Few Setup Questions

[lonestarcountrymusic 3]

I just setup my new MH 721.  My question is where do i set the roll of vinyl up with? (Like between what number and what number on the rulers? or does that not matter?)  now does the blade holder and the the  holder on the machine (of the blade holder)  do they need to touch? (by touch i mean does the holders ring need to be touching the top side of the machines holder?  and if yes should the blade b touching the material at that time?) mind you i have yet to turn the machine on.  Just trying to make sure its setup right before i turn her on.

[American And Proud 2]

You can set the roll to the right or the left, Just need to line it up correctly with the front and back rulers so it Tracks straight.

You can then move the head over with the buttons to where you want it to start cutting and hit the Origin button.

Place the blade holder so its seated all the way down in the holder.

Adjust the blade beforehand so it's just barely sticking out, some say 1/2 the thickness of a credit card.

[prestonservco 26]

Congrat on your new adventure.  While frustrating at first, you'll soon enjoy cutting vinyl.

The position of the vinyl in relation to the numbers / rule really doesn't matter.  I move the first roller all the way over and position the edge of the vinyl close to the outer edge of the roller.  The roller will tend to put a texture on the vinyl (I've heard that it squeegees out during installation) so I avoid cutting in the area of the roller.

I place the "flange" of the blade holder all the way down in the clamp - a little more secure and less likely to move.  Also put in in the rear position (closest to machine).  Blade should not be touching the vinyl at this time.  Blade should barely be visible out of the holder (aprox. 1/2 credit card thickness).

[lonestarcountrymusic 3]

as soon as i turned it on it lifted the blade up.  now my question is what speed should i be cutting at and pressure?  also i want to be safe on the, so how do i adjust the carriage to be where i want it to start from?

[prestonservco 26]

Speed and pressure depends on the graphic your cutting, size, and type of vinyl. 

I usually run my machine pretty slow.  I'm not doing any production work, so I can take my time.  The cuts seem to be more accurate at slower speeds.  Most often I use about 12.

Pressure depends on the vinyl.  I mostly use Oracal 651.  It cuts real nice on my MH-871 at 40.

After loading the vinyl, press the test button on the cutter.  It will cut a test design to check your pressure, etc.  The sample should weed (separate) easily, but the blade should not cut through the backing paper.

To adjust the blade starting point in reference to the roller - press offline.  Use arrow buttons to move blade to desired place.  Press........mmmmm...... I think offline again. - I'm not at the shop at the moment.

[lonestarcountrymusic 3]

I pretty much think i have it dialed in,  my only problem is that it is not cutting im guessing all the way through or around some of the letters.  i have it at 16inches/sec  and 90g of pressure.  Another thing is the middle wheel is scaring pretty bad  and i think i loosened it but its still scarring.

[prestonservco 26]

yeah, I can't get mine not to do it either.  I try to avoid it altogether if I can.  Most of the time I only use 2 rollers. 

By the time you loosen it enough not to mark, then you might as well not use it all.

[lonestarcountrymusic 3]

how about my problem with the letters not completely being cut (im guessing this is my problem since they tend to stick to the rest of the vinyl), most of them dont  but some do.  Little confused since its still slightly cutting the backing but not all the way through.

other than that this BGS weeds great.  cant wait to get on the Oracel 651 (have a roll of white for car decals)

[kenimes 42]

how about my problem with the letters not completely being cut (im guessing this is my problem since they tend to stick to the rest of the vinyl), most of them dont  but some do.  Little confused since its still slightly cutting the backing but not all the way through.

other than that this BGS weeds great.  cant wait to get on the Oracel 651 (have a roll of white for car decals)

Could be an overcut or offset setting in the cutting software for cuts not closing. I never would use the middle roller, just the two outside ones. Usually the scar marks go away when the vinyl is applied anyhow.

[lonestarcountrymusic 3]

what setting should i be looking at?  Im using signblazer

[prestonservco 26]

In the "cut" screen, select setup.  Look at the Blade offset.  Usually .25 mm.  The packaging the blade came in should tell you the setting, but it is usually .25  This is to accommodate the rotation of the blade in the holder while cutting.

It you are slightly cutting the backing, then the blade is sticking out too far, or you are using too much pressure.  With Oracal 651 I use 40 grams.

[lonestarcountrymusic 3]

unfortunately the package doesnt say  :- .  its what came with the refine series.

[kenimes 42]

.25 is a good start. If they are still not closing, try .30, .35, .40, etc., until they close.

[lonestarcountrymusic 3]

what sign cutting software is better? SignCut or SignBlazer?  (SignBlazer just crashed in the middle of a cut). 

[kenimes 42]

what sign cutting software is better? SignCut or SignBlazer?   (SignBlazer just crashed in the middle of a cut).   

SignCut is strictly for cutting, so you would need to design in a vector based graphic design program, or just buy your ready to cut .eps and .ai files. SignBlazer allows you to design and cut.

[lonestarcountrymusic 3]

im kind of curious why it would just crash in the middle of cutting.

[prestonservco 26]

I run SignBlazer on 3 computers and never had a crash.  :-  I wonder if something is up with your pc.

[lonestarcountrymusic 3]

i dont see what could have caused it.  its a fresh install of windows 7 professional  and the only thing running was SignBlazer.  First time it stopped responding was today.(granted this is the second day i have been running it.)

[prestonservco 26]

Did you correct the problem with letters not cutting completely?

[lonestarcountrymusic 3]

almost  lol  the last attempt (well what it cut before the software crashed) it got all of them except maybe 2

[kenimes 42]

Try the same file without a weed border, or any weed option enabled at all. (bottom left hand corner options on the Cut screen)- uncheck them all.

[lonestarcountrymusic 3]

Try the same file without a weed border, or any weed option enabled at all. (bottom left hand corner options on the Cut screen)- uncheck them all.

Is that to fix the cutting problem?  or the crashing of the software?  or both?

[MZ SKEETER 4,709]

crashing of software,  too much data being sent

[lonestarcountrymusic 3]

good clean cuts.  now my question is how can i get it setup to give me a scaled version of a sign im looking to cut a  48" x 6' sign  now i know i will have to do it top then bottom half.  how should i go about doing that?  I thought i had things figured out but i don't when it comes to sizing  lol.

[prestonservco 26]

Go to File, Workspace Setup.  Set the workspace dimensions to the size of the project (sign).  The pink border shows the sign borders when you are working so you can position and setup.