Which cutter to start with?

[randbphoto]

Hi All,

I'm looking to expand my business by adding a vinyl cutter. I'll be using it to do banners, window signs, and vehicle lettering. I also plan on cutting heat transfer materials for tees and stencil material for rhinestone designs.

I outsource right now but would like to have the capability of doing it myself. I've looked at the Cricut 24" craft cutter but don't think it will meet my needs. Obviously I'm looking to start off as inexpensively as possible while being able to output a quality product.

I'm considering the USCutter Creation PCUT Vinyl Cutter or the LaserPoint Vinyl Cutter w/ CONTOUR CUTTING feature.

I've had mixed responses from suppliers of more expensive machines (a waste of money) and from searching on the web (issues that owners seem to have overcome), but would like to hear from someone who owns either machine and can tell me about their experience.

Are there any other machines out there in that price range (under $500) that I should consider (any success stories)?

Is it worth waiting to buy a more expensive machine?

Thanks for the advice and GOD bless,

Richard
R&B Photo & Promo

[HunterCustoms]

I've had good luck with my PCUT that I have been using for about a year now. A friend of mine has been running his for over 2 years now with no problems. IMO, for the price, they are disposable. We've been using US Cutters. Hope that helps.

[JP Kenney]

I do have a US Cutter 24" laserpoint which is a good machine for the money. After you spend the time to set it up corectly. The SB software that comes with it is not the greatest but will get the job done. I gave up on the Sb software and went for Flexisign Pro which will handle both cutter and my Encad Printer. As always you get what you pay for.

[Stewey]

I would recomend Roland, Mimaki, etc, and I would seriously avoid Creation like the plague.
Total disaster with every one I knew.

You get what you pay for- pay for good stuff, and it's worth it. Pay less & gain anguish.

[perfectpl]

I would recomend Roland, Mimaki, etc, and I would seriously avoid Creation like the plague.
Total disaster with every one I knew.

You get what you pay for- pay for good stuff, and it's worth it. Pay less & gain anguish.

Hello,

What sized of cutting plotter you using?

B.RGD
Slawek

[Stewey]

A very old, solid, 20" (510mm) Roland Camm-1.

[Bdanyeur]

Roland has been in the game a long time. I was using their plotter which work similarly to cutters. Tough as nails and accurate. So what do I use to cut vinyl? A Cricut. I don't do alot and it's lots slower. The 20" Roland will cut much larger than 24" cricut because they measure different. The Cricut is 12x24 so they call it 24". The Roland is 20" wide and longer still.
The Cricut advantage is it's inexpensive (as long as you don't buy cartridges). When used with "sure cuts alot" or "make the cut" you can cut any designs you want. You can get used cricuts for less than $100 and use shareware version of MTC. The little cricut cuts letters almost 6x12 which is big enough for most things. It just takes a while. If time really is money, by Roland but if you want to learn and do smaller jobs cheap is a good way to go.