slice&dice

Honestly, this does not seem like very practical advice under the circumstances. First of all, what "file" are you referring to? The guy is asking how to letter onto a race car. That means cutting lettering in vinyl, and that's not something inkscape can handle at all. Also, the learning curve on SignCut Pro is pretty steep, and the guy tells us that he's not a "computer programmer" which is his way of saying, let's keep it simple, please, and don't expect me to wrap my head around a program that's as detailed as SignCut. Which is why SIGNBLAZER has been offered as a solution, and a very good one, for INSTANT results. Literally, this guy could be up and running, cutting his letters within thirty minutes or less.

I would now like to hear further feedback comments from tgbvinyl regarding his/her impressions about SBE now that the hardware issue was resolved, and he/she has had an opportunity to do some actual production using SBE. For instance, do you like the overall interface? Is it too 'cartooney" ? Did you feel the need to customize the toolbar so that the most-used icons are to the left side & always available? Did you like the Library of standard cuttable designs? Since this thread started on the "wrong foot" so to speak, I am wondering if it would be possible for tgbvinylto salvage it and obtain some positive info about the benefits to this program. Or, perhaps he/she still doesn't like it and has reasons why? Just curious, either way.

Step by step -- 1. download & install SIGNBLAZER Elements -- SBE -- (Search the forums for links to get that FREE program) 2. On Installation, tell the SBE software which cutter you're using. 3. Get past the SBE StartUp screens by running the Trial Version (there is no Activation or registration) 4. You will be staring at a pink box, with nothing in it. That's your "workspace" and can be defined in FILE menu - Workspace Setup 5. Next enter some TEXT, you'll have hundreds of fonts to choose from. 6. Load the cutter with vinyl, and click the CUTTER icon in SBE toolbar. SBE's toolbar is REALLY simple, it has little icons for the basics. 7. Make sure your Cutter manager screen has the orientation correct for the cut (if not, then check the 'Rotate Across Vinyl' box), and then just click CUT -- then Cut Tile. That's my Seven -Steps to Race Car Decal Production. Best of luck, check back with us if there's other questions about the entire process.

Did somebody say "Grass"? I had to take a look, and of course, was terribly disappointed to see it's THAT type of grass. Ah well, just shows you where MY head is at!!!

I hope that you produced the shirts with "TOO" spelled correctly -- it is a common grammatical error, I see it all the time and I want to reach out and hit the Edit button on other people's posts! Doesn't it drive anyone else bonkers, too? (Also "Your" and "You're" and "There" and "Their") </end rant> Oh, by the way, my own idea for the OP banner slogan: "BIKERS NEED LOVE, TOO" (and a graphic of motorcycle with hearts for the wheels)

Welcome, Jamie. Noticed you are making decals & about to start with t-shirts. Best of luck, and you'll be kept even busier, no doubt. When you said "I had a problem with the validation part" were you referring to SignBlazer ELEMENTS cutter software? I can only assume that you've searched this forum and figured out by now that there isn't any ongoing support for that program and validation codes are unavailable. You basically just have to bypass that first screen, and continue using SBE as a free trial version forever.

Rodger is probably accurate in his assessment. Also, when cutting circles (or anything, for that matter) there is a bit in the signblazer software to check, and it's called 'Blade Offset' which helps to eliminate the cutter not meeting back up with the starting points of cuts. This has been extensively discussed here on the forums, as people routinely have this issue with their cutters leaving a very small uncompleted part of the cut, making it difficult to weed at those points (the vinyl tears at these 'breaks' in the cutting pattern) I don't believe your specific complaint is directed towards that, but I thought I should mention it anyway.

Welcome aboard.

Correct, although I have always seen texts as just grouped objects and realizing that, I would go into Node Edit but yes, of course you're right, text can be manipulated those same ways with that "Edit Text" function. While we're on the subject of text manipulation, let's call attention to the "Text Follow Arc" feature, and then Shadows, Outlines, Inlines, and the ever-popular Skew.

Here is some unsolicited advice regarding TRUCK & TRAILER lettering -- don't be afraid to kern the fonts and separate the letters. In SignBlazer, that is accomplished with the Edit menu - Node Edit function. Select your text, and when you choose Node Edit, there will be a little set of squares appearing, on left bottom, and right bottom. The left bottom handle will only work if you have multiple lines of text and you want to compress or expand them (called Leading), and the other one will open up the inter-letter spacing (Kerning).

CHIP ART?

The definition of "Basic Lettering" varies widely from client to client. SignBlazer comes pre-installed with over 200 fonts, both Serif and Sans-Serif, including some very cool specialized fonts. I just finished a job using SignBlazer that utilized BROADWAY BOLD and it suited the client who liked that style. Your trucker might prefer CHARTER OAK. Just remember that Truck and Trailer bodies have things called "Rivets" and you might want to do a search here on the forums for tutorials and instructional tips for dealing with application of vinyl, with rivets to deal with. Get back to us here if you run into unexpected issues.

Up and running, congratulations!! You'll be one of the more 'hands-on' contributors here, I have a feeling. Oh yeah, it's a bummer when your belt falls off ---

All right, now you've got me looking up the details of magnetic forces. This is what I came up with -- Br max (Residual Induction) - Also called "Residual Flux Density". It is the magnetic induction remaining in a saturated magnetic material after the magnetizing field has been removed. This is the point at which the hysteresis loop crosses the B axis at zero magnetizing force, and represents the maximum flux output from the given magnet material. Then, there's Gauss and Gilbert. And also Oersteds & Webers. Oy vey. http://www.kjmagnetics.com/glossary.asp All I know is that a roll of 24" magnetic material is really HEAVY.

In my opinion, a much more vital factor than the thickness is the "holding" strength of the magnetic material. 16 poles per square inch is preferable to the 14ppi that is routinely provided by many suppliers. And of course, always make sure to round the corners. (I use a quarter coin to provide a radius guide for cutting corners, but if you're doing a lot of them, just get a corner-radius die punch machine)

Funny you should mention that, Skeeter, because I noticed a recent post of yours where you indicated that unrolling the length you intend to cut is preferable over having the cutter work by pulling the vinyl off the roll as it goes along. I honestly haven't noticed much of a problem with my cutter doing the unrolling as needed, but yesterday something happened that I hadn't run into previously ---- I was doing my first job using Flexi10 (had to go that route, as SignBlazer wasn't handling the graphics like I wanted). Anyway, as it turns out, the Flexi cutting manager option to "ADVANCE AFTER CUTTING" does not work with the MH series cutter. So what happens is the cutter rolls in reverse, and the entire length of material goes back to the beginning point after finishing the job. On short pieces, this is tolerable, but I had a 15-foot length going, and sure enough, that whole long strip was dumped onto the floor in the rear of the cutter, as it rewound right out of my catch-basket in the front!!! Long story, and the moral of it -- make another basket for the back now. Or use software that doesn't fail to advance after cutting (SignBlazer never did that reverse-to-beginning trick).

Hi there, as you'll quickly realize, this forum has lots of great information, so look around and learn what you can. Understanding the unique terminology and vocabulary of this craft is an important part of that. For instance, you may very well discover that having a "Contour cutter" is useful for decal/sticker production. Also, realizing that all vinyl is not created equally (See: Cast vs. Calendered) And that only half the battle is the actual cutting itself, because the other half involves the graphics design/software aspect and post-cut production values (weeding, taping, applying to substrates). Ask focused questions, and the forum regulars will try to assist. Bon Voyage.

Uh, I don't see any signs. It appears to be all about Promotional Giveaway Advertising Items.

Hey back atcha' ------ you know who the Original "say Hey" kid was? | | | | | | | | Willie Mays

I'm not sure I exactly understand what you are trying to do --- "after you cut your image, how do you cut that piece out? do you remove the roll and then cut? do you cut it on the plotter?" Scissors seem to work well for smaller areas that are less than the entire width of the roll. To cut off the entire width, I use a envelope-opener razor slicer from the dollar store. Just slide it across WHOOSH!

Couple of quick replies -- 1. That table has a tarp fabric material to cover a rough wooden surface -- I use the table for a "holding" area for substrates/banners or doing weeding, and if I need to cut something, I'll do it on my cutting mat (2'x4'). At some point I'll just buy a 4'x8' mat and cover that entire table with it. 2. The awning was indeed PVC and I used high-performance vinyl. BTW, my ladder is one of those fold-up types, it goes from 4-feet folded (fits into my hatchback car) to a full 16-foot straight ladder. This month brought the following jobs: Hot Dog street vendor (step-stake signs for his location) Day Care (windsign) Playground/SwingSet retailer (banners) Chimney Sweep (job-site h-frames) Masonry Repair (truck magnets) McDonald's franchisee (A-frames) Chiropractor (front windows) Auto Mechanic (updated existing lighted pylon sign faces) and a bunch more, all keeping me jumping. As they say at Mickey-D's -- "I'm lovin' it"

Out of curiosity, did you remove the sign faces from the pylon, or just go climb up there and do the application work right on the sign? BTW, I notice that the oval isn't rounded on the bottom, for some reason.

My cutter is a VINYL-LOVING beast, and with the volume of work I get every week, I'm running through 50-yard rolls like crazy. I just did 2 blue coroplast signs, 4-feet square each, and that chewed-up around 14 running feet of 15" white BASIC vinyl. Then, I knocked-out a few 10' banners (green) with MORE white 15" and before you know it, that white roll is whittled down to nothing and it's time to get another one!!! Like SeeJay mentions, Black & White are used extensively, but so are Red, Yellow, Blue. There is no hard and fast rule about how much vinyl to stock at any given time, which is why having a variety of suppliers who can get it to you Next Day is how this business thrives.

Happy St.Pats' to the Honorary Irishmen (and Women) out there!!! Just wanted to update the thread, so here are BEFORE & AFTER pictures of a restaurant marquee application. They served me a nice corned beef & cabbage dinner after my work for this take-out food place was completed!!! Ahhhh, the perks of the job!!!

Walgreens pharmacy has in-store Large Format Printers that produce signs now, so does Kinko's/FedEx. Soon, WalMart will get machines that print signs. I do thousands of $$$ worth of cutting jobs monthly out of a small Main Street shop that I rent, and purchase from several established local wholesale suppliers that deliver next-day (GRIMCO, FELLERS, HARBOR SUPPLY, etc.) as well as buying from places that ship to me at excellent prices (including US Cutter). I compete with SIGNS-By-Tomorrow, FAST SIGNS, Sign-A-Rama, and many other places that offer sign-making to the public. When I do a banner for $60, is that destroying the market? Hell, no, because banners can be had for that price online (See: Vista Print) -- what do you think, VistaPrint is a huge secret? I offer my production skills, my time, my design abilities, and get all sorts of sign jobs every day from a variety of clients, at prices which are competitive and provide my clients with the feeling that they've been well-served.