# What Vinyl Cutter for a Beginner



## rlmurph (Mar 12, 2012)

Hey everyone my name is Roy and Im new to the forum and to screen printing. Iv tried vinyl as a stencil on my screens instead of emulsion and it worked great. So now I need to order a vinyl cutter for myself. Iv been doing some research and Iv come to GCC Expert 24 and a US Cutter SC. Im leaning towards the GCC. Im looking for a cutter that will be easy to use with Corell Draw X5. Is the GCC a good choice? or is there something else that would be better? Any help would be very appreciated! Roy


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## charles95405 (Feb 1, 2007)

for the price point of the GCC Expert, you can't go wrong...but I suggest that you get a more robust cutting software...but it will work with the shipping software...you have to follow instructions when doing the installation...but if I can do it...anyone can


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## rlmurph (Mar 12, 2012)

Is there any other good cutters for around the same price range as the gcc expert that would work well?


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## royster13 (Aug 14, 2007)

I have a GCC Expert 24 and it is rock solid and has made me a pile of money....When I bought it I had convinced myself it was better than the US Cutter offerings and has not let me down.....

Do yourself a favour and do lots of research hear and over at the US Cutter forum before you finalize your purchase.....


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## Mabuzi (Jul 3, 2007)

Roland GX24. What a workhorse.


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## rturner381 (Mar 9, 2012)

Roland GX24, APD 2400, or Graphtec CE5000


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## hollyandrea (Jan 10, 2012)

Reading this thread trying to find some good answers as I'm also a BEGINNER on vinyl transfer. Yes, as a beginner I would appreciate if someone could give me idea where a good cutter/plotter around $300 (I'm not looking for a workhorse or pro type yet).


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## royster13 (Aug 14, 2007)

IMO a "good cutter/plotter" for around 300.00 does not exist....

But if that is all you have to spend I would go with this.....
NEW "Your Best Value" SignMakers Vinyl SignWarehouse Cutter Vinly Sign Plotter | eBay


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## rturner381 (Mar 9, 2012)

royster13 said:


> IMO a "good cutter/plotter" for around 300.00 does not exist....
> 
> But if that is all you have to spend I would go with this.....
> NEW "Your Best Value" SignMakers Vinyl SignWarehouse Cutter Vinly Sign Plotter | eBay


Paulby, the current eBay price is $249 + shipping! GO FOR IT! Once you get the equipment and software; play with it, make mistakes, and ask questions!


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## Fenrir (Mar 13, 2012)

If you decide to eventually put the cutter to other uses and start making vinyl signs, decals, etc., on the side, I wouldn't use that vinyl. Use it all up for your screens, or for things to be used indoors. That deal is good enough with all the other items you get to go for it anyway, but if you're planning on selling car decals, especially if you wind up doing things like logos for a fleet of company cars, I'd order Oracal 651 vinyl for flat items and Oracal 751 for curved surfaces and going over rivets, etc. That same company has decent prices on that direct from their website.

Using vinyl that's too cheap can result in quick delamination even if the surface is properly prepared, or if it does stick, fading, cracking, and difficulty removing it to re-do the job. You really want to use cast vinyl, not calendered, for most projects, but Oracal 651 is a calendered vinyl that consistently gets excellent reviews. Mostly flat surface use only, though (the slight curve of a rear window, etc, is fine).


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## hollyandrea (Jan 10, 2012)

cibersupplytt said:


> Paulby, the current eBay price is $249 + shipping! GO FOR IT! Once you get the equipment and software; play with it, make mistakes, and ask questions!


I already had it on my Ebay Watching list for a long time. But they DID NOT reply my questions/message. What will you expect if this is their type of customer service? and the same comments on their feedback.
Anyhow, may I ask it to you: Are they the same type used for vinyl for t-shirt heat transfer? Is the software good enough for creating designs such as different types of fonts & vectorized art designs? 
thanks


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## royster13 (Aug 14, 2007)

It is a 250.00 package so I expect you will get what you pay for.....Now having said that, Signwarehouse has been selling "dirt cheap" cutters for 30+ years....

It comes with their own version of Flexi which they call LXi (Apprentice).....If you look on the listing page it tells you what the software does....You can do layouts using your installed fonts and vector graphics....It has minimal functions as far as manipulating vectors so a more powerful version or a vector art program will be better...

As far as t-shirt vinyl.....Same cutter, different materials......So yes this package will cut heat press vinyl...


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## hollyandrea (Jan 10, 2012)

royster13 said:


> It is a 250.00 package so I expect you will get what you pay for.....Now having said that, Signwarehouse has been selling "dirt cheap" cutters for 30+ years....
> 
> It comes with their own version of Flexi which they call LXi (Apprentice).....If you look on the listing page it tells you what the software does....You can do layouts using your installed fonts and vector graphics....It has minimal functions as far as manipulating vectors so a more powerful version or a vector art program will be better...
> 
> As far as t-shirt vinyl.....Same cutter, different materials......So yes this package will cut heat press vinyl...


Do you have any recommendation what brand/type (where to find) do I need as a beginner? Thanks for the tip.


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## Flip (Mar 1, 2012)

hollyandrea said:


> Reading this thread trying to find some good answers as I'm also a BEGINNER on vinyl transfer. Yes, as a beginner I would appreciate if someone could give me idea where a good cutter/plotter around $300 (I'm not looking for a workhorse or pro type yet).



New to the industry as well and been doing a lot of research. Read some positive feedback for the Silhouette Cameo 12". You can grab it from the vendors here, I think, for $269.99. Though if you would do larger sizes, then this will not do.

Silhouette CAMEO®
(Thread on the product: http://www.t-shirtforums.com/vinyl-cutters-plotters-transfers/t175522.html)

For a little more, you can get the GCC Expert 24 on eBay:

gcc expert 24 | eBay

Here's a blog from Stahl's where they did a review on (cheap) Cutters.

Cheap Vinyl Cutter Comparison- GCC, Laserpoint, PCut, Refine | Stahls' ID Blog

Good luck!


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## Fenrir (Mar 13, 2012)

You would be best doing your vector creation in another software and only using the cutter software to send the cut. I see that their software has "levels" you can unlock for features that you can find in the free program Inkscape, or if you want to buy software, CorelDraw or Adobe Illustrator.

I have not had trouble with Sign Warehouse buying materials, but I've never bought a machine from them. The only issue I had was that I almost never get same day shipping, even though deep in their information area it says orders before a certain time go out the same day. I have to not order at the last minute, which is a good practice anyway (but not always avoidable). Sign Warehouse sells fabric/heat press vinyl on their website but I have not tried any of it yet since I don't own a heat press. I did buy a few small pieces of the iron-on type which has gotten good reviews, but I have yet to actually use it.


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## wormil (Jan 7, 2008)

I have an Expert 24 which I bought mildly used. It's the only vinyl cutter I've used and I'm glad I bought it. The Expert has cut some pretty intricate designs as I just wanted to see what it was capable of. That said, it was a pain to set up. I consider myself very computer literate, only 2-3x in 20 years have I needed to call tech support but after a few days of fiddling I broke down and called GCC. After trying 3x to get someone on the phone and waiting on hold forever, I gave up and went back to fiddling and eventually got the cutter working although I have no idea what I did. When I upgraded to a new computer with Win7 I expected the same hassle but it worked the first try. The software integrates well with CorelDraw but unfortunately I am not able to download software updates. I joined the GCC club but some glitch in the site doesn't allow me to register the cutter. I dread trying to call GCC again. In the end, for the price I paid it was definitely worth it. When the day comes for me to upgrade though I will definitely buy a Roland or Graphtec.

The only thing really holding back the Expert is GCC's inadequate installation instructions and arcane system of getting software upgrades.


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## Threadsplash (Feb 27, 2012)

I bought a GCC Expert 24 LX (LX beacause I wanted to be able to contour cut an inkjet transfer) less than a month ago and it has already paid itself off. It cuts great...just as good as my friends Roland 24 (but for a fraction of the cost). It's my first cutter and I've already done a four sides Trailer with a 3-color logo that was 138"x82" on the largest side. I intended on only using it for heatpress material (last names and numbers), but an opportunity came along and I'm not one to say no. My recomendation is "Go for the GCC and save yourself some money." You can do the same things with a GCC as you can a Roland.


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## hollyandrea (Jan 10, 2012)

Threadsplash said:


> I bought a GCC Expert 24 LX (LX beacause I wanted to be able to contour cut an inkjet transfer) less than a month ago and it has already paid itself off. It cuts great...just as good as my friends Roland 24 (but for a fraction of the cost). It's my first cutter and I've already done a four sides Trailer with a 3-color logo that was 138"x82" on the largest side. I intended on only using it for heatpress material (last names and numbers), but an opportunity came along and I'm not one to say no. My recomendation is "Go for the GCC and save yourself some money." You can do the same things with a GCC as you can a Roland.


 Thanks!
Did you ever encountered some issues (software, installation, etc.) or any difficulty that you able to figure out? 
I'm also be using a vinyl/plotter for 
names/numbers on heat press, do I need a special software or the GCC software that comes with it is enough?
Lastly, where can I find a good deal?


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## royster13 (Aug 14, 2007)

My GCC Expert 24 works well and if you looking for a less than 500.00 machine it would still be my 1st choice, however, when comparing the cuts it makes versus other more expensive cutters you can clearly see the difference.....This is very evident in corners and fine details......The "tangential cornering" on higher prices cutters is quite a step up....


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## Threadsplash (Feb 27, 2012)

I did run into am installation problem...my own error. I called the GCC 800 # and they logged into my computer and fixed everything and had everything going in 20 minutes. I can't complain about that! Corel draw, the program that comes with the cutter and the plug in feature that comes with the cutter is all you need. I design my logo in Corel, click on the plug in shortcut and it moves your logo right into the cuttet program! I have to say, it's a lot easier than I thought it would be! Call Mark from Imprintables...he will get you a good price. Good luck in your venture!


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## rturner381 (Mar 9, 2012)

With everything written, I can see the overwhelming issue is the design software and cutting the design. Hang in there and ask lots of questions; there are ZERO stupid/dumb questions. If you are concerned about support after the sale, then make sure of the support first.


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