[George Neagu]

Price: £1,000

[George Neagu]

1. Always back up your system. You can get a NAS with 2x hard drives (mirrored) for less than £500, depending on capacity. One reason I use iMac is due to its seamless backup/restore system but something similar can be achieved on Windows systems too.

2. That’s not necessarily a HDD failure. A software issue can also be responsible for it.

3. You have to post here some pictures so we can see what you get on the screen. Black or blue and some writing doesn’t help.

4. Try to start the system in Safe Mode, google it. If it starts in Safe Mode, you most likely have a software issue. Otherwise, you might look at a hardware problem.

5. If you believe the HDD is failing, stop fiddling with that computer. Instead, move to step 6.

6. Remove the HDD from the dead computer, connect it to another working computer that has its own HDD, read and save your data.

Nowadays, HDDs rarely, if ever, fail overnight. You get some warnings, you see some changes in your computer behavior before it fails completely.

[George Neagu]

This has now been sold, I just cannot find any way to delete advert.

Thanks!

[George Neagu]

I was ill these days and therefore inactive.

[George Neagu]

quote Iain Pearson:

Got a number I can call you on George ?

I do but it’s the purpose of this forum to share the knowledge and the experience, let’s keep it alive. :smiles:

[George Neagu]

quote Colin Crabb:

We use a lot of the Metamark wallart range, really like it.

They cannot be printed on aqueous printer.

I’ve installed once one of their textured PVC wall art vinyl and I didn’t like it. On flat surface it was okay but it was problematic around slightly curved surfaces and corners because it was thick and rigid, it was lifting up. It was looking quite cheap on the wall, I thought ordinary MD3 with matt lam would have looked way better.

A textile is much softer and goes naturally around all shapes and surfaces.

[George Neagu]

quote George Neagu:

quote Iain Pearson:

We do thousands of Sqm of wall coverings every year but we never use textile. We have been called in several times to replace previously installed textiles that other companies have put up. The only one that I would even remotely recommend is the genuine Phototex EX range. Personally speaking, there are far better non textile products out there

Alright then, give us some product names so I can look them up. Also, what printer do you use for these materials? Thanks

[George Neagu]

quote Iain Pearson:

We do thousands of Sqm of wall coverings every year but we never use textile. We have been called in several times to replace previously installed textiles that other companies have put up. The only one that I would even remotely recommend is the genuine Phototex EX range. Personally speaking, there are far better non textile products out there

Alright then, give us some product names so I can look them up. Thanks

[George Neagu]

quote Iain Pearson:

Why Textile George ?

Few reasons:
– it’s textured, I can achieve some special effects on it
– it can be printed on aqueous without further protection (i.e. lamination)
– removable
– easy to install

Did you think "why not vinyl"?

[George Neagu]

Something I missed above is the cutting strip itself.
If it’s not stuck perfectly flat, you’ll get inconsistent cutting results.
But this is easy to spot because the blade will always skip in the same area.

[George Neagu]

quote Gordon Smithard:

New strip fitted but didn’t resolve the problem of the blade skimming over the vinyl for about 4-5mm every now and then instead of cutting it, I had to manually cut these odd bits with a scalpel during weeding. Today though it’s been fine so don’t know if it’s an intermittent fault that will return at some point.
I remember something similar happening with a Graphtec FC plotter at my old workplace about 15 years ago, it would completely miss out a few mm of cuts where the blade lifted off the vinyl then back down again instead of remaining down, turned out the motherboard was playing up, was cheaper to get a new cutter.

Some pictures can help. There are a number of checkpoints before you blame the electronics.
To me it sounds like the speed is to high and/or incorrect blade length.
1. what pressure/speed/acceleration do you use? How thick is the vinyl?
2. check the blade length, perhaps not enough blade out.
3. is the blade holder secured properly UNDER the bracket?
4. faulty blade holder. Mine once started to break/crack between the blue cap and the black body, where the thread is. Hard to see, no obvious signs of it. I’ve noticed a drop in quality that was getting worse and worse until one day when it snapped and the blue cap fell off on the floor. The blade holder had to be replaced.

[George Neagu]

quote Simon Worrall:

quote George Neagu:

It’s simple, gently peel it off, the strip is stuck with double-sided tape.
In most cases, the double-sided tape can be removed pretty clean from the strip.
Apply fresh double-sided tape, flip the strip and stick it back.

You should be able to use the strip 4 times in total.

Are you saying this is designed into the product, George?

Not at all, it’s just my "discovery".
The blade does not land bang on in the centre of the strip on CE6000-60, lands slightly off centre. Rotate the strip and the blade will land again on virgin surface.
When one side is done, peel it off and clean the sticky tape, the surface is brand new under the sticky tape. Put fresh sticky tape on the used side now and put the strip back.

Of course, if you cut until the blade goes through the strip, this trick will no longer work. Flip the strip early.

[George Neagu]

It’s simple, gently peel it off, the strip is stuck with double-sided tape.
In most cases, the double-sided tape can be removed pretty clean from the strip.
Apply fresh double-sided tape, flip the strip and stick it back.

You should be able to use the strip 4 times in total.

[George Neagu]

Zund is superior compared to Esko in terms of software, functionality and usability. Clever design and easy to change multiple tools and blades without having to dismantle half of the gantry. It’s more versatile.
But this is my opinion after using both.

Zund is very expensive if breaks down but it’s very reliable machine and idiot-proof. As it becomes more popular, I believe parts will become available second hand or third party.

Consumables are expensive if you buy from Zund but there are third party suppliers these days.

I don’t recommend service contract, you won’t need it and it’s not worth it for what you get.

No experience with other cutters but between a new Esko and an used Zund, I choose Zund.

[George Neagu]

Hi,

What are you trying to achieve?
Send a job to the printer, a barcode gets printed, a cut file is generated, put the print in the cutter, scan barcode, load cut file and cut?

I have seen a Summa demo and Onyx Thrive doing this but not sure BN-20 is supported by these applications. I remember the barcode was HUGE, wouldn’t fit your printer, not sure if it scales down with the width of the job. You should get a grown up printer.

Can you not get around with registration marks as opposed to barcode? It’s using less material. The barcode is good if you do long runs like a full roll of mixed up jobs but I doubt you do that with BN-20.

Have you asked Summa?

[George Neagu]

quote Patrick Donaghey:

GMPI IN DUBLIN they got it for me try them 40% cheaper per roll too

Cheers Patrick but they don’t stock 8200 series nor export to UK.

[George Neagu]

quote Simon Worrall:

Thanks for all your advice.
George, I appreciate your explanation of the “correct” service sticker making process.
The fact is that these stickers are not doing what they are supposed to, which is why the customer is asking for an alternative.
They are washing off in the elements, and they are fading in a very short time.
I would be surprised if an unlaminated vinyl sticker, as described by others on this thread, didnt last longer than this.

Yes but as I said the material comes in different grades. You can wrap a van in vinyl, just not removable monomeric.

If the label peels off, it’s clearly the wrong material for those conditions.

If the print is fading too quick, it could either be the printing process (using low power printer as opposed to digital press) or it may well be the coating that’s failing and this takes us back to point 1, it’s not the right material for those conditions. Laser printed labels last quite long, the toner is basically plastic melted onto material.

They must be printed on industrial grade material designed for such conditions and that will stick on wet, dirty and contaminated surfaces, something like this for example:
https://www.upmraflatac.com/emea/en/sol … s/durables

You may get better results than what they have now with vinyl+laminate but only time will tell.

[George Neagu]

quote Simon Worrall:

Hi
I have been asked to print and cut a run of service stickers by a customer who has been having trouble with his current ones.
The types of machinery these will be used on are all kinds of farming implements and motorcycles. They will get some harsh treatment, including jet washing.
These will need to be written on with a sharpie marker, which needs to also stay on.
The current ones have UPM written on the back (never heard of this brand), they have a matt surface, and look like paper, but cannot be torn so they are obviously some kind of plastic, but they seem to be stiffer than vinyl.
The existing stickers are simply not lasting the service period, (about a year).

My vinyl supplier says that labelling is a completely different process, done with specialist machinery.
I reckon I would get a better life out of a quality matt surface branded vinyl printed on my solvent printer, and I have tried sharpie on this and it goes on and stays.
I dont see that these need to be laminated, that would bring the costs up, and anyway if diesel got on them the sharpie would disappear before the print.

Does anyone have any experience or opinion on using vinyl for service stickers?

Thanks, Simon.

The material is UPM Raflatac, one of the popular brands in the industry. There are other brands available, just as our vinyl. It’s specifically designed for labels.

Comes in different grades, including industrial and marine, that will resist very harsh conditions and chemicals, will outperform any vinyl, both material and print.

It’s stiff because it’s polyester as opposed to vinyl.

It’s not laminated because it’s laser printed, very resistant, doesn’t need lamination. You’ll need a digital press, the desktop laser printer doesn’t have enough power to bond the toner to material. The print (toner) will scrape off with your nail.

The sheets tend to curl a lot after printing because of the excessive heat from fuser and can be annoying to kiss-cut them on plotter. A bit of practice can help find an optimal method.

I print and cut these so if you need help, please let me know.

[George Neagu]

Hi Dan,

Did you buy it from the famous auction site? If yes, what’s the seller’s ID? Or at least fiest for characters.

Coincidentally I was looking at the same machines SP or VP series and they where described the same. But a bit of research on the seller on internet revealed similar user experiences so I stopped to have a thought.

Cheers

[George Neagu]

quote Daniel Evans:

Afternoon all

Hope you’re having a better day than me.

Trying to load my laminator for a job that needs doing this afternoon and I’m having issues.

Normally when I load it, I pull it over the top roller giving myself about 10 inches to play with, I then use my slitter to trim the backing paper allowing up to 10 inches to feed through the laminator,once that’s started I pull the backing paper off where I slit it and attach it to the catchment roll.

I now have about 5-6 inches fed through the laminator (I use a bit of 6 inch x 1500mm correx board to put it through evenly)

Once the correx bard has gone through about 4-5 inches, I attach my print to the board and let it go.

This has worked fine for me although I hate loading it every time.

The issue today is that the laminate is really thin and my backing paper slitter is getting stuck to the laminate, I’ve tried different slitters but I can’t get it done.

Does anyone have a better way of loading their laminator?

It’s usually very simple but I assume it depends what machine you have.
This is an example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlr-a–zDG8

On top of that I use a head board, same size as the lam roll and 2-300mm wide, rigid but not correx. Correx is too soft, changes its shape and causes wrinkles. Use foamex or acrylic, thinnest you have 2-3mm ideally. Make sure is cut perfect straight. Feed that first, nice and neat, with the top roll slightly up so the board goes freely through the rollers.

Keep searching YouTube, there’s plenty videos with different methods.

[George Neagu]

quote Jean Oakley:

I will ask all my customers if i want to use their job on facebook from now on but… how will i stand with all the stuff thats already on my page? Do i need to now contact everyone to ask permission to use?

You should judge it one by one. If you’ve done a van for Mr P D (the plumber 3 doors down the road), he most certainly will be very happy you’re advertising for free.

But if it’s a proper company, media agency or so, I would ask permission. Many will say “yes” for old work you’ve done for them but might not agree with recent work to be published.

The client gives you the permission to print and not to publish. In some instances they supply the artwork. You have no rights or permission to publish that artwork. Be careful, it’s a fine line but you can end up in big troubles.

[George Neagu]

You have to ask permission from your client to publish the pictures and is their right to say NO. Many big companies do not allow printers and media agencies to advertise their work. Some will not even let you put their logo on your website. But many will let you use the work in a brochure that you can show your clients at private meetings.

Work is private. The artwork can contain confidential details about a product, service, event, promotion etc. that cannot be revealed until a certain date/time. If you publish it in advance and their competitors will see it, you can cause loss or other inconvenience and they can sue you for this.

[George Neagu]

I know is dead slow but I don’t need speed right now, I just need to have it here so I can print myself and perform tests. Once I get the demand, I’ll go pro.

[George Neagu]

All I can think of is:

1. Print on white vinyl, mount on aluminium, apply optically clear mounting film on top and put a 1-2mm perspex on top. This method didn’t work for us. Dust, mounting film wrinkles etc.

2. So we did it the other way round.
Print the image reversed on clear vinyl. Mount white vinyl on top. At this point you have a print backed up with white. Mount it on perspex. Now add ordinary mounting film over and bond the aluminium sheet. More hassle but less risk.

If you can print white, you can skip a step but think if the ink won’t be too thick and if the ink won’t come off the media after you bond the rigid sheets.

Lastly, tell customer perspex is not damage-proof.

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[George Neagu]

Metamark M7 or Mac GlassDecor (APS, Pyramid Display), both worked well, wet application.

[George Neagu]

quote Robert Lambie:

Signlab
It doesn’t do it all “just as you said” but does in its own ways.

the one crucial factor you will require to make this all possible, is your cutter needs to be roll to roll with a take-up system. if its not, then your only going to get runs of about 5 metres and the cutter tracking will start running off.

They don’t seem to have a Mac version, only Windows, right?

[George Neagu]

quote Bob Scullion:

Morning All

Can any one point me in the right direction to locate a rose gold coloured vinyl please?

I’m struggling to find anything other than craft shop stuff in small quantities.

Thanks

Bob

Dorotape does chrome rose gold double sided if this is the vinyl you’re after: dorotape.co.uk

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[George Neagu]

quote Daniel Evans:

Hey guys

Is there any way to get the van spec from a reg number?

I’m wanting to find out if it’s a short or long wheelbase and if it has a standard roof or high roof etc.

Before you say ask your client, half the time I’m not even sure they know it’s a van.

I know you can type in the reg number online and get some details but I don’t think it goes that in-depth.

Sometimes I just want to double check the information is correct.

askMID should give you the exact model including SWB/LWB. After that, go to the manufacturer’s website and find full specs.

[George Neagu]

quote Gary Barker:

Hey all is there an alternative to using masking take, I’ve done some etch window graphics today, and because of the glass is cold the masking tape won’t stick to the glass.

Thanks Gary

😆 😆 😆
I remember very well my similar moment when a whole thing fell off the glass because the masking tape failed.
Ever since, I only use sellotape tape on glass. Winter and summer.

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[George Neagu]

Ritrama and KPMF both do glitter vinyl. MDP supplies both.

[George Neagu]

quote James Boden:

Hi All,

Just got back from quoting for a beauty salon who have requested for some photographic imagery to be blown up and applied to the wall.

My first thought and obvious option is printed wall paper, for which I recommended.
She was adamant she didn’t want wall paper and said she’s been quoted for just the graphic part to be applied using vinyl (The image has large areas of white and I’m assuming she wants the white of the wall left exposed) TBH she’s pickled my head a bit. Any suggestions or alternatives?

Have you made it clear "SELF ADHESIVE wallpaper"?

I remember once I went to install some self adhesive wallpaper and the customer said she expected me to bring a pasting table, paste, all that gear and to make a lot of mess around. I had a proper 😆 .

[George Neagu]

quote Warren Beard:

Hi

We are looking to add a CNC cutter to compliment our 2500x1300mm flatbed printer, I have no experience with CNC’s so looking for recommendations on machines and suppliers. We can’t go all bells and whistles right now but something reliable and accurate that we could possibly add to as required.

Should we consider used or is it best avoided?

…. and we don’t want to build our own thanks 😆 😉

Cheers

Warren

I can tell you a thing o two about Zund.

Great machine, accurate, reliable, easy to use as entry level but having all the advanced features.

The dust extractor is very effective and no dust is escaping, it’s using a Festool Mobile Dust Extractor so add the cost of it and the cost of bags (but you don’t need a separate room).

On top of this, it requires a compressor for both to adjust the vacuum width and to supply the router (the router is electric but it needs air as well for sealing, don’t know deep details)

You need a RIP that can generate the cut files, Onyx is one. So when you hit print in RIP, it will automatically create the cut file: cut path based on the trim box, registration dots and a code that will match the name of the cut file.

You can add manually the reg dots to the artwork before you print but this is time consuming.

Now, the downside is…the consumables, the parts and the service costs will kill you, both being very expensive.

Some parts are not even stocked in the UK and can take weeks to arrive.
Then, without a service contract it can take few to several days to get an engineer on site (and we are only 30 miles away).

As I said, it’s very reliable hence the cost of a service contract it’s not justified, it hardly brakes down, but when it packs up it’s expensive.

So things to consider:
– size of the bed
– functionality (other than just routing boards, Zund can cut posters, banners, kiss cut vinyl etc. depends what modules you choose)
– additional kit (compressor, dust extractor)
– the power of the router (spindler)
– the cost of the bits (https://shop.zund.com/en/) and whether you can find 3rd party bits. Some of Zund bits are available from an UK supplier.
– compatibility with your RIP
– the cost and availability of engineers in your area
– the availability of parts (how quick you can get a part)
– footprint
– does it need a dedicated room because of the dust? Can you move easily boards from print room to cut room?

I think that’s it.

[George Neagu]

quote Jamie Wood:

Could be Visiprint. I think Antalis sell it.

Spot on, many thanks for your help. :thumbsup:

[George Neagu]

quote David Stevenson:

Not sure if minaki or the rip your using has a perforation feature but when I make stickers I lay them out on a sheet approx a4 or a3 then add a perf line around the outside edge. Versaworks reads this and perfs them which allows them to easily be separated into sheets. Doesn’t mean you can’t charge more for this than supplied on a roll. Just gives a neater product with less manual cutting 🙂

What machine have you got, David?

[George Neagu]

quote David Hammond:

Your plotter doesn’t have ARMS, so print & cut would be extremely inaccurate.

Are you sure? http://graphteccorp.com/imaging/ce6000/index.html
The ARMS is very accurate. I cut prints with no stroke/bleed at all and didn’t miss a micron. Really impressed!

[George Neagu]

quote Phil P Davies:

quote George Neagu:

Is that how you use a caliper?
I thought it’s the other way round to measure the depth…

You can measure from that end to check step lengths, but she is 90 degrees out . . . . 😉

She was meant to measure the thickness (depth) of the board so she can set the height of the print head on that flatbed.
I think it’s a 710 model.

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[George Neagu]

Is that how you use a caliper?
I thought it’s the other way round to measure the depth…

[George Neagu]

Oh, what a coincidence.

I have received an email from one of my buyers that their gold stickers bought in January 2017 are peeling off although the pink ones are fine.
Both were produced on deTape 450 from MDP.

I am currently talking to them but they say it seems to be an installation error because it’s first complaint and I have to admit, I made 100s or 1000s of these and, touch wood, it’s first complaint for me too.

However, I checked the roll because I still have some left and the adhesive is faint compared with other colours. I put a piece on the wall and doesn’t stick well but I left it on to see what happens.

Sadly, I think I’ll have to got an extra £ and move on and buy popular brands like Oracal, Avery or MACcal.

In your case it might not have anything to do with the vinyl itself but with the paint, see my old post here: post479354.html?hilit=voc#p479354

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[George Neagu]

quote Alex Waite:

Hi,

Im new to the forum and fairly new to Wide Format as well. I hope someone can help!!

I am printing some graphics to go in a school and am having a major problem with cutting after printing and Laminating the media.

Our printer is a Mimaki CJV300 – 160
The media is Avery Supertac Vinyl and Avery 3100 Matt Laminate

My Laminator is a Easymount S1600H

The problem is the Image is stretching when laminated, consiquently whn i come to put back thorugh the Mimaki to cut it cuts way out (4mm) Ive checked its not a problem with the Mimaki by print and cutting without laminating and the fit is perfect.

Its somehow stretching when laminating.. I’ve never had this problem before on different materials.

Has anyone got any suggestions please? I was thiking tension when laminating or try laminating without heat, but wanted some advice before wasting even more media and lamiate.

Many Thanks in Advance

Alex

Reduce heat and tension.
I don’t have experience with the above media but I use max 40C heat and zero tension.

[George Neagu]

quote Sean Graham:

Quick question,

Customer called me today, hes ordered a new fibreglass spoiler for his car.

Would this need to be primered before being wrapped? I’ve asked him to bring it into me once he gets it to have a look at it anyways but just wondering if it will need to be done.

Thanks

Usually, brand new spoilers are primed from factory and ready for painting (perfect smooth). However, the cheap ones might not meet this standard.

[George Neagu]

quote Myles Brewer:

Very interesting post this.

Metamark actually suggests using a primer before fitting their Walltex materials. Partly for repositioning & also to increase bond strength among other things.
I presume this would apply to any wall materials, vinyl or textile.
This will obviously help but still won’t account for loose paint on a poorly keyed surface!!

It might work well if you do full coverage but if you only do a cut out shape or lettering then doesn’t quite work.

[George Neagu]

quote Chris Wilson:

Just tried the Avery MPI 2006 on a wall we are having trouble with. No luck.

Try one of these, sure will work: StreetWrap vinyl or MAcTac WW300. AllPrintSupplies do samples, get some and do a test. Worked for me. Make sure you take no liability for damages, these are genuinely high tack vinyls.

[George Neagu]

I think I’m getting there, I have just tested the StreetWrap vinyl and also the MAcTac WW300. They both seem to work well although I believe the StreetWrap is getting a better grip.
I have also tried Metamark Metamark MDP-H. It seems a bit better than MD3 but nothing near the above ones.

Also, I made it very clear to the customer…we won’t be liable for any wall damages.

[George Neagu]

quote Mal Turton:

Hi all,

I’m just getting into sandblasting and need to cut quite small (5mm ish) text and fine detail using regular sign vinyl which works great as a sandblasting mask.
I’m using a GCC puma which cuts great normally but struggles with the small stuff. To be fair it does have a cheapy blade in it. Iv’e tried altering settings, force is 90gm, altering speed doesn’t seem to make much if any difference.
So a couple of questions if anyone can help:

The cutter has tangential mode emulation, would that make a difference ?
Would a “smart knife” help and if so would I be better with a 60deg one ?

Any other tips on cutting small stuff would be great. :smiles:

Thanks
Mal

I cut small text like quite oftem, I have a Graphtec CE6000.
Smart knives…I couldn’t spend effect enough time to get them cut small text so back to the original blade.

Most people rush to say that great cutting results is the optimal combination of speed, acceleration and force (and perhaps tangential). Well, it’s one more pig that maters in equal amount. So check this out:
– the vinyl…YES, the vinyl can be the actual pig.
– blade must be sharp and not necessarily smart knife
– cutting strip must be in good condition
– speed should be reduced
– the force should be just as normal
– the tangential mode emulation must be used. Graphtec has 2 modes, I use Mode 1 (overcut the start and end point). Mode 2 will overcut every single corner. If you have such an option, use it.

Bear in mind though, Tangential Emulation is…well, emulation. It does some sort of blade assistance but still relies on the blade spinning into the holder. Emulation won’t turn/spin the blade.

Real tangential will lift the blade and turn/spin it and the lower it again and continue cutting but I am not aware of any vinyl cutter that use real tangential. And if it is, I am sure is not cheap.

So, what vinyl do you use?

[George Neagu]

quote Denise Goodfellow:

Sorry Monday rant.

Sent the lad out to price a window graphic, in fact it turned out to be 1 door window.

900mm X 1200mm. 4 shoe manufacturer logos, files supplied. An arrow with some more text to direct customers to another door. Then fully frosted.

Priced it at £75+ vat.

The customer emailed to say they’ve had a quote of £65 and £35… :yikes:
£65, not a million miles from ours, but £35, are they crazy.

15 mins to get there,
15 mins to measure up and chat what she wanted,
15 mins back to base.
10 mins to sort the artwork out and email it over, assume it’s perfect first time.
15 mins to cut the graphics
15 mins travel there
15 mins application
15 mins travel back to base.

Approx 2 hrs for £35, not forgetting minus the material, petrol and the lads wages, at £10 an hr, it’ll be cheaper to give her a £10 er to go else where

It depends where you are located but £75 plus VAT for that job… is it not a too cheap?
I would do it but without frosting. Because what you say, 15 min here, 15 min there, petrol, materials, this, that…

The other thing is, tell customers that the price is not all about getting the job done. It is also about the quality of materials and the quality of the work itself. If that is long term signage, maybe they want to spend a little extra if you give them some guarantee like it won’t peel off next summer (whenever that will be :))

[George Neagu]

quote Robert Lambie:

Have you tried Pete at PWSE?
http://www.pwse-ltd.co.uk

i dont know all the machines he covers but does a range and does parts too.

Good finding, thank you. I have sent him an enquiry.

[George Neagu]

As above, design with low res watermarked images, get confirmation, get the ( or some) money and last, buy the images.

[George Neagu]

[quote="Ewan Chrystal"]Can’t get my head round this one on a Monday morning. I have to produce a 1:20 scale drawing of a shopfront for local planning. I have the full size design open in flexisign. How do i make it 1:20?[/quote]

Divide either width or height by that factor, in your case 20.
Make sure you keep proportions locked.

Example: Your design measures 200×100 and you want to scale it down to 1:20.
Divide either 200 or 100 by 20 and that is the reduced size, 10×5.
Keep proportions!

[George Neagu]

Just found out what paint it was used to paint the wall:
https://www.duluxdecoratorcentre.co.uk/ … oft-sheen#

Now, I am passing this over to the vinyl manufacturer to see what they say.

[George Neagu]

quote Hugh Potter:

just wondering what the customers face will look like when you do the test and rip a load of non voc paint off the wall!!!!!

[George Neagu]

quote Daniel Evans:

Take a look at this http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/1193 … -walls.pdf

And here’s the video:
$this->BBvideo_pass(‘$8’, ‘$4’, ‘$7’)

My only concern is the IPA might smear the wall, especially the colored ones, and if you do not do a full coverage…not good, no?

[George Neagu]

quote Phill Fenton:

How long had the walls been painted? Allow at least a week to ensure the paint has finished outgassing

Job 1 – almost a year.
Job 2- 2 months (office, damn hot in there, it could be fully dry in 1 day).

[George Neagu]

I heard back from the supplier where I bought the machine (still under warranty) and they said that Graphtec will replace it free of charge because it was part of a batch of faulty blade holders.

What a great service!

Otherwise, it’s a consumable item not covered by warranty.

[George Neagu]

quote David Hammond:

Chuck it in the bin, and get some smart knives from Edward Mathias.

I have actually requested a trial from them to see how they work.

But in the meantime I managed to bodge it up with a soldering iron. It works fine so I can do bits and pieces until I get a new one.

[George Neagu]

You’re welcome.
TinEye is the best reverse image search engine I ever found and used. And it’s a life saver.

[George Neagu]

I used TinEye to do a reversed image search and I found them here https://www.hantsfire.gov.uk/keeping-sa … pictogram/

All vector.

[George Neagu]

Do you leave any gap between the dibond sheets when you do this kind of job?
I have experienced in the past and issue, the boards expanded next day and they were bowing out.
Or do you use certain dibond?

Thank you

[George Neagu]

quote ChrisBolt:

Hi All,

Wondering if you any of you have had a similar issue/know of a resolution. We have an Epson Surecolour printer and every now and then it will spontaneously decide to hesitate during printing.

We run Onyx Rip on a separate PC, it’s connected to the printer via ethernet cable and is set to only start printing once all the data has been sent to the printer.

Every now and then during printing, the print head will start to pause for a few seconds every time it gets to the end of a pass. This can make a run take 10x longer than it should.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance

Chris

Interesting because I have an ordinary Epson desktop printer that does the same thing. It’s like it’s getting tired and need to rest for a moment. :))

[George Neagu]

This is an important lesson to learn as a sign fitter. Unfortunately, sometimes it happens too late and it might cost you.

Years ago I have installed some cut vinyl on a massive window panel.
After few weeks I went back to remove it. Hours later my manager got a phone call saying I have ruined the glass panel, there are scratches everywhere, and it cost £3k to replace it.
I knew the scratches were there before, I went back and I checked the panel with the man who reported me.
The scratches were all over the place including the areas where no vinyl was ever applied. Even the adjacent panels were scratched all over. I guess because I cleaned the glass at the end made the scratches to show up.
We agreed it wasn’t my fault but I’ve learnt the lesson.

First thing first inspect all around you. Any damages you notice, just point with your finger before you start doing any work, especially when on do work on glass. Customers don’t notice/forget about scratches on glass, you put the sign on (or remove it), they come to check the work and see a scratch and 100% will be you (in their head).

Or sometimes I take pictures of damages with my phone and keep them for several months or a year. It’s a good idea for vans too.

[George Neagu]

We’ve got a Zund here. Let me know if you might consider it so I can share some views about it.

[George Neagu]

Cutting them with a dragging blade might not deliver good results, it depends how complex the shapes are. The reason is the partition between the grooves that sometimes might force your blade to a different direction than the one you want to cut.

The best results will be routing them. I can’t give you precise info here because we have a CNC with its own bits.
But there are 2 factors that matter: the bit and the speed.

You need a bit designed to cut foamex/plastics.
The speed is essential. A low speed will leave rough edges. A high speed will make the bit going hot, the correx will tend to melt a little bit on the edges and you will end up with some sort of smooth "hair" on edges.

The optimal speed will produce a clean cut on correx or foamex.

[George Neagu]

quote James Sahota:

Hi Guys,

Interested in seeing who everyone is using for optically clear film..?

Need something Solvent and UV printable

We used to import this directly and are coming to the end of our supplies and weighing up options of just buying from a UK supplier.

Many Thanks

Metamark does clear vinyl and works both UV and solvent. The only issue with it is not clear like a glass, it’s a bit foggy, but if you have 100% print coverage it’s fine. You only see it in non-printed areas.

The second option is APS (All Print Supplies). They do 2 types of Avery Clear. Nice vinyl but be advised they are not suitable for wet application, they go milky. APS will tell you one type is suitable for wet application, you check the product code on Avery website and they say the same but when you put fluid on it it’s over so I believe APS sell same stuff under 2 different codes.

The third option is APS again and it’s called DigiSol. It a perfect clear vinyl, like a glass, quite thick and it has a very strong adhesive, it’s pretty love to remove it.

We successfully tried all above on Solvent and UV. Get samples of each and try before buying large quantities.

[George Neagu]

quote Steven Kearns:

Hi all,
I wonder if anybody else is experiencing this – my supplier tells me there are no other reports but I get this all the time and it’s annoying and costly.
I buy 50m rolls of Ritrama matt vinyl and see this particularly in the BLACK but it happens in other colours too.
Maybe 3-10 times per roll, I come across a hole in the vinyl (not the backing) and a smear running from the hole as if a solvent or something has splashed and poured. Obviously if this appears on part of the job, the job is ruined I must cut again. The incidence of the holes may be many more as I only care about the jobs I lose.

I believe that others must be getting this too but are accepting it as part of the experience of using this particular brand – my supplier suspects the same.
Any info anyone can give, or accounts of your experience with Ritrama Matt would be received with gratitude.

I use loads of Ritrama black M series from MDP. Never had an issue with it.
Who is your supplier?

[George Neagu]

quote Colin Crabb:

You forgot Dorset in the list! :tongue:

Just a point – West Country / Devon / Cornwall areas, is you will notice a huge wage difference to London.
But everything else is waaaaaay better! Far more relaxed, and defo’ not grim in the winter!

Oh, sure I forgot Dorset. 🙂
I am aware of the wage difference but I can manage that, I have already a plan B that can cover that difference but I still need a job, that’s the thing.
That’s what I want, something more relaxed. London is too mad, hours and hours lost in traffic or public transport, queue at bus stop, queue at tube station, queue at post office, queue at local supermarket etc. Oh, dear!

[George Neagu]

quote Simon Worrall:

Are you running your own business or do you work for somebody, George?

Simon

Hi Simon,
I currently work for a company here in London so I am concerned if there a many companies over there that can provide me a job?
However, I am ready at any point to start myself one, I have all I need to start but I also wonder if there is work to be done?

Some people say Cornwall for example can be pretty grim during the winter so I guess not much work to be done?

Thank you

[George Neagu]

quote Gordon Smithard:

Stupid question but does vinyl have a sort of grain? Reason for the question is that I do a lot of very small fiddly stuff for stencils and when weeding I get better results if I turn the vinyl on it’s side, or sometimes upside down, it’s as if there’s a grain in the vinyl. Or could it have something to do with the blade angle or offset?

You are not the only one, I noticed that too as I do loads of tiny bits.
So I noticed that it weeds better if you weed same direction as the cutting direction. That means it doesn’t catch the small good bits up when you weed.
I don’t know the explanation but turning tangential mode on helps a lot (Mode 2 on Graphtec).

[George Neagu]

quote Ewan Chrystal:

Been asked to make some SOLD stickers for a boat dealer. I obviously want something that wont leave residue and ideally can be re used. Would static cling work for this? It would be applied to the exterior of boats after they are sold so i would imagine will need to stay on for a week or two at a time.

Thanks all

Yeah, why not? Vinyl would be a better option though but not reusable.
Make sure the surface is very clear and put them on all-flat area rather than curved areas, then let the client know: they have no adhesive so I can’t guarantee they will stay on for months. But they are reusable. 😆
And if they peel off, they can be reapplied, I assume the boats being for sale are on the ground and not on the water?

[George Neagu]

Barney, would you be able to test the machine properly to make sure it works fine? Cutting fine graphics, good tracking, accuracy etc?

To me £500 is quite a lot for an old machine like that with no warranty so why don’t you buy a new Graphtec CE6000-60 for just over £1k (without stand, you can buy the stand later if you need one)?
It is a new machine, 2 years warranty on site, USB (no adapter needed) and it comes with all the software you need to start your business (no other software required). Later on, as you learn and find work, you can buy the stand, get a better software and move on.

Think the other way round (my personal experience), the machine will be your work horse for this business. If it doesn’t work properly you can’t get quality work done, you will waste loads of vinyl. You will waste time trying to get the machine running rather than finding work. And then you will realize you need a new machine.

Don’t shoot in the dark, invest into a new machine first thing first. The computer and the software are accessories at this point, you can buy them later.

[George Neagu]

I haven’t found cheaper than MDP.

[George Neagu]

quote Robert Lambie:

It will come down to how experienced you are doing this type of installation.

Personally, regardless to the size of the panel / window i would do it DRY always. zero application fluid required regardless to the vinyl etch used. It is 10 times faster and less chance of fails from the media.

If you think bubbles etc might be an issue, then use and air release etch vinyl. you can source this from most leading vinyl suppliers.

The weather is cold, the glass even colder. there for you should not go the wet app route because the cold glass will automatically repel adhesion making the install far more forgiving than normal. However, it will also make the vinyl far more brittle, so be careful not to snap it.

Heating very cold glass is not advised as you can easily crack it in cold weather.

Hey Robert,
What’s your technique for doing dry etch and what vinyl do you use?

I can be at least 10 times slower on dry application and the results won’t be anything near wet application results.
I always used Metamark Silver Etch and I have done the job above in the middle of the winter, on a single glazed window, from the inside. The glass was very cold but I had no issues.
It is still there after 2 years, in mint condition, so no chance it will peel off because I’ve done it wet.
However I am not confident Ritrama works as well as Metamark.

Btw, Metamark has some instructions here too http://www.metamark.co.uk/pages_tec/sv_app_etch.htm

[George Neagu]

I always do it wet.
I have done a 3.5x1m panel with cut out letters in the middle, same as yours, just bigger.

The way I have done was: (we were 2 people)
– I produces the frosting 100mm longer (3.6m).
– I used the extra 100mm to attach it dry to the frame of the window. This will secure the vinyl in place when you peel the release.
– I have applied application tape only over the area that has letters, not over the whole thing
– I started to peel off the release paper and spray the fluid all over up to the end of it (One man was unrolling and peeling the release, one was spraying and push the film against the glass).
– Now the frosting was all wet on the glass
– I sprayed it all again on top so the squeegee will slide on it and not scratch it.
– I got a rubber squeegee and started to rub it from the center towards the edges.
– The result was perfect
– Never run the squeegee dry on it, it will scratch it.
– Never use hard squeegee on it, it will scratch it. Use rubber one.

Makes sense?

[George Neagu]

quote Ewan Chrystal:

Well they arrived at 10.30 and i have to blame the coordinator as she had it down for mid morning despite me saying 10am.
Anyway, I’ll probably give the boy a shot. He’s pretty clueless when it comes to software and doesn’t know what he wants to do in the future. He got an A in art and Graphic communications at school but that’s about as far as it goes. He seems quite outgoing and pleasant to talk to which is a start.
Its pretty low risk for me and you never know, this might turn out to be industry for him.
If it was for straight forward employment i don’t think i would employ him based on his experience but then that’s what this charity is all about, trying to find jobs for kids who don’t really know what they want to do, heck i’m 39 and still don’t know what i want to be when i grow up.

If the risk is low and there is no string attached, it’s worth trying.
I remember me, I was 18 and I ended up into a workshop to help people in there. There were 2 of us, only one to stay after a trial and a test (basic questions about vectors, vinyl etc.)
I knew nothing about this industry. Never heard of Corel, vector or raster and it was for the first time when I saw a printer bigger than A4 and a cutting plotter. I was a perfect zero in this industry.
The reason I was accepted was because the other one didn’t liked it and he left before the test. He knew nothing too anyway.

But I liked it and I started to learn. It took time, I have done many mistakes and wasted many materials.

The point is, some people don’t know they like it because they don’t know it exists or how it works, same as food.
And I bloody hate that question "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?".

[George Neagu]

Can anyone suggest how much the insurance cost you for a standard transit van?

I am being told by directors that I cannot have a van because the insurance is over £3k per year and it’s cheaper if I hire one every time I need it. But this is a real pain for me, I can’t work like that, I waste so much time.

How comes that so many small business a lot smaller than us can afford a bloody van and we don’t? We are meant to be top end printing company.

Please advise.

Thank you

[George Neagu]

quote Robert Lambie:

Personally, I do not see a fixed rate based on years in trade.

Essential point here, I had this in my mind but I missed to write it here.

quote John McNickle:

I have the same issue George, I have a guy with over 10yrs experience but has continually refused to learn to drive, we are a 2 man team at the moment and he is pushing for a raise… he is on inbetween A and B on your scale and I can’t go more without a licence

quote :

quote Robert Lambie:

Make him a deal John, you pay him for his driving lessons, and you can claim the costs back anyway.
Only once he learns to drive do you give him his rise, which could be the amount your paying for the lesson/s each week.
This way it is in his best interest to pass and pass quickly.
Why should your commitment to him increase if his commitment to you does not?

.

Are you sure he can drive the van as soon as he will get the license? Is it going to have enough driving skills to drive the van? Do you have a backup if he will bump it?

Will you afford an insurance for him to drive?

[George Neagu]

quote Ewan Chrystal:

Been meaning to do this for a while as my office has very little daylight and with winter on the way can be a very dark place. I’m amazed at the difference in colour

What bulbs did you use Ewan?
I found some of being too cold and causing q bit of eye strain.

[George Neagu]

quote Gary Barker:

Hi All need some advice on sign fitters wages, someone that has 3 to 5 years experience, can fit most type of signs and graphics, what kind of money are they paid, average week 40hrs.

A upto 15k per year
B upto 18k per year
C upto 20k per year
D upto 23k per year
E upto 25k per year
F over this

Just a letter will be fine on any response

Thanks Gary

It depends a lot where you are base/he lives.
For example, in London you are just about to die with 18k but could be plenty of money for a small town in Midlands.

But for that experience and skills, should be paid at least 20k in UK and at least 23k in London I would say.

It also depends if:
– he can drive
– he can do other work for you if there are no installs
– he is available anytime you need him (night, early morning, late evenings, weekends etc.).

[George Neagu]

You can also invest in some brochures with your work and post them to companies that you target.
You can also phone them: "Hello, I am a sign maker/printer, just down the road!"

Also, walking on high streets and drop a leaflet to shops that might need your work can get you face to face with the shop owner and they always seem to have a thing or two to do.

And a website is mandatory. Make sure you add your business to Google Business so it will come up on local results with map, website, phone etc. Collecting feedback from customers will put your website on top of the list.

[George Neagu]

Thanks all, wrapped didn’t work well so I tried a few spray paints and one did the job.

[George Neagu]

quote Warren Beard:

Thanks George, I’m a Mac man so wouldn’t know where to start with the PC, might have to get a tech guy in to take a look. :awkward:

Thanks

Give us a bit more details, maybe we can work it out here.
How does the PC connect to the Mac server?
Is it mapped as a network drive, do you use a User/Password to connect to it via Network or…?

Also, have a look on your Mac server (can’t point you precisely). Look for options that suggest something like release idle connections or release connection after X minutes or log out users for inactivity, something like this https://discussions.apple.com/thread/75 … 0&tstart=0

[George Neagu]

quote Warren Beard:

If accessing the PC then it’s quick, only slow accessing Server which is why I think it could be a permissions issue?

I would not say Permissions, that wouldn’t let you access it at all.

I would look into the way that PC is logging in to access the server. You said "…once passed "File Open" it is quick if you keep opening folders as it opens but if left for a few minutes then it takes minutes again to open folders…".

So basically as long as you keep it running it’s all good, as soon as you do not use it for a while it is slow for the first use. That seems to be a login session that expires or it does log out for inactivity and I think that is the issue. Or the connection itself is released for inactivity.

[George Neagu]

quote Warren Beard:

Hi All

RasterLink is new to us but is running on a top spec PC, this only happens in RasterLink but it takes up to 5 minutes sometimes to open folders, once passed “File Open” it is quick if you keep opening folders as it opens but if left for a few minutes then it takes minutes again to open folders.

Has anybody else had this problem, I presume it’s a permissions thing to our Mac server but don’t have this issue on any of our other PC’s linked to same server and as I said it’s only in the RasterLink software this happens.

Thanks

Warren

Does this happen when you open local files or files that are stored on a network server (NAS)?

[George Neagu]

quote Martin Pearson:

Got a customer that would like me to cover the inside of his bus windows with a matt black vinyl so people inside the bus can’t see out. The windows currently have a tint film on the inside so just wondering if anyone could see any potential problems applying a vinyl over the top of it rather than removing it all.
Guessing it would need to be done dry as tint film adhesive is water activated so applying wet could lead to lifting the tint film 😆 😆

Hi Martin,
Just yesterday I have removed vinyl form an old shop windows. Some of them had the blast proof film on the outside (don’t know why).
I don’t know for how long the vinyl was there but must have been for while, it was an empty unit.
The vinyl was some gray-back (removable) with lamination and it came off quite easily and caused no damage to the film.

I would explain to the customer that if the tint film gets damaged when installing/removing the vinyl, it will involve additional costs to replace the film. This should turn him down and let you apply outside.

Good luck!

[George Neagu]

Hey Kev, which branch have you been in touch with?
Because I am in London, I contacted Northampton branch.

[George Neagu]

quote :

quote George Neagu:

why there is no ‘proper’ supplier of Orcal in the UK?

You will find that Europoint was the first official supplier of Oracal in the UK and still holds the widest range.

That’s good to know, let’s see what they can do for me.
I have never paid attention to Europint simply because their website is completely naked and it does not suggest they are a reputable company.

[George Neagu]

quote Robert Lambie:

complete opposite from me, I wont use a website to order unless its household items or gadgets. 😆
I also dont think trade suppliers should have an easy access price list for joe blogs to see what we are all paying. which is a growing issue within our industry.
YES, once you have a proper trading account with a supplier then having a portal to order things is the way to go. but not as i say above…
I prefer to build relations with my suppliers too… have some good friends in the industry as a result, you cannot do that via a faceless web page. maybe i am old hat but i believe we buy “from people” and quality and service comes before price any day.

That is fair enough if you are a small-medium company (or BIG).
You spend a fair amount of money with them, you keep a close relation with them, you might get some discounts, they might push your order first if you need it urgent etc. There are certainly benefits on this.
But for a solo like me who only order occasionally and spend maybe less than 1k per year it is hard to build a relation hence ordering online is an easy option. Plus, I can order whenever I want rather than Mon to Fri, 9 to 5pm.

And yes, the prices should be kept secure behind the point where you set up an account but Europoint is lacking that portal to order things (and I hate that).

Happy Friday

[George Neagu]

quote Robert Lambie:

quote Gil Johnson:

Hi George,

We buy oracal from Europoint Manchester and also from Sign + Digital Ireland – they stock most oracal vinyls.

I second Europoint. You will get a better stock holding from them too.

http://www.europoint.co

Thank you, I have spoken to them, expect some prices today.

I hate Europoint because they don’t have a proper website. I hate calling, asking for prices that will be sent within 2 days or so, I hate to buy over the phone/mail. :awkward:
It seems to take ages compared with online shops where you log in, see prices, see discounts based on the volume you buy, see order history and many others.

[George Neagu]

quote Colin Crabb:

Try this product code: 75145 – £1.38 metre showing on my screen once logged in.

I am just waiting for my account to be activated. As a visitor, I see that at £3.42/m. :shocked:

Thank you so much for this info, I was not aware of this trick. Cheers :claps:

[George Neagu]

quote Colin Crabb:

Mines showing up as 1260mm wide matt (defo’ matt) £3.95 per metre /630mm matt @ £1.38 metre for 641 series ….. don’t look at the ‘standard’ prices there a LONG way out, contact them & set up an account.

Ah, I did not know that, I just looked as is, see attached image.
Thanks for that, I will try to get an account.

Cheers

---

Attachments:

[George Neagu]

quote Colin Crabb:

Antalis stocks 641 & 631 Matt – oddly no 638 series.

Thanks Colin, I know that but I think you didn’t read the last bit: ‘at a decent price’ :smiles:
£4.88/m at 630mm width? I’m too posh for that. And ‘g’ I believe means Gloss anyway.

[George Neagu]

quote Lee Reeves:

How about the new sprinter

Too expensive for a van without doors.

[George Neagu]

quote Simon Worrall:

And everybody else who has one waves at you as you go past!

Simon, I am confused. Is this how they do it?

---

Attachments:

[George Neagu]

quote Iain Pearson:

George, I’ve had both, give me a call. 07881627231

Wouldn’t be an option to make few quick points here?
I am thinking, other may find this post useful.

Thanks

[George Neagu]

quote Daniel Evans:

Not even sure I can fond my graphtec manual but I did take a look at the roland one from the course i went on recently and i’ve set my blade how they tell me and to get it to cut I need to set the force to 300gf.

I’ll just have to extend the blade more and lower the force.

Thanks

The manual must be somewhere online. Roland might have different approach for setting up the blade.

What model is you Graphtec? 300gf is usually the top limit and that’s a LOT for sign vinyl.
I cut sign vinyl at 120gf on CE6000-60.

Btw, what course did you take?

[George Neagu]

quote Colin Crabb:

As above, use a coated media satin or gloss both for a quality finish & to prevent wrinkles.

Oce (Canon) IJM263 (260gsm) is cheap but good

I’d say 260gsm is too much for a poster. Never had issues with 190gsm.

[George Neagu]

quote Daniel Evans:

Hey guys,

So I’ve been using smart blades ever since I can remember, I now think I want to try the original blades.

I was always told to set the blade depth to half a credit card size.

I now understand that you need to set the depth for each vinyl so that it only cuts through the vinyl layer but scores the backing paper.

This is fairly easy to do but no one mentions about pressure / force settings and here is my issue.

If you set the settings to I.e 300gf, the blades is never gonna go anymore than just scoring the backing paper, what’s the point in having those settings in the software then?

So what is the correct way to set up the blade depth?

Hi Daniel,
I only used original blades on my Graphtec but the settings depends on your cutter, of course, so first thing first read the manual of your cutter and learn how to set up the blade.

As a general rule, that’s how you set up the blade:
– the blade has to be extended a little bit more than the thickness of the vinyl. If the blade is extended too much you might have troubles with corners and other small curves.
– put the blade into your cutter and do a test cut. Start with very low force and increase in steps until you are happy with the results.
– a "perfect" cut means the vinyl is easy to weed and the blade leaves faint lines on the backing paper. The backing paper should not be scored or it will split when you lift up the letters.

But I repeat, the manual will provide clear directions to set up the blade.

Cheers

[George Neagu]

quote John Cooper:

Hi again guys

We use roll media on our Epson 9800 printer.

We’ve been asked to print some posters and I know from experience that printing on some of the paper we received with the printer is a BIG no no – it ends up all wrinkled due to the ink. I believe the paper is probably cheap proofing paper!

So, as the subject says, what roll paper would be best to use for printing posters? Colourbyte http://www.colourbyte.co.uk/content/…gory/113/1675/ do a matt paper but I want to ensure I get the right stuff 🙂

Cheers

John

Hi John,

I recommend this 190g satin paper for posters, it’s excellent if it fits your budget:
https://www.antalis.co.uk/business/cata … +Satin+190

I recommend satin paper for posters rather than matt.

Cheers

[George Neagu]

Hi Jon,
I don’t think any of your software can do that without an intensive work.
But I know you can do that in a breeze with InDesign because it’s a pagination software. One tutorial is here but there are tons of others on Google. http://indesignsecrets.com/making-numbered-tickets.php.
Not sure if you can do that on InDesign trial mode but it’s worth a try. Install InDesign as trial and see if works.

Let us know how it went.

[George Neagu]

Hi Marius,

Sorry, I am a bit off topic, I don’t have the answer to your problems but I have a question to you.

Can you please advise me what media did you use on Epson 7890 to make interior wall decals?
Did you laminate them?

Many thanks,
George

[George Neagu]

Not the most straight forward but a quick and DIRTY way is:

Create the text, outline it then add Drop Shadow (Effect>Stylize>Drop Shadow).
Set Opacity to 100% and Blur to zero. Offset it as much as you like.
When all done do Object>Expand Appearance. Now the shadow is a separate object.
Select your main text (not the shadow) and add a Stroke (the white gap). Object>Expand…>Stroke on it to make the Stroke a separate object.
At this point you should have 3 different objects: The text, the gap and the shadow. Use Pathfinder options to trim into each other.

Latear edit: I used Patfinder to Unite the text and the shadow objects and make a single object. Now select this and the gap object and use Pathfinder Minus Front. This created the right paths on my screen. One for text, one for shadow.

[George Neagu]

quote DavidRogers:

quote George Neagu:

quote DavidRogers:

Don’t oil it…

Could you explain why please? I am just curious.

Thanks

Oil does several things if put where it ought not be.

thins down any grease, doesn’t stay on the bearing surfaces, attracts dirt & grit.

you absolutely CAN use a general purpose (3’n’1 / sewing machine) oil it if you regularly want to wipe off excess, clean off dirt buildup and make sure surfaces don’t get dry.

On my plotter and many before it, a mix of non-sticky grease for anything that rotates or moves a lot and dry lubricants for other sliding parts (pinch roller guides) that you move slide about by hand such as silicone or even old school graphite powder.

Just my personal take on it.

Yeah, that makes sense to me. :thumbsup:
I am still wondering why Graphtec says loud DO NOT LUBRICATE IT! ❓