What Direction Do You Weed Your Cut Vinyl?

[AMGearhart]

I know this seems obvious and simple, but how do you weed your cut vinyl? For instance, if it is 1" Swiss bold, title case, nothing special or fancy... do you weed it from right to left, or from left to right?

I've always weeded it right to left, since more letters are open on the right. But I was told I was wrong the other day. Which made me curious as to what other people do.

 

[unclebun]

The standard, since back when cutting vinyl first started was upper right to lower left, for the very reason you stated. If doing large numbers of decals, you'll find the occasional one that works better left to right because of the combination of letters and shapes.

 

[equippaint]

same as uncleben said but numbers left to right, text right to left.

 

[Johnny Best]

Saw this post and just weeded some small copy, started right to left on one line then switched from left to right. Feel comfortable with the right to left. Large copy I just grab and pull from anywhere, down, up, sideways.

 

[Reveal1]

I avoid weeding whenever possible. In the early days, my wife would come in and weed because she actually enjoyed it (opposites attract). As we've grown, I can hire someone to do something I detest. We literally stock only four rolls of colored vinyl. Now if I could just figure out a way to eliminate print/cut...

 

[myront]

...but numbers left to right, text right to left.

That's what I was taught but end up doing right to left for all.

 

[AMGearhart]

Thank you for the replies. We have a new employee and she insists that cut vinyl must be weeded left to right because the plotter blade is at a 45 degree angle. It sounded unusual to me, so I was curious if others were doing it that way too.

 

[equippaint]

Thank you for the replies. We have a new employee and she insists that cut vinyl must be weeded left to right because the plotter blade is at a 45 degree angle. It sounded unusual to me, so I was curious if others were doing it that way too.

Im at a loss for words here

 

[petepaz]

which ever way works best and the fastest for the employee is fine by me.
me i go in the direction of the most open letters/numbers. E, C, F, G, ....and so on. i weed towards the opening seems to work best and fastest for me

 

[Dan360]

I just go by however the vinyl is feeling that day, sometimes it's one way, other days reversing works better. I've never found one way that always works better for everything.

 

[myront]

Thank you for the replies. We have a new employee and she insists that cut vinyl must be weeded left to right because the plotter blade is at a 45 degree angle. It sounded unusual to me, so I was curious if others were doing it that way too.

The blade we use for cutting reflective vinyl is 60°. Wonder how that should be weeded?

 

[TimToad]

Hey, I'd weed with my feet if I knew it went faster and resulted in fewer errors or lost letters.

Just finished weeding two identical sets of 3/4" Helvetica Medium. Did one left to right, opposite for the other. Zero difference.

 

[ddarlak]

We have a new employee and she insists that cut vinyl must be weeded left to right because the plotter blade is at a 45 degree angle

that might be the most ludicrous thing I've ever heard.

right to left.

I have been weeding paragraphs of .63" text for 25 years, miles of them. right to left is the best way.

 

[Billct2]

Right to left

 

[unclebun]

The angle of the blade. I actually did laugh out loud at that.

It might nbe interesting to hear her explanation of how that works.

 

[myront]

Could it be the difference between left or right handed person? I like going right to left because I'm right handed and I keep an xacto in my right hand while weeding. I'll sometimes just pull out the centers as I go along.

 

[AMGearhart]

To be clear, as long as the results are good, I don't worry about how someone chooses to weed vinyl. But with 24 years of experience, it was just baffling to be told by a new hire that I was wrong and that was the reason why.

 

[equippaint]

Good time to implement drug testing

 

[MikePro]

+1 right to left.... reason being, more letters have their "opening" on the right-side.
i also do a combination of up/down "light tugging" as I travel, pulling more vertical than horizontal so that the loose-bits don't drape-onto the rest of the vinyl.

if multiple lines of copy on a single field of vinyl, I'll add boxes around each line of copy for easier isolation of that section, removing the larger empty fields first and then tackling the boxes of copy last to avoid any possible unintentional contact/adhesion with the vinyl.

 

[TimToad]

Could it be the difference between left or right handed person? I like going right to left because I'm right handed and I keep an xacto in my right hand while weeding. I'll sometimes just pull out the centers as I go along.

Go figure. I'm left handed and have almost always weeded right to left because I like being able to pull the centers out with my left hand and dental pick while pulling off the excess with my right. I have thought at times that the weeding the opposite direction from the starting point of the cutter made a difference, but I don't think it really matters.

Having done miles and miles of weeding over the decades, I'm all about the speed weeding technique.