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How to cut a 20ft long stripe
- Thread starter maynemag
- Start date
Sticky Signs
New Member
Wow, lots of crazy advice on here for what seems to be a pretty straight forward issue. Here's what i do.
Load vinyl into plotter.
Use the advance function to advance the vinyl 20'. While doing this, I watch to see how the vinyl is tracking. If it doesn't track straight, roll it back up onto the core and try again till it stays straight. If it tracked straight, rewind vinyl to the beginning.
Set plotter to slow and make sure pressure is not any more than you need.
Hit the cut button, watch the plotter do the work and say a prayer to the vinyl gods. If needed, try to help the vinyl fall loosely into the catch basket with out any creasing or wrinkles.
I have lots of success cutting large runs (up to 40' or more) by using this method.
Good luck
Load vinyl into plotter.
Use the advance function to advance the vinyl 20'. While doing this, I watch to see how the vinyl is tracking. If it doesn't track straight, roll it back up onto the core and try again till it stays straight. If it tracked straight, rewind vinyl to the beginning.
Set plotter to slow and make sure pressure is not any more than you need.
Hit the cut button, watch the plotter do the work and say a prayer to the vinyl gods. If needed, try to help the vinyl fall loosely into the catch basket with out any creasing or wrinkles.
I have lots of success cutting large runs (up to 40' or more) by using this method.
Good luck
vinylbarry
New Member
I have cut 35 foot ones on my Roland with out any tracking problems long as you line it up correctly hit cut and go.
We have also cut them for body shops in 20 foot 5" wide 4 to sheet and go.
Did I say I love my Roland!!!!
We have also cut them for body shops in 20 foot 5" wide 4 to sheet and go.
Did I say I love my Roland!!!!
btropical.com
New Member
See if supplier has any cut down rolls << usually free or real cheap they cut down 24 in to 20 inch rolls all the time . Check suppliers warehouse for cut down rolls they usually have a big box full . trust me I just threw 3 garbage cans full into a junk car to recycle . Hey and I love Stone MTN GA
AUTO-FX
New Member
+1 , especially if your not sure it'll go through straight and ruin a big hunk of vinyl ! If you arent going to buy a premade roll , your suggestion wayne is actually the best. you will have premask on it and there will be no errors. but hey, maybe the guy doesnt have a nice big table and a nice long straight edge and all he has is a chinese plotter.
jasonsvision
Sign Slave
Don't trust automation...unless you can't rely on your hands and eyes. Make your marks and be aware of your panel sizes. If your dealing with rivet surfaces mask can be an issue, try to make both exterior lines free of rivets.
vinylbarry
New Member
I think a plotter cut is a cleaner cut then a hand cut and if you can cut it in your plotter with perfect cuts why take a chance on a hand cut???
Slitter also roughens up the edge on it I think.
Did I say I love me Roland.
Slitter also roughens up the edge on it I think.
Did I say I love me Roland.
Jillbeans
New Member
If I still had my 4B running, I'd cut it if I had to do it in vinyl.
Or I'd buy a pre-cut stripe from Graphitek
But what I'd be most likely to do (faster, easier, less expensive and actually fun) is mark it off and paint it.
Use a blue Staedler pencil or some vine charcoal (available at any craft store) to mark off your width.
Tape of the stripe edges with 3M fineline tape (auto parts store)
Back that off with some good (not cheap) masking tape as an insurance policy.
Bottom stripe, if you're really worried, you can use regular autobody masking paper.
Burnish all edges.
Then paint with Ronan or 1 Shot lettering enamel using a 1" foam brush.
The edges all flow together so you can barely see a brush mark.
Then remove the masking tapes carefully so the paint doesn't spatter.
Do that immediately after painting and be careful not to "snap" the tape, it can land right in the wet paint.
Don't do this outside in the summer or you will have a liberal sprinkling of gnats and skeeters in your paint when you go back to check it.
Don't do it in the evening in summer either, even in a garage.
Love....Jill
Or I'd buy a pre-cut stripe from Graphitek
But what I'd be most likely to do (faster, easier, less expensive and actually fun) is mark it off and paint it.
Use a blue Staedler pencil or some vine charcoal (available at any craft store) to mark off your width.
Tape of the stripe edges with 3M fineline tape (auto parts store)
Back that off with some good (not cheap) masking tape as an insurance policy.
Bottom stripe, if you're really worried, you can use regular autobody masking paper.
Burnish all edges.
Then paint with Ronan or 1 Shot lettering enamel using a 1" foam brush.
The edges all flow together so you can barely see a brush mark.
Then remove the masking tapes carefully so the paint doesn't spatter.
Do that immediately after painting and be careful not to "snap" the tape, it can land right in the wet paint.
Don't do this outside in the summer or you will have a liberal sprinkling of gnats and skeeters in your paint when you go back to check it.
Don't do it in the evening in summer either, even in a garage.
Love....Jill
Irishprinter
New Member
Jillbeans
New Member
W
wetgravy
Guest
we either hand cut (a pain and a half) buy in a specific size, or we will cut down a roll to the size we need ourself and use it as a stripe roll.
Do not mean to highjack this topic, but how would you charge the customer?
2 stripes, 4"x20', if you order cut to size to color roll, there must be a minimum plus shipping. To cut in-house: 8"x20' material plus labor: 24"x20' plus $30 labor or 24"x10' material plus $30 if he doesn't mind in two sections here.
2 stripes, 4"x20', if you order cut to size to color roll, there must be a minimum plus shipping. To cut in-house: 8"x20' material plus labor: 24"x20' plus $30 labor or 24"x10' material plus $30 if he doesn't mind in two sections here.
Latigo
New Member
We typically turn away all vehicle/trailer jobs these days because the dollars making ADA/Braille etc. are a lot more, but.......... Every once in a while Latigo accepts a job from a large, very large local trailer mfg. that manufactures them for different govt. agencies, like on-scene command stations, etc.
So...... Day before yesterday I once again cut 4, 39' tapered graphic/stripe combos on the old 30" Graftech. Its probably 10 or 11 years old now and went in for a refurbish at age 5. It ran most every hour of the working days for 5 years, and today it still tracks within 1/4" on a full 30+' run. It took 8 passes at 39' and only wandered a stable 1/4" from start to finish of each pass.
Am I a Graftech fan? Oh, yeah!
Lat has a 52" or is it 56" Graftech with 6 double down pressure levers and laser sensor to work with the Mutoh. I absolutely could not believe that, as big as it is, it can actually cut 1/8" copy. But I digress.
I'm convinced that successful long run cutting is purely a function of a good plotter.
And for gnemmas, we double the retail cost of the film and then charge $20.00 a minute for those kinds of cuts.
So...... Day before yesterday I once again cut 4, 39' tapered graphic/stripe combos on the old 30" Graftech. Its probably 10 or 11 years old now and went in for a refurbish at age 5. It ran most every hour of the working days for 5 years, and today it still tracks within 1/4" on a full 30+' run. It took 8 passes at 39' and only wandered a stable 1/4" from start to finish of each pass.
Am I a Graftech fan? Oh, yeah!
Lat has a 52" or is it 56" Graftech with 6 double down pressure levers and laser sensor to work with the Mutoh. I absolutely could not believe that, as big as it is, it can actually cut 1/8" copy. But I digress.
I'm convinced that successful long run cutting is purely a function of a good plotter.
And for gnemmas, we double the retail cost of the film and then charge $20.00 a minute for those kinds of cuts.
Do a cut sheet instead of feeding from roller
The way I check to see if the vinyl will feed straight is by cutting a sheet of vinyl about 2-3 ft larger then I need. When I am loading the vinyl I feed and align the tail end of the vinyl on my cutter. Once I select cut sheet on my setting the cutter will run the 23 ft sheet through to find the origin point. If your vinyl is not feeding straight you will see it. You keep trying till it runs straight. Also give your self about 1 inch on the outside of the rollers. Hope this helps.
The way I check to see if the vinyl will feed straight is by cutting a sheet of vinyl about 2-3 ft larger then I need. When I am loading the vinyl I feed and align the tail end of the vinyl on my cutter. Once I select cut sheet on my setting the cutter will run the 23 ft sheet through to find the origin point. If your vinyl is not feeding straight you will see it. You keep trying till it runs straight. Also give your self about 1 inch on the outside of the rollers. Hope this helps.
MikePro
New Member
when i have to track long projects, i'll square the media to the cutter with half of the media fed thru and move my rollers in about .25-.5 in more than usual.
+1 to tiling it, however... no need to use so much material to be seamless... as no1 will ever notice the difference on such a large stripe.
+1 to tiling it, however... no need to use so much material to be seamless... as no1 will ever notice the difference on such a large stripe.
Earl Mich is a suplier located in Chicago area and they sell full rolls in various widths for striping, both reflective and non reflective - look them up if you like to keep it simple.. http://www.earlmich.com/