CodyMcAllister 2 Posted March 4, 2013 We are looking to start a SMALL vinyl business. I own a few racecars, and my wife's family has numerous racecars also. We will be lettering our own cars and also doing many friends cars and cars as a business. We are looking at the Copam plotter as it is recoomended for production use. Would a economy model plotter hold up to this work or would the Copam be better? Also, we are basically oblivious as to what software to get. Do we upgrade to the best CorelDraw or go ahead and get Flexi? I'm not exactly a computer genius, but I'm handy with them and can learn ANYTHING with a little practice. ALso, what size plotter would be best? I've noticed that the prices are a little higher for vinyl over 24" or so. And I'm guessing you can change the orientation of an object in order to make it larger if it needs to be bigger than 24 if you have a 24" plotter. ANY help is appreciated. Thanks! Cody Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KINGRUPERT 7 Posted March 4, 2013 welcome and you have some great questions first off you can change the direction of your part to be cut. so as long as your object is no bigger than lets say 23" to be safe because each cutter is different on cut size.. however you can cut in two pieces also.. as far as which cutter is the best for you at the moment.. the ruler of thumb is buy the best cutter you can afford at this time.. i have a 24" roland commercial cutter , but i also have a 34" sc801 i use for bigger cuts it seems to work great and i have had no problems with it!!! if you can afford the copam then i would pull the trigger, many people upgrade their equipment later when they start making the money hope this helps Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rodger 527 Posted March 4, 2013 I think the Copam is worth the difference & is the best bang for the buck . I had a similair plan as you when I bought 2 Copams 5+ years ago . They have done a great job . I would like a btter cutter , but can't justify the expense . The only way I could justify a cutter that costs 2X what the Copam costs is if I was doing long decals & needed better tracking . The SCALPro software that comes with the cutters will do what you want with using the free SignBlazer software for features SCALPro does not have yet . Unless you get higher end Flexi , it is not worth the expense . SCALPro & SignBlazer does much more than Flexi Starter . I use all 3 plus InkScape ( free also ) . Best advice is to do alot of reading thru this forum . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CodyMcAllister 2 Posted March 4, 2013 I'm on here a few hoursd each day after I get off at UPS and out of class. lol. Seems to be THE PLACE to come for ANY knowledge needed. I've read a few places to "buy the best cutter that you can afford" so I'm going to take that advice. I think I'll stick with SignBlazer and SCALPro since they seem to be highly reccomended. Another question is about which vinyl to use. I'll need soemthing that can stay in sunlight for the majority of it's life (around a year or two) and not fade. I've received some CRAPPY vinyl from local lettering shops that won't last the whole season before peeling off or fading HORRIBLY. Thanks guys! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted March 4, 2013 On the cutterr - copam is the least I would go for - personally i am a huge graphtec person - buy it once and be done with it for a long time if you are goingt o be cutting a lot. On the race cars most of them are basically flat surface so I would go with oracal 651 - plenty long term for that. you probably recieved a hosue brand before that you had the problem with. if you will be going over a lot of compound surfaces then 751 - but that is really overkill for your application. On flexi it is the best for a reason but $4500 for the full version is out of most peoples reach for a legal copy. if you can find a copy of ve-lexi master plus or ultraflex pro - it is the same thing but has a missing component that you would only miss if you got a large format printer Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CodyMcAllister 2 Posted March 4, 2013 I'd love to have a Graphtec but they're well out of my price range. Maybe later on down the road. Along with a wide format printer to do car wraps on the late model. lo. But for now, the Copam is the absolute best I can aford. Thanks for the info. I'll definitely check into the 651. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CodyMcAllister 2 Posted March 4, 2013 Retracting previous statement. The 24" Graphtec isn't so bad. But it costs more without any clipart or the sign shop in a box kit than the copam does with all this, so for now, I think I'll have to stick with the Copam, but the Graphtec will DEFINITELY be on the wishlist. Thanks Dakota. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,709 Posted March 4, 2013 The Graphtec costs more because it has a servo motor, vs a stepper motor in the Copam... A Graphtec is quiet running and tracks great on longer runs also. I too, love my Graphtec. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lady_VI 45 Posted March 4, 2013 The Copam is a good cutter and will serve for what you need. I bought one when I first started and it did everything I needed for almost a year, then I upgraded to a Graphtec. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CodyMcAllister 2 Posted March 4, 2013 I watched a video on Youtube a while back about doing a multi color/multilayer sticker and using regestration marks. How does that work? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted March 4, 2013 remember most of the time a "sign shop in a box' iss usually only a good deal for the seller - make sure it has quality items that you will actually use - it only takes a couple of useless items to make it actually more expensive. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CodyMcAllister 2 Posted March 4, 2013 Very true. Has anyone used the sign-in-a-box? I've looked at the contents and everything seems usable. Banners and blanks for advertisment, squeegees, app tape... Is there anything included thats just flat out useless? I definitely don't need any more useless junk around. lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,709 Posted March 4, 2013 can you post the link to the one you are referring to? The sign in a box deal... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CodyMcAllister 2 Posted March 4, 2013 Sign Shop in a Box Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,709 Posted March 4, 2013 sorry, I thought you was referring to a Copam vinyl cutter and starter combo.. Thanks... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CodyMcAllister 2 Posted March 4, 2013 I think it's the same one offered as an ad-on with the Cpopam machine. Is the Regestration marks feature in the program or something the cutter does automatically for layered designs? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coaster36 327 Posted March 4, 2013 Welcome to the forum. Lots of smart people on here. My first suggestion would be to download inkscape or whatever design program you want to use and start playing with vectors. This is by far the most difficult part about our line of work. I would suggest inkscape, I think it has the lowest learning curve. There are tons of people using it and lots of tutorials available. Youll also need software to run the cutter. I use signblazer because its free. I have flexi but never use it. I learned signblazer first so Im stuck on that. I have a copam, and it has made me lots of money but If I were to do it again id get a graphtec from the start. No brainer for me. Its a Ferrari. Youll pay for in weeks once you start working. I wouldnt get the shop in a box thing, I would just suggest when you order your machine you get a roll of white and black oracal 651, some transfer tape and a few squeegees and start cutting stickers. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CodyMcAllister 2 Posted March 4, 2013 I haven't even thought of downloading the program and learning it. We'll do that tonight. Lol. Next on the list, what requirements are needed on the computer side of things? Windows, as I refuse to stoop down to the Mac level. Lol. And I'll be getting an external hard drive too. My father runs a karaoke business so he's taught me about backing everything up and how smart it is to do that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted March 4, 2013 Very true. Has anyone used the sign-in-a-box? I've looked at the contents and everything seems usable. Banners and blanks for advertisment, squeegees, app tape... Is there anything included thats just flat out useless? I definitely don't need any more useless junk around. lol 10 oz banner not recommended for outdoor use- use at least a 13oz - personally not using greenstar for customers oracal, 3m, fdc, are my choice. 17 x 24 self healing mat is way to small for anything unless you have a cricut. x5 24" x 5 ft rolls of GreenStar Intermediate Performance Vinyl (black, white, real red, canary yellow, green) (colors may vary based on inventory) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted March 4, 2013 x2 General grade masking tape - 3/4ins x 60 yard Natural - for what - using when hinging??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jay2703 704 Posted March 4, 2013 I think I would skip the starter kit and just buy what you need. The vinyl that is included is only 5' rolls. Not worth much, The application tape is only 100' where you usually buy 300' on a roll. Again, buy the sizes that you need. You will need 1 sweep, I think I still use the very first on I ever got. Most of the rest will just collect dust. For the $230 I would buy full rolls of Oracal vinyl, 24" x 10 yard run about $22. Application tape for a 300' roll is $35 for a 15" and $52 for a 24". For tools, scissors, x-acto knife and a nylon sweep. Most of which you probablly have already. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jay2703 704 Posted March 4, 2013 Oh, get the paper application tape. It works much better than the clear. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CodyMcAllister 2 Posted March 5, 2013 Any recommendations on a computer for running this software? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jay2703 704 Posted March 5, 2013 Most of the cutting software only requires minimum CPU. If you are using Corel for design, look at the requirements for the version you have or are going to get. Base your computer on that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CodyMcAllister 2 Posted March 5, 2013 Thanks. I think I'm going to be using Illustrator, Inkscape and Inkscape. So, Illustrator would probably be the one to get requirements for, right? Do the cutters have any special requirements? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
