A little push in the right direction for the new guy? :)

[MecH 0]

Hello all...ive been wanting to pick up vinyl cutting/decals as a hobby/side job for some time now, and a few weeks ago I saw your cutters on Ebay. And yes, I had the whole 'yeah i bet thats great stuff there for $300'. But you guys seem to be kind of the exception to the rule. From the sites/forums that I have read about your cutters and support on, the only bad things they say is that you sell them on Ebay lol. I saw a comparison of the Roland, Graphtec, and your CP-2500..I was really impressed that the $600 cutter made a review with those 2 1500ish cutters..and it didnt do too shabby either Props for that btw.

So thats how I found this forum..first I think it is REALLY cool that you have a forum that you have actual tech support reps on. That says truckloads IMO. But, long story short, i have been sold on a US Cutter/plotter. Now for the noob stuff. I have been doing designs/graphics for years for web/print/cut..you name it lol. I am pretty fluent with both Corel and Illy..But as for the actual cutting software, i have only seen Flexi..and not enough of it to call it experience. I am about to make an order with you guys...I would just like a little input from you experienced folks, on exaclty what would work best for me.

(My apologies for such a long post.)

Im wanting a 24/25 inch cutter..and im lookn at either the LaserPoint 24, Creation Pcut, or the UScutter MH. Besides the Laser being able to contour cut, I dont know enough about them to determine a difference. But what im after is very simple: Will only be cutting vinyl decals for now (the option for contour cutting is nice but not nessecary)..I`ll be doing multi-layer/color decals but I want to pick a single type of vinyl and stick with it. That way once I get the machine dialed in, it is set...and I can match the perfect blade to that vinyl, and just leave it there, and only have to change it for a new one. (I really like simple in case you cant tell lol). As of right now, I wont be doing any heat xfers, or any other type of media other than vinyl, but that vinyl will be mostly for vehicle gfx. so I would give up the contour cutting option, to gain precision if it came down to it. As for the vinyl..a 6yr ish vinyl would be fine, Just a good all around vinyl..(Oracle seems to be really high..not sure why, maybe it has a longer life?) Xfer tape...Im really leaning towards the clear tape...i have a thing for being able to see what im working on...so the clear appeals to me. I saw the AT-60 mentioned in a video, but if one is better than the other, just saw so .. And of course the blades..Im completely at a loss here, aside from what ive read about Roland seeming to be the top dog in cutters, and I saw that you had Roland blades, but I have no idea on the degree that I would need etc. On my first order I would be getting the cutter, few different size rolls of xfer tape, 50yd roll of white vinyl, and a few other small rolls of different colors. Probably 6-12 blades (just to have), and a few packs of the squeegees and Chizel tools. I will pick up the other tools locally.

So if you guys could help me get my `wish list` together, I`ll see about getting this order made when I get my income tax return back.

Oh btw..I have seen a few issues with the drivers for the serial cables? and on the product page of the LP24 it only has USB...does that use an actual USB connection at the cutter or is it a conversion cable as well?

All and any help would be greatly appreciated. THX!!

[haumana 1,220]

Wow ... welcome to the (addictive) forum.

You are correct that the LP and the PCut are similar with the contour cut being the only difference between the two. If you're willing to pay the price, the Graphtec would be the first choice, with the Copam in a very close second.

Oracal is popular vinyl by many. I can only speak for myself when I say that it's easy to work with and is predictable to handle. I've been sent some vinyl from Fellers and that seems to work pretty well too. I've heard nothing but good stuff about Fellers. I mostly buy Oracal because I live in isolation and the variety of vinyl brands are slim. It helps for me to stick with the same brand and series (ex. Oracal 651) so that I don't need to do a lot of tweaking of to get the blade depth, speed and pressure "dialed in."

Application tape. Choose whatever makes you feel comfortable. Just keep in mind that there are some things you might cut that would be better if applied wet, and for that you can only go with paper tape. I think the clear tape is a bit more expensive, but it sure does showcase the cut graphic a lot better (although the clear app tape reminds me of the clear plastic tape that hospitals use to tape down the I.V.'s and stuff  ) A lot of members have both, but usually prefer one over the other, depending on the use/application. I only have paper because I'm just a hobbiest and the paper app tape was waaaaaay cheaper than the clear stuff at my (one and only) local supply store.

The LP does have both a USB and serial port. Not everyone has issues using the USB port for the cutter (knock on wood). For those that do run into situations of difficulties, serial is usually the best fix. Not to worry, if you're computer does not have a serial port, you can always purchase a keyspan (Serial to USB) adapter. Those can be found on the US Cutter website, your local computer store, Radio Shack, or dirt cheap on eBay.

I hope I addressed most of your questions, if not, I apologize. Keep on asking good questions, and you'll keep on getting nothing but honest answers on the this forum.

Again, WELCOME to the forum!

EDIT: I forgot to mention, the LP ships with (3) 45-degree blades. If you think you'll be doing more intricate graphics you'll probably want to pick-up some 60-degree blades. You can get those from US Cutter (via eBay) for a lot cheaper than if you were to purchase it through their online store. The blades should last you a while. I got my LP about a year and a half ago. I've only used one 45-degree and one 60-degree - both still have a LOT more cutting life on them.

Software - if you're on a PC, you can download and try Sign Balzer Elements (SBE). It'll be in trial mode, but until we hear from the new owners of the software company, trial mode is somewhat permanent. It's full functioning with not time or use limit. Corel and Illy can draw in vector so you're one step ahead of the game. You can always convert the raster to vector and only use SBE as a cutting app (and not necessarily a design app).

[MecH 0]

Thx on the super fast reply mate...I was kinda leaning toward the LP24...I may go ahead and get that one..and since they ship with 3 45 deg blades..and 60 deg blades are better for detail...would it be better to run 60s all the time? or am I missn the point all together?...I really just would like to have plenty of `backup` supply just in case..and dont want to have backup of the wrong stuff lol.

The vinyl rolls...is it cheaper to get them direct from UScutter or elsewhere as well?

Maybe a silly question here...but as far as scissors...seems you need some pretty nice ones laying around to keep you from pulln your hair out ...any brands in particular that work best on vinyl?

Thx again for the quick reply mate

[haumana 1,220]

No problem, but I am wondering why you're up at some un-Godly hour    (It's only 10p here).

The 60-degree just gets you a clean cut for the smaller and/or more intricate stuff. Many people, myself included, have changed to 60-degree and haven't bothered to go back to the 45's. Nothing is wrong with the 45's, I just keep mine at 60 because I'm too lazy to recalibrate the 45-degree again. Others order a second blade holder ($40) and have their 45-degree and 60-degree set to the ideal depth and just swap them out on an as-needed basis. If you win a bid on eBay or order the blades directly from US Cutter, they come in sets of three. I have one set of 45 and one set of 60. I don't think I'll need any additional sets before I run my cutter into the ground. Unless you're cutting some really hard stuff that will torture your blades, you will always have time to replace the sets as you go along.

The LP also comes with a ball point pen and pen holder so you can plot instead of cut. I haven't used that feature at all, but I'd like to think that I would get back into CAD to plot drawings. Some have even managed to get mini-sharpie pens in the carriage to plot. Again, something I have yet to try but hope to do one day.

If you're looking for good quality vinyl at a reasonable price, I hear that Fellers is definitely worth checking out. If you hit the Vinyl bulletin board, there are a few threads that will take you to some vinyl companies that are willing to send you sample stuff. Other members buy their vinyl on eBay, but I caution you that there are unscrupulous sellers who will say that it's vinyl, but it's actually self-adhesive contact paper.

Scissors ... I use any sharp scissors that's available to me to cut the vinyl. I wish the cutter came with a self cutting feature, but then again, that could just be one more mechanical part to break. I use a fiskars to cut my vinyl, then use an xacto for weeding. I use whatever squeegees that Banner John sent to me when I first got started. Different people have different preferences. Squeegees are pretty cheap, pick-up a couple at wherever you happen to be purchasing your vinyl. Cutting your finished stuff can done by scissors, again, any sharp scissors will do. Lots of members here use regular paper cutters. I have a rotary paper cutter. I hate it, but it works and I'm too cheap to buy a regular chop type. I also use a straight edge and rotary fiskars.

Keep the questions coming, we've got lots of answers 

[MecH 0]

Why am I up at 2:30 am? Cuz im more excited about getting my cutter than sleeping LOL. Theres always a point where you get tired of reading, and start getting involved and actually making the move to get started...mine happened about an hour and a half ago .

The reason Im so pumped about actually having the opportunity to finally start doing this, is because I have a few people who have gotten the equipment, but are computer illiterate and then come to me, and ask me to do their designs in vector for them..and of course they are friends, so they get them dirt cheap..but then they never get used, because they give up on the technical side of it. So i feel like I have an advantage here locally, as the only one person that was doing it, has retired completely. So its open. So yeah, im pretty pumped. Im not looking to get rich...I just wanna make a little side money, and have a little fun with it .Multi-colored decals are non existant here unless you go to an actual sign company 45mins away and pay out the a**. So i`m really lookn forward to mastering registration marx etc. (another plus to clear tape lol).

As far as wet applications...I assume that is after the decal is made..and you are applying it to the vehicle or whatever? ...so wet would be so you can move/adjust it before its permanant?..im not sure I would use that very often...but I can see why I would need a couple rolls of the paper tape if thats the case.

But I see that you have the LP24?...are you quite happy with it? I really like `tribal` looking stuff, so Im looking for the sharp point yanno...thats why im asking all the questions b4 i buy   THX again mate.

[haumana 1,220]

I hear you. I was so excited to get my cutter that I drove out the stupid FedEx facility after they had "rescheduled" my cutter for delivery a couple of times (sigh).

If you're the only game in town, then all I can say is, "Game On!"  Although you aren't looking to get rich, you sure can make some decent money doing this. There are many on this forum who do this (decals, banners, store windows, vehicle graphics, etc.) for a living. As I said before, I'm only a hobbyist so I tend to give away more stuff then I sell. Although I have had a few paying jobs, and the customers were more than happy to pay. There are a lot of people here (in Hawai'i) that do the decals (as we have a captive consumer base), but I've also had some really decent jobs that I've shipped the stuff out of state. I didn't get rich, but it paid for more vinyl so I can't complain. I specialize in small jobs since this isn't my "day job".

I hear you about taking care of the technical side. If people were just willing to learn, they have no idea how productive they could be. Oh well, if they aren't willing to pay attention, they certainly will when you start to do your own stuff and might not have time to help them anymore.

Yes, paper app tape (with some application fluid) will buy you some time to adjust the vinyl. I think a member posted that if the graphic is small than 4" they used clear, and any bigger got the paper tape. I couldn't justify buying both, so I bought the cheapest and more functional. There have been times when I did need to do a wet application. You can search YouTube on how to do a wet application of vinyl. You could also YouTube how to do multiple layers of vinyl too.

The LP is considered a "budget" cutter, but it will cut your tribal stuff cleanly. Sign Blazer Elements renders the graphics really crappy, but it will cut cleanly and that's what counts.

Now the hard part is for you to decide whether you're going to purchase your LP directly from US Cutter or through eBay.... Then you'll need to figure out what to charge your customers - that's always my biggest issue.

Good luck! 

[MecH 0]

If it comes from Ebay..it will still come from UScutter...because I wont buy it without a man. warranty....well just see which is the better deal

Have a question about SBE...(if you use it)...since Ill do all of my editing in ILLY....and just use SBE for cutting...for the sake of doing multi-colored designs, does SBE have a registration mark function?...or will I have to make those manually in Illy before exporting to SBE?

[haumana 1,220]

If you want the longest possible warranty than buy direct from US Cutter, it'll cost a bit more, but they warranty is twice as long (depending on cutter model). I think for the LP, it's 6 months if bought through eBay, and 1 year if bought direct.

If you can afford the space, I recommend getting the stand. Many have purchased without the stand and now regret it. I can't imaging trying to use my LP without the stand.

I do use SBE.  You can either create the registration marks in SBE or in Corel or Illy. I would recommend you download SBE and test drive it. You can work with it even without hooking-up a cutter to it.

Different members use different variation of registration marks, it all depends what you're comfortable with.

[Guest]

Hello Mech, welcome to the forums.

Here is a link to download SignBlazer Elements. You are going to need to run the software in the trial mode, but the trial is the full version of the software so no worries. http://support.uscutter.com/index.php?_m=downloads&_a=viewdownload&downloaditemid=30&nav=0,4

It seems that Haumana has answered most of your questions about the different cutters so I am going to stick to the software. It sounds like most if not all of your design is going to be done in Illy or Corel. If that is the case I would highly recommend paying the little extra to upgrade your software to SignCut X2. SC is strictly cutting software, there aren't any design features at all besides a text tool, and you only get that in the Windows version for some reason. The upside to SC is that it is built to work with Illy, CDR, and Inkscape. It comes with plugins for Illy and CDR that actually give you a button in the software that says "Send to SignCut X2" which makes it so you don't have to worry about any of that pesky importing/exporting stuff. If you have any further questions just let us know. We are happy to help.