Cartierusm

LOL, thanks.

I'm just gettting into screen printing and have bought about 7 colors so far of Plastisol Union Inks. Then I remembered my days running print shops and wondered if it's you can do the same mixing of cutom colors with CMYK? If so, which I'm sure you can, can anyone tell me if there are any programs that can give me the weights for the ink to mix my own spot colors? Thanks.

Go here and click on software on the top http://unionink.com/.

I hope that was said in a light hearted manner, because DUHH. Obviously Pink is not the only color I want to make.

Thanks for the suggestion but I'm not trying to color match. Right now I need to print pink, any pink, so I'd rather mix up a little instead of buying a whole quart of pink I'll never use. I did find a free program on Union Ink's site that tells you how much to mix of their CMYK colors to get Pantone colors.

I have no idead what a "tail" is, please describe it.

Oh, I just realized you probably thought "instructional" meant about the machine...could be...from reading the other posts I got the impression this forum was for teaching how to's...such as how to crop in illustrator...anyway...

Same place you do. I found out a desktop inkjet won't work. All the vinyls use solvent, eco-solvent or UV cured inks. Desktop inkjets use waterbase inks. No good. The cheapes inkjet that will do the job is a Roland for about $10,000. So much for that idea.

I think you're in the wrong forum. Try Laserpoint Service Request down a few from here. Mine came with a manual.

Plus if you're putting together element from different files make sure all the color you are trying merge are the same color. It's best to click on all the pieces you want to merge and then click the color you want it to be, just to be safe. I opened a file from a client and it was RGB and I work in CMYK and I couldn't get it to merge, then I remembered. Plus in CS2 it's not called Union, it's Merge.

As I understand it contour cutting is cutting a shape around a pre-printed graphic? And the laser part of the cutter is just that, a laser to line up on registration marks so it knows where to start? If this is correct are the registration marks made by the program (flexi) or by the user (you)? Why can't I just print the graphic with reg marks, then line up the cutter with the center of the reg mark? I guess it would be hard in Signblazer or other programs to get it to cut at the reg mark unless it was at 0,0? I might try to give it a shot. I have CNC equpiment so I'm using to thinking outside the box in terms of lining things up, setup and resetting up parts. So I bought a laser diode off ebay for one of my CNCs and decided not to use it. So I might set it up in the front holder and keep doing distance tests until I figure out the offset from the laser to the cutter tip. Anyone for a trial and or suggestions? I'm going to try to see if the inkjet vinyls will work in a desktop inkjet so I can make decals and bumper stickers.

Please help me make some informed decisions. I have already the free SignBlazer and being a graphic designer have AI and decideing on getting X2. What would Flexi do differently than AI with X2? Since I'm very new to this I just want to be sure that the benefits of Flexi are graphic oriented instead of specialized cutting parameters? Thanks.

No problem, glad I could help, help ask the question that is....sounds like a Barry Manilow song..."I ask the questions, the sign guys answer, I ask the question about vinyl things...." Maybe it's just in my head. I made my first 4 color decal PITA. But I learned a lot. Now it's time to get some inkjet vinyl and just print and contour the suckers. Leave the vinyl cutting for signage...decal that small are a pain.

Thanks for the Tutorial. I'm cutting my first piece now. A couple of questions, I've used AI for 15 years or so in the printing and graphic design biz but this is slightly different. So after I make the outline behind the text it makes an inside path and outside path, no problem I just ungroup and delete the inside path as the other path that is left has the same area as the part just deleted. I only mention this so people who are not familiar with AI CS2 would know that if you leave it, it will automatically do a punch out if using Signblazer. My quesion is in Signblazer it cuts the outline behind the text as individual letters, which is not really all that bad, but most of the time the outline will be overlapping each other. So is there a way to make all those individual cut outs one single blob in AI? This would make weeding easier. Thanks.

I'm new so sorry for bringing up old post but I hope some questions can be answered. Fivestar, you said you'd be better off doing them in vinyl. Did you mean make a vinyl mask for the screen or use a plotter/cutter to cut the design out of heat transfer material? And what is Plastisol? BTW what do they call the material used in heat transfer material cut on a plotter? Thanks.

All that matters if you're happy with the deal, then kudos.

I agree with most people here. I hate dishonesty. What I would do it, take pictures, which you did, and still sue her for time and materials. Plus I would send an email to Lullaby Lane in San Bruno, California, where I live near, and see if they have their name copyrighted or Trademarked and have them sue her over the name.

Since I'm new to this having Vinyl Printed would mean digital media, vinyl, printed on a wide format inkjet or are we talking about offset press?

Where is everyone getting their first jobs that pay for the machine? I have some ideas, Craigslist Ad, I live one block away from a High School/Public Football, soccer and baseball field so I can go every day and whore myself out to get the sort of jobs that is described in this post. But what about the other stuff is everyone just going door to door or when they're hanging out they ask casually? As far as the magnets you posted here you do you find people hesitent about $10-$12? Just wondering seems a little high to me, I'd love to get that much, but I was thinking if I would pay that and I couldn't come up with an answer. Thanks

If you are going to be taking orders go for the 12-15 range, if you are going to be going around asking people where ever they gather you might want to go for $10, if you have them with you most people have a 10 spot on them and will buy one on impulse.

Syn, first off if you charged them your regular rates and didn't do a deal would they still want the job? If they do then your argument of "I really need a matress" is mute just make the banners, collect the money and then go back and buy the matress you want and if it's a little while later, a week or so, they might give you 10-20% off. If they only will do the deal if you trade then they don't really need the banners, but what you describe as what's going on it they do need it...seems like you have the power.

Looks good. I'm very new to this sort of thing, but I've been doing Graphic Design forever. I know this could be done different ways, vinyl cut out and applied to a magentic sign blank or ink jetted onto a magnetic blank. How was this done so I get an idead of how things are done professionally? Thanks.

Thanks.

Howdy, I just got my 48" Pcut and I've read just about every post in these forums, thanks for all the helpful information. I've learned how much I can now do with my plotter/cutter. But I have a few simple questions I hope you can answer. I've got a pretty good idea of the answers but would like confirmation so lengthy explanations is not neccessary, I'm trying to save you time. My blade holder does not have the adjustable thumbwheel at the top as pictured in the manual. I've read the different tutorials about setting blade height. But I need some clarification - what I have now I've decided to use this process. Take a piece of scrap vinyl of the type I'm going to use and make a small cut to see if the depth of the blade it correct by adusting the cap that shows more or less blade. Do this off the cutter by hand. Then put the blade holder in the machine. But I'm confused as if I put the blade holder in the carriage all the way and the adjusting cap is on the bottom raising and lowering the cap would bring the blade holder closer or further away from the vinyl. SO my question is do I put the blade holder in the carriage all the way seated or move it up and down in the carriage until it's a certain depth from the vinyl or should it touch the vinyl? I hope everyone understands. If not I can post a pic. Second, how to even load the vinyl, should I take the cutter off line and use the arrow buttons to feed it in, then feed the amount i'm going to cut to see if it's tracking correctly, then roll it back? Should the vinyl be coming out of the front for starting or at the rear? Or should I unlock the feed roller and fee the vinyl in by hand then lock them and check tracking? Is there an easy way to load the vinyl so it tracks good to begin with, or it just takes practice? Third, how many feed rollers should I use per piece of vinyl, let's say I'm using 15" wide? I've gathered from here have a roller about 1" from each edge, and spaced over the grip tape on the bottom roller and don't put a roller in the center, other than that how many should I use and placement? Next, I take it once I have the vinyl loaded I should bring the actual cutter point to the right edge (facing the machine) of the vinyl and front edge too and then zero out the x and y, so it knows where to start? Thanks for the help. Let me know if you need any clarification on this stuff. I can't wait to start.

I would like to know too...how long before the vinyl is no longer useable, how many shirts? Thanks. Also I could use a video or a link to a DIY Screen Press and Flash Dryer?