Sedim 0 Posted December 16, 2015 Hi, " I want to start a small online business on Etsy and sell my designs as (small wall decals and car stickers: max 8*8"). I need some help with cutter and vinyl choice: 1. I did some research for "desktop vinyl cutter" and finally I decided to buy Cricut Explore (air) print and cut. Before buying I want to make sure that it is a good choice: a. Can it do a good quality print on vinyl (ex Oracal 631) for colourful designs b. what other options I have (other than silhouette cameo) with the price range of 300-500$ c. Is it a good choice if I print and cut 10-15 stickers per week? (durability of machine;blades,etc). 2. For wall decal I will buy Oracal 631. Tell me if it is not a good choice. 3. For car stickers I don't know which vinyl I choose (waterproof and lasting at least 5 years) 4. I live in Canada ... Is there a trustable and famous company I can buy supplies and cutter (other than ebay and amazon) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sue2 920 Posted December 16, 2015 "1. I did some research for "desktop vinyl cutter" and finally I decided to buy Cricut Explore (air) print and cut. " Does the Cricut actually "PRINT"? Sue2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pshawny 410 Posted December 16, 2015 a. Can it do a good quality print on vinyl (ex Oracal 631) for colourful designs The Cricut is just a cutter, no printing. If you want full-color outdoor rated decals that will last 5+ years then you will need to spend $5,000+ on a solvent printer/cutter. Might want to watch a few more YouTube videos about vinyl cutting before buying a machine. Checkout this vinyl cutter buying guide from USCutter http://www.uscutter.com/index/page/static/subpage/buying_guides_new Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pshawny 410 Posted December 16, 2015 "1. I did some research for "desktop vinyl cutter" and finally I decided to buy Cricut Explore (air) print and cut. " Does the Cricut actually "PRINT"? Sue2 You can print stuff out on a desktop printer and then use the Cricut to contour cut it. It would work, but personally I wouldn't sell them to anyone. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sedim 0 Posted December 16, 2015 here it shows it can print : In the comments it says it can print on the printable vinyl ... but I don't know oracal is a printable vinyl or not Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pshawny 410 Posted December 16, 2015 here it shows it can print : In the comments it says it can print on the printable vinyl ... but I don't know oracal is a printable vinyl or not The vinyl cutter will cut only. You will need a desktop printer and compatible vinyl to print on. In the video above he printed the dog design on his Epson_Artisian_1430 desktop printer, it just doesn't show it printing out. At 8:49 you can see that he has selected the Epson as the printer. Cricuts don't print. Oracal is not printable with a desktop printer. Here is a good website with aqueous printable vinyl, http://www.papilio.com/ 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sue2 920 Posted December 16, 2015 If you listen closely to the video, the KEY words he uses are "Print THEN Cut" He never says the Explore prints. Quote off their video screen... "The EXPLORE is a"Print THEN Cut. So You will Print ON Your Home Printer Than The Explore Will Cut The Image Using The Registration Marks"..... It Does NOT print. Sue2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Primal Decals 621 Posted December 16, 2015 You wont be happy with the cricut . I know , i bought one for my girlfriend last year and it was the first maching i ever used and attempted for cutting vinyl etc,The cricut requires a sticky board that has to be used which will stick to the backing paper of the vinyl and will distort the material when you try to remove your vinyl and backing . And ive also tried using the lighter tacky board as well and unfornately it wasnt sticky enough and the vinyl will either move or get caught under the pinch rollers ..I wouldnt waiste the money...seriously ive experienced it and went to a titan 2 for my first machine and im glad lol 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnatUSCutter 49 Posted December 16, 2015 Hello- The Cricut is a craft machine - not really a vinyl cutter. The vinyl you buy for it has to be sheeted and 12", which usually costs at lot more than rolled vinyl in 15" or 24". Also, there's a lot of hidden expenses on the Cricut as each design has a cost, the consumables are all completely proprietary, etc. It's nice for personal crafts, but I don't think you'd want to build a business around it. My recommendation is that you should spend just a bit more and buy a true vinyl cutter. (The SC is a good starter machine and Vinyl Master is a great piece of software.) You'll be able to cut rolled vinyl - which will allow you to buy your vinyl for a lot less and also do longer "runs" of designs without having to babysit your cutting machine. As for vinyls, there are several kinds. For designs that go on interior walls, Orafol 631 is the "go-to" product. It's removable and the adhesive won't hurt interior walls. (Just make sure you use HT55 as an application tape.)For heat press vinyl (vinyl that goes on tee-shirts, table clothes etc.) Siser is pretty much all I recommend. Siser Easyweed is quality stuff, reasonably priced, and easy to cut and place. If you're doing something on water resistant materials or leather, use Siser Easyweed Extra. There's also specialty varieties like Siser Glitter and Metallic. It's all good stuff.There's vinyl for windows that will allow you to do things like "dusting" effects and gold leaf, Explore Oracal 8810 for that.outdoor vinyls for things like decals for car windows, etc. are Oracal 651, 751, or 951. (The 6 in 651 basically means it will last 6 years outdoors, 751 is 7 years, etc.)There are tons of other vinyls, but those would be good places to start. If price is an issue - you might want to look into Greenstar indoor and outdoor vinyls and Color Theory heat press materials as well.Good luck with the new business. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sedim 0 Posted December 17, 2015 Hello-The Cricut is a craft machine - not really a vinyl cutter. The vinyl you buy for it has to be sheeted and 12", which usually costs at lot more than rolled vinyl in 15" or 24". Also, there's a lot of hidden expenses on the Cricut as each design has a cost, the consumables are all completely proprietary, etc. It's nice for personal crafts, but I don't think you'd want to build a business around it. My recommendation is that you should spend just a bit more and buy a true vinyl cutter. (The SC is a good starter machine and Vinyl Master is a great piece of software.) You'll be able to cut rolled vinyl - which will allow you to buy your vinyl for a lot less and also do longer "runs" of designs without having to babysit your cutting machine. As for vinyls, there are several kinds. For designs that go on interior walls, Orafol 631 is the "go-to" product. It's removable and the adhesive won't hurt interior walls. (Just make sure you use HT55 as an application tape.) For heat press vinyl (vinyl that goes on tee-shirts, table clothes etc.) Siser is pretty much all I recommend. Siser Easyweed is quality stuff, reasonably priced, and easy to cut and place. If you're doing something on water resistant materials or leather, use Siser Easyweed Extra. There's also specialty varieties like Siser Glitter and Metallic. It's all good stuff. There's vinyl for windows that will allow you to do things like "dusting" effects and gold leaf, Explore Oracal 8810 for that. outdoor vinyls for things like decals for car windows, etc. are Oracal 651, 751, or 951. (The 6 in 651 basically means it will last 6 years outdoors, 751 is 7 years, etc.) There are tons of other vinyls, but those would be good places to start. If price is an issue - you might want to look into Greenstar indoor and outdoor vinyls and Color Theory heat press materials as well. Good luck with the new business. Thank you for your complete answer, By SC you mean silhouette cameo? If yes isn't it very similar to Cricut? I watched some comparison videos and they seem very similar and the cuts on silhouette cuts leave some white parts around the design. In the videos it uses also a sticky board (can I still use vinyl rolls?) ... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sedim 0 Posted December 17, 2015 If you listen closely to the video, the KEY words he uses are "Print THEN Cut"He never says the Explore prints. Quote off their video screen... "The EXPLORE is a"Print THEN Cut. So You will Print ON Your Home Printer Than The Explore Will Cut The Image Using The Registration Marks"..... It Does NOT print. Sue2 You are right! I watched another video of him without mentioning this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,717 Posted December 17, 2015 He means this SC vinyl cutter. http://www.uscutter.com/USCutter-SC-Series-Vinyl-Cutter Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sedim 0 Posted December 17, 2015 He means this SC vinyl cutter. http://www.uscutter.com/USCutter-SC-Series-Vinyl-Cutter Thank you... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
