Looking to Purchase a New Vinyl Cutter

[doodlebugdesigns 0]

I have been using a Cricut to vinyl in the past year as a hobby. I am turning my hobby into a business and need to purchase a larger vinyl cutter to make larger wall art and car decals.  I was looking at a cutter somewhere about 24-30".  I don't really have a clue what to buy or what software to get.  I have no interest in doing car wraps or tint, but may do t-shirts in the future.  I am interested in the contour cutting, but again don't really know much about it.  I would love to have a recommendation on a vinyl cutter and software.  I was told the Flexi software was user friendly.  Help please!

[NiteWalker 10]

Graphtec CE5000-60 or Roland GX-24. Both are excellent machines.

The GX-24 is about $100 more and doesn't include the stand though. I'm between the two right now, but leaning towards the roland. Some have said the graphtec can cut better small details.

For software, both come with basic cutting programs for cutting and very basic designing. If you have corel draw or adobe illustrator you're good, since both have plugins for those programs.

Signblazer, signcut, flexi and a couple others I can't remember off the top of my head are mentioned a lot too.

[doodlebugdesigns 0]

I was looking at the Graphtec E5000-60. It says it comes with CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X3.  I don't know if I should stick with that or upgrade.  Does anyone have a suggestion on a very user friendly, easy to learn software even if it is an upgrade? There are a ton of choices listed.

[NiteWalker 10]

I'm not sure about the others, but I have corel draw x5 and I love it. There's a lot of online tutorials about using it and others.

[MZ SKEETER 4,709]

You could download the Signblazer, right here on forum,  which is FREE unlimited trial.  And work with that. It will work with most vinyl cutters.  I own a Graphtec and it is a great cutter. And you will regret it, if you don't get a stand. Graphtecs come with the stand. And the tracking and detailed work is excellent. It also automatically contour cuts. I have had my cutter for almost 3 years, bought new and never a machine problem.  It all depends on your budget. Get the best that you can afford.  The reviews on a Copam are very good, also, but no contour cutting, unless you purchase Flexi starter 10 with contour cutting.  runs about $130. THey were running a special on US CUTTER.  maybe still do for cheaper.   Corel is design software,  not cutting software.   You have to have a cutting software to import your design into, to send to the cutter. Signblazer is design and cutting software together.

[Factory 74 0]

Corel X5 is great, but it can take some getting used too. I use it exclusively at work with a Roland GX-24.

I do my layouts in Corel X5, paste them into Cutstudio, press ctrl+p, and done....

[NiteWalker 10]

Same way I do it.

[doodlebugdesigns 0]

Since the Corel X5 is just design software are any of the Corel or Flexi software that is listed as an add-on cutting software or do I need the SignBlazer no matter what? Is that the best cutting software or is there a different one? Thanks for all the help!

[MZ SKEETER 4,709]

Flexi software is cutting software, THere are several different versions.  Different levels, more options, more money.  You can actually download  inkscape.org  which is FREE  and use it for design software and cut with Flexistarter 10        Signblazer is just another option.  It is a free design and cutting software which is out of business and is a permanent trial version.    Corel on it's own, is not a cutting software.  just design. 

[NiteWalker 10]

If you get the graphtec, it comes with software that outputs to the cutter. Just design in corel draw, hit the plugin button, cut away!

[Dakotagrafx 7,297]

another hard core Graphtec person, and I have had both

[stetson5331 80]

Just got Flexi Print and Cut Pro yesterday along with Flexi Design Pro..I will let you know if it's easy to learn..I got it with my new cutter FC8000..(Yes a Graphtec)...I am new to cutting so learning curve starts today once I get everything set up and unboxed...

stetson5331

my wife says new toys YEAH....NOT!!!!  ROFLMAO's what I tell her   

[PAUPAU 0]

I am new to this type of cutter as well, but here's my take on things. As far as easy to use software, I am using Make the cut, is was originally developed to work with the cricut, but seveal other cutter drivers have since been added and more upon user request. I have used four different hobby cutters, cricut E, create, shilouette sd and the bosskut gazelle, I just purchased the Uscutter MH-871 and I can cut to any of these machines from this software. There's a great support forum and weekly webniars. As far as contour cutters, it works with the LaserPoint and roland machines. You can download an unlimited trial version and test it with your Cricut, lot of features and a small price tag.

I haven't run any test on my MH-871, didn't set it up yet. but I will say I love this software and I'm to lazy to (For the moment) to learn another software.

Since you can print from this software I used it to do my color separations for screenprinting.

[PAUPAU 0]

Since last posting I've been using my MH 871, it works great with Make The Cut.  however, I will say thus far, I like to do my designing in MTC, cutting in Sign Cut, (runing the 1 year license that came with the cutter). Still trying to figure Sign Blazer.