Hoss

I'm new to USCutter and recently placed my first order. I slowly built up an order in my cart, adding and removing things as I was investigating different materials, sizes, etc. Sometimes this lead me to open another browser instance to google some info, search the forums, etc. Anyways, this meant some times I would be away from the browser with the order for a couple hours (I didn't close it, or reboot, etc), and the site would log me out, requiring me to re-sign in. When I did so, my basket would be empty. This happened with both Google Chrome and IE9. It would be nice to keep the shopping cart info at all times. I should be able to log out even and come back the next day and still have my cart.

I use it for cutting. It does a better job cutting for me than SignCut or SignBlazer. It seems more intelligent with where it starts and stops cuts so weeding is easier. For editing however, I use InkScape. I'm a few versions behind on SCALP, so maybe its editing has gotten better, but last I tried, I wasn't too happy with editing. I'm sure I'll try again in the next couple months, as I am still interested in one app for both editing and cutting.

I was really hoping to find a good designer (with tracing) and cutter app in one, and for the intro $50, I got SCALP. I was using SBE before. I'm not very happy with key parts of the design portion (particularly node editing). I also can not get it to cut correctly with my MH721-MK2. But, I have to say that the tracing tool is great! A couple days ago I decided to try Inkscape and so far love it. After watching one "intro" tutorial, I was on my way and doing all the things I was good at in SBE (but without the data loss and funky UI issues of SBE), and more. But Inkscapes tracing tool is not very good in my opinion. So right now, I use SCALP for tracing (export SVG), Inkscape for editing, and Sign Cut for cutting. Will try .037 tonight. I'm hoping that in the next few months, SCALP will mature to where I want. It was only $50 so its worth the wait and getting early input on it.

My understanding of the squiggly line meant that it was over a path.

AI files crash mine as well. v3.036 on my Windows 7 64bit. I tried both CS6 and v3 version of AI files.

I've been messing with this more today, and my initial comments where not accurate. Actually, it basically cuts correct or with errors randomly. It cuts correctly about 20% of the time. The rest of the 80%, it seems to print backwards, and often, one letter of a word is printed sideways. Sometimes it draws the image skewed. Sometimes it cuts lines right through middle of drawing. Sometimes it rotates the image. This is true just taking the same drawing cutting it over and over again without any changes. Just cut, click ok to the "finished" dialog, click "cut with cutter" button and cut again. If export the drawing as SVG, use illustrator to save as ai v3 file, and open it in SB, SB can cut it as many times as I want without a single issue. Below is a short trial cutting a logo multiple times (with all same settings and no design changes/edits between cuts). As you can see, it did different things each time. This is a design that I created from scratch in SCAL 3.036 Pro. I also tried with a new project and just dropped a couple letters in, got same random results.

I just bought SCAL Pro and so far like the software. However, when I cut, the image is mirrored. For example, text is backwards. I can select the entire design and then Object > Transform > Flip Horizontal, and then cut, and it cuts correctly. But then I have to undo the flip to go back to editing. Is there a setting somewhere to have it automatically cut it flipped?

I purchased Pro for $50 and downloaded it last night (v3.036). I like much of the UI, much more modern (than SB I was using) with much better path rendering. I really like the tracing feature compared to SB. I would like to echo most of speleopower's feedback. Particularly editing nodes (specifically I don't like not being able to edit the type of node, such as corner, etc) and lack of mouse wheel zoom. Although I haven't yet been able to get it to cut on my MH-721 MK2 cutter (separate thread).

Not sure if that is the correct terminally, but is there material I can cut in my cutter for making stickers that 'cling' to windows without adhesive (they can be easily removed, even reused)?

I got a new MH 721-MK2 and set it up (Windows 7 64bit, USB) last weekend and put the pen adapter in it and was drawing images without issue (Signblazer Elements). I printed at least 20 times, all perfect. When I was done I put the cover on it and turned it off, unplugged the USB (needed it for my laser printer). So today I got my first vinyl so I took the cover off, plugged in the USB cable and turned it on. I loaded up the vinyl and installed the blade adapter (after setting its depth on scrap vinyl). However, almost every "print" I made today was skewed and the weed box was cut right through the image. So I put the pen back on and have been trying lots of combinations of plugging in USB, power up, rebooting PC, different images, different image sizes, and even SignCut Pro. Every once and awhile, it will do a correct cut,just once, randomly. The only thing I did (as far as the cutter/software go) since the first time and this time was installing SignCut Pro (but never tried it out until I started having the problems, just to see if it worked correctly). Don't know if that could have an effect on it. Any ideas? Thanks!

I'm new to vinyl cutting, but I've been using RTape Clear Choice AT60 and have had excellent results so far. This is assuming though that the vinyl is sticking to the target surface well. Most my applications have been on glass and smooth painted surfaces were the vinyl sticks very well. I haven't had problems on real small details or anything. I really like the clear for when doing multiple colors (overlays) http://www.uscutter.com/RTape-Clear-Choice-AT60-General-Purpose-Clear-High-tack-Application-Tape-100yd-RTTAT60

The ruler/marker strips (or whatever they are called) were missing from my unit (an MH 721-MK2). The MH setup videos, the manuals, etc all clearly show a strip on the front and back, and are used for lining up material (I'm sure other uses, but I'm new to cutting). Anyways, per help from this forum, I contacted USCutter support. Here is the transcript about asking about the missing strips. Am I missing something here? 09:13General: A 60 degree blade will cut deeper, and as such is designed for thicker material. 09:16Chris Hostetler: Thanks! ok, last topic... I just got an MH-721 and a couple concerns I had with it... 1) The setup video says I should have gotten 2 45 degree blades, and 1 60 degree blade, however, all 3 were red 45 degree blades. 2) There are no rulers on the machine, the ones that are along the front and back side, used for lining up material. Can you send them to me? 09:19General: I am not aware of an MH that comes with those, but I'd be happy to look up the order and verify the contents that were sent vs what was supposed to be sent. 09:19General: What was your recent order number? 09:19Chris Hostetler: I'm not sure, my wife got it for me for my birthday, from amazon. 09:20Chris Hostetler: You may have changed what blades you ship with it, but I know for sure its supposed to have the rulers. 09:22General: I am not aware of any rulers on any MH models. 09:22General: Could you give me the zip code you shipped the item to? 09:23General: I can try and look up the order with that. 09:24Chris Hostetler: XXXXX 09:25Chris Hostetler: XXXXXXXXXX 09:25General: Do you know when the order was placed? 09:26Chris Hostetler: Not sure exact date, a week or two ago. It shipped fast. 09:26General: Alright, I found the order. One moment. 09:28Chris Hostetler: Here is a photo of one, you can see the front ruler... http://www.stahlsblo...efine-MH721.jpg 09:29General: That model is not the current model unfortunately. 09:29General: That is an older series 09:31Chris Hostetler: http://forum.uscutte...-721-no-rulers/ According to this guy, it shoudl have them. 09:32Chris Hostetler: All the units on this page on your site show the ruler. Also, you MH setup videos show the rulers, and even tell you to use them to line up the material. http://www.uscutter....es+Vinyl+Cutter 09:33General: Well, that is not the same thing though. The models that are currently sold have lines without numbers. 09:33Chris Hostetler: Oh, sorry, terminology might be off. Not sure about numbers vs markers, but in either case, I don't have either on mine. 09:34Chris Hostetler: Its like someone forgot to put the stickers on. 09:35Chris Hostetler: Here is an actual photo of my unit: https://www.dropbox....%2012.57.58.jpg 09:35Chris Hostetler: This is a photo I took of mine, in my house. 09:37General: Could you take a picture of the front and back of your cutter so I may see the area where the ruler would be? 09:38Chris Hostetler: I don't have a back one at the moment, I'm not at home. But that one of the front I just gave you a link too does include the area where the ruler/marker strip would be. 09:39General: Alright, if you could do that we would be happy to look into it for you. 09:39General: If it is missing those strips then we of course would be happy to help fix that. 09:41Chris Hostetler: I don't understand. That photo of the front shows clearly where there should be strips. Maybe we are talking about different strips? I'm not even sure what other photo of the front I would need to take to make it more clear. 09:42General: Well, as in the other pictures you showed me from other websites, there is a strip on the front with hash marks so you can more easily line up the material. 09:43General: I would just need a close up picture of the machine back and front so I can see if that is missing from your model. 09:43General: It is pretty hard to see from the picture you linked. 09:43Chris Hostetler: Yes, and the photo I sent you of mine is missing them. 09:44Chris Hostetler: what, no way. This photo? Its very clear and large. https://www.dropbox....%2012.57.58.jpg 09:44Chris Hostetler: at 2:47 in this video by USCutters, you can clearly see the strip and compare to my photo. 09:45General: Yes, the photo is very clear and large but does not actually help with this situation. 09:45General: We would need a close up photo of the areas I am referring to. 09:45Chris Hostetler: The strip is on the front below warnign sticker that it could cut you. 09:45General: I am trying to help you resolve this, but we just need a small piece of information. 09:45General: I am by no means trying to make this any harder for you. 09:45General: If you can help me get the information I am asking for we would be happy to get this resolved. 09:46Chris Hostetler: Here is another photo close up of the front... https://www.dropbox....ssing_ruler.jpg 09:48General: Sir, that is a zoomed in picture of the one you just submitted. 09:48General: Is it possible for you to take a close-up picture of the back and front of the machine so we can see the areas I am referring to? 09:49General: If you do not want to do this please give us a call so we can see what else can be done with your situation. 09:50General: Those strips are something that is pre-attached to the machine. So, if they are missing from yours I am sure we can help with that. 09:50General: I am just trying to get the pictures of your machine so we can verify the part that needs to be replaced. 09:50Chris Hostetler: Yes, because it is a higher rez image than the first version I shared. But it is clear the ruler is not there. It doesn't sound like you know your product very well. Anyways, I'll get new photos to "prove" myself to you and delay getting a resolution to the issue. 09:51General: No one is trying to prove anything sir. We are trying to help fix the problem you are having. 09:51General: I am very familiar with the product and just want to help you resolve the issue. 09:52General: Will you be able to take a couple of pictures of the machine's front and back where the strip is so we can verify which parts need to be replaced? 09:52Chris Hostetler: I will do so. Although you are really not making me feel comfortable about buying this product. 09:53General: Buying which product? 09:53Chris Hostetler: A USCutter product. 09:53General: And I am sorry if asking for information about a problem makes it uncomfortable for you. We are just trying to get you the correct part. 09:53General: Without knowing what needs to be replaced I have no way of replacing anything. 09:54General: We provide support to the best possible level for all of our products, and this is a fairly simple situation that has a very easy resolution. The only thing we need is a picture of the back and front of the cutter where the strip should be so we can correct the issue. 09:56Chris Hostetler: The problem is you do know. The photos are obvious they are missing (at least the front one). But I will do as you ask and delay resolving this issue. I just don't understand the need for the extra photos/delays/etc all for a couple of stickers that your company forgot to put on.

So far I am very happy with my purchase, both in the cutter and in the service I've gotten from them (minus this one support personal). I also placed my first order for material and did will call at the redmond wa location and both people I interacted with there during the pick up were very friendly and quick. In fact, on many other generic vinyl/cutting forums, many of the links/info I found in them point to USCutter's site and its forum. So I feel very comfortable in my purchase, getting help, good supplies, etc.

Don't be a hater! You can cut your own fancy schmancy sticker for your "next one up" from cheap-o model.

The rollers on the stand are painted and the ends rest in plastic holders, isolating them from the stand. I have a feeling this is the (or one of the) issues with this cutter. I read about someone that left a bare copper wire connected to the top of the cutter, draped across the roll. I think I'll try that. I also read about the dryer sheets, will try that too, and pick up some anti static spray. I'm on a vinyl floor... https://www.dropbox.com/s/qx86z8m2qbpbxvn/2012-10-13%2012.57.58.jpg Thanks!

Well, shortly after posting this, I kept messing with it and got shocked when I touched one of the screws on the cutter. When I did, I heard a motor or something inside twitch or something. I remember when setting it up, the importance of putting on the grounding wire from the stand to the cutter. So I decided to search about static on the forum and found some similar cutting issues. So I tried a piece of paper and low and behold, every "cut" was perfect. So I cut off a piece of vinyl and did 3 cuts, all perfect (something another thread said to try). I checked continuity between the stand and the cutter and the grounding wire is connecting them correctly. But it seems the static from the vinyl is still causing an issue when I have a roll on the stands rollers. What else should I do to better ground the vinyl/stand/cutter/whatever?

Inkscape is a free app that competes with Adobe Illustrator (my fav) and Corel. It can output dxf (although not sure off the top of my head if you need a plugin or not, but if so, its free too). It can trace raster images to vector images, although I found Illustrator much easier to use. http://inkscape.org/

I just got an MH271-MK2 (first and only cutter I've ever had) and all the videos/etc I've seen show a ruler along the front edge and along the back. However, mine has none. One of the videos made by USCutter shows how to setup material and make use of these rulers to ensure the material is inserted straight, so it seems they are important. Is mine missing them or did they stop including them in newer models or something? Thanks!

Those are pretty nice, even for other things around the house and my shop. I'm going to try and cut something of my own for this, as a learning project.

Yes, just scan your drawing and save to an image file (like a bmp, jpg, png, etc), this is called a raster image. Then you can open the image in silhouette software and perform trace which will create a vector version of it, which is what provides lines to cut and allows you to scale the drawing to any size you want. Here is a decent video tutorial of doing it...

I just got mine for hobby use. Cut out stuff for paint masking on cars/motorcycles/etc, decals, labels, etc. I expect 99% of my cuts will be one off things and won't be doing continuous/large cuts that consume more than a foot or two of material at most. Even the tech guys said that the rulers are not that accurate anyways and that he doesn't use them himself. So far I've just been testing with the pen and sheets of paper and haven't had any problems with small work like that. I'm ordering my first rolls of vinyl however today, so alignment I'm assuming will be more important, especially if I don't want to be resetting the rollers after each cut all the time. I like the idea of lining up the vinyl back under to the prefeed, thanks!

<-- Cutting noob. ok ok ok, I get it, rulers = not needed.

USC support got back to me and informed me that they were sorry about the trouble and that they can not get the ruler stickers separately, that if I want them, I would need to exchange the unit, which they are happy to do. As an alternative to exchange, they offered a credit, of a reasonable amount, to my account (to purchase materials, etc from their site). So I have to say, I feel much better about USC now. It shows me they care about their customers and I should continue doing business with them. Thanks for everyone's opinions/comments. I'll follow-up in a new thread if not having rulers becomes an issue.

USCutter has an account with Amazon, and sells direct through them (sold and shipped by USCutters directly, no middle Amazon or 3rd party involved). Which is good because it's how I found them and decided to buy a USCutter and not something else (because the reviews, etc). As you can see in the transcrip, I provided them info (which I XXXXXed out for the purposes of this forum) and they found the purchase in their database no problem. This did not go through some other person, the box is right from USCutter and exactly the same as in the MH setup video (same markings, labels, start.uscutter.com sticker, taped up straps, etc). Anyways, this post is not exactly about this specific issue, but as the title says, I'm trying to find out if I made a mistake in going with USCutter. I take it your opinion is 'No'. Which is good and what I'm trying to find out.

Thats good to know, thank you! USCutter's video said its needed and shows how to use it for loading material properly, also, this forum post (http://forum.uscutter.com/index.php?/topic/38041-mh-721-no-rulers/) I made said it was needed. But maybe a mute issue if its not even needed!