mach9

I am trying to convert a logo that is in JPG form to an EPS in Inkscape so I can cut it with Signblazer. I justr can't get a clean conversion no matter where I put the settings in Inkscape. The lines come out not straight and the curves are not smooth. And I'm losing detail. Any suggestions? Or, is there another way to do the conversion other than Inkscape. I've read that bitmaps make better conversions than JPGs, but I can only find the logo in JPG. Thanks for any help. The image in question is attached.

I just cut them and they look perfect as far I'm concerned. Thanks again Roxanne.

Than ks Roxanne! I wasn't expecting that. However, for some reason when I try to import the file into Inkscape or Signblazer, I can't get it to show up. Any idea what I'm doing wrong? Thanks again very much! EDIT: Never mind. I figured it out. Looks great! What program did you use?

Haven't been doing much vinyl work lately so I haven't been on here in a while. Hope everybody is well. I have a couple of questions about cutting really small stuff on my P-Cut. What I want to do is to cut vinyl to use as stencils so that I can use a mini abrasive blaster to etch lettering onto the barrels of my hand turned ink pens. So yes, I'm talking really small. First, what angle cutter blade would best best for cutting small stuff. And also, any idea what would be the best material to use for the stencils? I have done this previously where I etch small letters and graphics onto 6"x6" mirrors. But, I've never attempted anything this small. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks. And Merry Christmas!

I was going to PM you, but since a lot of folks seem interested, hopefully you will post it here. Thanks for all of your replies!

I am building a custom wooden box for a fellow drag racer that will hold spark plugs. It will be stained with a brushed on polyurethane clear over that. I had thought about putting his name on it with vinyl before putting on the urethane coat. Anybody done it? All opinions and suggestions are welcome. Thanks! MJ

Mine does the same thing when I am manually moving the cutter head to start a new cut. I found that tapping one of the red limit switches will raise it for some reason, but it doesn't always stay up. If I have to, I just hold it up with my hand. I have no reason why it does it in the first place. Let us know if you come up with a fix. MJ

This a link to some pics I have on my MySpace page. Let me know what you think. MJ http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=202505471&albumId=1378029

Just added the mirrors to my Webshots account here: http://community.webshots.com/album/563658174Evutfa Ok Repodon. Show us some of your mirrors!

I'll do that. Didn't know they required you to join. MJ

Loaded my SB and requested an activation code on Sunday, it's Tuesday and nothing yet. How long does it normally take? Thanks! MJ

USB using a borrowed laptop. When I get a dedicated PC I'd think I'd like to go serial. But, no problems so far with USB. MJ

I was reading either on this forum or another one about something called "brush and rub" or something that effect that is used to color etchings in glass. Can't remember for sure where I saw it and a search came up empty. I did a couple of bead blasted mirrors for graduation gifts and after showing them at work, I've already sold 3 more. Maybe I'm on to something. MJ

Thanks for the advice guys. Yeah, I bet it was rub n buff. I'll look for that. I'm thinking maybe I should just stay with that "natural" look until I gain some experience. Don, a/c is fixed temporarily but I'm replacing the whole unit next week. I have lost my patience with this one. Been getting in the house late every night, but I'll call you as soon as I can. Enjoyed talking to you the other night. MJ

Wonder how one of the cheaper versions of the "water blades" you buy at the auto parts stores would work. Oops. I have one! Think I'll give it a try. MJ

On my laptop at home (WinXP), I have installed/uninstalled 3 times and when I try to open the program, I get an error message something like "missing file uninstall.dat". Then, it goes into uninstall/reinstall mode. THEN, when I try to reinstall, it says it can only install in an "empty" folder. I installed it on my PC at work (shhhhhhhhh) and it works fine. Any ideas? MJ

Check it out and tell me what you think. MJ http://community.webshots.com/album/563658174Evutfa

A liitle story about the police car. It's actually my son-in-laws cruiser. When it was parked one night, somebody drove by and hit the rear of it with a full can of beer. Damaged the trunk lid and busted the left tail light. Body shop estimate on it was about $2,200 ! I told him I would fix it for $1,200 and that I could replace the lettering on the back as well. Sold the job, saved them some money, and I only have about $200 in paint, materials, and vinyl in the whole deal. Yes, you're right. I am fast becoming addicted to vinyl! I bought the machine initially so I cut cut my own decals to promote my web site. www.pumpgastech.com. (Shameless plug). Now, I'm enjoying cutting vinyl so much, I've been neglecting the web site! The are so many things I want try with the cutter, I don't know where to start. Shirts, sandblasting, painting with vinyl stencils, ect, ect. And seeing the stuff all of you guys are putting out just gets me even more fired up. Thanks..........I think. MJ

How do you "install" fonts into the windows fonts folder?

I had thought about the stencil deal and may go that route. It's nice to know I can do it either way though. I was a little worried about the stain affecting the adhesion of the vinyl. Thanks guys. I'll post a pic when it's done. MJ

All of you talented people on here make me SICK! Great job man. Did you do those in SignBlazer? MJ

Here's my problem. New at this vinyl cutting thing and I want to REALLY learn at least one of the software programs. I have SignBlazer...came with the machine. I have downloaded Inkscape. I have owned CorelDraw X3 for several months, just haven't learned it yet. One at a time. I like SignBlazer, but I can already see that without spending $400 for the pro version, it's going to be too limited as I learn to do more. It does come with a good font selection however. Inkscape-looks like a really good program and I feel I could learn it, but the font selection is pathetic. CorelDraw-I really think this is what I need to be learning, draw it up here and send it to SB to cut. But, once again, there are very few fonts on here. They're supposed to be on the extra CDs that came with it, but I have not been able to figure out how to look at them or import them from the CDs. I would really like to eventually become proficient with all 3, But need to concentrate on one at the time for now. I'm just at a loss as to which one to focus on first. Any suggestions would be appreciated, as well as any help on how to retrieve graphics/fonts fron the Corel CDs. Thanks! This forum is GREAT! MJ

Thanks for all of the replies and advice. It seems all of the tutorials I can find are over my head. I'm thinking about springing for a DVD called "Corel Draw X3 Unleashed". Anybody familiar with it? You guys are probably right...I really need to learn them all. I think I'd do better concentrating on one at the time though. If i need to do something relatively simple, just text or a simple shape, I can do it in SB for now. Just got to keep plugging away. MJ

Very nice work! Inkscape, or SignBlazer?

Ok, there are a LOT more fonts in the Windows font folder than what shows up in Inkscape or Corel. How do I access them? MJ