good day to everyone! I am Dan and planning to start a small business. I wanted to have a printshop for shirts and make some vinyl stickers or decals for automotive and motorcycles. Before i go ahead and start investing i would just like to get information before i get in to it. I just dont know where to start. so my question is:

1. what are the things that i need to start making my own vinyl stickers and decals?

2. I was searching here but just cant find the answer, so, what is a vinyl cutter plotter? how do use it and the software you need? can you also use this in making decals?

3. Whats the difference between vinyl stickers and vinyl on tshirt??

4. Is there a better thread about this that discuss this topic thoroughly? i cant find it.

Looking forward for you response.

Thank you so much!Appreciate it

Dan

that was helpful. honestly, i don't know anyone who does this. I can create designs though. Thanks for dropping by, those were great advice1!)

thats the same with me. i always wanted to do it but never had the money to start out. i had seen decals be put on since we raced but had no idea of how they was cut or anything. alot of great people on here and alot of great help. couldnt have done it without yall.

neat thing about around this particular forum is, no one is an asshole.  We're all quite nice, helpful people.. we are all so willing to help one another..it truly is a forum! 

Your questions are quite broad, and I understand it is very confusing to someone who hasn't seen it in person.

Lets try this... Since your queries are so broad, it makes it extremely difficult for you to even research anything, because you may not exactly know what to ask.

"vinyl" is a pressure sensitive, similar to tape.. It has a backing paper, sometimes called a carrier sheet.  this runs through a machine that works just like a printer, but instead of a print head, there is a knife which cuts JUST the vinyl, not the backing.  Once the vinyl is cut, the work is removed from the machine, and the process of removing the junk that you don't want as part of the decal...or "weeding".

Once your decal is weeded, you apply what is called "transfer sheet or application tape" on top.  Think of this as a huge wide roll of masking tape.  It sticks just enough to the front face of the decal, so that you can remove the backing. (but it won't stick to the backing, which has some sort of silicone surface..The "vinyl" is ultra-sticky, and it sticks very well to the backing..it's a truly neat configuration!!)  Once the backing is removed, you apply the decal to the surface (called "substrate" - whether it's a car, glass, a sign, board, or whatever).  Once it is applied, and pressed down and squeegeed off, you can remove the application tape, and the decal is done.  Generally.  Sometimes, further treatment is required, but for the sake of argument, consider this  your basic install.

Now, to DO the design for the decal, If you can draw, you may be able to scan the drawing, and your cutting software may cut that directly as a picture.  Some do, mine doesn't, but either way, the results are usually horrible.  You take your drawing, scan it to a "vector"-based software (I use CorelDraw), and basically "Trace" your original drawing on the computer program.

What you're after is "VECTOR" lines, for your cutter/software to read.  usually a picture is just a series of shaded dots, and cutters don't know where to go from point a to point b.

a vectored line is a true line.  Think of it this way.  If you take a line and draw it as a slash, a "Paint" program makes a bunch of dots clumped together, in a stairstep pattern, and if you can get your cutter software to cut this, you will have that exact stairstep pattern in your cut. 
  A true vectored line, as that same "slash" is basically just a point to point (we call them "nodes") line segment.  Think "BATTLESHIP!" (the game)  try C-2, then on your next turn try A-7.  These two points, when connected, are a true line segment, and your cutter LOVES THESE! 
  this, if fed to a cutter program, will tell the cut head to move exactly to "C-7", drop the blade, continue in a straight line directly towards "A-7", then lift the cut head, and then be done.  Well, okay, this isn't a finished decal, but it is a cut, and that's what we're after!

Sometimes you hear cutters referred to as "plotters", which is true.. I think the more recent terminology is cutter.  I think it all comes down to simple semantics.. I'm not entirely sure, but If you use the term "Plotter" to try a video search, it may garner some more results for ya.

Some sort of terminology glossary might be a good thing to look for also.  That helps in the search for learning anything new. 

I sure hope all my ramblings here have helped clear some air for somebody.  I just am really trying to help... 

Thanks Suzie Pimpashirt.com is a very helpful tee shirt site Thanks again.