# cheap vinyl cutter?



## skunk (Feb 26, 2007)

someone please help me, is there a machine out there similar to the roland gx-24 but cheaper, if there is please give me the name and the price range


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## prometheus (Oct 19, 2006)

There are some machines that don't have the features, but are cheaper.

Here's an Enduracut -http://www.signwarehouse.com/specials/coug_selector_pgSP.htm

Search the threads for help on others as well.


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## Greg Hamrick (Jan 25, 2007)

Robert has the site posted. I used a LXI Vinyl Express a couple years back and it had the same features...a very good machine. Not sure about any others.


.


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## vctradingcubao (Nov 15, 2006)

I use the jaguar iii 24 inch. Same price range with the Roland GX-24 but the with more power features. I think it's available from signsupply.com. You can also check out the cheaper Roland stika or Graphtec craftrobo.


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## Twinge (Apr 26, 2005)

The Graphtec CE3000MkII is a similar cutter, with similar features, and similar good name brand  The price isn't a lot less, but it should be a bit cheaper. I think I'll go with the Roland from Josh just for the extended warranty Imprintables offers, but I'm sure the Graphtec is a good choice as well.


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## COEDS (Oct 4, 2006)

We have the Enduracut 24 plotter/cutter, and it works excellently, but the GX-24 is a better machine, and more expensive. ----JB


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## plaitbiear (Feb 11, 2007)

COEDS said:


> We have the Enduracut 24 plotter/cutter, and it works excellently, but the GX-24 is a better machine, and more expensive. ----JB


Please explain to me how I would use the vinyl cutter machine for my t-shirt business. Is the Vinyl process more expensive? Please explain the benefits of spending the extra 1500 bucks. 

Thanks The Big Kid


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## Jasonda (Aug 16, 2006)

plaitbiear said:


> Please explain to me how I would use the vinyl cutter machine for my t-shirt business. Is the Vinyl process more expensive? Please explain the benefits of spending the extra 1500 bucks.


Try these threads:

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/heat-press-heat-transfers/t5890.html

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/t-shirt-crossover-diary-heat-press-newbie/t10363.html


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## foxesfarm (Dec 30, 2006)

Try Duluth/Superior area Sign Making .


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## mystysue (Aug 27, 2006)

My advice as someone that cuts about 500+ yards of vinyl a month.. Is save and buy a good one.. rolands are good.. graphtec is good.. there are some others that are good.. but many who have bought cheaper cutters are sorry in the long run as they do not hold up..and they dont cut right etc.. Check out some of the sign maker forums and see what people that use them say. 
I was told from the very beginning to never buy a cutter named after an animal or buy one that has Master in the name.. rof.. that is what is said very often by the people who know cutters. I have a graphtec that is prolly 6-8 years old that cuts vinyl daily..( i sell over $100,000 of cut vinyl signs a year). I have that machine and a roland print/cut versacamm.. .. I think your best bet would be mabe to look for a used Quality cutter on a sign forum, as people are always upgrading and getting larger..

try signs101.com mabe..


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## foxesfarm (Dec 30, 2006)

I guess that makes sense. I don't even cut 50 yards a month. The cutter is only part time between massage sessions. I don't massage over 12 hours a week, and after some computer repair and cleaning linens, etc. I still had about 12 hours a week for sign making. The master works just fine for me. 

Maybe it's like printers. If you print large amounts, don't buy a lexmark because the ink is the most expesive per ml. If you just print a few pages a week, buy the cheapo lexmark because the cheap purchase price isn't offset by the need to buy lots of ink.

If I was doing huge amounts, it would make sense to buy an expensive cadilac of a machine. But I'm not. I'm just happy making a profit of about $35.00 per hour on all 3 of my hobbies. And it only cost me about $1,200 to start up from scratch in a 10' X 13' room. No employees, just me and a hobby. Return on investment is important to me, along with flexibility and fewer hassles.


Either way, buy as big and as good as you can afford.


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## foxesfarm (Dec 30, 2006)

these 2 posts are great places to see just how to use a vinyl cutter to make shirts. Step by step tutorials with lots of helpful tips.

Must see for anyone starting out in this! Especially the videos.

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/t-shirt-articles/t14417.html

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/t-shirt-articles/t9893.html


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## Geminis076 (Apr 18, 2008)

Hi, I realize this thread is originally from 2007. But if I'm reading it then I'm sure others will come along too.

I have a Master Tiger series 1000 machine that I use to cut vinyl for decals, bought it from eBay. I think I've had it for about 3 years and it's starting to give me trouble  . Often times when I try to cut large decals (about 2 - 3 feet large) that have a moderate amount of detail, my machine will stop cutting during the cut with no way to resume, basically ruining the decal and wasting that large quantity of vinyl material. It also can't seem to handle over detailed designs, it too will stop then. 

Now the small arm that holds the blade in place is dropping during cuts. When the blade moves from position to position during cutting, the arm is suppose to lift the blade up while it's not cutting, and only brings it down and makes contact with the material while it is cutting. It's dropping during the cutting which scratches the vinyl! When I move the blade with the controls, it just randomly lifts and drops with no specific pattern.

I have several listings on eBay which I think I will need to cancel asap until I can resolve this. The dropping to me seems like an electrical issue or something out of my control. The point of my story is listen to others and don't buy a generic brand, buy something reliable and trusted. The Master machine started out ok and is easy to use, but in the long run it probably is best to get something better, which I unfortunately will now need to do


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## foxesfarm (Dec 30, 2006)

Yup, if you can afford it, a good cutter is great to have. But most of us can't justify it just to start out with. That cheap machine worked well for three years, probably at about $300 per year. A $3,000 Graphtec will also cost about $300 a year or less because it will last at least 10 years. I figured that if I made enough in the time that my first cheap one wore out to buy a great one, that is a lower risk and faster return on investment.

Instead, I just bought 2 cheap ones when the old one got crotchety, one 26" and one 38". Technology keeps changing. 5 years ago, the master I got had 1Mb of memory and just serial/parallel ports. The second one I got had 4Mb of memory and a built in USB converter. The third cutter I bought (Not a master, but still a cheap Cutter Pro) had true USB and a red dot laser for contour cutting. All of them came with metal stands and software. Not that I have a solvent printer to print things to be contour cut out, but it's a cool feature. All 3 cutters I have ever bought were under $700.00 - $900.00 with shipping. 

By the way, did you contact any service centers to get help? Google something like "Master Vinyl Cutter Service and Support" That came up with a couple of sources the last time I looked.

Yeah, you get what you pay for, if you can pay it.

It does sound electrical, but probably repairable.


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## PorkchopNavy (Aug 25, 2009)

A cheap vinyl cutter is a full-time job. I purchased an inexpensive cutter and the company that sold to me did their best to convince me the cutter was good and the problem was me. Problems can be intermittent, unusual, "never saw that problem before", "it's your software", "you must have a stray node on the image".... I recommend cutting by hand rather than buying a full-time headache. The cheap cutters i have seen are no better than the cheap Chinese motorscooter I purchased last year. 

I now have a Graphtec CE5000-600 and it's like sitting on a cloud. A real pleasure to use....

Jim...


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