slice&dice

Just the vinyl-roll racks are a $50 value. The round things appear to be COASTERS. From the looks of things, these were materials from a screen-printing shop, that also was working with cut-vinyl stickers/decals. You can take those plastic end-plugs and build a multiple vinyl-roll holder with them, with the rolls standing vertically. Also, since you are in Arizona, one of 19 states that do not require a DMV license-plate on the front of a vehicle, you're going to have a decent market for custom vanity plates, and that's a good place to start making money with this kit.

These types of "I have no clue" threads are awesome!!! Welcome, DJB, how ya doing? Whats in your business plan? How much space will your business require? What about room for Expansion and Growth? Who are your target customers? Where are they buying currently? Do you have examples/samples of the main products you're thinking of making yourself? Are you producing everything in-house or subbing out to other companies to produce? If producing yourself, do you have enough experience already with graphics programs, such as Adobe Illustrator? Of course, you realize that by owning an actual retail business you have to be there all day every day. Yep that you do. When you say "sticker business", you may find yourself at this 12 hours plus a day, everyday. You are going to have to work it hard if you want to succeed. There are a ton of questions and things to know before getting into this, and along the way you'll have to constantly re-evaluate your business plan to see if you're going about it the right way. (tip of the hat to SA Graphix, who posted much of the above within a previous thread "Opening a Vinyl Shop" back in May)

You know what, OWJones, great minds think alike !!! Yes, in fact, after this photo was taken I did change the MHIC number to a medium gray which doesn't 'vanish' in the daylight. The little house, by the way, is right there inside my sign-making program (SignBlazer) -- I love using the SB Library of cut-ready clipart, it is what I call my "idea factory" and there's lots of practical graphic elements in there to spice-up many jobs.

Yes, it is extremely thin, but very strong. Grommets are one way to do it. Banner clips would also work, or BannerMates or Banner tabs (plastic) http://www.hangups.com/BannerMates.html

Seems close to Benguiat.

I just won an auction on ebay for a collection of DVD's called MEGAVAULT cut-ready clipart. Oh brother, this is insane, 10 different discs, each containing hundreds of designs, from Frogs to Scorpions, from Sexy Girls to Tribal Chaos. One of the discs contains STRIPES of all sorts, really amazing. Search MegaVault, well worth the 50 bucks or so.

Hmmmmmmm, you will have to be a bit of a detective to find this material listed on USCUTTER website!!! Typing in "instabanner" produces no results with the search function, but looking around in Banner Material (rolls) you see a thing called GreenStar Two-Color. There's a video there, showing how it works. http://www.uscutter.com/index/page/product/product_id/1602/category_id/27/product_name/GreenStar+Two+Color+Vinyl+Banner%2C+24%22+x+25+Yard+Roll Lots of pretty color combinations!!!

If the letters are not being properly cut, then yes, the driver communication with the plotter/cutter isn't right. By the way, you've got two different threads running with the same subject here in the INTRODUCTION section, and honestly, for assistance with any cutter, the best place to post in the future would be withinEquipment Discussion & Support

Hello, welcome to the forum. In answer to your specific question, once you have the vinyl inserted under the blade-holder carriage, press the OFFLINE button, and see what comes up in the LCD display window. You may beed to cycle through various choices to obtain "test cut" --- A test cut should result in a small square with diagonal lines crossing through it. First thing you might want to do since it's an older machine, is replace the blade.

Nit Pick ---- bullets flying through the air do not have their casings coming along for the ride.

Go for it, Flaboy. From your posting history here, and seeing how you are already doing vinyl work from your home, I would offer some friendly advice ----- be up-front with your new employer, and have a written understanding with him about what types of jobs you can continue to solicit and produce after-hours, that won't be seen as a "conflict of interest" with the shop. It is not uncommon for sign stores to ask employees to sign a "Non-Compete" agreement which prohibits you from offering anything related to signage or vinyl cutting outside of the workplace, and also will restrict you from opening your own place for several years if you cease to work there.

I would indeed like to get good quality finished printed banners for $1.50 sq. ft. instead of paying $3.33. http://www.retailbannersplus.com/promo/150sqft_banpromo2.html

What do you mean when you say "a real printer" -- here in Maryland, I've approached several high-volume graphics printing/signmaking facilities and never gotten anywhere NEAR the low prices that are offered from that website. In fact, if you look right above, jfought (a member of this forum who does sub out work) just quoted $3.50 a sq.ft. which comes out to be $84. for a 3x8 -- and the website I referenced lists that size at $79. so I'm not sure what's the big "wow"

Post for us the file you are using.

$100. No wait, $200. Uh, how about $350. ? No seriously, how can anyone offer a "price" on an unknown-sized, unknown design, unknown market. You want a comparison? Go to http://www.halfpricebanners.com and see what a printed banner costs (Add $12 for shipping to their pricing) Many times I can just whip together a multi-color design in SignBlazer, send them my .tif file and have the completed job back in my hands in three days. I charge my clients double what these halfpricebanners cost me. (That's why it's called halfpricebanners)

Hi and good luck. Here's a suggestion for you to try something new --- (assuming you have SignBlazer) Create a sign for your neighborhood, warning people to SLOW DOWN FOR CHILDREN. In SignBlazer, use the Library clip art: Signs category. Yellow coroplast is one option (24" square diamond) but also MaxMetal yellow could be used.

Welcome aboard, from the OTHER Washington (DC area). Here's a suggestion for you to try something new --- (assuming you have SignBlazer) Create a sign for your neighborhood, warning people to SLOW DOWN FOR CHILDREN. In SignBlazer, use the Library clip art: Signs category. Yellow coroplast is one option (24" square diamond) but also MaxMetal yellow could be used.

It's very similar to Space Toaster.

Something isn't adding up here --- I've owned an MH871 as my primary cutter in a retail sign store since last September, and have yet to replace a blade. I've used up many many many 50-yard rolls of Oracal 651 (and the GreenStar equivalent) -- I'm routinely cutting vinyl as wide as 30" and hundreds of yards of length have gone through this cutter. The ONLY reason that I went with buying the LiYu-SC had to do with a broken USB port on the MH, and when the SC arrived a few weeks ago I started using it, and set aside the MH as a backup machine. (I've replaced the USB port card on the MH and it's good as new, should I ever need to fire it up)

Since you did hear an audible "pop", it makes perfect sense that replacing the chip will most likely be getting you back into full operation. It's only a $5 part, and not terribly difficult to re-solder into place.

maxMetal is also known in our industry as DiBond

Current mac laptops have SuperDrives which are slot-loading, and don't have slide-out trays. Some people suggest the "stop the spinning disc" method -- The #1 way to get it out is…….slide an adhesive mailing label into the slot until it contacts the top if the disc, you’ll hear it. use the eject command and give the disc a little assist tug. it will come out every single time.

Welcome, and that sounds like a good niche market to get into. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mSiKJI-w1fk/TNTAlM9nrDI/AAAAAAAAABA/0RFweBsvVyM/s1600/Cross.jpg

mac machines have Windows OS emulators available, although I have no idea how well or how poorly that would work with SB and trying to run a cutter via USB from inside an emulator program. IIRC, that small disc contains the FTDI drivers, which are available HERE -- http://support.uscutter.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/72/23/driver-ftdi---mh-creation-copam-and-sc---windows-xp--vista--7

I know that US Criminal Code prohibits the commercial use of the Red Cross symbol Section 706, Title 18, U.S. Criminal Code, part 18 reads as follows: "Whoever, whether a corporation, association or person, other than the American National Red Cross and its duly authorized employees and agents and the sanitary and hospital authorities of the armed forces of the United States, uses the emblem of the Greek red cross on a white ground, or any sign or insignia made or colored in imitation thereof...Shall be fined..." In spite of that, I'm producing a sign for an animal hospital, and there's a red cross on it. What are the chances of the business owner getting prosecuted for using that symbol?