Vinyl Cutting

The Service Bureau uses a Graphtec FC8600-160 vinyl cutter for professional-quality cutting. 

WHAT IS VINYL CUTTING?

A vinyl cutter is a type of computer-controlled plotter. The computer controls the movement of a sharp blade to cut designs & text into a single color of thin self-adhesive vinyl. 

You can use vinyl cutting to make window decals, wall text for a gallery, reflective stickers, or stencils for painting or screen printing. Most of our vinyl has a permanent adhesive backing that may damage the paint or surface behind when removed. 

The plotter can cut a variety of complex shapes and designs but it does struggle with small or closely spaced cuts which can cause the vinyl to rip or stretch. We have recommended font sizes but these can depend on what font is used, designs thinner than 2mm or 1/16″ are not recommended.

Transfer Tape is usually available on the top shelf of the Pick Up cabinet. Please return the roll to the cabinet within an hour as it is a shared resource. Let us know if the tape is missing or if you have any questions about the vinyl process.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

Roll Specs: 28″ MAX WIDTH for most rolls. 
Vinyl Type: ORACOL Performance Vinyl 951
Vinyl Colors: Matte Black, Glossy Black, Matte White , Glossy White, & Dark Grey, Cardinal Red, Dark Yellow, Reflex Blue, Fluorescent Magenta, Reflective Red, Reflective White, Paintmask, Etchmark (frosted), Light Gray, Bayshore Blue, Orange, Clover Green, Lavender.
Size:   Minimum 1 sq/ft for in stock media  / Minimum 2 sq/ft for special orders
Vinyl Rating: 4-7 years , depending on type
File Type: Illustrator files (.ai or .eps) or PDF (only if properly outlined first)

TURNAROUND TIMES

48 Hours for Cutting Only – This may be longer depending on the size of the order and production levels.

We do not offer Weeding and Taping services through the Service Bureau.

Please consider the time it will take to weed and tape your vinyl before you need to install.

Your job will be supplied to you cut only, with all the vinyl still intact. You will need to Weed (remove unwanted vinyl, usually the negative space), and apply transfer tape to your vinyl, and then peel and apply the transfer tape/vinyl to the wall.

FILE PREPARATION

Digital Files
We recommend using Adobe Illustrator to build your file.
All elements of the image must be vector objects in order for the machine to see a cut line.

Fonts + Text
We recommend text is not smaller than 24pt—36pt

Designs thinner than 2mm or 1/16″ are not recommended
Serif fonts are harder to weed than sans-serif.

Strokes and text must be converted to outlines.

File Format
All files must be AI, EPS, or PDF with all designs as closed vector paths with no overlapping paths.

It helps to open the file in Illustrator and go to View > Outline.  The cutter will cut all the lines you see.  Any black space will not be cut.

We highly recommend to check for double paths, especially if you used Image Trace to create your paths. The ‘Group Selection’ tool can be used to drag the duplicate cut paths aside and delete them one by one. With the Group Selection tool selected, roll your mouse over a cut path. Once it highlights blue click on the path and drag it to the side. Once a duplicate path is found you can press ‘Delete’ to get rid of it.

We will not adjust files that are submitted incorrectly.

ORDER SUBMISSIONS

Cut Vinyl orders are submitted via our Digital Storefront at the link below. Our storefront is able to give you an realtime price quote without placing an order. 

https://www.sbureau.artic.edu

COLORS

We offer a variety of vinyl colors in both glossy and matte finishes, unless otherwise specified the finish will be glossy. Most of our vinyl is Orafol Oracal 951 Grade (permanent adhesive backing) except the Reflective (Orafol Oralite 5600 Fleet Engineer Grade) & Paint Mask (removable adhesive backing). A vinyl color sample chart is available outside the Service Bureau at all times. We can accept Customer Supplied vinyl rolls but we recommend to email us first to make sure it can be cut on our cutter. Smaller roll sizes, and very thick or thin medias are more difficult to cut. Popular places to purchase vinyl are Sign Outlet Store or US Cutter.

Color	Swatch
Glossy Black
Glossy White
Dark Gray
Cardinal Red
Reflex Blue
Dark Yellow
Fluorescent Magenta
Light Gray
Bayshore Blue
Orange
Clover Green
Lavender

PRICING

FINISHING + INSTALLATION DETAILS

Your job will be supplied to you cut, with all the vinyl still intact. The Service Bureau does not offer weeding services due to space and staffing limitations.

This vinyl comes attached to a paper liner and with a permanent adhesive.

That paper liner goes face down when cutting, so the colored vinyl side is exposed to the blade. After cutting, removing or “weeding” the excess material from the liner in necessary.

When your design is fully weeded, you will need to place Application Tape on top of the vinyl and burnish with a squeegee. The pressure from the squeegee releases the vinyl from the liner allowing it to lift with the tape.

Now you can place your decal on almost any hard surface, burnish with the squeegee once more, and when you lift the tape this time the vinyl remains on the object.

Weeding

To “weed” a vinyl job means to remove the excess vinyl from the liner, leaving only your words and designs.

Some advice when weeding your file:
— Go slowly. Work in small sections and peel the material off a little at a time
— Use a clean, sharp knife. A dull knife will result in accidental cuts or rough edges. 
— The smaller the type of more detailed the pattern, the more difficult it will be. If you’re new to weeding, you may want to practice with simpler designs first. 
— We’re here to help! Don’t hesitate to ask for advice from one of our experienced staff.

Application Tape

Tape must be applied over the vinyl to hold the pieces in place and transfer them from the liner on to the wall. Taping is even easier than weeding . We will provide you with the tape, squeegees for pressing the tape to the vinyl and removing bubbles, and lots of tips and tricks.

Installation 

We won’t install the vinyl for you, but here’s some good advice on how to make it go smoothly:

— Clean the wall. Vinyl doesn’t stick well to grime. Recommended: Isopropyl alcohol and paper towels.
— Remove the lining slowly so as not to accidentally peel the vinyl off the application tape.
— Use a credit card or squeegee to make sure the vinyl is stuck to the wall before removing the application tape. Start at one side and work your way across.