kst8catfan

Beer mug >> mask it using any old sign vinyl >> laser it >> sandblast it >> peel the masking. Comes out perfect

Emailed him a few minutes ago...thanks for the heads up.

Correct....the architects have it spec'd out that way and won't change their minds....believe me, I tried. And I'm not going to risk losing the rest of the job because of this one problem...it means thousands in profits for our little shop.

Anyone on here do this kind of printing?

Just worried about air bubbles, but good idea.

I agree. I'll attempt to find someone in the area that does this type of printing. I think that'll be the safest way to get this job done.

Thanks for all your replies.... I'm going to check into the printed things. I been experimenting in my office, on the window in my door. The layering thing really doesn't look too bad with the exception of the stupid air bubbles under the black. I put some white letters directly on the glass...then laid a scrap of black over the top. I was able to work the air out from around the letters so it doesn't look too bad at all....it's just going to be such a large area that I'd like to apply this wet to make sure I don't get any air in the open parts of the black and purple. Mader... I signed up over at signs101 several months ago after learning about them from this site. I don't think I've actually written anything over there out of fear of getting eaten alive by several primadonnas. I do lurk and search and read a lot on there, but it kills me when you go to the "newbie" section. Someone will ask some very basic questions only to be bombarded by "professionals" telling them to go learn it on your own and come back when you have some experience. The "professionals", it seems, want newbies to pay for the privilege getting their advice. I guess what I'm trying to say is that's why I like this site. I don't know alot about the sign industry, although I've been working in it in one form or another for close to 20 years. I still have LOTS of basic type questions. I'm glad that the people here, in general, are willing to spread their knowledge they've gained from years of hard work. I do it all the time when people ask me about the things I'm self-taught on, like laser & rotary engraving, CorelDraw, Photoshop, etc. These were things that were thrown at me and I was expected to be able to be professional from day one. No one is going to make me miss a Harley payment just because I gave away a little free advice...I never feel anyone is taking a sale away from me. Once again, I appreciate all the responses I got here (keep the ides coming please)....true professionals are willing to share ideas.

That's kind of what I was thinking, having them printed then I'd apply them and piece in the frost around them. Wasn't really sure if they could be printed that way, though. I should clarify a little...these are all interior walls we're doing...nothing exposed to sunlight or outside temps. Can these be printed so I can apply them to the inside of the glass and view normally from the hallway?

We were awarded a huge job at a new building on our campus. Most of the stuff we bid on was normal, everyday stuff for our little 2-person shop...just a ton of it to do. The architects keep adding and changing things though and I've got a task that I need help in making happen. We're "frosting" 38 glass office walls using 3m vinyl. We know how to do it...there's just so much to do in a little amount of time. One of these offices has a poorly placed column, right in the center of the glass wall, with about 2" of space in which to apply the vinyl. My hands are WAY too fat to fit in this area, obviously. I suggested applying the vinyl to the outside of this one office, but the architects, in their infinite wisdom, said they'd have the glass company remove the glass wall for us to do our vinyl work, then reinstall. If they want to go to that expense, more power to them. All that being said, here's my project. The architects want to disguise this column from view by using a combination of "frost" and graphics. Attached is a drawing of their design. The part I'm struggling with is the text. The longest black stripe measures 6" wide by 5' tall. By placing the purple and black stripes on the inside of the glass, won't the text look funny if I just sandwich it in between the black stripes and the glass? I'm thinking it will leave air pockets at the edges of the text vinyl. Any ideas? Should I be layering this or is there some other solution? Thanks in advance. Kris

I have previous experience with Roland cutters and Versatech printer/cutters and have found them to be top quality, but the price was not even close to where I needed to be. I bought the 24" P-Cut from USCutter a year or so back and it has done nearly everything I asked it to do with the exception of small fonts and intricate designs....it just didn't have what it took. I bought the Copam after asking here about its quality. Nearly everyone that replied said for the money, it will do as fine detailed work as any machine out there. I'll have to disagree in this case. I paid more than double what the P-Cut cost and I haven't seen anything worth the extra dollars YET. I know there will always be adjustments that need to be made...that's obvious...but I expected a little better performance right out of the box than I'm getting (and a few others here, it sounds like).

I think I saw where we can buy new cutter strips somewhere....I think I'll attempt to use a file to flatten mine out....I don't have much to lose, I guess. I have to try something to make this work or I'll be stuck with an $800 boat anchor and an anger situation I really don't need right now. I have a sale that I refuse to let go because of a sub-par piece of equipment.

I'm thoroughly convinced that in my case, my cutting strip is the cause of my problems. It just looks to the naked eye to be sticking up too far and when I run my fingers across the length of it, I can feel the variations in height. If it weren't for the fact that my 30 days was up 5 days ago, I'd ask for an exchange or refund. WELL my cutting strip sticks up as well. is it supposed to be flush? 1/8" high? 1/4" high? wish we could get some solid answers. I want nothing more than for this machine to perform with precision and i would even buy the largest one they have. I think what bothers me the most is the fluctuation (waviness) of the strip....run your fingers down the length of it...I can bet you'll feel what I'm talking about (all the highs & lows) on yours.

I'm thoroughly convinced that in my case, my cutting strip is the cause of my problems. It just looks to the naked eye to be sticking up too far and when I run my fingers across the length of it, I can feel the variations in height. If it weren't for the fact that my 30 days was up 5 days ago, I'd ask for an exchange or refund.

I wouldn't doubt it at all. With all the issues I read on here about the Copam having parts mis-aligned or mis-adjusted out of the box, I now question whether my purchase was a good one. My P-cut has paid for itself, but I knew when I bought it that I was going to use it for things that didn't really have to be precision cut. The Copam was bought with the thinking I was going to get that precision I needed for a reasonable price. I guess the old saying is true....."If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is".

I did some experimenting late yesterday afternoon. Thinking I needed to shim up the bladeholder a little bit, I placed a nylon washer that is .062" thick on the holder so when it's in place, the holder rests on the shim, not the flange. After several test cuts and several adjustments, I was able to get it where my cutouts were usable. Now I have the same issue as several on here...barely cuts in certain spots and almost goes through the backing in other spots. I'll attempt to "hammer" the cutting strip so it's uniform as best I can, but at least my shim experiment kept the nose of the bladeholder from marking the vinyl and also isn't dragging up the vinyl in the corners of M's & W's at all. After I get these first few names cut, I'm going to continue to experiment with the shim...It doesn't need to be as thick as it is now, but thats all I had available at the time. The project I have currently waiting on this process is part of a huge sign contract our little 2 person shop was awarded that will include glass/vinyl donor walls, ADA room signs, a couple hand-made "welcome" signs that are 2'x5' using HDU Foam, and "frosted glass" vinyl applied to 38 offices. It will mean a HUGE chunk of change for us and at the same time, save the state almost half of their initial estimates for all this work to be done by outside contractors. It just all has to be done by the 2nd week of January.