slice&dice

Y-W. We certainly hope you get over the 'rona, that disease is brutal, I know (had it twice already). If you haven't done so, make out your will and leave the cutter to your best friend (kidding, but not kidding). I set my cutter at full blast 800mm, never had a problem. To me, it's a turtle's pace, as I have seen those higher-quality servo cutters running at 1485mm/s. I can't complain, however, because my work flow is not so jam-packed that I suffer because of the extra time these stepper units take to complete jobs. But, in general, time is money, that's a truism, and explains why many people feel it's worthwhile to spend considerably more on Graphtecs, Mimakis, Rolands, Titan 2 & 3, etc. and let 'er rip !!! By the way, since you're stuck doing basically nothing at home, here's a little (early) Christmas gift from me to you that you can mess around with using SignBlazer ---- https://www.fontspace.com/category/christmas,dingbats

In the meantime, while waiting for Bigmax to show us what he's got, take a quick look at this fellow, he's got a great operation going.

He's NOT thinking of a brayer, since he questioned whether there was a mechanized alternative to "hand rollers" I cannot imagine anyone here using such a "pressure roller machine" because of the high expense and massive space it takes up. We're simple folk -- laying app tape with a squeegee and suffering the pain!

Is this what you're thinking of? The standard of the industry for hand-rollers is THIS -------------------> https://aaprintsupplyco.com/products/pro-roll-tape-applicator Some people also have had success with the BigSqueegee (available from USCUTTER).

Walt, that is a sharp knife blade, even though it's tiny, you can cut your skin! There's even a WARNING label right on the front of the machine. Keep an eye on little pieces of vinyl getting stuck inside the holder, you can push down on that 'button' at the top of the blade holder to clear, or take the whole unit apart. Taking out the blade and using a drop or two of sewing machine oil into the bearing is a good idea, too. Lower that Force to 80 or 100 and see what you get. Like Skeetz says, you gotta dial in your particular unit to hit the sweet spot.

GoodKarma, PM sent. Desay Master driver in SBE should get your machine to respond.

Don't mess with the pressure rollers -- they will leave tracks, that's normal, and when applying the vinyl they'll vanish. Adjust your FORCE using the keypad. What is it now set at? Do you have a good picker tool to weed with?

Yeah, it's really hard to locate a good copy of the installer anymore, the whole program is Abandonware, and USCUTTER discontinued hosting their archived version. I have fixed the broken hotlink that I offered to the SBE MediaFire download, I made an error when trying to do the linking, sorry. If you desire to utilize SignBlazer for running the MH unit, just select RedSail as the model in cutter setup. (Honestly, the VinylMasterCut is a well-developed --- and supported --- robust design/cut program, so if you've got that, stick with it.) When the cut is done, I just use a pair of scissors to slice the vinyl off the roll. (I keep the blades of the scissors open slightly and run them across with the vinyl into the "v" --- takes a bit of practice, but you'll get the hang of that).

Walt, congratulations, and welcome to our little corner of the wide world of cutting designs. Let me make one suggestion right up front. Download and install SignBlazerElements. That old program contains a very delightful LIBRARY of ready-to-cut items (Draw menu). It's a simple matter to bring those graphics into your regular cutting application (VinylMaster?) using the Export .eps & Import functionality of both programs. Let us know where this leads you.

Not really a direct correlation to your problem, but on my computer (WinXP) when I need to do pixel-based image editing my go-to choice is GIMP. Rarely do I even touch raster graphics, but for the few times something comes along, the GIMP photo-editor fits the requirement. Beyond that open-source GNU Image Manipulation Program , my most used graphics third-party program is IrfanView.

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.

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.

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.

You'll have to keep banging away at windows configurations with the aim of getting the correct PORT to be identified for your cutter (not a printer). This happens to be the #1 issue with cutters, they are a bit wonky with windows, and not true "plug & play" because you have to figure out which Com is being assigned.

Stick to VinylMaster. It's a superior program, and performs like a champ.