Looking to get into vinyls and would like some advice…

[David-Foster-]

Just a quick reply as it is so early 😮 If £1500 is your budget for ‘machinery’ I am presuming that includes software? You won’t be getting into printing for that sort of money I am afraid. As you are new to this anyway you should be starting out with cut vinyl first to see if the job suits you. What is your background? Artistic at all, eye for good design?

[Jason Xuereb]

Your barking up the wrong tree.

Outsource your printing for now. There are many people on this forum who can help you.

You’ll end up with a better quality product to deliver to your clients and you’ll still turn a profit without having any capital expenditure outside your computer and software.

You will determine if you have the demand. You’ll also be able to calculate if you can take on the production and turn a better profit. You’ll have all the numbers you’ll need.

[Josh Connerty]

quote David-Foster-:

Just a quick reply as it is so early 😮 If £1500 is your budget for ‘machinery’ I am presuming that includes software? You won’t be getting into printing for that sort of money I am afraid. As you are new to this anyway you should be starting out with cut vinyl first to see if the job suits you. What is your background? Artistic at all, eye for good design?

No I would account for software in a seperate budget, reason being that I am a graphic artist and already have some graphic design software and to provide graphics that are printable wether it be me or not I need some software that can provide the formats.

I understand that it might be easier to go into designing and then having a 3rd party print and then me install BUT I would prefer to utalise all of the profit available.

Is it going to take forever using the 3rd party option to actually generate enough revenue to purchase my own machinery?

Thanks for the replies so far guys!

[Robert Lambie]

as has been said. outsource your print work for the time being.

for £1500 you should be looking for a good cutter/plotter, but probably only get 24inch wide for that…
forget the eBay listings… yes there are some that work and do the job well enough for light work , but 9/10 are horror stories.

you are going into business, you WILL need after sales support and reputable machinery… the last thing you need is your main product outputting machine to be a donkey with a scalpel attached to its foot!

spend your money wisely, buy from the best brand you can afford.
for a cutter ide look at Graphtec or Roland first…

[Josh Connerty]

Okay so is the PCut I mentioned earlier any good as it has had some decent reviews?

Thanks.

[Jon Marshall]

In a word, no.

[Robert Lambie]

no disrespect, but decent reviews can only really come from folk with plenty experience in running machines like these on a daily basis at all levels. i.e. from light use to heavy full on vinyl production.
do not get me wrong, i am sure there are success stories from folk running light vinyl production departments, but from what i have read posted on these forums, they are few and far between.
i will be honest, we have a Pcut and similar type machine forum here on UKSB. but i like to think we have it more as a deterrent to those thinking of going this route, as well as helping those that already have.

just my personal views and opinions of course.

[Jason Davies]

Seconded, it’s probably worth contacting the suppliers and seeing if they have any secondhand cutters. I would only go with the ones Rob has mentioned otherwise you will have lots of problems, not just setting up but from what I have seen and heard the quality and consistency of the cutting is questionable. Plus as you are already in a design industry you also have to think about the ease of use and what your product/machine actually says about your company. I know my customers can rely on me because I know my machines will be able to produce my signs day in day out.

Good luck, there are some good machines out there.

jason

[Josh Connerty]

Okay guys thankyou very much so far my understanding is much more so.

Right I have been looking at the Graphtec CE5000/40 & the CE5000/60 I’m guessing the end 2 digits are the cutters size. Is this correct and which would you advise would suit my situation best?

Also what market is there in Plain cutting as apposed to printing and cutting?

I mean most vehicles etc. would want a logo on then not just writing, if this is the case do I need to order in the logo and cut it?

Thanks again!

[Josh Connerty]

To add to that is it really worth spending an extra 1000 on the larger one?

And in that case would it suffice when I move onto buying a printer?

Also if I was to buy a wide format vinyl printer what similar priced options do I have?

[Hugh Potter]

quote Josh Connerty:

To add to that is it really worth spending an extra 1000 on the larger one?

And in that case would it suffice when I move onto buying a printer?

Also if I was to buy a wide format vinyl printer what similar priced options do I have?

a digital printer capable of producing long lasting exterior grade (and high quality) prints will be around £5000 for a good used 30" machine, then there’s running costs of such a machine, maintenance contracts / warranties (worth having when a replacement head is around a grand!) and more.

you’ll need a laminator to match the printer, about a grand for a good one i guess.

the hp printers etc are good for canvases, papers and interior stuff, poss some short term exterior (from what i’ve gathered).

printers.. graphtec, summa, roland, etc, try and steer away from cheap if you possibly can.

probably 90% of my work is cut vinyl, i sub print to fellow members as and when i need too.

software, you’ll need to be able to work / draw in vector for cut vinyl, if you have illustrator (ai) or corel draw you’ll be ok. there are others.

lots to learn along the way too, best off learning on cut vinyl than relatively expensive print. always try and use brand name vinyls too, mac, oracle, 3m, hexis, etc etc, cheap n nasty will fail eventually and come back on ya!

Hugh

[Josh Connerty]

Okay so when cutting plain vinyl would the Graphtec CE5000/60 do the job okay?

Also is laminating a must when making vinyls or could you get away without it? And to add to that which first laminating or cutting?

Thanks.

[Peter Normington]

quote Josh Connerty:

Okay so when cutting plain vinyl would the Graphtec CE5000/60 do the job okay?

Also is laminating a must when making vinyls or could you get away without it? And to add to that which first laminating or cutting?

Thanks.

Josh, no disrespect
you may be a newbie, and you are in the right forum for the best advice, but I suggest you read through several hundred posts on here to get an Idea of the basics, then decide if you want to make a living from signs.

The graphtec machines are specifically designed for cutting vinyl, as are the othe brands mentioned, including the pcut, just some are better quality than others

Peter

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[David Rogers]

Much like Peter above, please – have a GOOD browse round – nearly every question has been asked and good advice given for even the complete novice.

We won’t do your market research or business plan for you – but will help in the most part with serious signmaking questions when you can’t find the answer.

You evidently have some graphic design experience which you should put to good use.

Buy good products and then you can sell good products. Cheap is very rarely ‘the best’.

Get yourself a copy of the ‘Price It Guide’ (google it)- will be a good benchmark for that side of things and will avoid the trap of ‘busy fool’ working for beer money.

Dave

ps. For your £1500ish – good used plotter, reasonable software and a small stock of a quality vinyl. Steer clear of the dirt cheap 2-3year stuff unless it’s just temporary stuff you are doing – eg. you’ll not be doing anyone any favours trying to save yourself £5 on a £100 job… 😉

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[Matty Goodwin]

Here we go…!

Hi and welcome and hope you work things out with your new venture!

Lets just say a customer asks for a full wrap.

You go out and buy yourself a printer. You print what you think is right. Can you fit the vinyl?

It seems to me that you want to play with the big boys without knowing what you want to achieve.

Make a target and aim for it, crawl, walk and in a few years…Run!

You can and will loose money printing and fitting vinyl until you are ‘Trained’.

I hope I’m not too negative, but start with the basics and again…

GOOD LUCK!

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[Peter Mindham]

If you search the boards there is also a book written by a member which will answer all of your questions and more.

Peter

[Graeme Harrold]

Phills Book

I have it and is full of usefull information for anyone starting out, plus its a good pointer to those self taught to see if they could be doing the same thing better.

As all have said before:

• Learn to walk before running, plenty of work for cut vinyl
  Sub out prints else where and make your money on fitting
  Buy a decent machine if this is a serious venture
  Upgrade your membership, money well spent
  Read the forums as there is a wealth of knowledge
  Above all, ask questions 99.9% of those here will help

[Josh Connerty]

Okay thanks guys maybe I need to re-asses the situation. I will take a look at this book and see what sense I can make of this. Thanks guys.

[Jason Pavlou]

Hi Josh,

Am new to this also, very new. Have been i the printing industry for 30yrs +. Last year I decided to go into large format and vinyl cutting. I read loads of write-ups with regards to printers and cutters, eventually made a decision of what I wanted, and believe I made the right decision, all be it I would have liked to buy larger equipment.

I am probably one of the lucky ones in so much as I has been extremely helpful in showing me some tips and tricks with regard to vinyl cutting, positioning technics and laminating.

I am quite happy for you to contact me, and if you are near to me you are welcome to come and have a little demo.

Not much of an answer to your query I know, but my offer of a demo might be worthwhile.

All the best and I wish you well.

[Alan Wharton]

£1500 will get you a basic set-up iv got a graphtec ce-3000-60 mk2, cost just under £1000 5 years ago has not missed a beat in 5 yrs, the other £500 will get you some vinyl/aplication tape, main colours and you will proberly need software ! flexisign £400 basic to £1800 vinyl pro and signlab £600 basic vinyl £1300 vinyl pro ! or the 1 i use is vinyl master pro (vmp) cheapest iv seen it is £99 but usually £249 you can also download the demo or get the demo disc sent to you, iv used it for 5yrs and apart from chisel effects it does everything i want or need at a good price.
as has been said just find a local sign shop to get any digital printing you need at trade price if you can, they will also laminate the print for you so forget about buying a laminator for now, i pay £20 sq/mtr for prints from a local sign shop, mainly all my work is cut vinyl, trucks/vans/cars/shop windows/signs etc so there is plenty of work for cut vinyl, yes it would be nice to have a 10k print n cut machine but i dont do enough print work to justify it sat getting dusty for the sake of 10-15mtr a week !
printers on ebay ! all i would say is put that £800 towards a decent plotter/cutter rather than GAMBLE on a most likely on its last legs 2nd hand ebay printer !
cheap chinese cuters ! forget it and get a proper cutter that will last you years and are built to last.
Have fun in reading all you need to just try not to cut too many corners ! it will bite your a*** when it really counts
😕