Plotters...

[Hoey]

I'm in the investigational phase of getting one of these. Thing is, I know virtually nothing about them, besides their function. Would someone be able to point me in the right direction? What I should/shouldn't look for? Reputable Company/Manufacturer? A reasonable ballpark price I should expect?

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

Dave

[disctribution]

Well, there are two general categories for price. The economical price, anywhere from $150 to $400 depending on the size of the plotter. You'll find plotters from USCutter in this range. The other category would be the "professional" plotters, and the price will jump from $800-$4000+. I doubt you're looking to start a sign business so I'd probably try out an economical plotter. If you search for USCutter on ebay you can get some good info and the "going rate". I have one of these 12" plotters myself and gotta say it does it's job well. It comes with the software required to cut, however, the software is weak and difficult, so you'll probably still need to use something like Paint Shop to make your art plotter ready. I've been using mine for about 5 months, a few times a week, and haven't had any problems, haven't even changed the blades yet.

If you went with a professional plotter you would be able to do a LOT more stuff, including making your own signs on a large scale, etc. But if you're just looking for a cutter for vinyl on a disc, the 12" USCutter is perfect. If buy chance you do end up buying one, let me know. They can be tricky to set up in the beginning, and I may be able to help you. You'll also find 12" vinyl rolls and 12" trasfer tape rolls for less than $20 each on ebay. Oh, you'll also be labeled a "plotter cheater" because you don't cut things out by hand anymore!

Some cutting tips:
Cut designs on the slowest speed
Keep your vinyl dust free
Use transfer tape to apply your design to the disc

For jobs I've done using the plotter check out these pictures.

[Hoey]

Thank you for the response disctribution...

I've been roaming around these disc artwork pages for awhile now... trying to soak up as much info as possible. I'll definitely check back if something happens.

And I'm not worried about the cheater label either.

Lefties don't seem to mind




oh, it would be cool (for the yoda background) if he just sliced through an enemy like a japanimation picture/movie

[pointdisc]

...cheaters!!!

I wish I had a plotter, it would be WAY easier and you can pull off some sick designs, but I don't dye enough to justify gettting one.

BTW, excellent work disctribution. That X-cal is SICK

pd

[Hoey]

does it matter what color the vinyl is? Or does one color work better than others?

[disctribution]

If it doesn't matter to you, it won't matter to your disc either. I personally try to get useful colors because your plotter can also be used to make things like tee signs n other stuff. Just stay away from the really cheap thin stuff.

BTW thanks PD!

[Hoey]

Got a sweet 25" Plotter from UScutter w/stand. Arrived today! Can't wait to start cutting brilliance.

[Hoey]

Got a sweet 25" Plotter from UScutter w/stand. Arrived today! Can't wait to start cutting brilliance.

Yeah, so how long ago was this post...

We finally gave up on this thing, only thing is was good for, was cutting dust it was collecting.

They assured me that these work on Macs. We didn't go to the guy on the top of the mountain for wisdom and guidance, but did nearly everything else we could... to no avail.

Merely an FYI if you use Mac's and were looking at one of these.

Cutting brilliance will have to wait.

[disctribution]

Hey with decent PC's starting at about $300 why not just buy one just for plotting? You don't need much. A PC with windows already on it, and maybe Adobe CS or whatever you use for graphics. In fact, you could still make the art on your macs, save it in GIF or whatever format, and transfer it to the PC for plotting. At least then your plotter isn't a complete waist.

[Hoey]

love your positive attitude disctribution...

maybe in time...

[some call me...tim?]

hehe, I can tell you from personal experience that it isn't much less of a headache using a PC either. Chuck and I tried to fire up the ol' plotter recently to cut out some lettering, but somehow in the months of sitting in a box, the motherboard crapped out. You'd turn it on, the buttons would light up, and the LCD screen would glow, but that was the extent of it.

[tymeframe]

Dave, we bought our plotter a couple of months before your original post and it has since paid for more than itself and a lot of vinyl. We run a small sign business (and started DGstickers.com) outside of our full time jobs and it has kept us busy. So busy that I need to be doing other stuff right now and not posting on forums.

Check out Sign Warehouse and look at their express plotters. They start at around $700, but they are work horses. ...and you get to have fun making whatever you want, whenever you want as a perk!

[Fritz]

Dave, we bought our plotter a couple of months before your original post and it has since paid for more than itself and a lot of vinyl. We run a small sign business (and started DGstickers.com) outside of our full time jobs and it has kept us busy. So busy that I need to be doing other stuff right now and not posting on forums.

Check out Sign Warehouse and look at their express plotters. They start at around $700, but they are work horses. ...and you get to have fun making whatever you want, whenever you want as a perk!

Do you guys have any plans to make say... a QMS sticker

Also do you guys make custom stickers for like clubs and tournaments?