# Mac Friendly Cutters



## betard_foosier (Jan 9, 2011)

I am a long time mac user, and just starting out in this business. I have my heat press, now I am looking at vinyl cutters. I was dismayed when I learned GCC cutters are not Mac friendly, and I know Rolands work with certain Mac software. I want something that will WORK, not something I will have to run dual boot software, tether this, etc., and fool it into working. Are there any other cutters that work with Mac? As for the rest of this industry, is it mostly pc based? 
I am from the commercial printing side, which has been historically mac based, but that is changing. But in the apparel and vinyl world, it seems that everything is PC? Help me decide whether to stick to my mac or buy a pc now before I get too far into the business!


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## typo_joe (Apr 3, 2009)

First of all, you need to stop that nonsense of getting a PC. No Mac person will get a PC!! Joking aside, I am very much in your shoes. I know that Graphtec CE5000-60 will work on mac running Illustrator CS via a plugin called Cut Master. The plugin comes with the machine. I believe the Roland cutters have a similar set up. If I understand correctly, Flexi for the Mac will allow you to use most popular cutters and printer/cutters. However, there is a cost issue in that direction.

Hope that helps.


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## Booka (Jan 12, 2011)

Has anybody seen if running a windows Virtual Machine on a Mac works? I have not found anybody talking about it here, but maybe I am just not doing the right searches.

But it would be a way to get away from buying a machine, just a license.


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## MLdigital (Nov 23, 2010)

i'm in the same boat....the gcc is very affordable for the light user, it's a shame that a driver is the only thing holding me back from buying one.


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## SandyMcC (Jul 23, 2009)

Booka said:


> Has anybody seen if running a windows Virtual Machine on a Mac works? I have not found anybody talking about it here, but maybe I am just not doing the right searches.
> 
> But it would be a way to get away from buying a machine, just a license.


I have quite a few customers who do this. They use either VMWare Fusion or Boot Camp and then have Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7 installed on the Windows partition. Those who have VM Ware say that it's worth the price because it makes switching from the Mac side to the Windows side (and back) much easier. 

My customers are cutting to KNK/ACS cutters, Craft Robo's, and Graphtec 5000's and don't seem to have any problems with communicating from their Mac to their machines using the Windows emulation. Hope this helps!


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## MLdigital (Nov 23, 2010)

I emailed the ppl at GCC directly this morning about this, and I got a response that the Mac solution was underway. This would be awesome if so, I told them I have 3 shirt designers in my neighborhood alone that would each buy one today if it were mac ready!!!


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## plan b (Feb 21, 2007)

MLdigital said:


> I emailed the ppl at GCC directly this morning about this, and I got a response that the Mac solution was underway. This would be awesome if so, I told them I have 3 shirt designers in my neighborhood alone that would each buy one today if it were mac ready!!!


There is a solution on the GCC cutters however the drivers are being installed for the Expert 24 ,, the Gcc Expert-24 LX and the Expert Pro into signcut,, this should be very soon which I believe then you can use your Mac with AI to cut and I think it should be done by Feb. This solution is outside of anything that GCC may be doing at the present time.


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## plan b (Feb 21, 2007)

I might add that the puma 3 is already to go now and they list it as a sp-60


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## MLdigital (Nov 23, 2010)

plan b said:


> There is a solution on the GCC cutters however the drivers are being installed for the Expert 24 ,, the Gcc Expert-24 LX and the Expert Pro into signcut,, this should be very soon which I believe then you can use your Mac with AI to cut and I think it should be done by Feb. This solution is outside of anything that GCC may be doing at the present time.



Thanks so much for this info, and please keep us updated if you can about this.

I'm not familiar with this software, but the main objective is to be able to design in illustrator and output directly from illustrator on a mac.

thanks.


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## foot print (Jun 2, 2010)

here is my quick fix. my Mac is for graphic design and I set up an old PC just for my cut3000.. i know not what anyone wants to hear but it made life simple...PC's are super cheap now days..


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## justinstad (Jan 28, 2011)

plan b said:


> There is a solution on the GCC cutters however the drivers are being installed for the Expert 24 ,, the Gcc Expert-24 LX and the Expert Pro into signcut,, this should be very soon which I believe then you can use your Mac with AI to cut and I think it should be done by Feb. This solution is outside of anything that GCC may be doing at the present time.


Any word on this? Coming soon?


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## SeasonEnds (Sep 9, 2007)

I use a $300 something dollar US-Cutter MH Series cutter on my Mac with Illustrator and sign cut pro frequently. It works like a charm.


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## plan b (Feb 21, 2007)

justinstad said:


> Any word on this? Coming soon?


Sign cut has not added the Expert 24 cut drivers yet, you may want to drop them a email and ask when these will be added.


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## crowflower (Jun 10, 2010)

I did the same as foot print--I have a pc laptop with CorelDraw x4 just for my cutter. I got it nonworking for $7.00 and put a $50 hard drive in it, so it was a cheap solution for me. My Macs even let it sit on the same table with them.


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## plan b (Feb 21, 2007)

The pc thing imo would be the best way to go as the signcut pro is a subscription service so it might be of more value to you to just cut from a pc.


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## justinstad (Jan 28, 2011)

It's incredible to me that Macs are being used more & more in the design / editing world and yet there is no clean cut solution.
Thanks for all the info and let's keep this one alive as better solutions come to be!


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## PhilDx (Feb 13, 2010)

crowflower said:


> My Macs even let it sit on the same table with them.


Eeew, it'll get cooties!


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## PhilDx (Feb 13, 2010)

I use signcut X2 (used to be called pro I think), and find the subscription service worth it for the simplicity of having the Illustrator plug-in right there on the Mac I'm working on; No having to save, export, reload, deal with pc/mac networking, etc.


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## macman (Dec 28, 2007)

I have a GX24 and use illustrator & Cut Studio plugin downloaded from Roland. No need for a pc. Having said that I also have a DTG that will only work with a pc. I have been a Mac user since the 90's. I purchased Parallels and Windows XP & Windows 7. I was not sure at the time which one would work with the DTG. With Parallels you can switch back and forth from windows to Mac without rebooting. In fact with Parallels you will be able to use all the different cutters software.


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## AngieB (Feb 27, 2011)

I am just starting out and I have an iMac. It was very easy for me to partition my hard drive to be able to run Windows programs. Of course I had to buy Windows 7 for $200, but that's cheaper than a new computer. I can repost after I have used Windows software - I'm waiting for my rhinestone system to arrive.


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## agensop (Dec 11, 2008)

running bootcamp is a royal pain in the ***....however... 
you can use parallels or fusion with a bootcamp partition. i personally just use fusion from an image cause i dont want to dedicate any part of my had to windows and have to switch between the 2 anymore. it works fine just not what i wanted to do anymore. i prefer using parallels however since its MUCH faster in my opinion than fusion.

you cant beat bootcamp with a stick because its a reg pc like any other intel based computer. i just dont like losing my mac enviorment. 



AngieB said:


> I am just starting out and I have an iMac. It was very easy for me to partition my hard drive to be able to run Windows programs. Of course I had to buy Windows 7 for $200, but that's cheaper than a new computer. I can repost after I have used Windows software - I'm waiting for my rhinestone system to arrive.


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## circuit (Apr 19, 2011)

I have heard that Intel-based macs will not work with some type of emulator. I have an Eagle Ultraforce and would like to run it on a MacBook Pro. I have illustrator and also purchased FlexiSTARTER v8.6 for Mac... I'm wondering if that will allow me to work with the Mac? I am not sure how to actually send a job to the Eagle since I can't recognize it anywhere in the Mac... Ideas?


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## macman (Dec 28, 2007)

I have a Roland cutter and do not use the cut studio software
I use Illustrator and the cut studio plug in. I suggest you see if one is available from eagle ultraforce site.


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## circuit (Apr 19, 2011)

Their website has no software on it at all. 
It came with the KNK Studio software for PC. But I can't get a driver or plugin off of that for Illustrator.


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## SandyMcC (Jul 23, 2009)

If you purchased an Eagle, then you can call Accugraphic at 800-268-3672 and they will advise you on how to get the cutter recognized.


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## circuit (Apr 19, 2011)

I'll try that. 
Thank you.


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## SandyMcC (Jul 23, 2009)

If you don't get through and have to leave a message, let me know. They are swamped right now... they just received a shipment of cutters and are getting them to those who placed deposits. But I can make sure your call gets prioritized. It's what I do best!


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## AQHA1041 (May 24, 2017)

@SeasonsEND - I know your response is from 2011 but I'm in aw that you are using an US Cutter MH with a Mac given that US Cutter says they are not Mac compatible. How are you making it Mac compatible? I've come across a software called Easy Cut Studio but am unable to find any users of it other than the website testimonials. It says it is compatible with a variety of vinyl cutter brands.


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## SandyMcC (Jul 23, 2009)

Easy Cut Studio is a re-brand of Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL) which has both Mac and Windows versions and works with that model you mention. There are thousands of owners of Sure Cuts A Lot and plenty of resources for learning it. In fact I wrote a detailed user manual for it last fall. If you have any questions about it, ask away!

You can download the trial and verify that it works with your cutter. I think the trial lasts 15 days, you can't save files but you can certainly test it. Also, it cuts some watermark cuts so don't test it on anything expensive. : )

Download page is here: Craft Edge: Download Software to Cut True Type fonts with eCraft, BossKut Gazelle, Pazzles, Silhouette, USCutter, Black Cat Cougar, Lynx

And the SCAL user manual is Chapters 3 - 10 in this user manual:

[media]http://www.iloveknk.com/0um/ZingOrbit-with-SCAL/ZingOrbit-with-SCAL-UM.pdf[/media]


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## AQHA1041 (May 24, 2017)

Thanks Sandy - however, figuring out what plotter to go with makes my head spin. I wish I had the funds for the big boys. But I don't. I need to stay at the lower end.

Is there a different between the two programs at all if they are the same? One better than the other?


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## SandyMcC (Jul 23, 2009)

They're both programmed by the same person... the owner of SCAL. That would suggest that the latest updates will always be the SCAL versions. However, if you can find a smokin' deal on Easy Cut Studio (definitely less that $48) AND you've made sure that it communicates with your cutter, then take the less expensive choice. But I have a feeling that you'll still end up using SCAL resources for education and support. And the future of Easy Cut Studio is less secure than that of SCAL because there is no product without SCAL. Right?


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## SandyMcC (Jul 23, 2009)

One more thing... if you need help with the settings needed to test your cutter, let me know. I should be able to help you with that.


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