Need opinions on cutters

[VEffex]

Hi everyone, looking to start a business making custom decals, signs, window tinting and wraps (phones and game consoles, etc.)

Starting off just making decals, so I will need a cutter and I will buy a printer later on, I have the Graphtec CE6000-60 in mind but I am looking for opinions on other cutters, trying to stay under $2500

I have the software needed for designing and cutting (Adobe photoshop CS6 and Illustrator CS6 with cutting master 3)

Thanks for any help in advance.

 

[Techman]

you are about 3 years too late. The cut vinyl decal world is no longer a good money making deal. onezii or twozie at a time for $3 bux will get you no where. Waste of time trying to make your money back on that good cutter. Almost every thing is printed now. Or higher end signs are made into 2.5 dimensional work.

If I were to start new I would be purchasing a 3D printer to be ahead of the curve.

In fact this local area does not allow vinyl signs any more. The signs here must be at least lit back at a minimum. Most are dimensional.

 

[VEffex]

you are about 3 years too late. The cut vinyl decal world is no longer a good money making deal. onezii or twozie at a time for $3 bux will get you no where. Waste of time trying to make your money back on that good cutter. Almost every thing is printed now. Or higher end signs are made into 2.5 dimensional work.

If I were to start new I would be purchasing a 3D printer to be ahead of the curve.

In fact this local area does not allow vinyl signs any more. The signs here must be at least lit back at a minimum. Most are dimensional.

Thanks for the reply, I'd love to get a printer but I'm unable to afford anything like that at the moment, I was hoping to start up with a cutter and work my way up to making wraps and possibly some dirt bike and atv graphics.

 

[OldPaint]

as the market for wraps, printed banners is today........DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY on buying anything. there are places on the internet that will PRINT FOR YOU, for wraps, banners etc......FOR LESS THEN IT WOULD COST YOU to get into it. you want to cut stuff........get a used 2nd hand cutter for $300-500. see how long it takes you to make that back))))))

 

[Mosh]

you are about 3 years too late.

Try ten years, the days of Calvin peeing on stuff is long past.
I plan to become a carpenter, I am going to build bird-houses and plan to move up to dog and people houses when I can afford a bigger hammer...LOL

Wraps and cut vinyl are TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WORLDS!!!!

 

[boxerbay]

geez guys way to go... took his dream and just $h!t all over it. nice and neighborly like.

 

[petepaz]

geez guys way to go... Took his dream and just $h!t all over it. Nice and neighborly like.

you can't handle the truth!

on a serious note....do you have any business lined up, where are your customers coming from? what do you do now? i hope you aren't quitting your current job to cut vinyl. if you where thinking of doing it on the side but still have a full time job/steady income then maybe but i wouldn't just jump in and buy a cutter till you do some more research.

 

[boxerbay]

he IS from canada so they are about 3 years behind us right? ha

 

[Dennis422]

Hi everyone, looking to start a business making custom decals, signs, window tinting and wraps (phones and game consoles, etc.)

Starting off just making decals, so I will need a cutter and I will buy a printer later on, I have the Graphtec CE6000-60 in mind but I am looking for opinions on other cutters, trying to stay under $2500

I have the software needed for designing and cutting (Adobe photoshop CS6 and Illustrator CS6 with cutting master 3)

Thanks for any help in advance.

I purchased Graphtec CE5000-60 about a year ago. It is a nice cutter for the money. Better would be going with Summa.

i had a few companies lined up before I purchased, and not for the small cut decals, it was trucking Co's.
A year later, now I own brand new Graphtec FC8600-130 and I also bought used Mutoh Falcon Outdoor. I will use that printer for smaller stuff and I will outsource bigger stuff until I make more money for the new 54" printer. I still have issues with getting the printer to work as it should, mainly because of lack of experience with profiles and heat settings.

Back on the question, Graphtec is good, but I would make sure that I have work lined up before spending the money on cutter.
For me it was a bit easier because I have been doing embroidery and screen printing so I had a fair amount of customers.

Good luck.

 

[Wildcard0413]

VEffex

VEffex,

Don't listen to the "Dream Crushers" on this forum. I sell vinyl decals on the web and to local sports teams and do just fine. I will definitely not be retiring on the money I make from just decals, but it's a good little source of income that pays for some of my hobbies. Starting this way will also get you familiar with the software and application processes.


As far as cutters go, and this is based off of my personal experience, The most important thing for me is the motor type. The two types are "Stepper Motors" and "Servo Motors" Most cheap sub 1K cutters will have stepper motors. These cutters will do the job most of the time, but where you really see the difference is in the small detail cutting. I have decals that I sell a ton of for 40$ a pop, but there is some small detail that makes it a real pain to cut on my cheaper cutter. My Graphtec cuts it perfect every time. Stepper motors are not capable of the fine detail that servo motors can output.

I started with a $500 stepper motor GCC Expert 24 and still use it today. I just ran a 40" truck decal through it last night and it was perfect.

I also run a graphtec CE3000-60 and a CE6000-60. I absoloutely LOVE my Graphtecs.

PM me if you have any questions.

Wildcard

 

[Gino]

Welcome from Pennsylvania.........................

 

[Techman]

Don't listen to the "Dream Crushers" on this forum. I sell vinyl decals on the web and to local sports teams and do just fine

Yes, if "just fine" is averaging about $300 a at about $5.00 an hour each month then it is fine. If being a hobby shop is fine then so be it. Why get a cutter that costs thousands when all one a hobby shop needs is a $300.00 buck special from ebay.

We talk signs here. To me that means manufacturing signs for a business entity that will cost tens of hundreds for a sign. A sign is not a batch of $3 decals to stick onto the back of bubba's pickem up.

 

[binki]

Take your $2500 and get a heat press, the biggest one you can get and do apparel vinyl, glitter and rhinestones. You can make some bank with that stuff. With the heat press you can also do plastisol transfers and be a screen printer.

As far as printed media, use someone like Merritt at http://merrittgraphics.com/.

 

[HulkSmash]

VEffex,

Don't listen to the "Dream Crushers" on this forum. I sell vinyl decals on the web and to local sports teams and do just fine. I will definitely not be retiring on the money I make from just decals, but it's a good little source of income that pays for some of my hobbies. Starting this way will also get you familiar with the software and application processes.


As far as cutters go, and this is based off of my personal experience, The most important thing for me is the motor type. The two types are "Stepper Motors" and "Servo Motors" Most cheap sub 1K cutters will have stepper motors. These cutters will do the job most of the time, but where you really see the difference is in the small detail cutting. I have decals that I sell a ton of for 40$ a pop, but there is some small detail that makes it a real pain to cut on my cheaper cutter. My Graphtec cuts it perfect every time. Stepper motors are not capable of the fine detail that servo motors can output.

I started with a $500 stepper motor GCC Expert 24 and still use it today. I just ran a 40" truck decal through it last night and it was perfect.

I also run a graphtec CE3000-60 and a CE6000-60. I absoloutely LOVE my Graphtecs.

PM me if you have any questions.

Wildcard

you work to pay for little hobbies?

I work to support my family.

 

[Techman]

I started with a $500 stepper motor GCC Expert 24 and still use it today. I just ran a 40" truck decal through it last night and it was perfect.

Not likely in one straight run on a 24" machine. Nope.. A machine made for casual hobby use will never accurately track 40 feet. A high end cutter made for professionals costing thousands will have trouble cutting anything out to 40 feet accurately..

40 ft of travel out of alignment by just .010 multiplied will equal at least 1/2 inch out and the end of 40 ft. At 20 ft is is out at least 1/4 inch. That .010 is just 3 hairs thickness. Three sheets of paper thick. No one here can set their machine to track that close.

The forces on the cutting edge going against the pinch rollers will never allow a pinch roller machine to hold accuracy over a long run.

 

[royster13]

Take your $2500 and get a heat press, the biggest one you can get and do apparel vinyl, glitter and rhinestones. You can make some bank with that stuff. With the heat press you can also do plastisol transfers and be a screen printer.

Ditto.....bought my cutters to do signs and banners.....Now most of my work is garments and novelty signs....I am happy to let "real sign folks" do the "real signs" and I will stick with the other stuff....

 

[SignMeUpGraphics]

Not likely in one straight run on a 24" machine. Nope.. A machine made for casual hobby use will never accurately track 40 feet. A high end cutter made for professionals costing thousands will have trouble cutting anything out to 40 feet accurately..

40 ft of travel out of alignment by just .010 multiplied will equal at least 1/2 inch out and the end of 40 ft. At 20 ft is is out at least 1/4 inch. That .010 is just 3 hairs thickness. Three sheets of paper thick. No one here can set their machine to track that close.

The forces on the cutting edge going against the pinch rollers will never allow a pinch roller machine to hold accuracy over a long run.

Not sure who has misread or mistyped here, but his post said 40 inches.

 

[g&eprinting]

Bird houses. I have a Master Cutter here 380P as a coat rack. Could be some birds in there. Sure sounds like it when I turn it on, if never.

 

[Pro Image]

No one here can set their machine to track that close.

The forces on the cutting edge going against the pinch rollers will never allow a pinch roller machine to hold accuracy over a long run.

My Friend......I can run a 50 yard roll of 30in wide vinyl thru my Fastrack 750 all day long without any tracking problems.......




If you want a good/great cutter you need to spend the money on it.........

I have a Graphtec, and 2 Mutohs(Gerber Fastrack is a re-branded Mutoh) and I use them all every day.....

but if your just doing "stickers" a 500.00 ebay cutter will do just fine......

 

[visual800]

My old vinyl express grc- 61 would track 50' This new pos graphtec from signwarehouse wont do over 10' without screwing up. Pi$$es me off but I have adjusted well.

If you a hobby cutter get a panther or bobcat or somn like that from signwarehouse