plotter question(s) before i order

[PCD]

will be ordering a plotter tomorrow, almost positive i'm going w/ a 24" Graphtec CE 3000. originally i was going to get the 24" panther from sign warehouse but after talking on here and w/ a few others i'm leaning towards the graphtec( even though the panther claims 50' tracking, has more downforce, is faster and has 3 rollers). it sounds better than a graphtec but not sure if it is. the main reason i was going with the panther was because of something my uncle, who owns a sign business for over 10 years, said. he told me to try to get a plotter w/ 3 rollers. he currently uses a lynx (2 rollers) after years of using an old gerger(perforated). he has tracking problems sometimes w/ the lynx. from what i understand, the 3rd roller on the panther is not used for vinyl plotting. is this true?are there any tracking problems known w/ this 2 roller graphtec? also is the graphtec a better machine, even though it's only half as fast and forceful as the panther. it doesn't advertise 50' tracking either. i want to make a wise choice and get a reputable, quality plotter w/ good support service.
thanks

[Fred Weiss]

Graphtec has one of the best reputations in the business. I can't recall ever hearing from an unhappy Graphtec owner. I have no first hand knowledge of how good or bad the support is through Sign Warehouse but I would hold any plotter built in China suspect as to quality when compared to Japanese, American or most European plotters. And by association, the dealers who promote them.

The useful life of the Graphtec probably exceeds 20 years. I doubt the same is true for the Panther. So in the long run, the Graphtec is lower in cost and will probably perform much more to your expectations.

Friction feeding requires some common sense and some attention to maintenance. For example,

1. Cleanliness of both materials and equipment are essential.

2. Too much force or using a dull blade increases blade drag. Remember, you are moving material back and forth using rollers. If you exert any uneven force, such as a dull blade making a long x-axis cut near the top or bottom of the material, then you have brought into play a force that will cause your material to track unevenly .... skewing towards the blade resistance. It's no different than if the brakes in your car quit working on one side. Or if you had a badly worn tire on one side and a new one on the other.

3. The more force it takes to cut the material, the greater will be the problems getting it to track evenly.

[GXSignCo]

Have you not looked at the Summa D60? I, too, looked at those and ended up with the D60. Have been very happy with it and it tracks VERY well. I've cut some stripes that were around 6" x 20' with NO problems. It has more downforce and is faster than the Graphtec while being a high quality unit. If you can afford it, I'd go with the D or T 750. It will also cut sandblast mask (which I've done).

[Colin]

About 4 years ago, I was in your shoes and opted for the 30" Summa D750 Pro. It's just as fast, accurate etc and was less money. (summausa.com) With the tracking rollers I can (and have) cut an entire roll of vinyl at once. The Graphtec is a very good cutter too though, and you would not go wrong with that purchase.

Good luck!

[PCD]

i've thought about the summa also but after researching and talking to plotter owners it semms like more people use the graphtec. both great machines i'm sure, but it seems like the GT may be alittle more popular. how's summa's support?

[Colin]

I haven't had to request any support yet, so I'm not sure, but the dealer
I purchased it from is great! (www.corbingraphics.com (http://www.corbingraphics.com)) They're in Alberta, Canada.

[GXSignCo]

The few times I've called (for software stuff only), they were very helpful and knowledgable.

[idsign]

http://www.sskonline.com/cutters2.asp

graphtec from sskonline $1395.00

overlabeled as designtech

NICE THREAD. Corbin graphics is great, I also got D-750 Refurb from them for only $1800. Great.

Next cutter only will be graphtec, though. Next purchase is VersaCAMM print and cut.

Barry