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LongBeachCoupe... NY, not CA... HEY!

L

LongBeachCoupe

New Member
Hey guys... I just bought my first plotter..
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]SeikiTech 34" Vinyl Cutter SK-870T

[/FONT]Im so excited to start plotting!
Flexistarter 8.5 "soft key, no dongle" is included

Im going to primarily be using it for automotive application.
Vinyls for decals, transparent outdoor for headlight/taillight tint, and big vinyls for roof overlays...

Ive been reading the forums for the past few days and i see this is THE forum for signmaking/vinyl.

Im no stranger to forums and i am a moderator on one of the largest Nissan forums on the net.

Ive learned so much from you guys already and i have a few questions that i know you can help out with..

Where can i get some good info on alignment markings and how to make them?

Im computer savvy, but is there a flexistarter "cliffs notes"?

From the info ive gathered here, i am planning on starting off with Oracal 651 for all the car decals, using a 45 degree blade. In addition to "clear choice at-60" transfer film. (is that the transfer i should use?)

For tint on headlights and tail-lights, is oracal 8500 series the best choice?

In addition, i believe i should get the 30" rolls when available bc of the value factor. I am in NY, and obviously i want the cheapest price delivered. I know theres been talk of several suppliers, which is TYPICALLY the best value delivered to NY area?

Lots of questions, i know but better get all my questions answered at once than clogging the forums...


THANKS guys i look forward to being a contributing member!
 
L

LongBeachCoupe

New Member
Hi Chitown!

i dont see how that applies to my questions, nor does it welcome me to the forum... But being a moderator on another site... ill bite...

Im a 25 year old investment banker, this is a hobby i wanted to pick up to help myself and my friends...

But no, are there any "million dollar" sign businesses that are members here? Im sure it must take quite some time to build up that level of business.
 
Sign_Boy

Sign_Boy

New Member
Welcome from NJ.

I'm sure you'll find tons of info on Flexi here:
http://www.signs101.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=44

OOPS just saw you mentioned this will be a hobby......
Bad move telling us that:banghead::banghead:

Anyway.
Check out Fellers for supplies or even SignWarehouse

Oracal is good but you might want to use 751 or 851.

As for the size of the rolls, that would all depend on the job.
15" rolls will do just fine with some jobs.

I'm not quite sure why you would want to use clear transfer tape.
Check here for info on transfer tape:
http://www.signs101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21687&highlight=transfer+tape

Explain what you mean by alignment markings.

What is your experience in vinyl and signs or even design?
 
L

LongBeachCoupe

New Member
Sign_Boy said:
Welcome from NJ.

OOPS just saw you mentioned this will be a hobby......
Bad move telling us that:banghead::banghead:


I'm not quite sure why you would want to use clear transfer tape.
Check here for info on transfer tape:
http://www.signs101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21687&highlight=transfer+tape

Explain what you mean by alignment markings.

What is your experience in vinyl and signs or even design?
Click to expand...

Why is doing vinyl as a hobby looked down upon? is it deemed as "stealing business" from people who do vinyl as a profession? Please dont take it in that regard... Im sure i dont need to tell you guys how bad the market is, and i want to have fun customizing my car, and my friends cars, dont expect me to make a "splash" of any sort.

I cant see the link on the transfer tape, do i need to become a premium member to have access?

My experience in vinyl is limited, ive applied it on several surfaces from putting flames on a friends car (sheesh) to small window decals and other automotive applications. As far as production and plotting is concerned, im as green as they come and i came here to educate myself on the excellent methods and expertise signs101 (you the members!) provides!

By alignment markings (maybe im not using the correct term) im speaking of how the plotter will help me match up a 2 color vinyl job... photo redacted.


Thanks for the welcomes guys!
 
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os101king

os101king

New Member
... but I just happened to be in the neighborhood, so I AM going there.


Yeah, why would anyone take offense to the "hobbyist" thing. Myself, I'm a sign-maker, and my hobby just happens to be investment banking. I make my living making signs, but bleeding the populace dry while making millions myself is just so much fun, I can't help but do it as a hobby.

Welcome.

The term you're looking for is "registration mark". Sorry about that, I'm a cynical b*$!@^d by birth, so I thought I'd offer some useful information as well as my criticism. Enjoy. If you follow any drift series, dig for JD Motorsports. They run a couple 240's and I've done work on one of them so far. In all reality, signs are my business, but those cars are my hobby.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
L

LongBeachCoupe

New Member
Sign_Boy said:
We take what we do seriously so when people mention "Hobby" well I'm not going there.
Click to expand...

I am taking it seriously as well, if i wanted to make a half attempt, i would have gotten a crappy plotter, and wouldnt care about the quality of my materials etc...

The fact that I am here, should speak on its own behalf!
I am eager to learn, and be a productive member on the forums, expect my posts in the future to be value-adding, and dont expect me to do any reposting or asking silly questions without doing a search...

I take what you guys do seriously!:signs101:FTW!


Edit: in the tutorial you posted on 2 color vinyl, they use clear transfer tape! I just figured id use that as it may make application easier for someone who isnt skilled.
 
os101king

os101king

New Member
I don't know about the rest of these guys, but I use regular transfer to do 2 color jobs... if I layer at all. The trick is to know your contrasts.. ie, if you're doing white vinyl on red vinyl on a burgundy car, you're not going to get much contrast and it will be harder to line up. Then you use registration marks. I've gotten by for more than ten years going by eye, but I'm sure clear tape would make it a bit easier.... not necessary in my opinion. Don't layer before final application, though. Unless you've got a nice glass table, you're going to get bubbles in the top layer.
 
ncpdfsb

ncpdfsb

New Member
welcome from east meadow, long island.... could be an expensive hobby.. when you find that some things just can't be done with a vinyl cutter you will be spending 10 k on a digital graphics printer..:thumb:
 
L

LongBeachCoupe

New Member
ncpdfsb said:
welcome from east meadow, long island.... could be an expensive hobby.. when you find that some things just can't be done with a vinyl cutter you will be spending 10 k on a digital graphics printer..:thumb:
Click to expand...

I dont have the pockets for that! Outsourcing jobs to Signs101 members FTW!:signs101:
 
Sign_Boy

Sign_Boy

New Member
I'm with os101king, I use R-Tape and it works fine.
You'll learn to do it by eye in time.

You don't need to layer before final application.

I'm glad to see you want to take this seriously, that's a good start.:thumb: Best of luck in your new venture

I've never heard of SeiKi Tech plotters.
http://www.seikitech.com/sk870.html

It's this one right?
 
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