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Rick
Certified Enneadecagon Designer
---Better to get Corel (500 bucks) or Illustrator (subscription is only 50 bucks a month)
---get a better cutter 2000-3000 bucks
---get a bridge program 300-500 bucks
With Corel or Illy you can design vinyl, printed (sub it out) business cards, logos and flyers that just vinyl "stickers". Yeah you can do it in Flexi, but it can be a little problematic getting your designs out in a format someone else can use.
---get a better cutter 2000-3000 bucks
---get a bridge program 300-500 bucks
With Corel or Illy you can design vinyl, printed (sub it out) business cards, logos and flyers that just vinyl "stickers". Yeah you can do it in Flexi, but it can be a little problematic getting your designs out in a format someone else can use.
WildWestDesigns
Active Member
If you are just going for the cloud for one program it's a push, especially with the price of Ai on disk.
SignManiac
New Member
I've found knitting to be a more enjoyable and less expensive hobby to pursue.
Rick
Certified Enneadecagon Designer
Then make your own suggestion, don't you have something to embroider?
WildWestDesigns
Active Member
Actually I am as we speak. All machines are going full tilt.
Corel and Ai are good suggests, just wanted to make sure that everything was considered when talk goes to going to the cloud versus disk, especially considering the OP is on a budget, that's all. No need to get testy.
401Graphics
New Member
i started out with a cheap *** chinese cutter i got on ebay for $500 with software back in 2006. I Started selling decals as a hobby to friends and on ebay. Purchased a heat press then started cutting heat transferable film and making hoodies, hats, shirts etc. Made lots of money over the years, saved up and in 2010 got a nice new mutoh printer, a graphtec cutter, flexi sign pro, and laminator. Now I run a successful business.
I didnt know a damn thing about how to design, or run sign making software, AI, Photoshop etc when i started in 2006. You will learn as you go.
The only thing you really do need to worry about is buying a cheap chinese cutter and it breaks down or other issues with it. I got lucky with mine, and it still works today (my fiancee uses it) with the exception of the manual feed forward button not working.
There really is a night and day difference between a chinese cutter and a brand name one. When i got my graphtec i was amazed at how fast, accurate, and quiet it is.
Anyways, I do suggest you get a used brand name cutter. Because the chances of getting a chinese cutter that will in some way break on you are pretty high.
I didnt know a damn thing about how to design, or run sign making software, AI, Photoshop etc when i started in 2006. You will learn as you go.
The only thing you really do need to worry about is buying a cheap chinese cutter and it breaks down or other issues with it. I got lucky with mine, and it still works today (my fiancee uses it) with the exception of the manual feed forward button not working.
There really is a night and day difference between a chinese cutter and a brand name one. When i got my graphtec i was amazed at how fast, accurate, and quiet it is.
Anyways, I do suggest you get a used brand name cutter. Because the chances of getting a chinese cutter that will in some way break on you are pretty high.
The Money saved by buying a Cheap cutter, with poor tracking and glitches is well and truly Lost when you count the wasted vinyl, the wasted time, the stress and the continually low bank account. The Idea to sublet your Printing or Cutting until you can afford a Decent Machine is well and Truly worth Looking at. Not only will you miss out on the dramas with a said cheap machine, but you help an existing business make profit and if you build a relationship with them, they will possibly help you on your way too, with advice and tips, maybe even send you work when they are busy. You help them and they help you. Using some one else to start with will save you many heartaches, just remember to look after them as you grow.
The Big Squeegee
Long Time Member
Welcome from Ok
wow, kinda took your advice today on going to a sign shop around here, gave them a couple images to cut out I was gonna sell for $10.00 each.
they wanted the 1 color image ( white ) about 6In Hi and 8 In long.
the shop wanted $16!!! EACH! lol the guys wont pay more than 10 bucks for these. now how can i even think about making even a dallor on this lol.
hell ive seen images about this size on ebay for $5.00
( thats ebay fees, paypal feels, and shipping fees.)
hmmm
Thats the only sign shop around here too. I can understand, sure making a dollar on each.. but common. with gas to and from etc... i guess i would have to have atleast 20 cut at a time to make a bit of money.
But hell right now like i said i am really not in it for the money yet. Just want to learn the ins and outs on cutting techniques etc. ya know, learn from my mistakes. so going to a sign shop to have things cut is pretty pointless for me right now. I can watch all the youtube videos all day long and it dont help too much. ya need Hands On learning. its the only way to really learn.
( wow and craigslist, noone has a cutter for sale around here )
they wanted the 1 color image ( white ) about 6In Hi and 8 In long.
the shop wanted $16!!! EACH! lol the guys wont pay more than 10 bucks for these. now how can i even think about making even a dallor on this lol.
hell ive seen images about this size on ebay for $5.00
( thats ebay fees, paypal feels, and shipping fees.)
hmmm
Thats the only sign shop around here too. I can understand, sure making a dollar on each.. but common. with gas to and from etc... i guess i would have to have atleast 20 cut at a time to make a bit of money.
But hell right now like i said i am really not in it for the money yet. Just want to learn the ins and outs on cutting techniques etc. ya know, learn from my mistakes. so going to a sign shop to have things cut is pretty pointless for me right now. I can watch all the youtube videos all day long and it dont help too much. ya need Hands On learning. its the only way to really learn.
( wow and craigslist, noone has a cutter for sale around here )
BIG EASY DOES IT
New Member
You have to think about alot when talking about stickers. How is the co. going to be printing them. If it's off a roll on a wide format there is going to be alot more waste at the beginning end and sides of your print, then somebody that's using sheets on a screen printer. Also you have to think about material. If you go away from vinyl into a paper sticker your price gets alot cheaper. But then you sacrafice the life expectancy of the sticker as well as the ability to remove that sticker easily. We use a HP L25500 and people come in and want two ford stickers to put on the back of their trailer I tell them find it online. Because your not going to like the $60 that it's gonna cost you to have me do it. Our prices don't really make sense until you get to about 200-300 2X3 stickers. These are all things to think about when your buying your machines. Are you gonna do alot of little things or more big items.
But sense your cash flow is still pretty low. I would probably invest that money in more materials for the shop or design books, or even some wrap classes or something of that nature.
But sense your cash flow is still pretty low. I would probably invest that money in more materials for the shop or design books, or even some wrap classes or something of that nature.
Gino
Premium Subscriber
You write post after post as to how you're not in the sign industry and want to learn. So, I get it already, this is a hobby to you. BUT it's not to the rest of us. You are the very reason, so many here have a hard time liking your kind.
You have nothing over on most of us here, but there a few young or new people in this industry that are trying their darnedest to keep their heads above water in these tough economical times.... and then you come along and wanna ruin it and then laugh about it or make light of it.
Your profile and intentions should be reviewed and decided if you are indeed fit for this community. 
I'll be danged if I wanna share ideas and how to's to someone whose only intentions are to screw things up without any feelings for hurting the rest of us.
Do you realize with your attitude.... there'd be no professionals around to clean up after your kind crap all over everything because of the total disaster you cause ??
Not you alone, but multiply your kind by the hundreds of others in your exact same position and you'll see what I'm talking about. Sure, you can't hurt the majority of people on this site, but you're hurting the sign shops in your vicinity.
So, take this back with ya.... the guy won't pay more than $10 bucks because of the schmucks like you around giving this sh!t away for nothing cause you don't know any better.
BIG EASY DOES IT
New Member
Also I have a graphtec FC5100-100 that I would sell you for $1500
Just Another Sign Guy
New Member
no offense i'm tired and dont feel like writing a book. if you are serious about this venture pm me and we will set up a time for a phone call.
You guys are right, im sorry. i should really be listening more to you all.
When i said i wasnt in it for the money, of course we all love money. I just wanted to concentrate more on the learning process right now, and if i made some money then thats cool. I am not gonna spend the 300 on a cheap crappy plotter. i have been thinking and reading this thread over and over, and along with other threads, and other forums.
I am gonna go a little cheap but not no $300.00. and learn and make a little cash and like i said earlier, save up.
Sorry im stuburn, and didnt listen to ya all earlier. i thought a plotter was a plotter no matter how ya look at it. but i see they arent.
so with that, ( since we are in the middle of moving right now ) i am gonna wait till after the move then go shopping for atleast a decent plotter.
but for now, i am going to surf around and read up on blades, and vinyl and all that stuff and how it works, and whats good and whats not good.
Thanks again.
When i said i wasnt in it for the money, of course we all love money. I just wanted to concentrate more on the learning process right now, and if i made some money then thats cool. I am not gonna spend the 300 on a cheap crappy plotter. i have been thinking and reading this thread over and over, and along with other threads, and other forums.
I am gonna go a little cheap but not no $300.00. and learn and make a little cash and like i said earlier, save up.
Sorry im stuburn, and didnt listen to ya all earlier. i thought a plotter was a plotter no matter how ya look at it. but i see they arent.
so with that, ( since we are in the middle of moving right now ) i am gonna wait till after the move then go shopping for atleast a decent plotter.
but for now, i am going to surf around and read up on blades, and vinyl and all that stuff and how it works, and whats good and whats not good.
Thanks again.