darcshadow

Wax on a car can cause issues as well.

I know nothing about this, but from the image Mz Skeeter posted, seems to me that you just need to adjust the ARMS Offset.

I assuming you're taking the ball from the left and punching it through to get the results. You want the inverse of that so. Draw a circle slightly larger than the ball, then punch the ball through the new circle, then punch that image through the shield image.

The photos in the manual shows UpSpeed +5Vale and Baud 9600. Unfortunately the manual doesn't say anything about what UpSpeed actually is. I would guess it's the speed at which the blade goes up but that's just a guess. Found a YouTube video that shows the UpSpeed set to 380mm/s

Yes, when you send the image to cut the spooler window that pops up gives the option to rotate the design. You can also create your design rotated to fit your vinyl from the start.

Most cutting software allow you to rotate the design. Which one are you using? Also, forget the word "print"

Unless you're trying to use all every bit of the 4x6, a scrap that size should be easily usable. I'd feed it in so that the long side moves in and out of the cutter. Doing that you can use virtually the full 4 inches and probably about 5.5" although I usually leave a bit more room for error.

How small of scraps are you cutting? The MH has movable pinch rollers and I've cut some pretty small scraps pieces without the need for a carrier. You just need to have enough so that the pinch rollers can keep a hold of it for the entire cut. When I started out I tried to use every single part of the vinyl. After a short while, I realized it was a waste of time compared to the cost of the vinyl I was trying to save. Now I'll keep decent sized pieces of scrap but anything less than 6" or so I'll toss, just not worth the hassle.

Even stuff "made" in US, is really just assembled here. The components are sourced from all over the world.

Clean cut, it's a brand of blades. They are a bit expensive but every one that uses them loves them.

The MH is not a printer, it is a cutter only. If you want to make simple decals it could work, although we typically try to steer people to at least the SC2 or better. The MH takes a lot of patience and persistence to get it well, and even then, it's not nearly as good of a cut as you can get with only slightly more expensive cutters. If you're wanting to print and cut you're talking about some pretty pricey equipment. I'll let the print guys fill you in there.

Also be sure to unroll the vinyl so that it's not being pulled off the roll as it cuts. It looks like you may have multiple issues so if getting blade depth and offset dialed in doesn't full fix the problem don't get frustrated.

I would guess your two biggest potential problems are scale of the print and scale of the cut. Print a test box of say 4"x4" and measure it. Does it come out exactly 4x4? Do the same with a cut design. If you have not calibrated your cutting software I can almost guarantee that that the 4x4 square will not be 4x4.

As others have said, not going to happen, especially with a MH cutter. If you don't want the equipment to sit around and not be used, get some vinyl and make some decals.

Inkscape is a very powerful design program however it is not a native cutting program. It does have the ability to cut but it's pretty limited. I typically design in Inkscape then save the file off as an EPS and open it in either Signblazer or VM, but any cutting program compatible with your cutter will do.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods. Layering the decal before application you can use a light box to help line things up and get it perfect. However, when applying a multi layer decal you are more likely to get air bubbles. On the other hand if you layer during install, getting things lined up exactly is a bit harder, but you also are less likely to have unwanted air bubbles. If layering before applying you do it in reverse. Start with what would be the top layer, apply application tape that is large enough to cover the entire final design. Peal the backing off then put the taped design down on top of the next layer. Repeat as necessary.

On my MH anyway, the bulk of the noise actually comes from the vinyl. I've found if I cut a small scrap piece rather than from a large roll the noise while still pretty loud, is greatly reduced.

I don't have a Titan, but that doesn't sound odd to me. The MH makes a lot more noise than that. As for it not cutting, does the cutter ever go up or down? It doesn't look like it in the video, but hard to tell.

If it's the exact same spot every time I would suspect the design. If you rotate the design does the problem spot remain? If it does, further evidence of a design problem.

Short answer, no. Best you can do is fill that in and darken it up, then do a trace, then do a lot of node clean up and you might be able to get close. You won't be able to have the gradient fill/shading of that drawing either.

yes, but if things are correct over cut would just slightly cut the same area twice. Unless making very small cuts, overcut should not cause any issues.

Possibly, but I'd be surprised if it did. IKahneFan, if you're getting things close enough and it's just that the cuts are not joining back up you can compensate for that by adding a bit of overcut to your software settings. I still think there is some other underlining problem though. Get down and watch the blade and the blade holder closely next time you cut. I had a problem with mine where the blade was not firmly seated in the holder and would wobble a bit when the cutter changed directions.

Blade offset is not factored into the test cut. The offset is set in the software not on the MH machine. However, there is something seriously wrong with that test cut. the points of the star should be touching the edges of the square. Is that square actually square? In the photo is doesn't look it, but that could just be the angle of the photo. Do you have the pen insert for the cutter? How does the test pattern look with pen and paper?

No, the problem you're seeing is not likely to be the board. What to the results look like from the built in test function? Also, have you calibrated the cutter in your software?

The credit card method is NOT a good starting point. It's about 10X (not exaggerating) too much blade. A good starting point would be where you can't even see the blade. Yes, if making a 6' long cut you should pull 6' of vinyl off the roll so that the cutter is not pulling the roll. Have you ever calibrated the cutter? Meaning if you cut a 4" square, does the result measure exactly 4"? Not being calibrated shouldn't effect the cuts not lining up, but it can't hurt to double check.