Brand new and wondering what cutter to start with.

[bwc1139 0]

Hi I Im new to this site.  I have been reading up and looking at the work some of you guys have done, great stuff.  I was wondering what I should start out with as far as equipment.  The type of stuff I want to do is t-shirts/athletic shirts mainly and also maybe some vinyl letters/decals for window or auto or similar applications.  I dont really have any vinyl experience but I do have some experience with graphic design with photoshop and illustrator so would like to see what I could do.  Anyways can you guys help point me out in the right direction for what I need?  Help me out guys, Im excited to star things out!

[ms_sign 5]

Welcome from Texas 

Jon

[Rodger 527]

Hi ,

The cutters under the Co-Pam series are describes as hobby type , but many use them ALOT & for a long time without any problems . The Co-Pam is the 1rst cutter described as industrial . IF you want to experiement & find out if this will be a fad .. mayby buy a inexpensive model .. IF you are sure you are sticking with it & not going to be a nick-nack I think the extra few hundred $ spentom a Co-Pam is wrothwhile .

[yoginaranjo 0]

Welcome from southern california 

[soarman 0]

Welcome from Texas,

I just started with this too, and just received my lp24..

Took me only 1 hour to assemble and mount on the stand, and then another 30-45 mins to install and adjust the blade... was cutting the obligatory ''kid's names and peace symbols" in only a few minutes.  I'm pleased so far with the lp24!

-Mark

[signpro 1]

Welcome from WI 

[bwc1139 0]

So what are the differneces in cutters besides size?  Just features or how long they will last?

[tlzimmerman 11]

Features, cutting speed, accuracy, smoothness, downforce, lots of variables.

One thing you will want to look into, especially if you are doing shirts, is contour cutting.  Basically this means using a laser or optic eye on the cutter to manually or automaically line things up and cut out something you have printed with a printer.  They make shirt transfers that you print with either an inkjet with special inks or a laser printer, then contour cut, and heat press onto a shirt.

Other things is most of the time the more expensive cutters can do more as far as detailed and small cuts, but alot of that has to do with how good you can get at setting the settings on your cutter.

Another thing to think about, I am in this for the long haul but started out first thing with a refine.  Its a cheaper cutter, but cuts pretty stinkin good when I get the settings right, and has already payed for itself in less than 2 months and then some.  I am hoping to use it for a year or a year and a half, make some money and enough to purchase a copam or graphtech, then the refine will become my backup cutter.

Hope that helps, good luck with your decision.  Its an exciting road to go down.

[lowone 3]

Welcome to the forum. This stuff get addicting 

As far as which cutter to buy it is really dependent on what type of work you will be doing most. I personally use a P-CUT and love it. It can cut surprisingly well for the price. Some of the higher end units do cut more precise on small intricate jobs. One thing that separates the $$$ cutters is servo vs. stepping motors. Servo driven units are more precise, but again only needed if that is the work you do. Also the type of materials you plan to cut matter as well. A high amount of blade down force is needed when you are cutting blasting mask (could be something to consider).

Either way, whatever cutter you decide on, buy it from US cutter...They rock.

[Budsoda 3]

Welcome to the Forum

[Cre8tiveCutter 7]

Welcome to the forum and the addicting world of cutting vinyl! A good vinyl cutter, a large heat press and a good supply of vinyl is all you need to get started. Like the others have stated its all a matter of what you want to do and your pocketbook! I have the pcut, I will upgrade later on down the road to the copam or the graphtec, I have a hat press and two mighty presses. Before purchasing know what operating system you are using and if you have serial ports as well as usb and make sure the cutting program you use supports your operating system as well as your cutter, this alone will cut down on any problems you may encounter. Most people here use sign blazer or some version of flexi, there is alot of info out here in regards to both of these programs. Just be educated before making your purchases! Most of all have fun!

Renee