Roland GX-24 Camm-1

[Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?]

We are upgrading our vinyl cutter with the purchase of a Roland GX-24 Camm-1 today. We have been using a cheapo US Cutter Copam CP-2500 for the last two years with less than satisfactory results on anything we try to cut over 6 feet long....yes only 6 feet. As if the bad tracking isn't enough, we've had handfuls of other issues using this cheap cutter including random shifts in the cut pattern up to as much as 1 inch. It worked alright for starting out doing stuff like small vehicle graphics and heat press transfers, but it's terrible for medium to large scale jobs.

So we were looking at Graphtec and Roland and decided to go with a Roland. Hopefully we made a solid choice. At least I feel quite certain that it will do our large scale jobs up to 8 and 10' with minimal tracking issues and no messed up cuts.

I will post feedback after using it for a few months. If anyone else has any good or bad feedback on this product please feel free to speak up. Thanks.

 

[OldPaint]

as a ROLAND OWNER since 1992, i can tell you, tracking on them is very touchy. YOU have to pay close attention to how you load it, and its alway better the to test run the length of vinyl you need.......BEFORE YOU HIT CUT!
2ndly, a GX-24 is not the top of the line ROLAND. this is an entry level product, better then you cheapo, but still not a ROLAND PROFESSIONAL PLOTTER.
in all the years of rolands i have owned, they all have been PRO VERSIONS. PNC-1000, PNC-1100(2 of these) & now i have a CX-300. i know people who have CM, GX, 24 and have been happy with them. but your movin in the right direction.

 

[visual800]

I can tell you firsthand the GX-24 sucks! when my old plotter died i bought one of these and the tracking was absolutely horrible.

 

[S'N'S]

I have had my GX24 for about 4-5 years now and have not had a problem, yep NOT one, but then I take the time to set mine up properly. I adjust my blade perfectly and that's how the cuts turn out, yet to replace the cutting strip, still hardly marked. I not only cut all my own sign vinyl, but also quite a bit for another sign writer here (he's a brushy who doesn't want to learn computer cutting)
Cannot fault the GX24

 

[WildWestDesigns]

I have had my GX24 for about the same time as S'N'S and zero problems. I use mine for either cutting templates or transfers, but all for apparel decorating, so I didn't need any of the bigger ones.

 

[Haakon]

My GX-24 is about 2 years old now, and is a real workhorse for me, using it every day. Only two small issues with it, static buildup in it (solved with a spritz of antistatic spray every other month or so), and less than perfect tracking over large distances, but ONLY when used as a desktop unit. I had it on a stand, but not the original Roland one with sturdy rollers for the vinyl roll to sit in, I just used the tiny desktop tray with small wheels on each side. All tracking issues disappeared when I got the stand, so I would recommend getting that (if you have not already ordered it with the plotter).

 

[visual800]

its amzing how some have 0 problems and others have tons, as with anything of course. My old plotter GRC 61 was an absolute workhorse for 11 years! others have said they suck. I will say this I could track more length on the GRC than the GX I couldnt go over 10' on the GX

 

[WildWestDesigns]

its amzing how some have 0 problems and others have tons, as with anything of course. My old plotter GRC 61 was an absolute workhorse for 11 years! others have said they suck. I will say this I could track more length on the GRC than the GX I couldnt go over 10' on the GX

It's a lot like the 6.0 PSD. A lot of owners had issues, some have had nary a one. Although in that instance, knowledge of that particular animal was really what kept people from having problems.

As far as tracking, I've never used my GX as a desktop unit, although Haakon brought up his tracking issues were due to using it as a desktop unit and when he had a stand the went away. Did you use yours as a desktop unit or on a stand? It would be interesting to see if a consistent theme was going on, especially since a significant selling point of that machine is that it is a desktop unit.

 

[Haakon]

Did you use yours as a desktop unit or on a stand? It would be interesting to see if a consistent theme was going on, especially since a significant selling point of that machine is that it is a desktop unit.

Even though it might be a significant selling point that it is desktop suitable, that could be a dealbreaker for tiny offices using it for smaller jobs like cutting heat transfer, small decals etc.

But it you are cutting 10 feet long graphics where tracking is a big issue, it is very impractical to have it on a desk when 10 feet of vinyl is being pulled back and forth through it. Your desk would need 10 feet of free space either way from the plotter then for the vinyl to move freely.

So a sturdy stand preferably with fabric baskets on both sides so that the vinyl does not touch the floor and picks up dust (as freshly unrolled static vinyl does) is the best option for longer cuts.

 

[JoshLoring]

To fix tracking,
Pull the media about 2-3 feet through the cutter.. Grab some slack from the actual roll on the backside, butt them up under the cutter like a big waterdrop so each edge touches perfectly flush. Then, slide left or right to the lockdowns, lock. Setup, manually roll back to the start of the roll, and the set that as the new start origin.

If the media on each side matches perfectly flush, you can cut a whole roll with no walking. It all about the media loading.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Even though it might be a significant selling point that it is desktop suitable, that could be a dealbreaker for tiny offices using it for smaller jobs like cutting heat transfer, small decals etc.

I'm not following how it would be a deal breaker for the smaller ones. I could see a desktop application being a deal breaker for the larger applications, but not the smaller ones.

There are work arounds on the desktop application for the smaller applications, even if there are a string of prints needing to be cut out. I could see the one longer design that needs to be cut out not working so much on the desktop application. Although for those you could fabricate media baskets to attach to the desktop to extend the range if you will.

 

[Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?]

Thanks for all the info, everyone. We bought the cutter with the stand and set it up last night. We had checked this model over thoroughly at a trade show a few months back and I was personally very impressed with the build of it. The finish is immaculate, and it is a very sharp looking machine. The black crackle paint reminds me of something out of the 50's, while the unit itself looks very stylish and modern.

We took out the CD and loaded the windows driver, installed the Roland Cut Studio software (not sure how much I will use it though), and also the Corel Draw interface (have yet to try that). Everything installed effortlessly and flawlessly.

After plugging the machine in and turning it on the first major difference I noticed over a cheapo cutter is the plethora of options available from the menu. It's a little difficult to navigate but we printed a flow chart that helped to navigate through it quickly and easily. We did our first cut and I chose a t-shirt image we had handy with a list of bands on it in a bold sans serif font. I sized it so the letters were 1/4" tall and the decal cut flawlessly. when weeding vinyl away from the letters it left most of the letters pretty well intact even though my pressure wasn't quite where it needed to be. We increased our pressure from 50 grams up to about 90 grams, threw in some better cast material and the cuts were perfect.

One of the nicest things about the Roland is that it is super quiet. We are going to love having a cutter that doesn't hum so loud we have to turn the television or the stereo on to drown out the god awful noise.

All in all, we got the machine unpacked, setup, and cutting in an hour and half. That is pretty impressive to me, in itself.

 

[Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?]

To fix tracking,
Pull the media about 2-3 feet through the cutter.. Grab some slack from the actual roll on the backside, butt them up under the cutter like a big waterdrop so each edge touches perfectly flush. Then, slide left or right to the lockdowns, lock. Setup, manually roll back to the start of the roll, and the set that as the new start origin.

If the media on each side matches perfectly flush, you can cut a whole roll with no walking. It all about the media loading.

Thanks for the tip, Josh. I've always done that to set up my old cutter, but I wondered how I was going to do that with the rollers being behind the machine the way they are on this one. The way you describe makes complete sense and I'm hoping we don't have terrible tracking issues. We almost bought the 36" model, but went with this for now. I think eventually we will purchase a higher end 48" unit but for now I think this thing is gonna get us through our jobs pretty well. I can't imagine I will be cutting too many jobs longer than 8' so if it can hold tracking over 8 feet pretty well, I will be happy.

The old cutter, even when set up properly as you describe, would run off as much as 1" over 6' and that was even set up to step cut every 6-8". It was terrible, in my opinion, but since I don't have a ton of experience with cutters yet, maybe I should expect that from a cheap cutter.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

We took out the CD and loaded the windows driver, installed the Roland Cut Studio software (not sure how much I will use it though), and also the Corel Draw interface (have yet to try that). Everything installed effortlessly and flawlessly.

You really didn't even need the Corel plugin (or the Ai one if you have both). I have been able to cut directly from both programs with my GX-24. Having said that, sometimes I will go into Cut Studio and cut through that program. It isn't a bad program though, however, I know the print+cut option isn't available in my cut studio program. The work around I do for that is that I use the plugin for the design program(s) to install the reg marks, print using the design program (or the RIP program of your choice if using that) and then go into CutStudio with the cut lines to do the cutting.

It seems to me that Print + Cut option is where CutStudio is lacking.

 

[Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?]

Well, the tracking so far on some 8 foot cuts is fantastic. It's a little weird trying to get the roll lined up but I'm sure with practice I will get it down better.

The only problem I am having thus far is the roll wants to come of the holder pretty easy. So I'm wondering...will I have any issues loading the roll directly onto one of the rollers? As in, can I slip a roller through the center of the roll of vinyl so it won't fall off? Will this possibly cause some unforeseen problem or is that a viable option?

 

[BobM]

You may have the two rollers in the small roll slots. If so move the back roller back. In five years of cutting every day with the GX24 and CX300 I've never had a problem with a roll falling off. Or any other problem for that matter. Rolands nave been great machines.

 

[OldPaint]

you say your looking to get a 36" plotter? the ROLAND GX-300 is a 30", GX-400, i thinks is a 48". if this GX-24 impresses you with its quiteness..........YOU LOVE A GX-300-400!!!!

 

[rjssigns]

Look at a Summa also. Set up carefully I've put a 50yd roll in and went to dinner. It just knocks it out every time. Problem is they are so danged expensive.

 

[Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?]

I can tell you firsthand the GX-24 sucks! when my old plotter died i bought one of these and the tracking was absolutely horrible.

I'm really not feeling that at all. I cut 75 yards of cast vinyl today in 6 hours and didn't scrap so much as one piece due to tracking issues. I cut as much as 24 feet in one single shot and the cutter didn't walk more than 1/2" off course the entire length. I'm very impressed with this cutter for the amount of money we invested. We payed about $2,200 for the machine and the stand.

 

[Haakon]

I'm not following how it would be a deal breaker for the smaller ones. I could see a desktop application being a deal breaker for the larger applications, but not the smaller ones.

Maybe I worded it wrong, but to clarify my point I meant this:

1. Desktop mounting is a selling point for using it where space is an issue, and even if the tiny flimsy tray can be a cause for poor tracking over long distances, this does not matter when cutting small decals and heat transfers etc. Tray works just fine for that.

2. Using it to cut large graphics requires space both in front and back of plotter, and using it with the optional Roland stand or an aftermarket one makes much more sense.

The combination of using it desktop mounted and cutting 10+feet of graphics would be very unlikely, if not your desk is deliberately placed well away from walls just to make space for the vinyl on front and back of the plotter. Then you could just as well use the stand that eliminates tracking issues (well in my experience at least)-