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Ghost

New Member
OK so yes another noob in the vinyl buisness. For now this is just for fun, learning etc.

Ive been all over google and back looking for a decent Cutter. But different reviews, some say good some say dont touch this dont touch that one.

Basically i want a decent cutter that isnt rare. and hard to find parts for.

I dont need a 42" or bigger right now.

but basically in the 34" range give or take. I have $300.00 to spend on a cutter.
Unless someone has any recomendations, please, would be great.

i have a HP Laser printer, but it wont let me test out my designs on that since there is no option for that in the setup manager.

I wanted to practice with that registration marks, i guess ya have to have a plotter/cutter installed first from what ive read around.


Thanks guys.
 
HulkSmash

HulkSmash

New Member
Ghost said:
OK so yes another noob in the vinyl buisness. For now this is just for fun, learning etc.

Ive been all over google and back looking for a decent Cutter. But different reviews, some say good some say dont touch this dont touch that one.

Basically i want a decent cutter that isnt rare. and hard to find parts for.

I dont need a 42" or bigger right now.

but basically in the 34" range give or take. I have $300.00 to spend on a cutter.
Unless someone has any recomendations, please, would be great.

i have a HP Laser printer, but it wont let me test out my designs on that since there is no option for that in the setup manager.

I wanted to practice with that registration marks, i guess ya have to have a plotter/cutter installed first from what ive read around.


Thanks guys.
Click to expand...

Three Hundred Dollars? Does one exist that cheap?

After you buy a good plotter 3k-10k (new) You'll need software. You can get illustrator with a plugin. You can check Adobes current pricing on their website.
 
G

Ghost

New Member
yea 300, theres some one ebay , nothing name brand but yea something for a good starter for now

Like i said im new and would like to start with something cheap. then go big. yea down the road i wouldnt mind spending 3k ( well i dont want to but have to then lol )

Im gonna buy Flexisign 10 Pro from a friend, its used, but gonna get a decent deal on it. Im used to flexisign 7. so know a little bit about it. I Know photoshop pretty well, and also learning 3d Studio max.

I love creating custom designs out of all kinds.

heres a plotter ... cheap, no name brand....

Code: 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-34-Vinyl-Cutter-Cutting-Plotter-USCutter-w-USB-/270832432810?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f0edef6aa#ht_5686wt_1110
 
TammieH

TammieH

New Member
If you want cheap go with US Cutter...but you get what you pay for, they have also have cheap software to run the plotter, one year free or something like that. Their plotters are painfully slow. Other than that, maybe look for a used plotter somewhere, old plotters usually are not supported by the manufacturer, parts are limited.

Graphtec makes great lower end professional plotters and they have free plug-in software for Illustrator, maybe you can find a used copy of that also.
Good luck! You will need it!
 
Flame

Flame

New Member
3D Studio Max and photoshop are 100% useless to you if you're just cutting vinyl. And $300? All of my programs cost more than that!!! The full Flexi Pro is over $4k so I'm assuming considering you only have $300 to budget on a plotter, you are dinking with a cracked version.

So with that said, save up 3-4x that much and looked for a used 24" Gerber, Graphtec etc. That'd be your best bet. a 10 year old Graphtec will cut circles around those chinese things and last far, far longer.
 
G

Ghost

New Member
wow ok :Oops:
i know the cheap ones are not as good as the expensive, but i didnt think THAT worse.

as for photoshop etc, just saying im not a complete noob to designing that is.

he will sell his used copy for $3000.00

I just thought going with a cheap cutter to start instead of a huge expensive one right off the bat. But i guess i will have to up the cutter budget. I know getting started is expensive.

Yea maybe a cheaper software to start out. But i do like flexi since I am used to it. and since pro pretty much has it all, unlike the other flexi versions, where you cant cut only design. I want one software that does it all.

Im not really interested in making alot of money on this, i am more wanting "crawl" before i take off running.
 
Speedsterbeast

Speedsterbeast

New Member
Don't worry. With a $300 plotter you won't be making much money.

I bought a $1,000 unit from Sign Whorehouse (24") when I first started 3 or 4 years back and it still works well. But I don't know of any units that cheap that I would expect to be much more than a paper weight after it breaks.
 
Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?

Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?

New Member
Let me share my experience with you and hopefully it will guide you down the right path. I started cutting vinyl a couple years ago as a hobby, more or less. I saved up a couple grand and decided rather than go with a Roland, Graphtec, etc. I would try out the Copam CP-2400 from US Cutter. I read the buyer's guide on the US Cutter website and the Copam was listed as an entry level "professional" vinyl cutter. Boy was that the biggest overstatement EVER. Until last week, I tolerated it's slow cuts, noisy movements, and terrible tracking, not to mention the choppy cross cuts that don't weed at all and have to be recut with a straight edge and a razor. There are also a ton of smaller technical issues that I had with it that would be too long to even list, as well. The thing had a $750 price tag and turned out to be a complete hunk of junk. But I bought it because I wanted to invest another $1000 in some vinyl. I should have saved for much longer and spent all my money on a good cutter first, as I would suggest you do. Buying cheap is not worth it. I'm almost embarrassed to even say I started out cutting with that thing.

Since then, we have purchased a Roland GX-24 cutter and it is light years ahead of the cheap cutter. It tracks well over long distances, is quiet, makes perfect cuts and comes with free software...DECENT free software. And at $2,200 it's only an entry level Roland. The professional series of Roland cutters are even better from what I hear, but this cutter serves my business very well for now. Looking back now, I would have never bought the cheap cutter. After all the frustration, worries, and headaches, it's just not worth it if you are looking to possible enter the world of professional sign making.
 
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edgette

New Member
I started with an ebay SignMax cutter. It worked fine for me because most of the items I cut were small promo stickers. I believe it was around $300. I don't know your intended use for your cutter but if you wanted to do normal stuff like signs and vehicle graphics you're going to be in some trouble. Mine tracked pretty good for a few feet but around 5' it would start to go down hill. I went to a GCC expert 24 that was much better than what I had but still not that great. That would be a little above your price at $500 but it would be better than the chinese cutter.

I think the main thing is to evaluate what you want to do with your cutter and what your market is going to be.
 
Craig Sjoquist

Craig Sjoquist

New Member
Welcome to a outstanding Signs 101 and people.

If you are serious, have good design skills, or complete willingness & desire to learn etc.

Just go after software like Coreldraw X6 is current... send your design /layout set ups to other shops to cut or print, Roland will cut direct from Corel.
 
G

Ghost

New Member
Hey thanks I really appreciate all the input. For now this is just a hobby. No major cutting.
Even tho slow I think I'm gonna start out with a cheap one.
I can afford to loose a few hundred. After a while when I get more into it I can go bigger.
I'm not gonna buy flexible right now . That also gonna start low. I'm pretty sure it won't take too long maybe a year or two and will upgrade. But just want as a hobby for now.
 
T

Tigertron

New Member
The cheap one uses a servo motor and are VERY LOUD. The also have a "step" cut which is not smooth. As stated befor if it is a small decal you will need to clean it up with a blade. A used Roland gx-24 can be had for $1000 or so on eBay/Craig's list if you are patient and really they are the only way to go IMHO

Edit: forgot to mention you don't need flexi or any rip software just the cut software that comes with Roland cutter or the free plugin for AI and Corel. So forget your friends flexi and take $1200 get a Roland and $800 in different vinyl. For $2k if it doesn't work out you can get most of your money back on eBay.
 
OldPaint

OldPaint

New Member
you keep saying its a HOBBY...........and the your gona buy FLEXI 7 for $3000!!!
YOU DONT KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING..........for starters.
LEARN ABOUT VECTOR GRAPHICS, and VECTOR GRAPHICS programs. PHOTOSHOP........you can use what you know for toilet paper............for all that is going to help you.
NOW I GOT YOU ATTENTION:
#1. DO NOT SPEND THAT $300 for a $300 plotter...........they are JUNK!!!! this will only get you more frustrated then you are.
#2. PICK UP A USED VERSION OF COREL 10, 11, 12,X3, X4 for under $100. LEARN HOW TO USE IT!!!!!!
#3. any entry level GRAPHTEC, SUMMA, OR ROLAND............ will cut vector to vinyl, with proper driver.
#i actually bought a plotter for $300...........but i was extremely lucky to get a $3000 plotter for that price. i also bought a 36" ENCAD INKJET printer for $152.00
if you really want only a HOBBY GET A KRICKET.
 
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