Making car magnets...need help

[meg101]

Hi guys. I’m trying to research as much as I can, but I still have a few questions so I need your guidance and expertise.

I'm wanting to make car magnets like the ribbon type or small bumper sticker size magnets.... what equipment do I need for that? I want to print on the magnet of course... do I need a separate printer or should I get a combo? Do I need to laminate them?

I would also be cutting letters and numbers from vinyl... but not much. Just a few for shirts now and then.

Is there a good book with all this info in it?

Please be patient with me ~ I’m trying to learn. Thank you for all your help and information in advance



Also I was thinking about outsourcing this part of my business, but most of my business is small orders, custom, so I’m not sure if I could find another business willing to only do small runs for me at a price I can afford to still be competitive. I also pride myself on quality. I only do quality work (that is when my equipment behaves) so I’d need to find someone who also only does top notch work. Is it possible to find someone willing to do that or should I just get the equipment and do it myself?

 

[Bigdawg]

Hi Meg, first of all - how are the twins? (I think you were due a couple months ago???) Gotta get to the important stuff first

As far as the magnets go, you can print and score the magnets if you purchase a printer or cutter combo with optical registration. Many here seem to prefer seperate machines because it keeps the work flow going easier. We currently aren't doing this inhouse, but my local vendor prints and scores for us when we need shapes. Just make sure whatever machine you get (I'm not the one to recommend one) is using eco-solvent inks for durability.

 

[meg101]

Hi ~ They are WONDERFUL thanks. Delivery abit out of the norm for me, but since I was a Surrogate I have time to recover without having to care for two babies LOL.

I was looking at the Roland 24 with the optical registration. I guess that would work. Now to the printer I'll research the eco-solvent inks. I have so many darn printers around here my husband is going to kill me getting another LOL. He just doesn't understand my needs

Thank you so much for your information

 

[signage]

Printer

If you use an eco-solvent you should laminate. I would recommend a Gerber Edge if items are small. You have the option with one of these to either print process or spot colors. If you look around you could find a used Gerber Edge with their plotter, these machines are designed to do what you are looking to do. They are pricey but they are build well.

 

[Jackpine]

The Graphtech MK 3000mk2 or MK5000mk2 ( replaced the 3000 ) would be worth looking into.

 

[Che]

The magnetics is tricky for me. When printing to the magnetic cuase some parts of my mimki are metal it can get stuck and the same when ploting a shape, it goes off some. so my experiance has been using a printer and plotter is not the best way. Deeper research is needed here. So now to print and cut without to much trouble i tape a material betwwen the magnetic and machines to alow free flowing, and it works descent. I use a mimaki jv3 and a graphtec fc5100.

 

[ENTDesign]

I have so many darn printers around here my husband is going to kill me getting another LOL. He just doesn't understand my needs

:U Rock:

My hubby started wondering why the heck he didn't marry a woman who liked jewelry and furs, it would have been cheaper and the living room would be more normal...

If most of what you envision doing is small decals and these magnets with a fair bit of color, the Gerber is not a bad way to go.

 

[meg101]

Thank you all for your input and advice. I will research more and hopefully start my hands on trial and error soon

 

[rawjahprintshop]

Hey guys, does anyone use a graphtec fcx2000 to cut their magnets at all?
What shapes are you able to cut? Anything you'd like? Does intricacy come into play at all? I assumed it would.

Honestly though, as cheap as this sounds, I'm trying to avoid buying a whole new corner cutting machine, IF, it's super simple and no wear and tear on the flatbed to cut the 3 mil magnet material, OR even the 6mm would be at least nice to know if people are doing it or not.

These are the corner-cutting machines I'm referring to, so don't be too hard on me when you see the price I'm trying to avoid, please!!! LOL. BUT, if that's what I need to make it easy peasy, and nice clean cuts, just be straight with me and tell my cheap as$ to get it!

thanks in adavance, i look forward to hearing any experiences you guys have gone through in any avenue.. thanks!

 

[RabidOne]

Previous shop I was at we did large quantities of magnets, always laminated. Printed on a flatbed Arizona and router cut on our Zund.
We do much smaller quantities here, so most of the time they are just cut by hand and corner rounded with a cheap corner round cutter.
They are also printed on a Latex flatbed.

 

[rawjahprintshop]

Care to show me what Cheap corner rounder you might be using? I don't want to splurge on the nice $250 corner rounder for multiple sizes from uscutter.com yet, until i can get some examples made at mininum selling a few the hand made a way!

thoughts on this cheap one? obviously, it gets the job nice good enough?

 

[GAC05]

Care to show me what Cheap corner rounder you might be using? I don't want to splurge on the nice $250 corner rounder for multiple sizes from uscutter.com yet, until i can get some examples made at mininum selling a few the hand made a way!

thoughts on this cheap one? obviously, it gets the job nice good enough?

If you don't want to go for the $250 a snap knife & fender washer is about as low cost as you can get. Magnets are soft and cut easily with a little practice.

 

[Boudica]

If you don't want to go for the $250 at snap knife & a fender washer is about as low cost as you can get. Magnets are soft and cut easily with a little practice.

That's what we used to do! Until... Several years ago boss invested in one of the corner rounding tools. Nothing fancy, manual, about like a hand press grommet setter. We got it for ACM, but we use it all the time, for a lot of things. Excellent investment.

 

[Joseph44708]

I print 30" rolls of magnet material on my Roland XR-640 then cut it down on my Graftec FC-2250.
In the past month I have printed and cut 17 - 50' rolls of magnet material with no problems.

 

[rawjahprintshop]

what in the world are you printing that much magnet of!?!

good to know, thank you!

 

[netsol]

If you don't want to go for the $250 a snap knife & fender washer is about as low cost as you can get. Magnets are soft and cut easily with a little practice.

Corner Cutter Rounder Heavy Duty Commercial Machine 2 Dies Included 1/4" 3/8" 278716885703 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Corner Cutter Rounder Heavy Duty Commercial Machine 2 Dies Included 1/4" 3/8" at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

We bought an akiles diamond for about $140
We now have the 1/8", 1/4" & 3/8" dies and that seems to do us fine

 

[netsol]

For bumper sticker size, you might want a 1/8" die

 

[Joseph44708]

what in the world are you printing that much magnet of!?!

good to know, thank you!

Anything the customer wants, and more.
Here are some samples.

 

[Boudica]

Corner Cutter Rounder Heavy Duty Commercial Machine 2 Dies Included 1/4" 3/8" 278716885703 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Corner Cutter Rounder Heavy Duty Commercial Machine 2 Dies Included 1/4" 3/8" at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

We bought an akiles diamond for about $140
We now have the 1/8", 1/4" & 3/8" dies and that seems to do us fine

That's what we have! we've had to get new dies we've used it so much.

 

[rawjahprintshop]

Anything the customer wants, and more.
Here are some samples.

Hey, what is your appplication process? Are you printing directly onto the magnet material? I was going to put just a 3-4 foot piece in the machine and it seems very unreasonable to ask the machine to pull that weight of the material through the machine.. Do you print, install the vinyl onto the magnet material, and then cut it? Figured that would be a little easier on the machine... Im using .030 thickness.