# which vinyl cutter is the best?



## mrgeezteez

Ok Since I Am New To This Is A Vinyl Cutter Worth The Money? 
And If So Which Brand Do You All Recommend?
Thank You Chrissy


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## badalou

wow is it.. the things you can do with it to make money.. I bought mine used from a friend for $350.. And it has paid for its self many times over and I have had it for 8 months. I am not only doing tee shirts but signs as well. I just got my second trucking company deal this week to supply numbers and door names to the trucks.. And I do not have to install them. $2.00 in sign vinyl gets me $40. bucks.. Look at the big picture..


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## vctradingcubao

I have a 24" inch jaguar cutter, but the Roland GX-24 seems to be the favorite of members here.


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## Jennilyn012

Hi Chrissy, I don't have a cutter yet, however when I do purchase one it will be the Roland gx24, that seems to be the big daddy. Does anyone have any experience with the Stitka model? I've been thinking of going that route until I can afford the big one. Thanks! 

Jenn


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## lost1

Save your money till you can buy the GX24.


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## Jennilyn012

lol, thanks, that's what I figured. Where do you recomend buying your paper from? 

Thanks!
Jenn


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## Cathybun

I have just been trying set up my new Graphtec ce5000-60. It's hell and so much hassle. When we look for info on the net, all you get is Roland, so I wish I went with them instead, there's so much more support out there for it.
Best of luck.


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## lost1

Download the graphtec manuals here:
Index of ./CE5000/User_Manuals/


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## Jennilyn012

Roland is definately highly recommended, you can always call Josh at imprintables warehouse, he will answer any questions you may have and God knows I've asked some pretty stupid ones 

Jenn


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## BRC

I have a Stika STX-7 I bought with my vinyl business. I don't recommend them for a serious vinyl business simply becuse they are sooooo slow at 4inches per second. If I was going to buy a super cheap unit it would probably be the Graphtec Craft Robo becaue it has the optical eye to do cutouts on opaque transfers but you still would have a lot of limitations. You would be better off with one of the 24" CoPams with the optics fo just a little bit more.


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## badalou

I told my wife that I am worried that my JSI might not hold up under the number of jobs I am doing. When I go to the show in August in Long Beach I will give a look at what iss out there. At this point I may get the Roland if push comes to shove. But I want to see some samples of other machines and software in action.


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## Robin

Roland GX24 and an Envision (workhorse!) I love them both, but my fav to use is the Roland, I find it alot less intimidating.


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## prometheus

Jennilyn012 said:


> Hi Chrissy, I don't have a cutter yet, however when I do purchase one it will be the Roland gx24, that seems to be the big daddy. Does anyone have any experience with the Stitka model? I've been thinking of going that route until I can afford the big one. Thanks!
> 
> Jenn


I recently purchased the Stika 15". I ran into some problems with getting it set-up for OSX and Vista. The support could be a little better. But as for cutting, I haven't had any problems. It's loud and slow, but so far no complaints. Josh at Imprintables was a great help. just couldn't afford the big boy (GX-24) yet. Now I just need to get out and make some money with it.


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## mrgeezteez

Thanx for all the input gang....
I guess we will save our pennies.....and our 5cent bottle return deposits so we can buy this plotter cutter....
thank you again
you guys rock!!!
chrissy


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## Cathybun

lost1 said:


> Download the graphtec manuals here:
> Index of ./CE5000/User_Manuals/


Lost1, thank you so much. This contains exactly the information I was looking for on the internet until 3am last night. I can't understand why this didn't come with my machine. You're a life saver! I'll tackle it tomorrow after I've catched up on some sleep. Thanks again.


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## prometheus

mrgeezteez said:


> and our 5cent bottle return deposits


Do they still have that?


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## mrgeezteez

in ny they sure do!!! 5cent deposits add up when you have a bunch of soda and beer drinkers!!!
so in order to get that plotter cutter i am telling my family to start saving!!!
=0)


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## exittshirts

hey kids,
im looking at starting a tshirt business (yay!) doing one-colour vinyl slogans, im getting a mighty boy heatpress so im in the market for a cutter. obviously i want the roland, but for the time being till i can afford it, need a cheaper alternative. it doesnt need to be fast or quiet, just reliable and able to fit 500mm wide rolls. around US $800. 
Also im in australia, so local supplier info would also help. thanks!


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## badalou

I have been doing a lot of single color vinyl. Today alone I did 4 designs for one client.


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## BRC

I've had a JSI for over 3 yrs now. It runs 3-4 days a week 7-8 hrs a day doing anything from license plate lettering to 4' X 8' signs. It has never missed a beat. The only reason I would buy another cutter is this one doesn't have the optical eye for alignment. Yeah the Roland would be nice but for the price my JSI has more than proven itself to be reliable.


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## mzmadmax

mrgeezteez said:


> in ny they sure do!!! 5cent deposits add up when you have a bunch of soda and beer drinkers!!!
> so in order to get that plotter cutter i am telling my family to start saving!!!
> =0)



Maybe you should consider moving to Michigan. With deposits here at 10 cents a bottle or can, you could have your cutter money twice as fast!


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## karinachavez

this was a major help, i was thinking about what i should do too

ive never used a heat press, or transfered anything on a shirt, but im trying to start a business with my designs, it will take a while but i will learn everything i can

i am glad that this place exists that way i can learn from the pros









all of my designs are very colorful and bright, neon bright








so what do u guys recommend i use..i know vinyl works the best, but i dont have the money to purchase a vinyl cutter or the vinyl its self, so thats out of the question, 

what kind of inks should i start with?

transfer paper?

thanks ahead of time


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## karinachavez

i will get a cutter when i have the money, that way my designs can be bright and bold like my art...but does anyone know any alternatives?


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## vctradingcubao

1) For starters, you can outsource to a screen printer
2) Or you can use your inkjet printer at home printing on iron all
3) Or go to Kinkos and other copy shops to print on your laser transfer paper
4) Or maybe use a fullfillment service like Cafe Press


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## karinachavez

thanks, i think ill start off by doing inkjet with Armour inks...but im still not sure as to what transfer paper to use, or what is the best material to use for bold colors


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## vctradingcubao

Ironall seems to be the favorite of some members here


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## Ujudgnme2

search this site for "transfer paper" it sounds like to me you are looking for beginners info...all of the info here for beginners will be useful for you. I read posts for a year before making my heat press purchase. without these guys, I dont know where I would be - burning my fingers on a press. lol



karinachavez said:


> thanks, i think ill start off by doing inkjet with Armour inks...but im still not sure as to what transfer paper to use, or what is the best material to use for bold colors


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## badalou

BRC said:


> I've had a JSI for over 3 yrs now. It runs 3-4 days a week 7-8 hrs a day doing anything from license plate lettering to 4' X 8' signs. It has never missed a beat. The only reason I would buy another cutter is this one doesn't have the optical eye for alignment. Yeah the Roland would be nice but for the price my JSI has more than proven itself to be reliable.


hey thanks for that Terry. If my JSi holds up like y6ours then I will be a very happy camper. But also for the same reason I will be looking at the Roland and a few others.


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## karinachavez

Ujudgnme2 said:


> search this site for "transfer paper" it sounds like to me you are looking for beginners info...all of the info here for beginners will be useful for you. I read posts for a year before making my heat press purchase. without these guys, I dont know where I would be - burning my fingers on a press. lol


 
lol, yes. everything here is very helpful.
ive watched tons of "how to" videos on you-tube, and ive gone over all the different things im supposed to know about...like what materials to use stretchy transfer paper with, and that its better to use pigmented inks for my type of design, and that its better to get pre-shrunk cotton tee's because my design will be wrinkled if it shrinks in the dryer

i dont have the materials to produce my shirts yet...but when i do ill be prepared...i also need time to make more designs..hopefully demand will be high, so having designs already will give me time to transfer on to shirts

i need this to be successful so that i can make it through college


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## planar52

I am also a newbie to vinyl cutters. I just got my 24" cutter in and it came with SIgncut X2 software. Once again i am new but to me, this is terrible software.
can anyone help , how can i make a simple sign with it. Or what software is better to use.


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## BRC

Unfortunately really good software is sometimes more expensive than the cutter. Flexisign Pro is about $4000 unless you buy it with a cutter then it is a lot cheaper. I'm not sure what SignLab is.


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## HotFixQueen

anyone have any experience with US Cutter? 
I'm new to this and was told that this is a good one to start with..


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## charles95405

I just bought the Roland GX24...great machine and I would sure recommend you contact Imprintable warehouse...Josh is a great resource and will help you out


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## BRC

I didn't buy from US Cutter but I do have a CoPam cutter like the ones they sell. It has worked fine for almost 4 years, for a low end cutter they are worth the money.


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## theflowerboxx

HotFixQueen US Cutter's are the best plotter on the market for their price. One thing they don't have is an optical eye for contour cutting, other then that they will cut as good as any other machine on the market. Go to US Cutter - Home and check out their forums. BTW, yes I own one and love it.


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## txmxikn

David,
What exactly do you mean when you say the cutter can't do contour cutting? I am thinking about purchasing a cutter from US Cutter. I'm going to use just for text and numbers. Will these do and will the software that comes with it be all I need?


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## charles95405

He may mean contour cutting by using optic eye to cut around an image that has been printed on transfer paper...like you can to with the roland GX24


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## TeddyRocky

Can you cut paper cardstock with a GX-24 or any plotter for that matter by adjusting the blade pressure?


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## charles95405

not sure..never tried it...but I doubt it... why not call Roland and ask them. I use mine to cut contours around an image on transfer paper


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## Ujudgnme2

I have gone back and forth, screen printer or cutter.

After seeing so many tshirts done with screen printing, I am sure this is what I need to purchase. The cutter has many uses, but I dont think it will cover everything I need. Altho the screen printing doesnt turn me on....its messy.

Many tshirts being sold and quick turn arounds are screen printed. When something big hits, these guys in Los Angeles, whip out tshirts so fast.

I didnt bother printing any tshirts for the Jena 6. I purchased some wholesale to -resell. I figure if someone wants to do the hard work, let them.


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## charles95405

For me, I dont want to pull a squeeze or deal with the inks, clean up etc...so I am lazy!. If I need/want screen print it is easy to outsource or as more oftern the case...use plastisol transfers. Much much easier and still play with the cutter, regular transfers and sublimation


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## TeddyRocky

GX24 optical eye or larger Bridge Cutter 50" wide. That's my debate. We don't use transfers, we screen print, so I feel like the optical eye for contour cutting will be somewhat useless. But if we decide to screen print vinyl stickers, contour cutting would come in handy (Can the registration marks that the Roland recognizes, be screen printed and will it still recognize it?) Will mostly be doing decals, banners, flock material, and foil. 

*Pros to GX24*

1. Optical Eye (contour cutting)
2. Good Support
3. Sounds Reliable

*Cons to GX24*

1. Smaller Machine
2. Triple the Price of a Bridge


*Pros to Bridge Cutter 50" or US Cutter*

1. Wide (can always cut smaller if need be)
2. Disposable parts are compatible with Roland Products (blades etc).

*Cons to Bridge Cutter 50" or US Cutter*

1. No Support (Bridge) or minimal Support (US Cutter)


As of now we're leaning towards a Bridge or US Cutter (believe they are very similar), but I need a final decision maker by tommorow (been debating too long), anyone have a deal breaker pro or con? Can all vinyl cutters cut as long as you would like (for instance it we got a 24 inch wide, can the letters be 24 inches tall and 20 ft long, or does that depend on software?)

Has anyone bought directly from Bridgecutters.com? If so, what was your experience? Does US Cutters sell a 50" wide b/c I don't see it on their site.


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## plan b

I don't think US has a 50,, if you buy a 24inch cutter you will not get a full 24 cut same with the 50, as far as the length goes it depends on how well your cutter tracks,, I have no idea what one would do with 20' letters but hey I have heard of stranger things. Another thing to consider is the kind of material you are going to cut,, some cutters for instance do not cut flock very well if at all, so you have to ask yourself what am I going to primarily do with this machine, how wide on a regular basis do I need to cut, and if I need service or parts for my machine how easy is it to get what I need,,, I have a copam from US cutters it tracks out true for at least 10' that I have tested it may go longer I have no idea,, so I hope this helps with your decision,, and if you don't need to cut transfers then make sure you get a machine that has a optical eye for measuring the material you put in it ,, just makes things a lot easier...

R.


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## ammoscato

I finally bought a heat press. Now I'm looking for some advice on heat transfer paper. Is there a big difference in papers? How do you get the shiny look ? Do you use different papers? What is best for picture (photo) transfers? I appreciate any advice that anyone can provide. I am having fun with all this. Hope to profit from it also. Thanks in advance for any help .


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## designcircus

ammoscato said:


> I finally bought a heat press. Now I'm looking for some advice on heat transfer paper. Is there a big difference in papers? How do you get the shiny look ? Do you use different papers? What is best for picture (photo) transfers? I appreciate any advice that anyone can provide. I am having fun with all this. Hope to profit from it also. Thanks in advance for any help .


i would like to know this too.. just plugged in our new GX24 tonite & make some cool vinyl stickies

cheers


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## juanra

what u think of the GRAPHTEC CE 5000-SERIES?? Is the only brand that has support here in my country. I'm cheking all possibilities for a good start.


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## COEDS

I have heard great things about Graphtec cutters. Good luck. ..... JB


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## sweettee

Old post, but a constant debate. I have been looking at a Roland, just got a quote on a Jaguar, but cant figure out why they are so much mor than a US Cutter. I KNOW I want 24" and optics for contour, but what else am I buying for the $$$$$$? I discovered that most embroidery machines run the same, so its about service and software. Should I be looking at the same with a cutter?


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## plan b

Well to compare look at the spec sheet, there are a ton of differences, grit rollers (types), pinch rollers (types), tracking, optical eye verses laser, tracking, the way they cut, servo motors verses stepper motors, motherboards, and on and on,,, what is the big factors??,, what you can afford, how much you are going to use your cutter, what are you going to use your cutter for (material) , bottom line is only you can determine what is best for you.


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## PrintsCharming

It's now 2010, is the GX24 still top dog? any improvements?

thanks


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## charles95405

In my humble opinion...which is seldom humble...the GX24 has NEVER been the top dog...and I have owned one. It is a good entry level machine, has optic eye which is pretty easy to use, but has only 250g down force and for the kind of $$, I would want more...for example a GCC EX24 has about the same specs as the GX24 without optic eye and it is only $350 right now...with one year factory warranty...In the same price range as the Roland, there is also the Graphtec 5000 ce which I understand is quality unit. When I sold my Roland, I got a GCC Puma III which I consider superb to the roland and it served me well and I just recently upgraded to the GCC Jaguar IV. The Puma has 400g down force and better tracking and is less $$ than the Roland. The GCC cutters come with GreatCut software...you can download a 30 day trial from GCC LaserPro Laser Engraver, Vinyl Cutter and Printer The roland comes with decent entry level program, but to do really good work with the Roland I would suggest R-Wear...about another $499.. There is a lot of info on all of these machines on the forum


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## PrintsCharming

Thank you Charles, solid response. I don't know much about vinyl cutters, i'm just now looking into them. If you don't mind me asking, what do you mostly use yours for? T-shirts? Truck lettering? etc.


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## charles95405

What I use my cutter for mostly...??? mostly depends on customer flow..I would say at various times each of what I do takes first place, but generally I would say Rhinestone templates and motifs, heat press vinyl for garments (often with rhinestone outline) and some decals for cars and windows...The later is the least used, probably because I am lazy and don't adequately market that end of the business. and that is too bad as that is the arena that cutters were designed for I think


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## Oh Yeaus!

I have a little Stika V8 and use the crap out of the thing for small jobs, mainly initials. I can cut more in that 6.30" cutting width. I have used it over a year now and have made enough money to move up to a larger size. I'm also much more familiar with the different software programs and extensions that are used and importable, so I'm more savy with my purchase. This was the best $400 I've ever spent and it's still cutting up a storm. If you are 'playing' with vinyl.... start with a Stika!


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## plan b

Sorry I dissagree on the stika,, Craftrobo I think is better than the sticka,, larger cutting area, optical eye for contour cut, 230 grams downforce and a lot less money


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## Rodney

PrintsCharming said:


> It's now 2010, is the GX24 still top dog? any improvements?
> 
> thanks


I think the Roland GX-24 is still a good vinyl cutter with good support (from both the manufacturer and usually the vendor)

I think for most people's usage, the downforce of the GX-24 is just fine. Cutting decals, sign vinyl, t-shirt vinyl, twill, all work fine with the GX-24.

Is it the "best"...can't speak to that, as I haven't tried every cutter  But it's still a great machine in my opinion.


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## ambitious

I have to agree with Rodney i bought a used Roland Gx24 from craigslist and got great support. I also own a cheapy cutter as well and it still works like a champ. As far as is it the "BEST" i don't know yet, but can honestly tell you that it's the "BEST" i have ever tried compared to all the cutters i had.

Whatever you do try to buy the best you can afford! I bought SO many cheapy cutters when i started and they just didn't do what i wanted them to do (Cut long Lengths). So if your real serious about starting a business, go with the best! Don't waste your money like i did!


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## PrintsCharming

ambitious said:


> I have to agree with Rodney i bought a used Roland Gx24 from craigslist and got great support. I also own a cheapy cutter as well and it still works like a champ. As far as is it the "BEST" i don't know yet, but can honestly tell you that it's the "BEST" i have ever tried compared to all the cutters i had.
> 
> Whatever you do try to buy the best you can afford! I bought SO many cheapy cutters when i started and they just didn't do what i wanted them to do (Cut long Lengths). So if your real serious about starting a business, go with the best! Don't waste your money like i did!


I've just started looking into the cutters, never really been a fan of heat transfers, so i never looked into them. I didn't realize how much use you can get from one. I'm considering one to add to my screen print business. To handle some small orders, one offs and I was really looking into truck lettering. I keep getting asked about it and it seems like these vinyl cutters are worth having around. I guess in the end i'm looking for a machine thats in the budget, optical eye, at least a 24 in. and has good customer service.


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## charles95405

The three that come to mind are GCC Puma III, Graphtec ce5000, and GX24. US Cutter has 
'Green Machine' which is a rebranded (?) GCC Puma and the 'Black Machine' which is a re-branded (?) GCC Jaguar IV. Also there is the laser point from US Cutters that does not have optic eye but can cut contour...and also the Foison which has a laser alignment system. I have no personal experience with the latter two. There may be others...so anyone with more, chime in.


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## car-tats.net

I don't see what all the hype is about the big brands like roland and graphtec. I have a GCC expert 24" which i got for a great price, and it has paid for itself already and i haven't even got my site up yet! Basically for every .50 of vinyl i make $10. It is a great investment!!! And don't invest so much money in a big brand cutter at first, it makes more sense to buy a value one, or a used one, and test the waters a little bit first


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## plan b

car-tats.net said:


> I don't see what all the hype is about the big brands like roland and graphtec. I have a GCC expert 24" which i got for a great price, and it has paid for itself already and i haven't even got my site up yet! Basically for every .50 of vinyl i make $10. It is a great investment!!! And don't invest so much money in a big brand cutter at first, it makes more sense to buy a value one, or a used one, and test the waters a little bit first


That is a big brand name cutter that you have...


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## car-tats.net

oh...lol well it wasn't as expensive! That's all I meant...  It's still a great cutter, despite the low price! I love it!


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## ayukish

One benefit to the GX-24 is the long standing reputation. Roland has been around for a while and it's been proven the cutters will last. The GX should also cut designs a bit faster than the less expensive counterparts and also cut more accurately, from what I've seen. The included software (cutstudio), while not perfect, is easy to use. It's a great software for someone looking to get in to the business without a design background.


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## ambitious

There's NO way you can compare the expert 24" to the roland. The Roland GX 24 cuts are way more crispier and it cuts faster, less noisier, and your right its more accurate. I noticed this last week while playing around with my brothers Expert 24" in his shop, although i still think the expert 24 is a great hobby or starter cutter, theres no comparison.


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## Nick Horvath

I agree. More comparable models to the GX-24 from GCC would be either the Puma III or Jaguar IV.


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## taglia 46

Oh Yeaus! said:


> I have a little Stika V8 and use the crap out of the thing for small jobs, mainly initials. I can cut more in that 6.30" cutting width. I have used it over a year now and have made enough money to move up to a larger size. I'm also much more familiar with the different software programs and extensions that are used and importable, so I'm more savy with my purchase. This was the best $400 I've ever spent and it's still cutting up a storm. If you are 'playing' with vinyl.... start with a Stika!


Hello Mrs Bonnie.I am also a Mrs. I need to buy a cutter to do writing and maybe numbers on Tshirts(is it flock you use??).Shows how much I know about it. I already do heat transfer, ready made ones and letters, but people want personalised writing.My business is not big, and my work lasts only a few months during the year, so it doesn't justify me spending 2000 euros on a Roland GX-24,that'd be like buying a rolls royce car just to nip to the supermarket in.The width of a tshirt is limited, so a smaller cutter would do me fine I think.
Also I am abit thick when it comes to computer programmes.So it's got to be dead easy to use.Right.Your Stika SV8, could it be the one for me??


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## Crawler Graphics

I have been very happy with my Roland GX-24.


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## CreativeInk

Hi, I'm new to the forums and new to t-shirt designing. I've been wanting to start my own home based business. I was originally looking into purchasing a DTG printer at $23k but after reading these forums i'm a bit scared of the DTG. I want to be able to fulfill custom orders as well as create my own designs to sell for retail. I have been looking at the Roland machines as well but i was looking at the printer/cutter. Anyone have any info on the combo machines? I was also looking at the engraver from Roland so i can make my own rhinestone transfers. Thanks any info will be great. I am thinking about purchasing the VersaCAMM® SP-300i & SP-540i  
Cilya


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## id8media

Having started out a year ago with a uscutter and upgrading last week to a new GX24 I have to agree there is no comparison.

The caveat I would add though is throughput and complexity.

When we started (as a home biz for my wife selling self designed t-shirts) we always had lots of time and as I doubted the ability of cutters my designs were less complex. However as we have got busier and busier, the time wasted on bad cuts and mis feeds made an upgrade essential.

The Roland GX24, is quieter, quicker and far more accurate and will print again and again.

I know everyone says save up for a 'good cutter' but I am not sure this is fair, we started with a £299 cutter and it paid for itself again and again, and we naturally reached a point where investment was needed and the business supported it. So looking back to when we started we made the right call at the beginning.

But just go in with realistic expectations, a £200 - 300 cutter will not be as good or reliable as a Roland (or Summa / Graphtec I presume) no matter what the specs say. But if you are just starting out and are self funding this as a sideline just get what you can afford, you can happily cut great t-shirts on a cheap cutter. And if you never come up against problems because you don't do enough volume or complexity then great!

CLC


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## Jinshop

Does anyone have any info on the Titan 3?
I am thinking of getting one.
Thanks.


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## DecalAvenue

Hi

I need help. I know maybe this is not the post to ask this questions, but realy need the help.

I was using cameo and now is dead. I dont have the money to go pro with roland or graphtec, so im thinking on buying a cheap cutter from eb ay.

Im looking at 34" cutter brand unknow model cv870 or 28" cutter brand vevor model kj720. This come with artcut and i see everyone saying that is not good the software, not sure about the cutter ether.

1. With software can i buy to use with this cheap cutters? I was looking at vinylmaster cut basic and sure cut a lot.

2. What other software are good apart from does and afordable?

3. Should i buy this cutter or just wait? Just keep in mind that Business cant wait or i lose my current clients.
Thanks


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## DecalAvenue

:/ i dont know whitch one to buy


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