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wildgoose brings up an interesting point -- "(haven't replaced a blade in so long that) I misplaced my stash of new ones and I started to get worried and ended up ordering some new ones, Ha-ha." Common problem, and I did the same thing, that little plastic container of blades vanished into a drawer or box somewhere. When a new set of blades arrived, I used a strip of Alien Tape and affixed the container right onto the back of the cutter end-cap.

Clean Cut Blades are hard to beat and last a long time. And a lot of people go with the 60 degree blade and just use it for everything. Unless you're doing a lot of relatively low detail designs, the hassle of switching back and forth between 45 and 60 is just not worth it.

I concur. But by that same token it is also a bit of a old wives tale about the 60deg being so much better. There are also trade-offs with them also being easier to break a tip. I use a Summa and the standard factory blade is only 36deg. I can tell you from experience that I can cut basically every bit as small with the 36 as I can with a 60. Now, when it comes to thickness the 36 is limited and as you work into thicker materials the amount of blade shoved into the cut does in fact come into play and will mess around more in extreme corners. But for basic 2 and 3 mil vinyl you are probably good to go with whatever you want. I'd try both and see if you find any difference. I DO wholeheartedly support the vote for Clean Cut blades, they will outlast the cheaper blades. A quality blade TAKEN CARE OF meaning staying out of your cutting strip will give you at least 6 months of regular cutting. I have been running on the same blade for 14 months.(summa blade but similar quality as the CC) So long that I misplaced my stash of new ones and I started to get worried and ended up ordering some new ones Ha ha. The others will turn up but we moved last year and I haven't found them yet. I like you am a AI designer and no there isn't really anything that can be done in other design programs that is missing in AI. They used to have one over on Illustrator by being able to do true block shadows but with the new updates Illustrator made to let that happen it's as good as it gets. I used to have to build those manually and it was a bit more time consuming. I DO agree with people that Illustrator is a bear to master, sort of like learning a reverse polish calculator I guess. But once you figure it out I really have no desire to spend time on other programs. I am a Mac guy and I use Sign Cut Pro 1 which is outdated and hard to even find these days. I own a dongle that I paid a few hundred for about 10 years ago so no subscription fees. It's a bare bones cutter interface but has most of the cutting bells and whistles that the highest versions of the others have. It works on both platforms (Mac and windows) which comes in handy sometimes but you have to own a dongle to quickly change between computers. They have Pro 2 out now and if my dongle ever dies I'll probably consider going to that upgraded version.

You don't know how the previous owner set their blade depth, but this is the correct way. 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. You should barely see and feel the blade tip out of the blade holder. Regular sign vinyl is only 2-3 mil thick. You only cut with the very tip of the blade. When you think the blade is so far in the blade holder, that you think it would not even cut, that is probably correct.

This cutter Titan 3, has True USB. It should be connected Direct USB. Titan 2 and Titan 3 both have TRUE USB. Restart your computer, after the driver downloaded. Possibly try a different cable.

The $50.00 "CUT" version of VM is the entry-level. (The 'trial' or 'demo' version mentioned by Haumana above is offered for download to explore the features and interface, but is cutting-disabled). You asked about choosing between SCALP and VM, and I gave you an answer (my opinion). Illustrator is a fine design program, to be sure. Just as Inkscape can also be utilized for vector graphics, it's up to you regarding what application to work within while putting together cuttable files. If all you need is a functional way to get that cutter to work/communicate, then SCALP is sufficient (once you sort out the COM issue). I'm not a graphic designer. My work consists of text-based signage, single color lettering primarily, for banners, vehicle door magnets, window decals, job-site signs, simple things like that. My primary way to get my work accomplished is through an old software (that used to be provided with all US CUTTER machines) called SignBlazer Elements. I dont think you have a 'driver' problem, you likely have a COM selection problem.

Remove the protective plastic on the cutting strip. See if the cutting strip has any deep cuts. If there are some deeper cuts in it, you might want to flip it over, or replace it. I always have a new replacement cutting strip on hand just in case. Lifting on cut vinyl can be caused by several things, or a combination of them - too much blade depth, too much pressure, cutting too fast, broken blade tip, etc. If you're going to cut smaller things and/or more intricate designs, slow the cut speed down and you might want to consider using a 60* blade. I personally prefer the 60* from Clean Cut Blades, they last me forever. I believe has a trial version you can test drive before buy, so you might want give that a go. Keep us posted.

The tape on that cutting strip should be removed -- it is just 'protective' covering and is not supposed to be left on when operating. The cutting strip surface should be just the white nylon, smooth. Take that cutting strip, remove it entirely, flip it around 180* and reattach (with some double-sided tape underneath). The scratched portion will now be to the far left, which is usually beyond the area you'll be cutting within, from the right side. (and if you are routinely cutting large designs that reach that far over, then order a replacement strip). As for the COM port, yeah, USCUTTER should be able to connect remotely to your computer and get that sorted. If it were my unit, I would be running it with VinylMaster anyway, not SCALP, but that's your call. Going from Illustrator and importing to cutting software is an extra step that you can avoid by just knocking out your work in VM to begin with, it's very similar interface to Adobe and isn't that difficult to learn the ins and outs of it.

PEBKAC

After hunting online, I discovered my problem. I have 3 displays, but only using 2 at the moment. The popups for saving and importing are coming up on the 3rd display which isn't running. I disconnected that display and now all is well. Thanks for your help, much appreciated. Jill

put a ticket in with Vinyl Master. No one here can fix it for you. We are free volunteers

There is already a thread here that people showed their shops, you will have to find it. Also, there is only a couple handfuls of forum members that answer questions anymore. I never went small. I started with large graphics and never looked back. My average is 20" wide by 8 feet. L. Clear up to 27" w x 16 feet .L. I prefer making my money fast. Less work, more pay. Large detailed graphics is my niche' I work out of a 13' x 14' bedroom, 8 ft table, 30" cutter, old XP laptop. I have been at it for 16 years, online only. Good luck.

reinstall it, it can't hurt anything. Make sure all other Vinyl master is gone. from UScutter support https://support.uscutter.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037959871-VinylMaster-is-crashing-freezing-or-has-an-error-

It's the Microsoft way.

I found this thread, and checked if there was a support ticket on this issue, and it was answered and closed on 12/06. Just to spread some knowledge I'll provide the same information on this thread. The Titan and the MH operate a little differently with the offline functionality. On the Titan, after you line up the vinyl and the carriage where you want it to be, you want to hit the Enter key to set the origin. If you just hit the offline button again to exit the offline mode, the Titan can remember the previous origin, and rewind to where it was before you hit the offline button.

There are several elements to being successful in this craft. Each one is as important as the next.