# Which vinyl cutter?



## sovereign

I am thinking about starting up a t-shirt business that prints basic text onto t-shirts. (Text will be somewhat funny, if all things go as planned). From what I've gathered I'm going to need a vinyl cutter and vinyl to proceed, so my questions are:

1. Which vinyl cutter is recommended? I'm working with a budget under $500.

2. Where do I get aforementioned vinyl cutter and vinyl.

3. Any good sites to learn how to operate the vinyl cutter?

Thanks guys (Trust me, I've been searching for the last 3 hours, nothing specifically addresses these problems).


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## suzieh

One cutter for under $500 is a Roland Stika (several sizes)
It may not be big enough for your needs. Does not have optical eye which you might need. And not for heavy use. www.rolanddga.com

I found a lot of information by going to signmaking message boards... signs101.com and signweb.com come to mind. Be warned that if you post there and you are not a signmaker, you may not get a warm welcome. So just search and read.

A few people here have posted about vinyl cutters (cutting plotters)
but it took some plowing through posts.

Also, Graphtec has come out with a hobby-level cutter. 
http://craftrobo.com/

And information at sign supply stores (they have less expensive brands)
www.signwarehouse.com
or www.signsupply.com


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## Decal_Designs

edit... I didn't notice suzieh's reply since I was sidetracked a bit while typing, but her advise is good. I'll leave my post as is anyway.  .............

Well, you will not find much at all for less than $500. I would recommend you save up for a better cutter, however in the interest of helping you out a bit, you are probably going to be looking into a Stika in order to stay around that price. Here is a link for information. It's still a little more than $500 and by the time you add tax and shipping..... You can probably find one on eBay for less.

http://www.stika.com/

Stika's parent company is Roland, and Roland does make some better cutters. This at least means that they know something about making cutters, and I would guess that the Stika is the best cheapy cutter on the market. I still would not really recommend one of these though. Many people are happy with them though.

Probably one of the best sites to learn all about cutters, also called plotters, and how to use them is over at signs101.com . It is a site for learning how to make signs mostly, and that is basically what you are doing with a cutter for making t-shirts. It's the same exact process, except for two things.

1. you are using a different kind of vinyl for t-shirts
2. you are cutting your design in mirror image, or reversed.

Even though most of those guys do signs, many of them also do t-shirts.


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## JoshEllsworth

The Stika is a reliable cutter but it is not as versatile as a 24" cutter. If you are looking at creating text and smaller designs for t-shirts it will definitely suit your needs. You can get one that cuts 8" wide for $400. Whoever you buy your cutter from should train you on how to use it. Some companies will walk you through over the phone, others have virtual training online. Just make sure some kind of training is onvolved.


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## COEDS

I think a 24 inch cutter would be a good place to start. I think the software is a major consideration too.


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## dmarciano

I'm looking into vinyl cutters as well but for now the GX-24 is a little out of my price range. The designs I'm going to be making though will usually include some very jagged edges and sometimes intricate details. Will the Stika work for this or should I just wait and get the GX-24. I'm just a little concerned that at the moment the GX-24 might be overkill.


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## SomeSailor

I've had a Vinyl Express Lynx 24 from Sign Warehouse for several years now. It's a knock-off of the Roland GX-24 (even uses their blades). It's been a great cutter and has paid for itself many times over. You can get a complete 24" package for just over a grand and might be a great place to start.

I looked at the Rolands, but couldn't see justification for the increased cost.


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## COEDS

I bought a enduracut from Signwarehouse w/the lxi software. The software isn't compatiable with the windows vista. I need a new PC and will need to stay with xp to use my software.I have called and asked why and they have no answer..... JB


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## dmarciano

Does anyone know of any company that will let a new start finance the Roland GX-24? I personally have decent credit so I was hoping that this would be the best route right not since I can't afford to buy it outright.


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## plan b

Hi all, I have a copam, silent as a printer cuts fast and very small stuff I am cutting now les than 1/8th inch fonts very small, the machine has a f2 holder which takes roland blades, however the roland oem blades on this machine could not cut the fonts so I got some super sharp blades made by a guy here in the USA, as a matter of fact the presure had to be reduced by 30% because they are that sharp, cut those little fonts great with the copam, although it does not have optical reading of registration marks to trace transfer but will auto mesure the vinyl. I bought this one new from ebay for $576.00 if I remember right. Its by US cutter, so it depends what you are going to do with your cutter as to the features you need.

R.


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## theflowerboxx

Well here's a pic of a left breast I did today with my 250.00 US Cutter refine series machine. I'd have to say it will cut detail as good as a roland. I did 18 of these and they all weeded easily.


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## plan b

Great looking stuff David 

R.


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## plan b

Oh David ,just noticed, hope u got more than a penny for that.

R.


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## theflowerboxx

A "little bit" more then that.


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## Artsplace-CBR

theflowerboxx said:


> Well here's a pic of a left breast I did today with my 250.00 US Cutter refine series machine. I'd have to say it will cut detail as good as a roland. I did 18 of these and they all weeded easily.


 
I can't find a US Cutter for under $300.00, where did you get one for $250.00.

Art


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## theflowerboxx

Ebay auction.


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## Chani

I'm not sure if the Stika will work with Illustrator or CorelDRAW, but I know the Craft Robo from Graphtec will. You can get a Craft Robo that will cut 8 inches wide for $279 minus our forum discount from Specialty Graphics Supply (Specialty Graphics Supply). They also special-cut rolls of vinyl to work with that cutter.

The other advantage of a Stika or Craft Robo is that they have optical eyes in case you ever decide to contour cut inkjet or laser heat transfers.


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## sewmuchstuff

We have a Summa D60 (about 4 yrs. old) without the optical eye. It hasn't missed a beat and I cut thermoflex,hotmark and sign vinyl daily. It has paid for itself over and over again. A friend at a tradeshow told us this piece of equipment would pay off faster than any equipment we owned. We have a full retail shop and do every aspect of garment decoration and it is TRUE. It has been the most profitable. I have replaced the protection strip once and I change my blade about once every 2 mo. It has great down pressure too.

My advise, spend a little more and get a 24" good cutter. You can make your money back in the long run with very little problems. Summa has a good line for us. We use CoCut Professional as our cutting software. The old saying is true... You get what you pay for.

Annette


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## plan b

Hi Annette, If you are changing blades every 2 mos you might want to take a look at cleancutblades.com , Ross is a super great guy I have found his blades out last any out there .. Just my 2 cents....

R.


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## sewmuchstuff

Thanks I will do that. I cut vinyl for around 50 plus signs a week. I figured I was getting pretty good use of my current blades. How long should I be expecting for cutting 400 signs plus thermoflex and hotmark that I'm not counting?

Annette


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## plan b

I have heard reports of anywere from once every 2 years some even longer,, I have hade mine for about 8 mos, and I cut mostly flock and glitter, the blades are not cheap but you don't have to worry about a dull blade,, give Ross a call he has some discounts for forum members,, I belong to sign forums also,, 

R.


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## KenS

Roger, what cutter are you using to cut flock? I have teh Roland GX 24 and I am playing with the settings for the best results.

What blade, pressure and speed do you use?


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## plan b

Hey Ken,, I am using a copam 2500, I use a 60 degree blade from cleancutblades.com,, I cut speed 10 mm down force, 80, offset 25,, this will vary from machine to machine and also blade manufacturer,, hope this helps you, I know its not a roland but Josh says they will cut one pass,, you might want to pm him and see what he recomends,

R.


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## plan b

Hey Ken, that was 10 cm not mm


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## buck1

I currently print sublimination transfers on a hp4550n printer on plain typing paper which i then heatpress onto 50/50 t-shirts. I am looking at buying a vinyl cutter. Will the us cutter refine cut around the transfers i currently print?


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## theflowerboxx

No, you would need a cutter with an optical eye. From everything I have read I would either go with the Roland GX-24 or a Graphtec cutter.


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## COEDS

I agree with theflowerboxx. I suggest the Roland GX-24 for its ease of setup and operation of the optical eye function. .....JB


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## buzzzon2

Catalog

this one is under 500.00 and it comes with a roll vinyl and a free stand


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## bulldog1

plan b said:


> Hi all, I have a copam, silent as a printer cuts fast and very small stuff I am cutting now les than 1/8th inch fonts very small, the machine has a f2 holder which takes roland blades, however the roland oem blades on this machine could not cut the fonts so I got some super sharp blades made by a guy here in the USA, as a matter of fact the presure had to be reduced by 30% because they are that sharp, cut those little fonts great with the copam, although it does not have optical reading of registration marks to trace transfer but will auto mesure the vinyl. I bought this one new from ebay for $576.00 if I remember right. Its by US cutter, so it depends what you are going to do with your cutter as to the features you need.
> 
> R.


Roger, I'm reading through some older posts and wanted to ask if you remember the name or website of that guy/company who sold you the super-sharp blades? I have a GX-24 and seem to be having some challenges cutting smaller fonts.


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## COEDS

jimjobin said:


> Roger, I'm reading through some older posts and wanted to ask if you remember the name or website of that guy/company who sold you the super-sharp blades? I have a GX-24 and seem to be having some challenges cutting smaller fonts.


I'm not Roger( I'm much younger) you can get those blades at specialty graphics or direct from www.cleancutblade.com ..... JB


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## bulldog1

Thanks JB! Just bought some vinyl from Specialty-Graphics.com. Great products and service.


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## Lequisha

I have a quick question. How do you place the images/letters on the t-shirts after you cut them? Do you have to place the images 1 by 1? I'm trying to find out how you keep your images and letters straight.


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## mohue4

Hi everyone.......I design alot of detail Polynesian designs, can these cutter cut these design? Im still using the Iron transfer but want to looking into these cutting machine....thanks

M.


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## MeyersPrintShack

I was in the same situation a couple years ago. I found a cutter for $500. It was a nightmare. It never worked properly. I now have a QE60 I bought from the signwarehouse. It's OK, but if I ever buy another cutter it will be Roland. I have friends that have Rolands and they have no problems. One guy just changed his blade for the first time after 6years. Mine needs changed ever 3 months.

If I had it to do over, I would find someone local to cut my vinyl. I would buy the roll of vinyl and pay them to cut it. I have 2 sign makers in my area that charge me almost nothing to cut my vinyl. Save your money until you can get a good cutter. Thats my experience hope that helps .


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## amy_schutt

I would avoid Sign Warehouse like the black plague. My experience with customer service with them was poor to non-existent.

If the roller assembly I ordered this week doesn't fix my problem, I'm buying a new cutter. It won't be from sign warehouse.

This cutter is a pill. I borrowed one from a guy locally (nicest guy ever to loan his out and brought it to me), it's giving me grief as well. Sort of makes one think it might be operator error. IT'S NOT.....

It's campaign time here, so it couldn't have come at a worse time. Grrr.


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## MeyersPrintShack

I agree I will not use them again. My experience with sign warehouse has not been good.


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## oneprideclothing

hows it going guys i own my own company and i am sooo tired of people jerkin me around for my promo stickers so i am looking in to getin a cutter that is cheap reliable and user friendly any advise???


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## lucky5

* RedSail 24 chna..
*


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## Nick Horvath

oneprideclothing said:


> hows it going guys i own my own company and i am sooo tired of people jerkin me around for my promo stickers so i am looking in to getin a cutter that is cheap reliable and user friendly any advise???


GCC makes some very good inexpensive cutters. I would look into the Expert 24 for a good startup cutter.


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## ratchet

I just bought an Expert 24.

The build qualty is impressive (for the price).

You'll have to give me a couple of months to see if any issues arise, but it's working well so far.


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## oneprideclothing

thanks how much did u pay and what kind of program does it run??


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## ratdaddy

Artsplace-CBR said:


> I can't find a US Cutter for under $300.00, where did you get one for $250.00.
> 
> Art


 
I just bought one today on Ebay. $247 WITH $49 shipping.

New with software but no stand for it.


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## ratchet

bought mine from studica... prices are on their website.

Comes with a plug-in for most programs (AI, CD, etc.)


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## Nick Horvath

MeyersPrintShack said:


> One guy just changed his blade for the first time after 6years.


He must not be cutting very much or at all! The normal life of a blade being used frequently is about 3 months, so you are right in the normal usage range.

Of course this will depend on what you cut as well, and also how far out you extend your blade from the blade holder.


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## Meechelle

Don't go through BestBlanks. Those guys lied to me to get me to buy their cutter. I did all the research and then some and finally settled on the Roland Stika 12. Well guess what? You can't adjust the damn thing. So anything I would print out from my inkjet printer for dark shirt transfers is too small. I don't have enough money to get a printer that prints bigger than 8 1/2 by 14. Then I called the company and my salesperson that I had worked with for weeks was not very helpful. I still have the cutter and it's collecting dust. I paid like $300 or so. Thanks Brandon from BestBlanks.


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## Meechelle

I think try the T It stuff. YOu can find it at Alpha Supply. I didn't, I've been doing shirts on a heat press for a few years and I just always use a regular metal t-square with the plastic t.


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## Meechelle

I would save up for the Roland 24. Anything less than the 24 in the Roland line will not cut as much detail.


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## neographics1

Question about the inkjet printers you are all using for transfers. What type of printer works best and how long does this ink last on shirts without fading?


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## ShockATee

I am new to the tshirt transfer business. I am looking into purchasing a vinyl cutter so that I can get more persice cuts and not get the shape of the transfer on the shirt. I am looking for some referrals on which kind of cutter to purchase (Graphtec or Roland)? Also, is this needed for my business? HELP!!


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## Nick Horvath

ShockATee said:


> I am new to the tshirt transfer business. I am looking into purchasing a vinyl cutter so that I can get more persice cuts and not get the shape of the transfer on the shirt. I am looking for some referrals on which kind of cutter to purchase (Graphtec or Roland)? Also, is this needed for my business? HELP!!


It sounds like you will need a cutter that has an optic eye for cutting around images on printed vinyls.

Both the Graphtec and the Roland will work great for this. The most popular being the Roland GX-24. 

GCC makes two cutters with an optic eye as well. They would be the Puma III and the Jaguar IV.

Is this needed for you business? A vinyl cutter?

I would say that if you are considering cutting around images on transfer paper, then yes. Also, you are able to cut sign vinyl as well as heat applied vinyl using a cutter.


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## zxcvbvcxz

hey all
just wondered if the Roland would be ok for cutting football names and numbers?
also anyone any idea on best software to use to make the design of the names and number sets?
any advice greatly appreciated.
thanks
Bex


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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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## Stickyfingers

Please Help: Sorry if wrong subject 
My Cuyi Cutter displays "Working Laser", how to fix this error

TIA


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## nyx567

Any thoughts on this US Cutter, anyone own one. I will be cutting just letters on t-shirts.

New Vinyl Cutter Best Value Sign Cutting Making Kit w Vinylmaster Cut Sale | eBay


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## DecalAvenue

I finaly bought us cutter mh 721 28 inches to cut. I was expecting low quality because is chinese just branded with there name, but the cutter is good to start, cut decals and heat vinyl for tshirts.

At the moment i like it, and i had no problem and hope stay that way. Now, i think i need to return it because i need it more big for bigger jobs.


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## motoguy

I too am looking for a plotter/cutter. I'll be using it primarily to create reusable magnetic masks for powdercoating/painting, or disposable vinyl masks for the same. I'm looking for a wide format, with at the best possible value. This will be used as a tool to support my current business, not a business of it's own. I'm currently looking at the USCutter offerings as well. Would the SC or Laserpoint II series be sufficient to cut .020" or .030" magnetic sheet material?


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## BrianHahn

If you are going to cut magnetic materials and masking materials you will be better off with a servo motor cutter. More downforce and stronger motors for doing thicker materials. Make sure to get a 3 year warranty.

Wherever you decide to buy from, always check for these things:

1) BBB rating of the company. Try to buy from a B+ rated company or better.
2) Warranty (should be at least 2 year for stepper, 3 for servos)
3) Trade in program availability so you can trade up later if you want to.
4) Off hours / weekend support availability if you need this. Is there a cost for support for suppliers that charge for it.
5) Software guarantee. Will vendor exchange software for you if you decide on a different software package.
6) Training. Will vendor train you if needed and is this charged for.
7) Money back guarantee. Should be at least 30 days without a restocking fee.


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## MungoLarry

We have always used Graphtec and they are awesome. Denco sales in Portland Oregon is a great place to buy them.


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