# the best vinyl cuter



## tulacagas (Oct 6, 2006)

Iam looking to buy a Roland GX-24, is this the best one on the market? Can anyone recommend a better one? What about a 
piranah are they better? sorry if this was already asked..


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## Robin (Aug 28, 2006)

thats the one we just bought.....we like it, but we like our envision plotter too. No complaints for either of them.


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## jdr8271 (Jun 16, 2005)

I dont think its the best on the market. I had a stika, which I out grew. now I have a vinyl express qe60 24" from signwarehouse. Its the best buy I could find. Came with a three year warranty for $1200. You would have to negotiate on the price with them, as I did.

If you need the optical eye, the vinyl express isnt an option. You would need a roland, or a graphtec would work. Just make sure to look at the warranties that come with them. I have had too many machines break, to overlook that.

If you dont need the optical eye dont waste your money one it. Get one without it. Youll save a few hundred bucks.


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## Vtec44 (Apr 24, 2006)

From what little I know, Roland Stikas are for mostly hobbyists, next up is the GX models, then the GX Pro models (as far cutter goes). We have a Roland CAMM Pro GX-400 that will handle 40" wide x 90 feet long vinyl, store up to 4 rolles of vinyl on the stand. It's a pretty well rounded machine, quiet/quick with a lot of adjustabilities. It has been good to us so far. If you have the money, it's best to invest in a cut/print system like the Roland VersaCamm or SC Pro. If not, the GX24 will probably be able to handle most jobs. The Roland cutters/printers are more expensive, but it's a very well known brand so you can't go wrong.


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## Robin (Aug 28, 2006)

The Roland GX-24 thru imprintables wearhouse offers a 4 yr warranty. 2yrs from Roland, and 2 more thru imprintables. I highly recommend them, they have treated us wonderfully!


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## MotoskinGraphix (Apr 28, 2006)

Having owned two 24" plotters and currently running a Camm-1 24" Roland....it is a bullet proof product. You want to match the size of output to what you want the results to be. You can call a smaller plotter a hobby machine if you use a 72" print and cut system but that really isnt info for someone looking for a new startup cutter for t-shirt designs. How big a result do ya need is the question? What are your needs in the business is the first question? Do you want to expand into signage is the next question?

Summa, Graphtec and Roland all make great cutters. Vinyl rolls and how they are sold, tracking....a big issue with me because I do fullside auto graphics. I will never buy a machine with friction feed again period!!!! Probably not a problem for running t-shirts but I have wasted so much vinyl with this system ...just cant do it again. The smaller cutters called hobby machines.....How big a graphic are you wanting to produce? Most of the hobby machines as they are refered to will give you the results you are looking for.

Plotter salesman will help you if you have the understanding of what you are printing and how you are going about it. You can PM me if you have a question about plotters and your situation. You can also PM Josh at Imprintables Warehouse for info...he is a great resource.


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## sweetjen (Oct 11, 2006)

I have owned just under 10 plotters from 6" to 7' wide and I have to say that Roland is my favorite brand. They seem to be the easiest to use and with a good brand like that you will always be able to find blades, parts, etc... for it, so it's a good long term plotter to get.


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## Robin (Aug 28, 2006)

MotoskinGraphix said:


> . I will never buy a machine with friction feed again period!!!!


why not? I dont think Im understanding your comment regarding the vinyl and your cutter.


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## jdr8271 (Jun 16, 2005)

> I have owned just under 10 plotters from 6" to 7' wide and I have to say that Roland is my favorite brand. They seem to be the easiest to use and with a good brand like that you will always be able to find blades, parts, etc... for it, so it's a good long term plotter to get.


How long have you been in this business? And didnt you learn your lesson after the first one. Why would you continue to buy tiny hobby cutters. If you had bought a good commercial it should last a very long time, and can accept most size vinyls.


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## sweetjen (Oct 11, 2006)

I started in the sign biz and I have owned multiple Roland plotters. We had a 24" one as our backup plotter and it cutt detail better than our giant 7 foot one, I just like the Roland's. Now I have a Stika and my main pet peeve is how slow it cutts, but I still like it.


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## Vtec44 (Apr 24, 2006)

Robin said:


> why not? I dont think Im understanding your comment regarding the vinyl and your cutter.


The problem with friction feed is when you have to do a big job, It will get out of alignment and unable to plot accurately. Although our main plotter is friction feed, I haven't had problems doing big jobs yet. We've done up to about 15ft w/o issues.


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## Robin (Aug 28, 2006)

Vtec44 said:
 

> The problem with friction feed is when you have to do a big job, It will get out of alignment and unable to plot accurately. Although our main plotter is friction feed, I haven't had problems doing big jobs yet. We've done up to about 15ft w/o issues.


this is good to know...thanks very much!!


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

jdr8271 said:


> sweetjen said:
> 
> 
> > I have owned just under 10 plotters from 6" to 7' wide
> ...


If you'll look closely you'll see she wrote from six inches to seven *foot* (I misread it at first too ). Unless you decorate aircraft as a hobby I don't think anyone would consider seven foot hobbyist


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## MotoskinGraphix (Apr 28, 2006)

Solmu said:


> If you'll look closely you'll see she wrote from six inches to seven *foot* (I misread it at first too ). Unless you decorate aircraft as a hobby I don't think anyone would consider seven foot hobbyist


I missed it as well. I have never seen a 6" plotter, oh well. The hobby label is rather silly. There is no point in buying a 7' machine to do t-shirts or a 12" cutter to do fullside auto graphics. I would love to get into the aircraft market. Anyone watch the Red Bull race series...its awesome.


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## toonsign (Apr 24, 2005)

Hi,

I use a Roland PC-12 which is a printer/cutter. I absolutely love it and the only drawback to it is it's size. It will cut a 12" wide roll.

However, I knew this before buying it and it's just what I wanted.

I only use if for magnetic signs, decals, stickers, etc... as I am not interested in doing large projects.

As there are many types of cutter (and printers) available, just determine which size vinyl you will be working with...12", 24", 54". Then look at the models that are available and go from there.

Hope this helps.

Fred


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## hammered (Apr 14, 2006)

I think the best question to ask before buying a plotter is; What are you going to be doing with it? Not just, what are you planning on doing right now, but later down the road. My case is a great example. I bought a Designtech 60, the same machine as the Graphtec, just a couple bells and whistles less. For the price the machine is flawless but I lack the optics for contour cutting. This is something I didnt take into account when my purchase was made. I always say dont handicap yourself by buying a lesser machine than you will need, but this also applys to feature aswell as size. For the money from all Ive read, the Robo by Graphtec is an incredible machine. Spend the little extra and get more machine than you need in the begining than speding much more when you need to add a second or trade up to something more fitting to your needs.


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## bac (Jun 19, 2006)

tulacagas said:


> Iam looking to buy a Roland GX-24, is this the best one on the market? Can anyone recommend a better one? What about a
> piranah are they better? sorry if this was already asked..


I've been running the Roland GX-24 for the past few months and have no complaints at all. The machine works as advertised. I bought mine from Imprintables Warehouse. They are a good organization to work with, and their pricing is very competitive.

Good luck with your choice!


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