Sticker cutting plotter use knives to cut into a piece of material (such as paper, mylar or vinyl) that is lying on the flat surface area of the plotter. It is achieved because the cutting plotter is connected to a computer, which is equipped with specialized cutting design or drawing computer software programs. Those computer software programs are responsible for sending the necessary cutting dimensions or designs in order to command the cutting knife to produce the correct project cutting needs.

In recent years the use of cutting plotters (generally called die-cut machines) has become popular with home enthusiasts of paper crafts such as cardmaking and scrapbooking. Such tools allow desired card shapes to be cut out very precisely, and repeated perfectly identically.

A vinyl sign cutter (sometimes known as a cutting plotter) is used by professional poster and billboard sign-making businesses to produce weather-resistant signs, posters, and billboards using self-colored adhesive-backed vinyl film that has a removable paper backing material. The vinyl can also be applied to car bodies and windows for large, bright company advertising and to sailboat transoms. A similar process is used to cut tinted vinyl for automotive windows.

Colors available are generally limited only by the collection of vinyl on hand. To prevent creasing of the material, it is stored in rolls. Typical vinyl roll sizes are 24-inch, 36-inch and 48-inch width.

Generally the hardware is identical to a traditional plotter except that the ink pen is replaced by a very sharp knife that is used to cut out each shape, and the plotter may have a pressure control to adjust how hard the knife presses down into the vinyl film, allowing designs to be fully or partly cut out.

Generally it is preferred that only the upper surface with the vinyl is cut, but the backing surface is not completely cut through. Completely loose pieces cut out of the backing material may fall out and jam the plotter roll feed or the cutterhead.

The vinyl knife is usually shaped like a plotter pen and is mounted on ball-bearings so that the knife edge rotates to face the correct direction as the plotter head moves.

Sign cutters are primarily used to produce single-color line art. Several colors can be cut separately and then overlaid, but the process quickly becomes cumbersome for more than a couple of hues.

Sign cutting plotters are in decline in some applications, such as general billboard design, where wide-format inkjet printers that use solvent-based inks are employed to print directly onto a variety of materials. Cutting plotters are often relied upon for precision cutting of graphics produced by wide-format inkjet printers, however - for example to produce window or car graphics, or shaped stickers.

It is becoming more common for large-format wide-carriage inkjet printers to be used to print onto heat-shrink plastic sheeting, which is then applied to a vehicle surface with adhesive and shrunk to fit using a heat gun, known as a vehicle wrap.

How to buy a vinyl cutter?

With the development of society, the use of cutting plotter generally expanded from the original only in the production of advertising and now covering electronic die-cutting, transport, communications, mold, glass, ceramics, clothing, sandblasting dozen industries. This can be seen cutting plotter's contribution to society is still getting bigger. With the needs of the market on the brand and type of cutting plotter increasing number, how to choose the right cutting plotter do you need? following about the selection cutting plotter Some considerations:

1,Cutting plotter precision

Have to look first to see how the quality of the cutting plotter, cutting plotter precision, the paper does not go long for the simple partial carved small print does not deform. Repetition accuracy error of not more than 0.05 mm. Users noted that at the time of purchase that can be . the cutting plotter engraved small print can see that may wish to try.

2,Cutting plotter real carved width

The real cutting plotter engraved width 210MM.330MM.630MM.900MM.1200MM and 1600MM different models for you to choose. Customers can choose according to the different needs of their models. Course real engraved greater the width, the higher the price.

3,Cutting plotter speed

Manufacturers describe cutting plotter speed corner carving speed is not the actual operating speed of the cutting plotter speed this question. Customers can refer to. Need not worry so much about the only clear that. Slower the cutting plotter carving quality is better. general speed can be engraved with small print speed is reduced carved characters can be added to the maximum.

4,Cutting plotter knife pressure

Knife pressure cutting plotter in the carving work. Burin a medium pressure, engraved stickers. Transferred to 80-100.PVC generally in the 120-150.3M reflective film can be in the 150-200 customers knife pressure can be adjusted according to the thickness and hardness of different media (burin extended length is two-thirds of the gum medium thickness, it should pay attention to.)

5,Cutting plotter work control mode

Cutting plotter control are common. Mostly LCD digital regulator.

6,Cutting plotter cache

The cache simple cutting plotter, cutting plotter itself with the memory size used to transmit data, a temporary storage place quickly receive computer instruction sent to the cutting plotter. Carving work. Carving files are generally vector lines file. footprint small. Unlike photo inkjet file is so big. cutting plotter 1MB cache enough. believe all the cutting plotter can meet this requirement.

7,The cutting plotter sheet metal material

With cutting plotter market competition, some manufacturers will cut corners of aluminum and iron. Thick change thin imagine full aluminum profiles and more good or iron sheet good. Yourself a good think about a.

8,Cutting plotter after-sales service

Cutting plotter after-sales service and spare parts supplies supply side is very important at the time of purchase to ask