Discuss the various aspects of heat pressed vinyl transfers. Popular and new types of vinyl media, suppliers, vinyl cutters /plotters, press times, quality, how to instructions and more can be found in this heat press sub forum.
I am after a good quality/branded cutter that can also handle intricate details. I have listed the cutters which seem to be the best choice. Could anyone offer some advice on which one would be best to handle fine and intricate designs?
I have read good things about the Roland and SummaCut, and Graphtec. Not read much about the Japanese Mimaki.
Most cutters will be able to handle intricate details it just depends how small you are going. The smaller the design the harder it is to cut, that's the same with any machine. I have cut letters small (5mm high) but certain letters are hard to weed and some designs would be too small anyway.
The smaller the design detail/cuts the harder it is to weed as well, that's the worst part because you have to sit there taking all the little bits off. When designing I always think of how hard it will be and how long it will take weed. The font used is also an issue, some are easier to weed than others.
The optical sensors are there to contour cut transfers that have been printed, they are nothing to do with cutting the vinyl so you only need them if you are cutting transfers printed on transfer paper.
What do you mean by intricate? Can you show us a design and state what size it will be.
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On a side note, could you explain why a cutter would need an optical sensor? I mean, I know what an optical sensor does; it cuts out a contour of an image - but isn't that what a cutter is supposed to do anyway? :P
PS. Example would be A3.
Last edited by Nytol; December 12th, 2008 at 03:34 AM.
I wouldn't want to try to cut/weed that, even on my gx24...
The optical sensor is needed for contour cutting. It allows the cutter to find the registration marks that you print with the design. That is the only way to be precise and ensure it cuts in the exact correct place on the paper.
On a side note, could you explain why a cutter would need an optical sensor? I mean, I know what an optical sensor does; it cuts out a contour of an image - but isn't that what a cutter is supposed to do anyway? :P
PS. Example would be A3.
It will in vinyl. But when you cut a transfer paper that is printed on a printer then transfered to a cutter you need the optical sensor to read the registration marks so it can find the design you printed on the paper with the printer. On Vinyl it just cuts the outline of a design on the vinyl.
On a side note, could you explain why a cutter would need an optical sensor? I mean, I know what an optical sensor does; it cuts out a contour of an image - but isn't that what a cutter is supposed to do anyway? :P
PS. Example would be A3.
Say you wanted to make decals, multi color. You would print onto vinyl, use a Oval as example. Put registration marks onto the sheet. Line up the regs, marks on the cutter. Then the cutter would be able to cut out each oval on the sheet. You would then seperate each oval for sale. Hope this helps.
I own a GX24 very nice unit.
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Any cutter would be able to cut that design unless it was very small, but if it was say 20cm tall for a t-shirt it would be no problem. However it would not be the easiest to weed, it could be done but it would take a while.
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That design on A3 should be no problem to cut with any cutter on the market. I have cut about the same intricate details at a much smaller size, weeding is just a pain in the ***, as stated above.
Look into USCutters before making a decision. There are many, many threads about their cutters around here. I have a LaserPoint 24, and while I have never used a GX24 or any other cutter, I have never been disappointed with the results.
Intricate Designs 
