# Need some advice on a template cutter



## mbsperling (Jan 19, 2013)

I have been purchasing precut templates for the past 3 years now. 
My shirts are a side business and I haven't wanted to invest a huge amount of money into equipment.
I realize now that each time I purchase a template rather that just a download I am spending an extra $20-$30 each time.
So, I would like some advice on a cutter for sticky flock.

1. What would be a good starter cutter for cutting about 4-5 templates a month.
2. Do I need software also? or do the cutters come with some? It looks like the downloads are usually .esp and .svg. Do I need software to send to cutter?
3. Do you know of any sites that sell used cutters?
Thanks! Melissa


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## katruax (Sep 30, 2010)

Hello Melissa,

I would not fiddle with a used cutter... They are too cheap to take a chance on a used one and having the support of your dealer especially being your first cutter will be invaluable...

My first recommendation... Don't spend a ton of MONEY!!! You don't need to... Trust me I learned the hard way...

My first cutter was years and years ago from Vinyl Cutters Sign Making Supplies Vinyl Banners Wide Format Color Printers Garment Decoration - America's Best Deals... Great cutter... Decent support but just OK... They are a larger outfit and sell on volume...

Anyhow I spent almost $3,000... Years later I sold out my business... Then I missed having a vinyl cutter... I went back to Signwarehouse and bought a $300 vinyl cutter from them on a chance... LOVED IT! Cut everything that my nearly $3,000 cutter did.... Now it did have a few limitations but for $300 bucks I used the thing for years and years without a hitch... It cut rhinestone templates just fine too!!!

Most vinyl cutters if not all will come with some type of cutting software to send a file to the cutter... This is where the difference really is in my book... Not the cutter but the software that makes it cut...

Hands down IMHO the best cutter on the market for the money that will do just what you are looking for... The $400 KNK Zing... https://www.digitalcuttersplus.com/KNK-Zing-shipping-included-in-price_p_160.html

I have this cutter and love it for what it is... The reason I purchased it was for it's portability for doing tradeshows and what not.... It's a perfect desktop machine... I had a Silhouette Cameo too and while it's a popular machine because of it's price the Zing IMHO beats the Cameo hands down.... It's just a better built machine... The support staff behind the cutter is second to none as well...

The cutter comes with Make the Cut which is a decent cutting software... I'm a very technical person so I have some beefs with the software but for the general public it does what you need and does it well...

In that $400.00 range there are some other cutters to maybe consider.... For a little more money you could talk with Stephanie at Synergy 17 - Home - Your source for all your garment decorating equipment and supplies. about one of her entry level GCC cutters too... 

I would talk with Brenda at www.digitalcuttersplus.com about the Zing and Stephanie at Synergy 17 - Home - Your source for all your garment decorating equipment and supplies. about one of her entry level GCC cutters and limit my choice to one of the two... You won't go wrong either way... I would lean towards Brenda and the Zing but only because I have the Zing and like it that much and it's a little cheaper.... 

But you do your homework... Ask lots of questions and decide what would be best for you...

Hope that helps get you started....

Kevin


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## Tugg Speedman (Feb 12, 2012)

I may be selling my GCC Expert 24 in about a month.Still haven't decided if I'll keep it as backup or not. Should be jumping up to a Roland GX24.

My GCC is only a year old and in great condition.It gets covered up after every use and so far no scratches on it (knock on wood).

Mods,if posting that I might sell it is against rules then delete plz.


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## katruax (Sep 30, 2010)

Tugg Speedman said:


> Should be jumping up to a Roland GX24.


Tugg... Interested to hear why you are considering Roland GX-24?... Just being nosy I guess...

I used to have a Roland GX-24 back in the day... Very old technology with that cutter and it's a fairly pricey cutter too considering the many, many options now available....

If you haven't considered a KNK cutter perhaps it would be worth taking a look at?... This is a brand new technology machine...

https://www.digitalcuttersplus.com/NEW-KNK-MaxxAir--24--NOW-WITH-BLUETOOTH_p_472.html

Bluetooth connection is pretty cool... The cutter does not need to be connected you your computer at all...

But there are two features that really stand out for me... The bolt on tables... this cutter comes with LOVE THEM!!! I would not own another cutter without them now that I have used them... You can get bolt on tables for GCC cutters too....

The other more important thing for me is the cutting software that runs the machine... The Roland GX24 is very old technology and the cutting software that runs the machine is pretty dated as well.... The KNK Maxx Air comes with Make the Cut software which is OK but you can upgrade to KNK Studio.... KNK Studio has a unique cutting optimization option not found in the Roland cutting software that will allow you to cut your templates much more quickly.

The other advantage... You can upgrade KNK Studio to OObling Pro I believe for $300? I believe you previously asked about OObling....

Anyhow just some food for thought if you are interested?...

Kevin


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## Tugg Speedman (Feb 12, 2012)

I just want to upgrade to a quieter machine that I know should handle most anything I throw at it. I am familiar with Make the Cut and SCAL since I started on my wifes Cricut. That thing sat around for a year until I loaded some vinyl and made decals. It paid for itself soon enough and then my wife wanted me to do shirts.So we bought a heat press and a bigger cutter that would fit our budget.

Now my wife wants rhinestone shirts so I'm using that as an excuse to upgrade one more time. The GCC is kind of loud and I cut stuff late at night. The Roland doesn't seem as loud and has a better motor that should handle rhinestone material better.

I know it's a bit old so I asked if anyone knew if Roland had a replacement for it this year. Seems like they don't or are being secretive about it.Bluetooth doesn't matter to me for this because it sits next to my computer anyway. The design doesn't look dated like the previous model.

The table adapter I don't see I have a need for.I know the GCC has one but I didn't get it.

Can anyone tell me if the Roland is much quieter than the Expert? From videos it seems a bit quiter.

What would you change Katruax,to the Roland if they asked you? Maybe a touch screen interface? I'm not sure what they can do to it other than have it hold two blades and swap them out like a CNC machine automatically. Maybe a built in pen so you can test your design on paper.

I will check out the KNK,heard of it before the GCC or Roland but never checked it out.
Thanks




Sorry OP, don't want to hijack your thread. I think an Expert 24 would be a good machine to start just like a lot of us have done.
Priced well below a Roland.


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## katruax (Sep 30, 2010)

Tugg Speedman said:


> I just want to upgrade to a quieter machine that I know should handle most anything I throw at it. I am familiar with Make the Cut and SCAL since I started on my wifes Cricut. That thing sat around for a year until I loaded some vinyl and made decals. It paid for itself soon enough and then my wife wanted me to do shirts.So we bought a heat press and a bigger cutter that would fit our budget.
> 
> Now my wife wants rhinestone shirts so I'm using that as an excuse to upgrade one more time. The GCC is kind of loud and I cut stuff late at night. The Roland doesn't seem as loud and has a better motor that should handle rhinestone material better.
> 
> ...


The Roland is quieter than an Expert... Expert using Stepper motors and the Roland using Servo... That said "much quieter" may be a stretch....


The Roland is a weak cutter... 250 grams of down force... It's why I no longer have mine... Now granted you don't really need 250 grams of down force to cut a rhinestone template but with more down force you do have more cutting options on the type of material you can cut... Actually the GCC Expert has the same down force as the Roland...

Have you considered the GG Expert Pro or the Puma III?...

Both have Servo motors so they will be quieter machines to run and the Expert Pro is nearly half the cost of a GX24 and has nearly double the down force at 400 grams compared to 250 grams of the GX24...

The other advantage of staying with the GCC Family of cutters is you can use the same cutting software you are familiar with and the cut files you already have rather than learning new cutting software....

Just a heads up... KNK Machines are good machines but they use stepper motors which will be louder to operate.... Although the new KNK Maxx Air is a quieter machine to run than my KNK Eagle...

Kevin


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## BlueForME (Mar 4, 2011)

Tugg Speedman said:


> I just want to upgrade to a quieter machine that I know should handle most anything I throw at it. I am familiar with Make the Cut and SCAL since I started on my wifes Cricut. That thing sat around for a year until I loaded some vinyl and made decals. It paid for itself soon enough and then my wife wanted me to do shirts.So we bought a heat press and a bigger cutter that would fit our budget.
> 
> Now my wife wants rhinestone shirts so I'm using that as an excuse to upgrade one more time. The GCC is kind of loud and I cut stuff late at night. The Roland doesn't seem as loud and has a better motor that should handle rhinestone material better.
> 
> ...


I own 3 GCC cutters (2 experts and 1 expert lx) and I also have the Roland GX 24. Hands down the Roland is only about 1/4th as loud as the GCC.

I use the roland for my every day machine, the GCC LX for my rhinestone templates. I use 2 of the GCC cutters in my craft room when not at my regular shop, use them for anything I need cut from heat press vinyl to rhinestone templates.

The only two things that I find the Roland better for is the lesser noise level and the extra fine detail it will cut.

Blue


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## dan-ann (Oct 25, 2007)

I love my knk maxx. 24 did does everything I need it to and more but it is really noisy


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## DivineBling (Sep 14, 2010)

BlueForME said:


> I own 3 GCC cutters (2 experts and 1 expert lx) and I also have the Roland GX 24. Hands down the Roland is only about 1/4th as loud as the GCC.
> e


That's comparing apples to oranges, though. The Expert 24 and Expert LX both have stepper motors and the Roland GX 24 has a servo motor, which was WAY quieter. The GCC Expert Pro, Puma III, and Jaguar IV all have servo motors and are all WAY quieter than the stepper motor models.

Just wanted to clarify the reason for the loud noise. And I completely agree. They are loud.


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## BlueForME (Mar 4, 2011)

DivineBling said:


> That's comparing apples to oranges, though. The Expert 24 and Expert LX both have stepper motors and the Roland GX 24 has a servo motor, which was WAY quieter. The GCC Expert Pro, Puma III, and Jaguar IV all have servo motors and are all WAY quieter than the stepper motor models.
> 
> Just wanted to clarify the reason for the loud noise. And I completely agree. They are loud.


I was just answering his question, "_Can anyone tell me if the Roland is much quieter than the Expert?"

Blue
_


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## DivineBling (Sep 14, 2010)

BlueForME said:


> I was just answering his question, "_Can anyone tell me if the Roland is much quieter than the Expert?"
> 
> Blue
> _


Dang, I must be getting old. I thought I had carefully read everything in this thread before posting. Sorry about that!  You answered his question beautifully! 

YES, any servo motor cutter is going to be a ton quieter than a servo motor cutter.


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## BML Builder (Jul 8, 2008)

Hey Stephanie, didn't you mean that servo motors are quieter than stepper motors??


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## Leg cramps (Feb 9, 2009)

LOL its official, she IS getting old.


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## DivineBling (Sep 14, 2010)

BML Builder said:


> Hey Stephanie, didn't you mean that servo motors are quieter than stepper motors??


Dangit!!! YES! SERVO motors are quieter than STEPPER motors. Ugh!!!


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## Tugg Speedman (Feb 12, 2012)

It's okay Stephanie. Blame it on auto correct if you're using the phone app. 

Thanks.


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