MadStickerLab

I am wondering if any of you have ever seen a book or website etc, specifically aimed at those of us who want to use Illustrator for creating graphics for a vinyl cutter (decal creation)? I am trying to learn Illustrator CS5, but as most of you know, this software is meant to do some pretty serious work, way beyond creating a simple vector design for a vinyl cutter. As a result, I find most of the books teaching in a different direction than I want to go. A book or website devoted to the creation of vector decal designs for vinyl cutters would be a huge help? Anyone ever seen such a thing? If not, maybe I'll just have to write one some day when I have learned enough about the subject Any help would be much appreciated! Don

Hi, I know this question is very subjective, but I am hoping to get some kind of idea for how to price bulk orders. My business primarily comes from the sale of vinyl cut decals, averaging approximately 5.5" x 5.5" which sell for about $5.00. But recently I have had several customers ask how much it would cost to have 500 or 1000 decals made. Recently I was asked about a 2500 decal order. I have to admit, I have no idea how to price something like this. Keeping in mind that the customer has the artwork that I will be doing little with (not charging for artwork) can someone give me an idea of how you price or discount these large orders? ADDED: Sorry this post ended up in the wrong catagory! I thought I was somewhere else when i posted Thanks for the advice! Don Mad Sticker Lab http://www.madstickerlab.com Evil Decals http://www.evildecals.com

Hi, Can Signlab version 7.1 be used to cut out vinyl decals on a US Cutter MH871? Do any of you use Signlab? I don't see much mention of it on the forums. Thanks, Don

Thank you so much for the great answers. Givers me a good direction to head to. Much appreciated! Don

I actually received my copy from work so there is no manual accept for the one on-line. Also, I believe it is under a business lisence so we did not get the offer from Lynda.com though I will admit, I took a look at them last night and was impressedby all the information there. Looks like a great site to subscribe to!

Hi! I just recently purchased a new MH-871 Vinyl Cutting machine and am ready to begin learning. My goal is to learn to design vinyl window stickers using one or two colors. I have a background in web design. I purchased a copy of Corel Draw X5 and am using SignBlazor to send my designs to the printer. With all of that said......I am going nuts trying to learn this For the past week I have read the forums (both this one and the T-Shirt forum) and have learned just enough to be really confused. I am horribly analytical and am looking for a step by step instruction on how to edit vector graphics (also interested in converting bitmap to vector). I know there are many steps and I just seem to be missing something. I have searched everywhere for a book on the subject but have not found anything (including books on Corel X5 that pertain to decal/sticker creation). Would anyone be willing to create a step by step on how to create a vector graphic? I don't necessarily mean the actual act of creating the curves and straight lines and such. But the steps it takes after you create your art to get it print ready. Thanks so much for reading this. I know a lot of people ask for this kind of help and you advanced folks must get tired of answering. But I promise, once I learn the ropes, to help out on this forum with what I have learned Hey, I might even write that book! Don

I would like to hear from anyone who is currently purchasing aluminum and plastic color sign blanks (many suppliers only have white). Can you please recommend a good dealer? I have seen several dealers out there, but thought I might ask for other opinions first. I need a dealer who has different sizes and colors. These blanks will be used to create novelty signs for carnivals and fund raisers. Thanks so much for your advice! Don

I was able to figure out what the problem was. I needed to select an older version of Adobe Illustrator when asked what vesrion I was saving for. The default ws the newest version. When I backed it off to version 3.x I no longer had any issues! Thank you for helping me solve this mystery Your help was much appreciated! Don Schockow Mad Sticker Lab http://www.madstickerlab.com

Hi, I need to edit a pre-made design, but everytime I do, and then save it using Corel Draw X5, I can no longer export or open it in Signcut Pro. I get the message: ERROR: Cannot open embedded pdf-files. Save the file in older AI or EPS format and try again. Do not use the compression parameter in Illustrator. I have tried saving this clipart in several different ways, but each time I get the error. I have added the clipart with this post in case someone would like to take a stab at seeing what I may be doing wrong. Thanks so much! Don MISC (37).ai MISC (37).ai

This gives me the same error when trying to open it in Signcut Pro. Very strange.

I am trying to solve a large problem by indentifying smaller issues. And here is my latest: My question is about filling a box with a color. I use the "Draw Free Hand Lines" tool to draw a box. I then select the paint bucket and choose the color black. I fill the box. But the problem is, the fill does not go to the edges of the box. It fills to what seems like an imaginary line, keeping an unequal distance all around the edge. Can you tell me what is causing this?

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your answer Don Mad Sticker Lab

I'm curious if anyone is doing this and if they are having any issues? Wanted to ask before I worked on trying to get it figured out with my setup. - Don

Hi all, Is it possible to by-pass a printer program like Sign-Cut or SignBlazer and go right from my design in Corel x5 to my MH871 cutter? Thanks!

The biggest change I made was I went from using SignBlazer to Signcut. or me, using Corel X5 and Signcut answered all of my issues that I was having. I can export the same file in both programs, and while SignBlazer messes it up, Signcut prints it perfectly.

Thanks everyone! I finally got it all figured out. Made my first sticker last night! YAY!

Hi, Horribly newbie question, but I have to ask it. I have hand-traced a picture in Inkscape and now need to save it to get it into SignBlazer. Can you please tell me what is the best format to use to save it in? It is a regular vector line drawing with no fill. Thanks!

Excellent! And I have also found that if I save my Inkscape work in PS instead of EPS I no longer have the issues in SignBlazer that I was having. Kind of strange! I'm getting closer Thanks again for your kindness and help I'm studying hard to get this right.

Ah! I see. So would it be correct to say that if I wanted it to cut out as a sillohuet (which I do) I would then fill the object with black? Or is there some other way to make it a single line as opposed to the double line? Thanks you so much! This was a huge help!

This is the very same problem that I am having and have yet to discover the issue. But the variables asked when trying to save an eps in Inkscape just might be the answer. Does noone know what variables we are supposed to use? Postscript level2 or 3 etc?

I'll give that a try

Hi, I have a newbie question for you. Using Inkscape I imported a bitmap of a vehicle and then hand traced it. I then deleted the bitmap and tweeked my drawing until I thought it was perfect. Although this is for a vinyl cutter (not printing colors), I decided to throw a solid color into the design so that I could get a better look at how it would turn out. But when I did that I got a surprise. The color would not fill to the egde of my drawing. It was as if it was filling to some invisible line close to, but not up to, my outline. I then imported the .eps into Sign Blazer, choosing Use Full Post Script Interpreter and that is when I saw what the issue was. My one outline was actually three! I believe I have missed a step, but am unsure as to what it might be. Any ideas?

Wow! It looks nothing like it does in Inkscape. Does this have something to do with the way it is being saved? When I try to save it I choose SAVE AS EPS and then a box titled ENCAPSULATED POSTSCRIPT pops up. The setting in that is: RESTRICT TO PS LEVELS = Postscript Level 3 RESOLUTION FOR RASTERIZATION = 90 The following boxes are checked: Rasterize Filter Effects Export Area is Drawing Export Area is Page The rest is left blank. These are the default setings. Is this possibly what is causing this? Thanks again for your help!

I have done a retrace and it still seems to be doing the same thing. It looks great in Inkscape, but strange in SignBlazer. Here is a copy of the latest one....and thos time it is indicating that it is a vector drawing. Will it cut ragged as it appears in SignBlazer? Dontest.eps Dontest.eps Dontest.eps Dontest.eps

If I decide to hand trace my image from a bitmap, don't I do that by hand and not use the TRACE BITMAP option? What is the best format to save it in when I am done? Thanks so much for replying!