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I guess I'm going to break down and buy a sign system and was wondering what you guys would recommend? Any suggestions? And gimme a little insight as to why one might be better than another.. thanks! I plan to use it for making masks and such ...
-------------------- Gonzalo Curiel Peewee Signs & designs Oroville Ca 95965
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PeeWee, I just checked out your website, nice stuff! If you are are on a budget I would get a used Pent III or a new Pent IIII system, ME or newer and VinylMaster Pro V 2.50 (great node editing program & cheap at $500.00) A 24" plotter should work for you ($2000.00-$3,000) Your choice, I have a Vinyl Express, friction feed, but Summa & Roland are recommended here as well.
Cheers & Good Luck
-------------------- Rob Thomas 3410 Ketcham Ct Beautiful Springs FL 34134 Posts: 965 | From: Bonita Springs, Florida USA | Registered: Feb 2000
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What ever you buy.REMEMBER...it is just a "tool" I have the SLOWER SPEED model that is sprocket run Excellent for mask and pounce wheel pattern making as I can ONLY weed so fast!
Hope this helps
-------------------- PKing is Pat King The Professor of SIGNOLOGY Posts: 3113 | From: Pompano Beach, FL. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I agree with Pat... Altho I am certainly no expert...I heard most friction-feeds do not cut pounce patterns. I have a fossilized Gerber 4B run through a Dell using a LMK & the "lovely" Composer program. I would look on Ebay or in the marketplace here instead of shelling out $10,000 to Advantage Sign Supply like I did in 1998...my butt is still sore. Research before you buy...just like you are now! As a painter first, this system does what I need & a 15" plotter is big enuff, thanks...I have short arms! And I hate weeding too, BTW. Love- JILL
-------------------- That is like a Mr. Potato Head with all the pieces in the wrong place. -Russ McMullin Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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I'm Mac based running mostly Illustrator out of Magisign to a 30" SummaPro T750. This thing is great for making pounce patterns! I just ran one last week 23' x 3.5' for some foam letters and it worked like a charm.
I was weened on Macs, so I'm pretty partial to them. Most sign programs are PC based, and man they are expensive. MagiSign ran me $400 and does just about everything I need. Something to think about if you find a good used Mac with Illustrstor.
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As for the computer itself, if you don't mind getting a used computer, you might want to check out this ebay seller I discovered yesterday. Supposedly these are all off-lease and refurbished, if needed. Look closely as a few do not include an operating system. Seller's name: dell_financial_services. They have quite a few in both desktop & laptop.
-------------------- Bill Cosharek Bill Cosharek Signs N.Huntingdon,Pa
bcosharek@juno.com Posts: 703 | From: N.Huntingdon, Pa, USA | Registered: Dec 1999
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Call me goofey...we bought Gerber when it was $17,000.00 and have never regretted it.
We've since added about 4000. in updates...
Now I know there are less expensive programs and equipment and everyone has to do what their budget allows, but 100% trouble free operations for close to 15 years now is certainly worth what they ask for their setup.
Incidently that works out to about $26.92 a week (over the last 15 years)sounds affordable to me...especially when it makes money the instant it walks in the door.
These days you can buy the programs for less than ever before ...might be worth checking out.
Their plotters are second to none...mine has been maintenance free now for 15 years. I hear a lot of others here complaining about their plotters so spend the time to research it all before you commit.
Actually you might be better to ask "what equipment should I avoid"?
-------------------- "Werks fer me...it'll werk fer you"
If your going to use it mostly for masks, what size masks will you be doing?
I have a very small cutter (Stika STX) on a used PC, but it does what I need it to do. Great for making masks on bikes and smaller projects, but big enough to do phone #s, addresses, and such on vehicles. It's slow, but I'm usually painting something while it's cutting.
my 2 bits... Rapid
-------------------- Ray Rheaume Rapidfire Design 543 Brushwood Road North Haverhill, NH 03774 rapidfiredesign@hotmail.com 603-787-6803
I like my paint shaken, not stirred. Posts: 5648 | From: North Haverhill, New Hampshire | Registered: Apr 2003
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The Graphtec 5100 series cutters cuts sandblast mask...up to about 0.050"; and, indeed, it pounces as well...controllable hole size and spacing with double size hole at corner points. hk
-------------------- Howard Keiper Independent Contractor Benicia, Ca. thekeip@comcast.net
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If I could buy ANY sign system I wanted: I'd get a high end tangental plotter made by Summa or Garphtec. I'd get a high quailty plug-in program for which-ever design program I prefered (Corel for me). Either that or I'd get myself a reliable used machine running Windows 98 & a used Gerber GS-15 (or similar madel Gerber sprocket fed) with a used copy of GA. Of course I already own a home built screamin-deamin puter running Win2K that I'd be doing all my design work on.
...but really, I wan't a 24" Summa T series & Co-Sign. This and a digital printer of some sort will complete my sign system. ... one day.
-------------------- Glenn S. Harris
....back in the sign trade full time. Posts: 293 | From: Baton Rouge, LA, USA | Registered: Jul 2001
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For masks, Summa T or the Graphtec 5100. I don't think I would go Gerber 4b, I know, I know, I'm gonna catch crap, but I can say that, I have one lying around with a unilink, the newer plotters are really good, the 4B is a fossil, if you go Gerber, get a newer one. My Graphtec cuts way better than my Roland or Gerber (which I havn't used in a while, but don't have the heart to get rid of, it was a gift), and I am not talking speed either. What system are you on? If it's Mac, Illustrator and CadTools with Magi-sign, on PC, Illustrator and CadTools or Corel with Co-Cut. Most sign specific software is overpriced, design in Illustrator of Corel, output with a plug-in or sign software.
Rick
-------------------- Rick Chavez Hemet, CA Posts: 1538 | From: Hemet,CA U.S.A. | Registered: Jun 2001
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AnaGraph rusn great. does all it is suppsoed to do. HAs all the great features of all great machines. Will cut any size material.
-------------------- Leaper of Tall buildings.. If you find my posts divisive or otherwise snarky please ignore them. If you do not know how then PM me about it and I will demonstrate. Posts: 5274 | From: Im a nowhere man | Registered: Jul 2001
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quote:Originally posted by Glenn S. Harris: If I could buy ANY sign system I wanted: I'd get a high end tangental plotter made by Summa or Garphtec. I'd get a high quailty plug-in program for which-ever design program I prefered (Corel for me). Either that or I'd get myself a reliable used machine running Windows 98 & a used Gerber GS-15 (or similar madel Gerber sprocket fed) with a used copy of GA. Of course I already own a home built screamin-deamin puter running Win2K that I'd be doing all my design work on.
...but really, I wan't a 24" Summa T series & Co-Sign. This and a digital printer of some sort will complete my sign system. ... one day.
theres a cocut listing on ebay right now.... ok it's mine... shameless plug for my auction... CoCut Auction
-------------------- -------------------- Dave Cox C2 Media Services (Formerly That Sign Guy) dave@c2mediaservices.com -------------------- Full Color Printing Posts: 295 | From: Sacramento CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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you spend all your money on a plotter....just so it will do pounce patterns....and they do it slow, or you can buy a friction feed 24" plotter for way less investment and if you want to make pounce patterns you put a pen in the plotter and draw you pattern then use an electro pounce(50 times faster then any plotter!!!) or the old stand by pounce wheels. ive done 12 foot tall by 24 foot long billboard patterns on my old PNC-1000 ROLAND(20" tall at a run) friction feed plotter i paid $1600 for in 1993!!!!! and its still working...
[ November 21, 2003, 02:15 PM: Message edited by: old paint ]
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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PeeWee, I am new to the vinyl business. I took a long look at plotters for a period of about three months reading everything I could about them in magazine adds and the internet. A plotter was a ten year dream and I wasn't going to throw it away on something I would regret later. My choice?
A Model 5100 42" Graphtec tangential plotter. It will do everthing , I am confident, that the professional sign shop would expect of a plotter. It is friction fed and will do pounce patterns, pen drawings, highway reflective, masking, etc.. I am sure I will never regret this purchase.
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