cutter plotter advice needed

[Peter Normington]

Hi Paul
welcome to the boards,
The first thing you need to know is that card and vinyl are entirely different.
In general terms to print and cut outdoor durable vinyl then you need a solvent machine like the roland versacam, an entry level machine at around 8k,
Peter

[Paul Savage]

Totally understand that vinyl and card are different but the craft robo cuts both fine so there should be other machines out there, im not talking thick card here, something like a birthday card thickness.

printable vinyl ive never used but only looking at interior grade.

[David Rogers]

Could always try picking up an old Roland ColorCamm as it’s more suited to the low volume market (being expensive to run).

[Martin Pearson]

Paul, the craft robo is what it says a hobby machine so it may well be that there isn’t another machine out there or not one that works any better.

I have to be honest and say that I’m not really sure how it works but I believe it uses a carrier sheet when cutting. If you bought another plotter it would be a bigger machine and these don’t use a carrier sheet the same so cutting through card could easily damage the machine bed or the blades. You could probably adapt it so it worked the same way but I doubt if anyone on here has done that.

[Paul Savage]

Yeah it is a hobby machine and uses a carrier sheet but has its limitations.

What i want to do is print on vinyl and then cut it around the print, to do doming, ie keyrings etc

The problem with the craftrobo is its useless at finding the registration marks and with all the research ive done its not just me, everyone seems to have the problem.

Vinyl cutting is the other thing im trying out and hope to buy a bigger machine next year and dont mind a bigger and better machine for that so if anyone can point me at a reasonably priced starting point i would be grateful.

[Chris Wool]

you can use the carrier system on the bigger machines but never felt the need.

i thought that the craft had the same eye as my big graphtec which can be very accurate and a joy to use.

[Paul Savage]

i wish it was so but i cant get it to find the registration marks, even following the online tutorial on the graphtec site word for word. Ive been on other sites more craftrobo type sites and they all have the same problem with 1001 different sulotions the main one being to make sure everything is dead straight, i couldnt get it any straighter if i tried but still it wont find them.

Im at a lose really as doming is what i want to get into as well as vinyl cutting.

[Paul Savage]

quote DavidRogers:

Could always try picking up an old Roland ColorCamm as it’s more suited to the low volume market (being expensive to run).

Looks just what im after, but why is it expensive to run?

[Jason Davies]

Paul, which software are you using with the craftrobo. It is fairly accurate and easy to use. A little annoying at times though. I have used these systems with primary school children with printed card and vinyl (which John Childs kindly donated) with great success.

[Peter Normington]

it uses thermal ribbons, much more expensive per square unit than ink.
It depends by your definition of cheap, to compete in the doming market you will need to invest several thousand pounds at least.
Peter

[Chris Wool]

just had a little read of the craft manual and see that it uses cutting master
which i found totally unusable on my big graphtec far too much hassle. and no real control over whats happening.

i do some doming and use either a thermal or solvent printer depending on what the design is.
keyrings are a doddle with a laser but can be expensive to up keep

[Jason Davies]

Hi Chris, as far as I am aware you can only use cutting master to cut using the registration marks. If I remember rightly it won’t let you import the standard files either (e.g e.p.s) but the new version might?

[Nigel Pugh]

Please don’t take this as promoting but GCC are bringing out a add on / optional extra for their cutters, basically it is just a front and back plate that you screw onto the cutter making a extended flat bed just for cutting around printed card, I cannot give any extra info as I’m now on holiday.

[Paul Savage]

quote Jason Davies:

Paul, which software are you using with the craftrobo. It is fairly accurate and easy to use. A little annoying at times though. I have used these systems with primary school children with printed card and vinyl (which John Childs kindly donated) with great success.

Just the basic package that came with it, cutting master 2, not design master 2

[Chris Wool]

quote Nigel Pugh – Grafityp:

Please don’t take this as promoting but GCC are bringing out a add on / optional extra for their cutters, basically it is just a front and back plate that you screw onto the cutter making a extended flat bed just for cutting around printed card, I cannot give any extra info as I’m now on holiday.

currently looking at that idea for when cutting moto x stuff.

i have said it before and the only thing compatible with cutting master is a dust bin.

i can tell the graphtec fc7000 130 to find my printed marks and calibrate the box distance to the print distance. then send a cut file.

as my roland was struggling to cut moto x 300mil laminate i had to find a way to do it on the graphtec but by pass CM2 and the stupid macro in corel to print marks.

[Gavin Conway]

Hi Paul – my tuppence worth for you….

I’m a self taught fairly newbie to signs and my remedy for the craft Robbo not seeing the registration marks is simple to overcome.. just make your own dots etc and cut these with each layer – thats all a reg mark is…

Merry Christmas to everyone on the forum… Gavin

[Peter Normington]

Gavin
I may be wrong but I think in this case the reg marks are to contour cut print, not to layer vinyl
Merry xmas

Peter