[WANTED] Vinyl Cutter

[mimosatexas]

Contour cutting is referring to the printing and using an optical eye after the fact correct?

I would definitely need something that can cut crazy stuff as I want it to more or less be all purpose when it came to material choice.  I definitely don't want to tell someone no due to the material if at all possible...

[Denis Kolar]

Contour cutting is referring to the printing and using an optical eye after the fact correct?

Yes, printed designs with registration marks. Optical eye reads marks and knows where it needs to cut (Hopefully )

[mimosatexas]

While that could be nice, I honestly don't care about that at the moment.

[royster13]

I have had my cutters for 3 years and never needed to do contour cutting....There is lots you can do without it......

[ZooCity]

That's super helpful Dennis, thanks, I put some notes down for the future. 

It sounds like, if you have the scratch for it, the Summa would be ideal as you could run your contour cuts on it should you add a printer down the road.  I always thought that using something like a versacam for both print and cut could be rough on the production time for large orders or if you have your machine time all scheduled up.

[ericheartsu]

That's super helpful Dennis, thanks, I put some notes down for the future. 

It sounds like, if you have the scratch for it, the Summa would be ideal as you could run your contour cuts on it should you add a printer down the road.  I always thought that using something like a versacam for both print and cut could be rough on the production time for large orders or if you have your machine time all scheduled up.

We are currently three days deep (should be finished today), on a 5k 3" circle project, doing all prints and cuts through the versacamm. The real time killer is that you can only print 250 at a time.

[royster13]

That's super helpful Dennis, thanks, I put some notes down for the future. 

It sounds like, if you have the scratch for it, the Summa would be ideal as you could run your contour cuts on it should you add a printer down the road.  I always thought that using something like a versacam for both print and cut could be rough on the production time for large orders or if you have your machine time all scheduled up.

We are currently three days deep (should be finished today), on a 5k 3" circle project, doing all prints and cuts through the versacamm. The real time killer is that you can only print 250 at a time.

That sound like something that could have been outsourced.....A run that large could be offset printed and die cut with steel rule dies....

[ericheartsu]

true, but typically will take 2 weeks. We used to die cut stuff here, but going digital is way faster, and allows us to keep everything in house.

[Gilligan]

PM me the price if you don't mind Gill, and the year etc.  I can pick this http://www.rivercitygraphicsupply.com/products/details/graphtec-ce6000-40-15-plotter up locally new, so would be looking for a deal, but just let me know.  Thanks!

For the extra $100 this is a no-brainer. http://www.signwarehouse.com/p-M-PLT-VE-QE6000.html It's made by Graphtec. You can find these used a lot as this model is a very common starting point and people upgrade. This doesn't have ARMS, but I really doubt you would be using that on a 15" cutter.

Do not go under 24". There are some heat press vinyl that we use (glitter, and subli-block) that is sold in 20 and 24".

Sorry Shane, but I'll disagree... I talked to them and I just couldn't do it.  I wanted the real deal.  I wanted true optic cutting like I had on my 15" graphtec.  They don't use the same software either... That was the big turn off for us.  We LOVE the illustrator plugin.  Taking things right from illy to cutter and no other software is the only way we fly.

[royster13]

Sorry Shane, but I'll disagree... I talked to them and I just couldn't do it.  I wanted the real deal.  I wanted true optic cutting like I had on my 15" graphtec.  They don't use the same software either... That was the big turn off for us.  We LOVE the illustrator plugin.  Taking things right from illy to cutter and no other software is the only way we fly.

I thought cutting direct from Illustrator was the "cat's meow" until I upgraded to dedicated cutter software.......Way more tools so it more efficient than using the plug in.....I use Vinyl Master Pro with my GCC cutters and love it....

[Gilligan]

Sorry Shane, but I'll disagree... I talked to them and I just couldn't do it.  I wanted the real deal.  I wanted true optic cutting like I had on my 15" graphtec.  They don't use the same software either... That was the big turn off for us.  We LOVE the illustrator plugin.  Taking things right from illy to cutter and no other software is the only way we fly.

I thought cutting direct from Illustrator was the "cat's meow" until I upgraded to dedicated cutter software.......Way more tools so it more efficient than using the plug in.....I use Vinyl Master Pro with my GCC cutters and love it....

Did you switch to designing in the other software or just cutting in it?

There is no way I'm getting my wife to stop designing in Illustrator... not gonna happen, if you are married then you know what I'm saying.

[royster13]

I still use Illustrator for some designing.....But then cut and paste to the cutting software......Way more control over cutting features in a dedicated program....And I do find myself doing many designs from scratch right in the cutting software.....For me it has been a "giant leap" forward......

[Gilligan]

I'm interested in what it could do more than what it does now.

Could you expand on what you found easier/better?

[royster13]

Those things that are hard to explain.....I just know I like it.....

[Gilligan]

Is it potentially things are easier for you to accomplish in there than illustrator, possibly because of a lack in illy or just one of those things that you get it better/easier in one vs the other?

In the end, it's a device that runs around a little blade and cuts vinyl.  We don't ever ask it to do more than that.  We print and cut with reggy marks, we always have cut lines built in and don't want or even like the automatic ways (like Roland forces on you).  We use weed lines which graphtec does in the cutting master software, and we cut with various conditions.  I know I maybe coming off like I know it all, but honestly it's not that.  I just don't see what else it could do.  But trust me, I know there are plenty of times when you THINK what you've been doing is adequate enough just to have someone or something come along and blow your mind wide open!