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Cheap Decal Cutter Recommendations?

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#1
Sphinx

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Anyone own their own cheap decal cutter?  Any suggestions?  I keep going back to shops and asking friends with cricuts, but the problem with those tiny machines is that they can't feed a small roll.  And shops are getting expensive as you add it all up.  I'm thinking of something simple that can feed 12-18" rolls, not massive plotters.



#2
915RACEFACTORY

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https://www.uscutter...es-Vinyl-Cutter

 

i bought the 34" model...works with 24" rolls and i have printed as long as 10' with no problems at all.

 

dave



#3
LarryKing

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Xacto knife, a steel ruler, and a steady hand.
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#4
Jim Drago

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Xacto knife, a steel ruler, and a steady hand.

well that is cheap :) 


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#5
Bench Racer

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Xacto knife, a steel ruler, and a steady hand.

Did numbers that ^ way on my Spec7. Went big time on my Spec Miata with professional shadowed numbers and class ID. Picture shows up now and then on this site with the new owner and the numbers look GREAT. :bigsquaregrin:


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#6
Tom Sager

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Advanced Autosports makes and sells a variety of numbers, class letters, stripes, weight/restrictor decals and even the required Mazda decals.  Last I looked at a very reasonable cost.  I purchased a cheap cutter years ago.  By the time you buy it, buy the vinyl and ruin your first "test sets" of numbers, etc I think you're better off not doing that unless you're doing a bunch of cars on some kind of ongoing basis. 


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#7
chris haldeman

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I have owned 2 cheap 34” cutters like mentioned above. Currently have a nicer unit. Personally I despise cutting vinyl amd generally pay somebody to do it for me on my cutter.
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#8
Jim Drago

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I have owned 2 cheap 34” cutters like mentioned above. Currently have a nicer unit. Personally I despise cutting vinyl amd generally pay somebody to do it for me on my cutter.

I hated it so much, i gave my cutter away 6-8 years ago :)


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#9
38bfast

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I hated it so much, i gave my cutter away 6-8 years ago :)

Why do you hate it so much?  I like it in house so if I mess up a piece I can quickly cut a new one. Once I got one I put graphics on more stuff. Like my tool box. 


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#10
Steve Scheifler

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Why do you hate it so much? I like it in house so if I mess up a piece I can quickly cut a new one. Once I got one I put graphics on more stuff. Like my tool box.


I have a small one, don’t mind using it occasionally. Do you do multi-layer stuff? I’m not even sure how that’s done.
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#11
Bench Racer

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 Do you do multi-layer stuff? I’m not even sure how that’s done.

Tom, If I'm understanding your correctly, my shadowed (two color) were shadow matched as I received them. Another company company sends two sets of numbers with match marks to get the shadowed effect. May be other ways like multi color T shirt printing????


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#12
infamousjim

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Xacto knife, a steel ruler, and a steady hand.

 

Hell yeah! 90% of the vinyl on my car is hand cut. Did my helmet with the scraps too


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#13
Sphinx

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Well, this is why I wanted the wisdom of the crowd - I will not be buying a vinyl cutter. :)

 

I actually didn't need it for numbers, but I did want to put some custom decals.  But I'm solidly convinced not to waste my time.



#14
nballard76

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Tom, If I'm understanding your correctly, my shadowed (two color) were shadow matched as I received them. Another company company sends two sets of numbers with match marks to get the shadowed effect. May be other ways like multi color T shirt printing????

 

I've been ordering shadowed numbers and class letters from Firestorm Graphics in Nashua, NH.  They do complete SM sets plus anything custom you request.  Their prices are very reasonable and they turn things around quickly and ship priority mail which is less expensive and pretty fast.



#15
gerglmuff2

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https://www.strait-design.com/ does all my graphics. 

multi color, layered, shadowed, however large you want, whatever you want, montana can do. and he ships. send him an email. 

 


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#16
Tom Sager

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We've put our cutter to very good use at least once.  This sign on front door of building is about 80% effective we think.  The 20% that don't comply are generally really sorry they didn't.

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#17
LarryKing

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Interesting font choice Tom.


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#18
38bfast

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I have a small one, don’t mind using it occasionally. Do you do multi-layer stuff? I’m not even sure how that’s done.

I do the double layer on the car. Put on first layer then the second one over it. for alignment I put on two small dots just outside the graphic on both layers. 


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#19
38bfast

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The part that has always burned me is if I outsource and then screw up application I have to reorder the part I just messes up. With your own cutter you can quickly just cut a new one and continue. And trust me, it's easy to screw up. Also fixing crash damage is easier when you have all the files saved for your own machine. If I have a graphic that goes over the fender, door and quarter and just need to replace the fender I can cut just the portion I need. For SM I try to keep things simple so fixing it isn't such a pain. So a graphics package anticipating crash damage. Kinda why I stay away from wraps, They don't crash well. 


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