• I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...

Graphtec help/No Help

sturgis88

sturgis88

New Member
Recently purchased a Graphtec plotter FC2100-60A. Called Graphtec for support. Graphtec's answer to helping me was you're machine is too old and we do not have any paperwork or anything to help you with this model. There is no point in you investing more money into this model and I should buy a new machine. I was talking to someone with an Indian accent that could barely speak English. I'm sure he was somewhere out of Bombay. Is this a person's average experience with this company. This is my first experience buying one of their plotters. I did buy the plotter used from someone who is no longer in the business. He lost the paper work over time and had no software to go with it. Is this person right? Is it a worthless piece of crap and I need to throw it away and get a new one or does anyone have advice on a manual/software, etc. Thank you very much.
 
wildside

wildside

New Member
nothing wrong with the machine, proper care and handling, and should last you however long you take care of it

now documentation of it is a different story expecially if you ahve bought it second hand

we have a graphtec 5100-150 and our support comes through the supplier we bought it from, another advantage to purchasing from an actual supplier as opposed to a private party
 
C

Chad.

New Member
I had to deal with their support back in the day when i got my machine ... it was poor then too. It ended up i only needed one of their "special" cables, but it took them a week to figure that out. Thank goodness for the interweb.
 
Fred Weiss

Fred Weiss

Merchant Member
I just checked in my FlexiSign software and that model is selectable from their list of plotters they can drive. My guess is the same will be true for most other software for vinyl cutting including SignLab, CoCut and others.

What you do with that information is your call but you have a plotter made by a company with a longtime reputation for making a top notch plotter.
 
sturgis88

sturgis88

New Member
What I need to know is how do I start? What supplier would help me with this machine? I have never worked with a Graphtec machine or plotter before. I am out of a very small town in North Dakota. No one here to get advice from.
 
Rod

Rod

New Member
Use CADlink site to confirm supported devices

For the FC2100, I can confirm that SignLab supports this machine, so something like the SignLab Vinyl product would be an option. For future reference, to quickly determine whether a printer or cutter is supported by SignLab, go to the main cadlink.com site and check the Downloads section along the top menu:

  • For printers, go Downloads >> Printer Drivers
  • For cutters, go Downloads >> Plotter Drivers
With respect to FC2100, the following is the only reference I could find on the main Graphtec site:

http://www.graphtecusa.com/technotes.php?tech_id=3&visit=img


Other than that, I take it the FC2100 User Guide isn't included on the install CD?


Cheers,

Rod at CADlink
 
Fred Weiss

Fred Weiss

Merchant Member
CorelDRAW X3 and CoCut is one popular choice. SignLab another. There is no pat answer and you will need to research it yourself before you'll get better answers in an open forum such as this. You may also want to discuss that with Far From Normal when you get in touch with them because they will be able to show you a lot more possibilities in person.
 
Buddy

Buddy

New Member
sturgis88.........

It sounds like you bought a plotter as your first and so far - only piece of equipment (including software). And you're wondering what the plotter will do and how to get it to do something ?

Or.....are you saying the plotter is broke and that's why you called Graphtec ?

I contacted Graphtec recently and got a whole list of operators manuals online as .pdf files.........all of older machines no longer supported. Tomorrow at work (remind me)........I'll check that link and see if the 2100 is in that list. I used to have two 2100's........they are great machines.

If you cannot find operator manuals......that's really no biggie. All you need is a few setup tips from anyone here who has an older Graphtec. Contact me when the time comes and I can walk you thru the offset settings no problem. And you'll need some tips on getting the blade oriented each time you turn it on. But it's just a repeatitive thing you learn to do easily once you're in the groove.

But if you're not running sign design software yet ? And have not purchased any design software ? Then there's no need to worry about the plotter because you're light years away from cutting anything anyway. The plotter might decay from centuries of rust by the time you get ready to do your first vinyl cutting job !! haaaaaaaa (kidding around some).

Hang in there........it's all up hill from here !! At a pretty steep incline I might add.
 
Buddy

Buddy

New Member
sturgis88........

That link Rod sent you is perfect. I scanned down thru it......glanced at it.......and it appeared to me everything is there.

Your 2100 series should be (if I remember correctly) 99% exactly the same as the 3100 series. I don't think Graphtec changed the LCD interface user controls until the 4100 series came along. And even then.....they are similar only different layout for the most part.

The problem you might be having is......just the size of the task at hand. It's not as easy as just plugging it in and then hitting 'print' from your computer (as if it was a printer).
 
Cadmn

Cadmn

New Member
sturgis88 said:
when you are a newbie it really shows
Click to expand...

Sturgis88 you came in asked pertinent questions unlike most newbies who come in & say tell me how to do everything O & by the way I'm selling my 10'X20' banners for 5 dollars & I'm gettin rich. So I throw out Kudos Good Luck & welcome to the board from Texas:beer:beer
 
Buddy

Buddy

New Member
sturgiss88..........don't let being a newby stand in the way of getting your share of advise being tossed around.

That's the beauty of Internet......you can push your way around and nobody is going to punch you in the nose or ignore you during lunch break !!

if you ask embarassing questions........so what.......so long as you get the answer.......no one sees if you're embarassed so don't tell anyone and no one will know. If the advise goes too fast or is over your head....just ask everyone to break it down for you.

So, pony up to the bar and slam down a few with everyone else :beer and enjoy the ride (that's the most important advise anyone could give).

BUDDY
 
Last edited:
bigbly

bigbly

New Member
hey i have the same model, first machine i ever bought still goes fine, they're built to last..last supplier i went to for parts told me the same thing.. get something newer.. well i did but kept the graphtec as a backup cutter
 
D

dkoedel

New Member
I am having trouble getting my Graphtec FC2100-120 up and running. I bought it used and no cables, manuals, etc came with it. I've tried both the serial and parallel ports, but FlexiSign either gives me a port error, or nothing at all. Now I've read through some of these posts and seen reference to a "special cable", is there actually some special cable I need rather than your average printer cable?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top