So you bought a Vinyl Cutter or are thinking of getting one. You want to start covering all the doors, windows, and walls in your world with superb signs, dazzling decals, and inspirational decor. But you still have many questions about what you need to get up and running quickly. The good news is, it's easier than you think. Start here with our Basic Guide to Vinyl Signs, Decals, and Graphics. We'll cover the basics on the hardware, software, and supplies required, and give you an overview of the process of creating vinyl signs and decals.
Sign Making Hardware – The nuts and bolts
Personal Computer: The first thing you need is a personal computer. Today's sign software activates and updates online, so you'll need internet access; broadband if possible. You'll want enough processing power and RAM to run the software efficiently, so look for a recent multi-core processor, 8 GB of RAM, and plenty of open space on a solid state drive. 16 GB of RAM is recommended if you're printing as well as cutting. Your monitor should have a minimum screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 and be capable of full color. Those are pretty easy targets to meet these days so you don't need a state of the art computer.
An Apple MAC will work, and it works better than it used to. Create Space is a full vector design application that runs on both Mac and Windows, and at $149 it's the most affordable way into real sign design work. If you're a die-hard Apple fan you can also use Adobe Illustrator, but you'll be limited to buying specific brands of vinyl cutters that come with Mac compatible plugins. Give us a call and we'll tell you which ones.
Vinyl Cutter: We have a staggering variety of cutters available: too many to talk about here. If you don't have one, you'll want to start here with our Vinyl Cutters collection. Here are a few quick tips. For small, simple graphics, a MUSE Artisan may be ideal, and the MUSE M24 steps you up to a 24 inch working width when you outgrow it. If you plan to make small intricately detailed images, or cut around printed graphics, the GCC Expert II-LX will excel by virtue of its digital servo motor and contour cutting. It comes in four package levels; Core, Good, Better, and Best, so you can pick the tier that matches how busy you expect to be. To add longer jobs and thicker media to the mix, a GCC Jaguar V-LX is the best value, and it's available from 24 inches all the way up to 72. We have over 20 other options, including the GCC RX II and the Graphtec CE8000 series, plus plotters for high speed sign production, T-shirt transfers, contour-cutting printed graphics, automotive window tint applications, sandblasting, and more. So check out the collection or give us a call and we'll try to find the best cutter to help you meet your aspirations.
Sign Making Software – The Secret Ingredient
“Starter” Package Perils: Most people entering the sign market either as a vocation or hobby spend so much time deciding on which cutter to buy that they give little thought to the software purchase. This is a mistake. Whether you're making inspirational wall decor or commercial banners, choosing the right software can mean the difference between fulfillment and frustration. This is because the difference between good graphics and great graphics is often in the design. The design tools are in the software, not the cutter. Choose wisely.
Some companies offer trial or temporary software that has to be renewed every month or year. Others sell professional packages through channels that aren't authorized dealers. Software bought that way can't be updated and can't be supported, which means it will let you down mid-job with a customer waiting. You need real, licensed software from a real dealer, so you get updates, driver support for your cutter, and somebody to call when something misbehaves.
Our own LXi 26 was rebuilt from the ground up and released in 2025. It comes in tiers; LXi 26 Expert for design and cutting, Master Plus for larger production workflows, and RIP Design when you're printing as well as cutting. Every version has a 15 day free trial, so you can find out whether it suits you before you spend a dime. You'll also find FLEXI from SAi, the industry's long standing professional standard, sold on annual licenses; and SignLAB from CADlink, with separate packages for cutting, design, and full print and cut production. Click here to view them all in our Sign Making Software collection.
Use your own software: Many people come to the vinyl graphics game with other software applications they'd like to use. The most common of these are CorelDRAW, Illustrator, and PhotoShop. Some of these applications will work. Others won't.
Vinyl sign cutters use vector graphics, which are composed of straight or curved paths connected by points or nodes. It's line art in its simplest mathematical form. These paths determine the motion of the blade on vinyl and therefore, the shapes the cutter produces.
Page printers, like the one on your desktop, are driven by software applications that convert pixels to dots. These are referred to as raster or bitmap images. Raster based software is difficult if not impossible to use for vinyl graphics because its output is in dots; a form your vinyl cutter can't convert to shapes and letters. The most popular of these raster based graphics applications are Microsoft Paint, Corel PhotoPaint, PaintShop Pro, and Adobe Photoshop.
CorelDRAW, Adobe Illustrator, and AutoCAD are all vector applications that can be used with vinyl cutters. Depending on which cutter you choose, you may be able to send your artwork directly from the software to the plotter, or design the artwork in your vector application and send it indirectly by using a dedicated sign software application like FLEXI or LXi.
Sending files directly from CorelDRAW or Illustrator requires a plug-in. These are most commonly found in brand-name plotters from companies like Graphtec and GCC. Sending files indirectly by using FLEXI or LXi is a more common process that gives you more options in the brand and cost of the vinyl cutter you choose. This requires exporting your art in a common file format, then importing it to the sign software, before sending it to the cutter. While it can be done, there are tradeoffs. Producing the artwork entirely in dedicated sign software is the most efficient and reliable option.
Converting raster graphics to vector objects: Many clip art packages are provided in raster format instead of vector format. This means they print fine on your page printer, but not on a vinyl cutter. How can you convert these raster images into vector objects? Built into the design tiers of LXi is an auto-tracing feature which creates vectors from raster or bit images. These are not perfect vectors, and often need hand or manual optimizing and tuning, but this feature can save you a lot of time.
Sign Making Supplies
Vinyl & Transfer Tape: When you send a vector image file to a properly configured vinyl cutter, it cuts that path only in the top two layers of the vinyl: the face film and adhesive. Since the release liner beneath the vinyl is not cut, this is referred to as a 'kiss cut'. After the vector shapes are cut, you need to remove the excess vinyl, the negative space inside and around the letters. The removal process is called weeding. After the vinyl has been cut and weeded, the letters must be transferred from the release liner to the desired substrate. The substrate is what supports or displays the applied vinyl graphic. Common substrates are banners, glass and sign blanks.
So of course the first thing you need is vinyl. It would take volumes to bring you up to speed on the myriad varieties of adhesive backed vinyl products available. Suffice to say there are lots of choices. But you'll find they fall into three categories; calendared, cast, and specialty vinyls. Calendared films are cost effective and best on flat surfaces. Cast films are thinner and more conformable, which makes them the choice for curves and vehicle work, and they last longest outdoors. Specialty vinyls cover everything else; reflective, translucent, glitter, holographic, and printable. Match the vinyl to the job. Using calendared film on a vehicle wrap is the most common expensive mistake in this business.
Application or Transfer Tape: Once the weeding's done, you'll have a design that's ready to apply to your intended substrate, but it's still on the release liner. How to get it to the wall, floor, sign blank or banner? For this you'll need some Transfer Tape (also known as app tape).
As its name implies, transfer tape is used to transfer the weeded vinyl letters to the substrate. You carefully lay a sheet of tape on the vinyl and press it down with a Squeegee. At this point, we refer to the graphic as having been pre-masked. If you're selling graphics online, you can ship this pre-masked item to the customer so they can transfer it to the substrate of their choice. For this kind of DIY graphic, you'll want to choose a tape that stays flat so it still looks professional when it reaches your customer. Otherwise, the edges will begin to curl up and collect dust which is not a good presentation.
Tapes with a layflat formula are best for these applications and are generally easier to apply smoothly. These include RTape Conform, EnduraMASK Perfect Tear LayFlat, EnduraMASK MHC 160, and Nekoosa PreView Plus application tapes. If you're applying the graphic yourself, it's time to complete the transfer. This is done by peeling the tape up away from the liner. The letters will come along for the ride. If they're difficult to transfer, you'll need to use a high tack tape or modify your process a bit. With the pre-masked graphic stuck to the application tape, it's time to transfer it to the substrate.
Application Fluid: This can be done one of two ways, referred to as “wet” or “dry” applications. Generally, it's best to do it dry, meaning without any lubrication. The issue here is proper placement. If you're applying a large graphic, or working on glass, dry application is unforgiving; once the adhesive touches down, you're committed. Wet application uses application fluid to float the graphic briefly so you can slide it into position before squeegeeing the liquid out. It's slower and needs proper drying time, but for large graphics and anything where placement has to be exact, it's worth it. Large decals and windows, go wet. Small decals on a sign blank, go dry.
Substrates: Now that you have your computer, cutter, software, vinyl, tape, and weeding tools, it would be good to have some handy things on which to stick your stickers. Those are the substrates we've been talking about. Substrates come in two types: rigid and flexible. Rigid substrates include aluminum sign blanks, license plate blanks, corrugated plastic signs, and of course, windows. The best rigid substrates for vinyl are smooth, flat, and chemically stable.
Flexible substrates include banners, awnings, and trade show graphics, but by far the most popular flexible substrates for vinyl are good old fashioned banners. Vinyl-ready banner material can be purchased in single sheets that are already hemmed and grommeted. These are ready to use. Just add vinyl and use the grommets to hang the banner.
Support Resources etc: We should probably talk about clip art and safety rulers, but that's more than enough to get you started. If you take a trip through the warehouse with a big ole virtual shopping cart, you'll have just about everything you need to turn your ideas into nifty signs and decals. For a little extra help figuring it all out, you'll find lots of helpful hints here on our Blog.
Did we leave anything out? If so, feel free to give us a call. Now fire up that cutter and get busy making superb signs, beautiful banners, and dazzling decals.
