Need to Register?

T D Homa · August 4th, 2008

Hey Everyone,

Over the weekend I was speaking to my father about potentially looking into buying a plotter so I can do more things. Stickers, better quality shirts, etc.

Well after going through the process as to what I need to do it, my father had but one question that trigger the ones below:

"What do you used the scraps for?"

"Can you use them again? Do people try to put enough things that need to be cut done all in one job?"

I stood there and ensured myself that somewhere I thought I read you could use 7" scraps when using some of the plotters I was reading about and then I too began to pounder these questions as well

If you can use scraps how small or large do they have to be? Is it a relative width to that of the plotter you're using?

Thanks,

~ Tim

mystysue · August 4th, 2008

many people save the scraps to make small decals or stickers that they sell.
Ive donated scraps to schools for craft projects too..
I tend to plan my jobs so there are the least amount of scrap left over.. I make alot of signs.. I also have vinyl in differant widths.. so if im making a 18 x 24 sign i tend to cut it out of 20 inch wide vinyl so there really are not enuff scrap to save or worry about.

Or if im making smaller things i tend to gang them up so i use most of the vinyl.. I dont like saving scraps and I dont have the time to look for scraps the right size and color so tend to use the vinyl to the best advantage when i do the first cut and dont worry about scraps after that.

theflowerboxx · August 4th, 2008

I've never seen 20" width sign vinyl, but I only buy 24" width and always save my scraps. You can use them for all kinds of things. You can cut down to like 2" width of scraps. I normally save anything over 6" or so in sign vinyl. T-shirt vinyl I save all that, it comes in very handy for all kinds of designs.

I obviously don't make as many signs as Mystysue so I have to save my scraps. It takes about 10 seconds to find what I'm looking for so it's worth it to me to save them. I'll save them for about a yr or so then I toss them all out and start again.

pshawny · August 4th, 2008

The scrap piece just has be be big enough so the pinch rollers can feed it back and forth while it cuts the design out. Some scraps are just thrown away.

mystysue · August 4th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by theflowerboxx


	I've never seen 20" width sign vinyl,

Perma-gloss which is sign-marts house brand of vinyl comes in 20 inch widths.. .. Remember when we bought our shop the only vinyl cutter the guy we bought it from had was the old graphtec which cuts 18" wide.. but can hold 20 inch vinyl... Perma-gloss is an intermediate calendared vinyl.. but it really works well in our climate here in southern calif..
I have seen signs and banners that are 5 years old or and they still look like new....
THere is a banner accross the street from us that the past owner made about 3 1/2 years ago.. Ill take a pic of it.. lol

propsuper · August 4th, 2008

Even the small pieces can be saved and used. We use a lot of shirt vinyl and a fair amount of sign vinyl and when weeding , esp. small designs, a period or something disappears. We find it much easier to snip a quick one and replace it before we press. Good luck in you adventure.

COEDS · August 4th, 2008

I not only save my scrap, But I also figure out which is the best way to cuat designs to use the least amount. .... JB

patchmaster · August 5th, 2008

We save the usable scraps also, however...

We also charge by the running inch and sometimes the running foot so scrap is paid for by the customer. It is NOT waste. If we have a large enough piece of scrap that we save for another job we just got paid twice for the same material.

When your figuring your start-up costs and running costs you'd be well to charge for not only the design but also what is involved in creating that design, and that includes the scrap to produce that design.

make sense?

mystysue · August 5th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by patchmaster


	We save the usable scraps also, however... We also charge by the running inch and sometimes the running foot so scrap is paid for by the customer. It is NOT waste. If we have a large enough piece of scrap that we save for another job we just got paid twice for the same material. When your figuring your start-up costs and running costs you'd be well to charge for not only the design but also what is involved in creating that design, and that includes the scrap to produce that design. make sense?

Does to me.. I always figure that the customer has paid for the scrap pieces too.. .. and really if you plan your layouts and cutting correctly.. you shouldnt have many scraps at all..

With the versacamm if we have only used a section we then move the base point over and print stickers for the shop or such so we have no scrap pieces from that either..

I think my adversion to scraps and saving them per say.. came from the old owner and how many peices of scrap vinyl was here when we bought the shop.. that had been here for who knows how long..
One piece was froma vinyl manufacture that had been out of business for 4 years prior lol..
so i just junked it all and try to keep the mess down to a minium.. which isnt easy in shop..

ambitious · August 5th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by pshawny


	The scrap piece just has be be big enough so the pinch rollers can feed it back and forth while it cuts the design out. Some scraps are just thrown away.

I totally agree with this. I tried to save my scraps just to realize that this wasn't possible, they weren't long enough or wide enough. So i end up tossing them as well.

joeshaul · August 5th, 2008

I believe heavily in conservation of materials, so I try to optimize space usage to ensure it is both easy to weed, as well as making best use of the material so that there is very little to spare. I keep a very small amount of each kind for scraps, just in case I need to do some repair work where the printer may have gone a bit wonky and spewed a bit extra ink. Doubt I'd ever feed sign vinyl back through my cutter, as the stuff is dirt cheap and it isn't worth the labor (especially if it needs to be cleaned). When I worked production at a shop using acrylic and engraving stock, it wasn't uncommon for us to rely the charges to a client for a whole sheet even though we would only use 3/4ths (client never saw the actual material on the bill, was figured into the cost of the job though), then when the onesie twosies came in, we had enough scraps on hand to complete the order. When doing really fancy stuff (stones like Corian, or really fancy plexiglass), we would try to limit what we ordered though, just enough to complete the job

treadhead · August 5th, 2008

I try to minimize the scrap my squeezing in as much as practical. Don't want to double my weeding time doing it...LOL.

We use them for smaller designs (pockets & name drops) and the window vinyl for decals.

pete219 · August 5th, 2008

When I first started I would save them to use at a later time. I couldn't get them to work when I needed them so I threw them out! Then I start making little stars and circles for shirts that may need a littles extra. I also use alot of money bags with my designs, so when I have a little extra space I make the bags!

billm75 · August 6th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by COEDS


	I not only save my scrap, But I also figure out which is the best way to cuat designs to use the least amount. .... JB

I too try to maximize the use of the vinyl this way. Alot of my designs work out to where I'll have 1 - 2 inches extra on the width, and honestly, it doesn't do much good to hold onto those for future work....so alot of times, if I have NOTHING else to use it for, I will throw my logo on the design being cut so it all cuts at one time, and uses the full width of the vinyl.

It makes use of the material, and I always have a stack of logos ready to use when I need 'em for something.