something that must be purchased separately?


A - Most cutters come with some cut- ter/driver software. Most of these software packages are very basic and require graphics software such as Illus- trator or Corel to get the most out of your cutter, so you should be prepared to invest in a graphics program.


Q - When would we want to stay with the basic software that comes with the vinyl cutter and when would we want to upgrade to a program such as Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, or Flexisign?


A - To get the most out of the cutter, you should use a dedicated graphics software program such as Corel or Illustrator. There are dedicated sign programs such as Flexisign, in which you can import, vectorize, manipulate, and cut your design, but this type of software can be very expensive, cost- ing several thousand dollars. Most of what you need to do can be done in Corel or Illustrator and you also have the added bonus of being able do com- puter artwork and renderings for your customers.


Q - I see a lot of smaller formant (less than 24” wide) cutters such as the Silhouette, Circuit, Roland Stikas, and Graphtec Craft Robo Pro. The Silhou- ette seems very enticing at around $200 and the Stikas and Craft Robo Pro from ranging from $500 to $1000. Are these cutters logical choices, or should we stay with the more standard 24” wide cutters?


A - I consider these machines hobby cutters. Hobby cutters definitely have their place, but at the end of the day they are hobby cutters. They are limit- ed in the width they can cut and you are constantly trimming the vinyl to fit into the machine, as lot of the vinyl comes in 20” widths. There may be some vi- nyl that is available in 15” widths, but I haven’t seen anything narrower than


that. The Circuit, for example, has a unique blade adjustment that you have to play with to get it to work. It doesn’t adjust the same way as a full size cut- ter. The Roland Stikas and Graphtec Craft Robo pro are good machines, but they are expensive, so when you’re pay- ing $700-$1,000 you might want to consider getting a 24” cutter. You have to ask yourself if 12” or 15” is the wid- est you’re ever going to cut.


Q - A vinyl cutter is useless without a computer. Is there any special operation system or other requirements needed for a computer to run a vinyl cutter? Do all cutters work with the Windows and MAC operating systems?


A - Most computers will work fine with today’s vinyl cutters. However, if you’re buying a used or older model cutter, you may want to stay away from Win- dows 7 as there are some compatibil- ity issues. Some of the older, off brand cutters will give you trouble in Windows 7. Roland and Graphtec work well with a MAC, but GCC cutters do not. If you are using a Mac and buying a cheaper, off brand cutter, some work with Mac and some do not, so that is another is- sue to look into when buying these cut- ters.


Q - Where would we start to shop for a vinyl cutter? Tech support is an impor- tant issue. How do we make sure we are buying from a reliable source and can get the tech support needed after making the purchase?


A - A good place to start is T-shirtfo- rums.com. A lot of people go on this site for information about vinyl cutters and the sponsors on this site usually pro- vide good support. Stahl’s sells the Ro- land GX-24 and GCC Expert 24 LX and we provide excellent customer support for these machines. www.Signs101 is another site where you can get some unbiased opinions on various cutters. I


would stay clear of E-Bay as they are usually there to sell something and technical support can be questionable.


Q - Vinyl cutters need replacement parts as well as technical support. Is this another reason we should seek out a reliable source?


A- You want to make sure you get at least a one to two year manufacturer’s warranty and buy from a company that will assist you in dealing with the manu- facturer where the warranty comes from. Technical support during the warranty period should be free. You also want to make sure replacement parts such as blades and cutting strips are readily available.


Q - Do most cutters have their own memory capability or do they rely on the computer to store the information for each job you send to the machine?


A - Most cutters today come with suf- ficient memory. The more memory, the larger the job the cutter can receive without the computer having to spool it. I haven’t really encountered a mem- ory issue with any of the cutters I work with. The more expensive cutters usu- ally have a larger memory. Even though some cutters do have more memory than others, I’ve never run into a prob- lem with this issue.


Q - Regarding placement of the cutter in our work area, is this an important issue? Do we want to avoid areas sub- ject to paint overspray and dust?


A - You definitely want to keep the cut- ter in an area free from dust and de- bris. The cutters have motors, moving parts and sensors that can be sensi- tive to this and can result in operating issues, so try and place your cutter in an area where you will not be painting or sanding.


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