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Completely New and I just bought a vinyl plotter!
- Thread starter bensmeding
- Start date
Can tell you that the cutter will cause some problems. got one like that and it ripped alot of vinyl from time to time.
you need to babysit it all the time
dont even think about making big stickers. as it probably will pull the vinyl a little sideways.
but its an OK machine to learn on. then when you get an more decent machine as i did Graphtec FC8000-130 (would been a mimaki but the freight time was huge) you will be sooooo pleased with it. dont miss the old piece of junk at all.. so anyone come and get it for free (the old one that is)
you need to babysit it all the time
dont even think about making big stickers. as it probably will pull the vinyl a little sideways.
but its an OK machine to learn on. then when you get an more decent machine as i did Graphtec FC8000-130 (would been a mimaki but the freight time was huge) you will be sooooo pleased with it. dont miss the old piece of junk at all.. so anyone come and get it for free (the old one that is)
GoodPeopleFlags
New Member
Exactly!!! And maybe he should learn how to make signs before OPENING A FRIGGIN' BUSINESS DOING IT????? I get so tired of that crap!!!
Dude, if you're really gonna give it a shot, for the love of God, learn grammar and spelling NOW! It's "must have" or "must've" but not "minus"! OMG!
RMXGRAPHIX
New Member
Please don't let a few arrogent members discouage you from learning. It seems some users think you are taking money away from them by buying a cheep ebay cutter and they are the only ones that know how or are privelaged to use one. 99 % of the time an ebay vinyl cutter/plotter is a cheep Chinese knock off and a step up from a cricut sold at walmart. When I started there was not much to choose from Roland,Gaphtec,Ioline,gerber ...ect. I bought a 24 inch Graphtec and casmate pro. and you were at the mercy of the Company that you bought it from. There was no internet like we have now and I did a lot of reading and phone calling. Signs 101 has some great and talented users, but the bashing, drama, and I know the answer but Im not telling attitudes is not good for the site or anything else. I also have to wonder if there are users that do not post or subscribe because of this. Signs 101 is not the only sign forum out there and you may find that the other sites are more useful and entertaining. If you need some help I will do what I can, just let me know I would gladly help you out. ............. So keep up the bashing and drive more users away and "PAID" subscriptions and advertisers ,after all Its your bat & ball ......Jamie
RMXGRAPHIX
New Member
Come on it's $400 bucks !! Do you really think $400 bucks really going to make or break anyone on this site. Let the guy have some fun and learn. If its something he can use great. I for see an up grade in his future.
CheapVehicleWrap
New Member
RMX, no offense but someone who signs up on this forum under false pretenses won't take money out of anyone's pocket here as you suggest everyone's worried about.
But when they start giving away "signs" for next to nothing and publicly displaying "Niece Art" it WILL, DOES and HAS hurt EVERYONE here. LONG TERM.
What percentage of newbie "cricutters" do you think will make a decent living vs. harm the industry all the while feasting on ramon noodles? The statistics may shock you.
I wish someone would have told me never to start (several endeavors) in my life before I started. Something to think about.
But when they start giving away "signs" for next to nothing and publicly displaying "Niece Art" it WILL, DOES and HAS hurt EVERYONE here. LONG TERM.
What percentage of newbie "cricutters" do you think will make a decent living vs. harm the industry all the while feasting on ramon noodles? The statistics may shock you.
I wish someone would have told me never to start (several endeavors) in my life before I started. Something to think about.
Not the point I was making.
He stated he bought it and wants opinions after the fact. I don't care if it is $400.00 or $4 million, it's not like he can return it after getting a bunch of bad feedback regarding the quality.
And FWIW....I agree with you regarding the arrogance and negativity here. Don't lump me in with that bunch.
Fred Weiss
Merchant Member
There isn't any single approach that would satisfy all who join here. We happen to believe the approaches we have taken are working just fine. That being ...
- We try to limit our new members to members of the craft, related crafts and suppliers. We specifically try to exclude end users seeking to get help from the same individuals they want to bypass for filling their signage and graphics needs.
- We also believe in a minimalist approach to moderating what members have to say.
Your assumptions are just that and are largely incorrect. We have more advertisers, merchant members and premium members than ever. Further, Signs 101 has held the best Alexa traffic rank of any sign industry website for more than two years now. Better than SignWeb, SignIndustry, SignForums, SignCraft, NBM, SignsoftheTimes, RolandDGA, SignWarehouse, etc., etc., etc.
Would it be nice if less members were impolite? Absolutely. But is there any way to achieve that without also running members off? Not in my opinion. I could post and enforce a whole bunch of rules that would improve the atmosphere here and then we could all sit back and watch the activity dry up.
royster13
New Member
It is very common for "newbies" to get beat up here.... So the best defense to the rude responses is to learn how to use the search function and find the answers you need without actually asking them..There is a wealth of knowledge in this forum....
PS....Youtube is also a great resource.....
PS....Youtube is also a great resource.....
CheapVehicleWrap
New Member
I think (and would hope) a newbie only gets beaten up after they lied to join the forum and immediately show their true intentions which defy the rules for entrance. I'm guilty of this and although I try not to start it, I'll sure chime in. There are MANY newbies who did not fake their way in and were never beaten up. If fact I would estimate all of them.
Pat Whatley
New Member
QUESTION 1: Why aren't you asking your uncle for advice then?
QUESTION 2: Is your uncle "making bank" with a toy plotter?
Fred Weiss
Merchant Member
It's actually a lot less common than you think. The overwhelming percentage of new member posts are greeted with welcoming responses ... largely because the new member provides some indication of their experience and background. The primary reason rudeness seems to happen is when the new member makes a post containing information that brings his or her sign industry status into question.
If everyone followed your advice, Signs 101 would be a ghost town by comparison. The whole idea with an online community is to participate ... not lurk. The reality is that Signs 101 is intended for professional sign people seeking to exchange ideas and find solutions in their efforts to earn their livings. It is specifically not intended to fill the role that the seller of the hardware, software or supplies to a non-professional should be filling.
So when someone joins who doesn't meet our criteria for membership and by whatever means manages to be approved, OR APPEARS TO HAVE DONE SO, it is more than appropriate for any member to call the new member out or respond to them in the negative. This is what any non-member sees at the top of every page when they come to Signs 101:
Is this not clear enough?
We process 20 to 30 new member registrations a day. Most are from legitimate sign companies or others who meet our criteria. Some are obviously not. And some are difficult to tell or not truthfully filled out. This last group is where most of the problems occur. Unfortunately we sometimes can't tell this until the new member starts posting.
So, to anyone reading this who agrees with our membership requirements and policies, that is why this happens from time to time. And to anyone reading this who disagrees with our membership requirements and policies, there really isn't anything I can say to you except to deal with it because it isn't going to change.
TheSnowman
New Member
LOVE IT!
round man
New Member
I've been sitting on the sideline here and it has me quite curious why the closest poster to this newb is over 100 miles away halfway across the state of Texas and everyone is on the defensive and so sensitive that someone might want to learn a trade that is discussed here and actually participate in the discussions here after the scalding you guys put forth. This is not the first time or I wouldn't bring it up. Is there some sort of cliche here that I am not aware of ? Do you have to buy or own a certain type of tool to be good at this trade,and or accepted here. I can remember starting out with three $10 brushes and a couple of qts of $5 paint back in the late 60's,..did that make me a bad sign painter,..hell no I've been recommended by who's who twice for my sign art and had my stuff in the sign rags more than once. Some people here have way too much time on their hands and are way too insecure if they think some guy threatens their livelihood by going out and buying an inexpensive plotter off ebay. Back in the day we had the same kind of whiners and finger pointers who would complain that the local hardware and or paint store would sell brushes and one shot to anyone,...
RMXGRAPHIX
New Member
We process 20 to 30 new member registrations a day. Most are from legitimate sign companies or others who meet our criteria.
Could you define a legitimate sign company?
Would it be a computer store fixing computers and making cut vinyl and farming out printed signs?
Would it be a guy who does it at home wholesale for a said computer store?
Would it be a guy doing graphics for the motorsports industry ?
Would it be a guy working in the motorsport industry doing business for 2 of the big 3 auto makers while still working in the motorsport industry ?
I could go on and on ... like I said its your bat and ball. I am not here to argue. All the bullshit bashing and " I am a real sign maker" so I have the right to be a dick to a guy asking a question is wrong. All its going to do is drive users and sponsors away. Why in the hell would someone pay to get treated like shit by "real sign makers" understand FRED !! SIGNS 101 is not the only one out there at this time maybe the most used, but that could change very quickly. There is so much talent and info on signs 101 from just what I have read and I am sure there is so much that never gets posted. This isn't FACEBOOK Its getting out of hand.
cdiesel
New Member
Just to be clear, I wasn't bashing the OP (although I think he's made some foolish choices). I was taking a jab at Signwarehouse for selling outside of the industry to end users. Why anybody buys from a supplier that sells directly to end users and encourages hacks to enter the industry via their "sign shop in a box" packages is beyond me. When suppliers sell to end users, they are directly cutting their bread and butter customers out of the supply chain. I've had this discussion in person with various vendors and reps over the years, and I still don't get it. We buy hundreds of thousands of dollars in supplies each year. Some suppliers see the need to damage our profits by selling to guys who are going to buy a few hundred?
I guarantee that if you, as a sign shop owner, started selling an item that one of your customers sells and directly targeted their clients, they would no longer be a customer of yours.
I think I'm going to go buy an engine stand and build some engines for my shop trucks. Does that make any sense?
I guarantee that if you, as a sign shop owner, started selling an item that one of your customers sells and directly targeted their clients, they would no longer be a customer of yours.
I think I'm going to go buy an engine stand and build some engines for my shop trucks. Does that make any sense?