Doing a logo for someone is as much about selling them on an idea and helping get from them what they are thinking. Several have had a good idea ahead of time and one took me forever but then did several thousand dollars of work with me after the thing (and he was the son of a friend so I didn't charge him the extra). I try to steer them toward cutter friendly designs (did I just say that out loud. What a self serving comment...). If you look at most of the really great logo's they are usually simple, easy to recognize and cheap to reproduce in mass quantities.

^what he said^ I did pretty much what you are contemplating. I have not moved past the home office and do not do it full time but bring in a steady auxiliary income by doing it nights and weekends. My best business helper is the shirt shop in town that makes a practice of bending people over. I still make good profits but give some incentives especially to my regulars. Good luck.

Kit came in..... maybe I can find some time in the next week to give it a go. I have done about all the homework I think I can at this point. Time to jump in and see what problems I have. First a trip to the dollar store find some crap to dunk!

You need to get out more