Buying a cutting plotter

Not sure if you all know what a cutting plotter is but it is a kind of printer or cnc machine that instead of printing it cuts paper, cardboards or stickers.

I am thinking of buying one so I could cut projects faster and easier out. However there are multiple options to choose from just not sure what would be the best. Because also the gaint expensive one at school is alway defect in one of other way.



A4 size - cost 350 too but high quality one plus it have a laser to detect crop marks, so this can cut packaging designs perfectly out. But only very small one but maybe handy in the test face so I can do small scaled design to test. And print other one just at school. And buy bigger one when do have the money for it.

50cm wide - cost 1200 euro which have features like the A4 but is much bigger and also more of a size so it can also handle big packaging designs. But have to save up allot to buy this and would take a while.

A3 size low budget ( might by crappy because it is a chinese production) that cost 350 euro. Got no laser but I hope with certain trail and errors could maybe get it to cut on the correct lines too. But uncertain of this is good or not because there is way to little info about this.


Just not so sure which to buy any one know what to do?

The small ones (plotters) costs fewer but the bigger (50 cm or 62 cm) could be more beneficial at some point (at some works) and i can tell you from my experience that the A4 plotters are very small. I reccomend to you the Roland GX24 cutter. It is a very reliable cutter. The 60cm wide on can cut 58.4cm and the smallest vynil/PVC films are 50cm wide.

I'd definitely not go for the low quality plotter. You are becoming a professional in packaging design and you'll need a high quality equipment. The same thing for the size even though you might not need a bigger one right now, maybe an a year or two it will come handy. After all it's not like a cell phone that you have to change every year to keep up with the technology, right? So I'd wait and buy a bigger high quality one...

Zooley do you know if they can cut printed things correct out. Like I printed a design of a packaging on a box on an A3 and then place it on that cutter to cut the packaging correct out. Cause what I know the Graphtec is only one that got laser so it can cut the print correct out. The A4 one is from Graphtec , Craft Robo see allot of cool stuff made with that and it is a good one, just very small. Cause I really don't know if other ones can cut the printed stuff out too, cause from what I see is allot of vinyl stuff and tshirt things

I found out the the chinese one isn't that bad cause that one should have a laser to because I found a english site where they have one that looks totally the same but have another name on it. Its called Craftmate 330 in the UK might buy that chinese one if I get an email back if it got a laser too.

Edited by Chung Dha, 07 September 2008 - 10:20 PM.

What do you mean by laser? 'coz the simple cutter doesn't need any laser to cut.

There are Roland printer-cutters that prints on the media and cuts out the printed design at same time.

But to answer to your question i think it can be cut anything correctly with a good cutter.

YouTube - Craft ROBO Demo

Check this demo it uses laser to check special marks.

Simple cutters uses laser to detect the marks that helps to cut around the printed area, like the Roland Camm GX24. Cuts on a vector line around the printed area that sits between some marks (4 1cm wide circles ex.).

The Roland VersaCAMM SP-300V printer-cutter that can print and cut also.Uses ecosoolvent ink for printing and can print on self adhesive vynil, banner, flex, paper, textile etc.

Edited by zooley, 08 September 2008 - 04:11 PM.

That roland looks like its very expensive though.

YouTube - CUTOK Cuts gift Box

I think I go for this one cause it does not seem that bad and I already have an A3 printer at home just need a A3 cutter and for 350 euro that chinese one seem not to be bad, cause that laser feature is very important when you don't have a cut and print mix.

It looks a decent choice. I already worked with chinese printers (large format) and laser engravers and i have to say that chinese can make also good machines. I know a supplier that sells cutters for350$+DHL with working wdht 63cm, directly from china, £518.18 (including 17.5 % tax) at the UK based distributor.

Cutting size: 630mm
Cutting speed:60-720 mm/s
Cutting force:40g-400g
Real cutter soft fall: yes
Repeat cutting function: yes
Pause in cutting: yes
English control panel: screen LCD
Interface: COM or LPT
Dictate format: DM/PL HP/GL
Repeat precision: 0.1mm

Edited by zooley, 08 September 2008 - 06:02 PM.

BTW, i have cutted around printed signs with some tweaking with a cutter without laser.

I had a job with 5000 stickers; some signs in a 4cm yellow circle. I printed out 4.5cm circles and cutted out with an Roland VersaCamm 1.