vinyl express lxi expert design software

#VINYL EXPRESS LXI EXPERT DESIGN SOFTWARE HOW TO#

Think of the caster wheels on shopping carts, some luggage, or office chairs. This is when the blade is pulled along a path and drags behind the centerline of the blade shaft. Blade Offsetĭesktop vinyl cutting machines operate based on a drag knife system. But it could indeed be the blade or knife offset which needs to be adjusted. Where ends should meet the cutter creates a wide, ugly, unseemly gap.

This is when you’re intending to create, for instance, an “O” shape or similarly enclosed shape, and it makes a “C” shape instead. However, as I mentioned earlier, if your vinyl cutting machine is leaving large, unsightly gaps in your cuts it is most likely due to some issue with the blade holder.

Because of this, unfortunately, there isn’t always a cut (pardon the pun!) and dry answer as to why a machine will be cutting incorrectly. Blade IssuesĮach vinyl cutter will be different depending on model, age, manufacturer, etc. If you’ve determined it’s not the blade holder or some other obvious factor then go ahead and see if there are blade issues or mess around with blade offset. If you’ve been cutting projects for a while with your machine set to a particular blade offset number, don’t just automatically assume that adjusting this will fix the problem. Although blade offset (I will define exactly what this is and how it affects the way your machine cuts) is a common troubleshooting suggestion offered, and may in fact be the solution to the problem, most often the issue has more to do with the blade holder itself. This is the first thing that will come out of someone’s mouth when someone has an issue with their machine making incomplete cuts. This is especially true if you haven’t even changed the offset. When you start seeing that your machine is cutting weird arcs when it should be cutting circles, or if it’s completely failing to cut images or letters with corners, these could be a good sign that it’s time to replace the blade holder. Use your own discretion as to when to replace it based on how often you put the machine to use. If you are putting your machine to good use (maybe you do large projects or commercial work) it’s good practice to replace your bearings every 12-18 months to ensure that everything continues to run pretty smoothly. It contains both springs and bearings that keep the blade you’re using in an upright position and perpendicular to the surface/working area for clean, accurate cuts. This is what actually what it sounds like: it holds the blade in place. If your vinyl cutting machine is making incomplete cuts you may have an issue with the blade holder. Don’t get too fixated on what everyone else is doing, although it doesn’t hurt to test, test, test.

#VINYL EXPRESS LXI EXPERT DESIGN SOFTWARE HOW TO#

The key is knowing precisely the settings for your specific machine, what they are, how they work, and how to calibrate everything to your individual project. The most important thing to remember is that, as I’ve indicated earlier, there are far too many variables that could lead to your having issues.

Vinyl Cutter Not Completing CutĪ lot of times when people are having issues with their machine they will ask around to see what specific numbers or settings are used on others’ machines to cut properly (like their particular blade offset - which I will discuss later - or overcut).

I also cover other related vinyl cutter problems that may crop up, how to troubleshoot for these problems, and ways to prevent these from sabotaging your projects in the future. You’ll hopefully get a better understanding of what concepts like “blade offset” mean, what’s the best blade offset setting for most jobs, and how these things affect how your machine cuts. In this article I will address a few common problems with vinyl cutting machines: If you have intricate details in your design, such as small lettering, it may be that you should be using a different size blade as well. It could be that blade offset or overcut needs to be calibrated on your machine, or that the blade holder needs to be adjusted higher or lower depending on your project. There are a number of potential causes, but the single most common reason a vinyl cutting machine is not cutting properly is that there is a blade issue. I quickly needed a solution to some of these issues myself so I did a little research and here’s what I’ve uncovered. One of the most common (and frustrating!) problems with vinyl cutting machines is that sometimes they may not make cuts correctly.

Vinyl express lxi expert design software