slice&dice

Creation PCut.

Mz.Skeeter, what are they going to spend the remaining $1500 on? (The CameoPro is a great suggestion) That heat-press idea is sounding better and better. The challenge will be reminding students to MIRROR their cuts on HTV. (Maybe put a sticker on the machine?) Eric can also stock up on t-shirts in various colors & sizes so the students have 'em right there to use.

The (de)activation requires an internet connection. Let's start with that.

While I have no mac experience, I do know that the SC2 runs on my PC with SignBlazer set to "LIYU" model. If you download and install SBE to the windows machine, you should get it running without any issues.

Hi Eyeball, that's an interesting question. How about this --- remove the roller brackets from the stand. Build (with wood 1x6's) a 'RACK" that will accept these brackets. With a little engineering, and ingenuity, you'll have a media feeder roller assembly for mounting on the tabletop. Have I done this myself? Nope. Does it seem fairly straightforward and easy to accomplish? Yep. That being said, I did build an application-tape feeder with 2x4's and a dowel. I clamp it to the edge of my 4'x8' work table and it's excellent for doing long banners or signs, pulling the transfer tape off the roll and laying it down over my decals. I suppose you could do the same arrangment for vinyl, but that requires you to remove the dowel from the roll core each time you switch colors, and I imagine it's better to just have the vinyl rolls sitting on top of the feeder rollers that you took off the machine stand (as described above). In any case, always pre-feed your material and don't have the cutter trying to pull vinyl from the roll directly.

Howdy Mike. First piece of advice, when sending the design to the cutter, always remember to MIRROR. Secondly, a good picker tool for weeding. Some prefer a fine tweezer, others like a pointy spike, and yet others just use the xacto knife. Maybe get her all three, and see what she's comfortable with (weeding HTV is slightly different than regular vinyl). Thirdly, the press itself. Do you believe that hats will enter into this equation? If so, consider the 5-in-1 package, which is currently on sale for $400. https://uscutter.com/USCutter-Perfect-Press-Digital-5-in-1-Heat-Press The cheapest option is $95. (USCUTTER offers a $15 discount on the sale price $110 press purchase when you subscribe to their newsletter) But keep in mind that the size on this basic press is only 9x12 and that's kinda tiny, although still useful for pocket logos and maybe bags. Ask the wife what her vision is, as far as production and designs. Most people in this game are using 15x15 It's up to the two of you to decide how much to sink into this venture from the get-go. You can start with a hundred bucks (see above) or make a choice to throw about $500 at it now and have a wider option for future work if she likes it. As for myself, I do not own a full-size platen press. My only equipment is a small hat press that I grabbed from craigslist for just $50 several years ago, and I do a few hats now and then for fun. (and it allows me to do a shirt pocket logo, which I've produced for a few people) HTV is a fascinating world, there's lots to love about it. (and don't even get her started on DTG printing!)

It's commonly referred to as "Distressed" font style. There are online video (utube) tutorials on how to achieve this effect.

My suggestion is to either pay the $60 for a fresh new copy of the VM v.5 software, or install the outdated and unsupported SignBlazer and just use that to run your cutter. (what model is it?)

In VM settings, there is a Calibration feature. Maybe you are missing where that functionality is located in the program?

You're welcome. Just for reference, when I require a full-color banner, I jump right over to the website of HalfPriceBanners.com and use their calculator to determine the pricing for my customer ( I at least double whatever their cost is --- hence the 1/2-Price name! ) For example, the 4x8 banner you're seeking is $50 on their site (plus shipping) so I would charge a client $125 for that. (plus an additional fee for design work) Your 4x4 window decal is $41 each (I don't know what your 'contour cut' complexity involves, but most likely using a utility knife on a table would be the way to go on that, and just cut around the design freehand, much easier and cost-effective). I'd bill $125 each on those, plus installation. Good luck, and let us know how the job went when you're done. (post photos)

Are you seeking to partner with another Forum member, or would you like to just know of a commercial printer, like ZooPrinting.com ? I routinely just work with the Zooprinting folks, on projects that require 4-color stuff. It's easy and fast turnaround, with a good selection of products, like banners, yard signs, and decals and window perf. Not to mention marketing materials, like business cards, flyers, letterheads, etc. Honestly, today's market requires "sign guys" to be involved with all facets of the branding and logo graphics for small businesses. Locally here in Maryland, there's a company called "Strategic Factory" that handles everything from vehicle wraps to lighted signage, to interior wayfinder and reception-area wall signs, to printed brochures & more. They are not wholesalers (zooprinting is), but if you look at their website, you can get a feel of the way this industry is moving. Your friend should go over ALL his needs with you, not just the storefront appearance. The competition among retail locations (especially restaurants) these days is brutal, and he has to be one step ahead.

haumana, we have been told by storm that his v4.2 is in fact 'broken', in that it has some bugs and also fails to provide the Summa T-75 cutter's option for OPOS XY calibration. Is that a serious enough reason to need upgrading (which theoretically has the bugs eliminated, and does provide the Summa functionality he is seeking)? Well, that's a question only he can answer. And if it comes at a cost of $500, then he really has to think about this long and hard. He is going to have to hash it out with corporate. It's way above our pay grade.

Mz Skeeter, OIC. That makes sense, going from cut to xpt, and up to v5. I hope that the conversation with future corp goes in favor of storm, and he gets the result of a better deal that satisfies the annoyance he's feeling.

There's an odd discrepancy regarding the cost of V5 XPT. If you click on the stand-alone PRICING for v5 it shows 995, but when clicking on the Upgrade it provides $982. (scrolling down on that same PRICING page). Something isn't adding up right. Personally, I would get in phone contact with the software company (Future Corp) and ask to talk to a supervisor or manager and explain that my current version is buggy, and has issues with basic functionality features on my cutter, and request information regarding whether or not these have been addressed with v5. If they answer 'yes' then I would ask for a substantial price cut from the $500 they are asking, and see what their response is. I don't know what else to tell ya, storm.

Storm, as noted in my above post, please contact the software company directly. Only they can provide you with a resolution of your query about added functionality and bug fixes. Nobody here is able to do so. (not even USCUTTER corporate would be able to). The VinylMaster website shows the following information: "An Upgrade License offers a discount provided for existing licensees of VinylMaster software that purchase a later version of VinylMaster." Here is the page for a discount to upgrade: https://vinylmaster.estore.software/cart/step/one

Whenever there's a new (major) version of any software, it's worthwhile to investigate how the developer's changes/reworking in the program will impact my already-existing functionality. For instance, SignBlazer Elements has been static at v6 for many years (the ABOUT menu shows v7 but that's only because someone took the time and trouble to insert a few lines of code to eliminate the Registration scheme, since the software is no longer supported by the developer, who passed away many years ago). Anyway, my point is this -- what advantage or efficiency of routine will you gain with the VM v5 that you're not getting with the current one that you already own? Is there some particular feature that's been added which you need? You are welcome to contact FutureCorp. directly and have a discussion with them about your displeasure with their pricing, and maybe get some discount or concession as a current user of XPT. Stranger things have happened in this world. Best of luck.

The proper actual link is https://vinylmaster.software

In your VM Cut program, go into the setup and there's a checkbox, "ABSOLUTE"

There are two settings in software that direct the cutter regarding where to cut an object on the vinyl. WYSIWYG (Absolute) and Origin (default to the right corner, but cutter head can be adjusted manually with arrow keys while Offline, to any Origin point).

Wildgoose, choosing an appropriate font for a particular 'message' is a gift I happen to have. I did a tow truck a while back, and the Magneto font just seemed right --- the owner of the business was thrilled and put this 'logo' onto his business cards, and website, and facebook, and he got some nice compliments from friends and family. There was another truck, for KHAN BROS. and they're Mid-Easterners (I think from Saudi Arabia) so I chose a font that looked kinda MidEastern-y. I get a lot of trucks because a commercial truck dealership refers buyers to me, for their DOT decals and door lettering!

There are some big guys who have a thing called a "slitter" that takes care of this. https://ribamatic.com Doing it yourself with a power (circular chop) saw will not produce a clean edge. Trust me, I've done it. While the roll will be divided, the ends will be jagged. Down in Gulf Breeze, Florida, these guys will handle it. They'll work with you via UPS.

Maxmetal is exclusively sold by Grimco, it's the same composite poly core/aluminum laminate material as diBond. (3mm and 6mm thicknesses) They also produce it with steel faces. (Maxmetal Element) Yeah, the thicker stuff (6mm) comes in 5x10 sheets which allows a 60" cut. They have a warehouse in Chicago (Bolingbrook), about 2-1/4 hours west on 80 out to you there in Moline. I'm sure they'll be happy to deliver (order minimums apply).

Thanks, I only wish this restaurant was close-by. It's over an hour away, and that is kinda far for me to travel 2 hours roundtrip just for a slice of his great pizza! By the way, that primary sign above the entrance is 3' x 8' on red maxmetal. I just finished another smaller plaque for the inside. These days, restaurants depend a lot on app-based pickups, it's keeping them alive.

That machine is the 28" LIYU brand, and you may have some luck with locating the part from China. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2251832600531319.html There are also some offered on ebay.

I agree with ya, preston, it's designing, at its root. In my SignBlazer-based world, I keep it as simple as possible, and make sure the basic message is clearly conveyed at a glance. By the way, that restaurant opened on Dec. 12th, and the place has been jam-packed with lines of people getting pizza throughout the end-of-year holidays.