New from Minnesota

[Kazyg]

Hello,
I'm new to the forum and learning lots of great information about die cutters!
I'm leaning towards the KNK 15", but still trying to decide if it will meet my needs.
I'm not sure I would use the software portion.
I'm a Corel addict :), and I don't plan on learning a new system but will import files if I can't send and cut directly.
I need to find out if it will cut a few more things before I purchase one or start searching out the smaller scale laser cutters.
I'm primarily looking to use it for cutting my product labels so that I'm not limited to the few shapes that my suppliers can/will have made for me. :)
And after that I want to be able to cut condensed sponge.
I look forward to reading through more of the postings on here to find my answers.
I loved the machine comparison chart, it was very helpful to have all of that information in one place.

Thank you for creating such a great forum!
~ Carol dba Kazyg Originals

[Shirley803]

Welcome to this forum!

Michelle will be able to answer your questions about the KNK. I have the Element ordered, but don't know anything about it yet other than what I have read.

I am an Illustrator addict myself. I tried Corel for a few weeks, but just didn't have a lot of luck with it. Now that I know more about vectors, etc, I think I could do it. I went in cold turkey and didn't know what the heck I was doing. I had some people that helped me with Illustrator (thanks Michelle!) and fell in love with it quickly!

Anyway, welcome. You'll be glad you found us! Most find this forum very helpful!

Shirley

[Ebeejay]

Welcome! Glad you found us!

[Paperthreads]

Hello!

For Corel, you would have to export the file to KNK Studio, and then cut from there. But if you make the file in EPS format from Corel, you should be fine.

Once you start to use KNK Studio, you will find that while different then Corel, it is very user friendly, and easy to do thing in. You just have to use the manual the first couple times, and then go from there.

Vector graphics are so different, that if you get the concept of them, you will do fine!

For the materials you want to cut, you can most definitely make bag toppers with the machine. I do! :)

For the condensed sponge material, i don't think anyone has tried to cut it at this point. If you send me a sample of it, I can certainly try it, and see if it cuts. Email me at support@paperthreads.com and we can make arrangements for me to test cut that for you, if you are interested!

Glad you found us, and just wanted to express that the KNK portion of the forum will be growing in LEAPS AND BOUNDS! As we have 3 designers now with a KNK on order, and 2 more making the leap sometime in the next couple of months! That will mean we will have at least HALF our design team using the KNK, and familiar with not only the KNK, but also with the other machines. So we will be able to really grow our information base!

[Kazyg]

Thank you for the warm welcomes!
Yes, I've had my moments over the years with Corel :rolleyes: , but we are good friends now. LOL
Thank you also for the offer to try some cutting on the condensed sponge material. I just ordered some more from Ellison so I will have to wait and see if I have the patients to wait it out...or just order the KNK XL! Hmmm...then it could be here sitting on a table ready to go when the shipment of sponge gets here...I'm so impatient. :eek:
Is there anywhere on the forum where there are photos of examples or samples where work has been done with each type of machine available; the machines available in the attached store that is?
Is there an online manual for the different machines?
Does anyone successfully use one to cut rubber sheets for stamp making?
Ok, I'm off to read more...my eyes are bugging out after 3 days of reading this great forum.
~ Carol dba Kazyg Originals

[Paperthreads]

you can't cut rubber from stamps. it's too dense.

The files shown in the store and in the galleries are cut from a variety of the machines, there's no way to say what machine, unless someone specifically posts what machine they own :)

You can look in the gallery and see the sheets of confetti I cut, that is done on the KNK machine!

I looked in my craft room (messy room that it is!) and didn't find any of the condensed foam sheets. I know I had some small ones (about 6x9 size) that I used once long ago to make some shaped sponges for stamping, but didn't find my scraps!

[Kazyg]

Thank you for the info on the rubber sheets.
And thank you for checking for the foam material, that was very sweet of you!
I'm cracking up about the confetti! I found those photos in the gallery and told my hubby that if you had cut that confetti with the KNK then I was ordering it for that alone. What a HUGE time saver!
I've turned down many customer requests for birthday, wedding and shower confetti just because I don't want to sit and punch all of those little shapes out. - ugh

Ok, so now I have a better idea of how thick, big and small it can cut...how about how thin of material can it cut accurately?
Have you or anyone else tried to cut something as thin as something like tissue paper or transfer type paper with it?

And then lastly...what about cutting accuracy with something that has been printed first using the same outline?
Say I print my product labels on my vinyl label paper and they have a certain shape for an outline, but I print them on a solid piece of label paper can I then take that same file with just the outlines for the labels and use that file to then cut the shape out of the label paper on the KNK...and will it do it accurately? I hope that made sense. ;)
I feel like I have so many questions about these cutters, probably because everything I would be using it for has little to do with scrap booking.
I want to be able to add to my product line and enhance some of my productivity without outsourcing certain things.

Thank you so much, you have been VERY helpful.
Hopefully I can make a decision in the next couple of days, and when I order one it will definitely be from you!
~ Carol dba Kazyg Originals

[jadkinsmd]

I have a wishblade not a KNK but will answer the part about thinness of paper. I think the problem with cutting tissue paper or transfer paper would be that you need to fairly securely affix the paper to a mat or backing of some sort otherwise it will just get moved around, not cut. Peeling it back off of the board would be rather difficult IMO.

[Paperthreads]

The tissue paper and transfer paper would struggle. Its too soft of a media and would tear when removing from the mat, and you would have some tearing when you cut too.

You can cut plain paper, transparency, thin mylar, foils, cardstocks, chipboards, balsa wood, and a few other materials have been tested...like partially dried polymer clay sheet.....

For the cutting accuracy, with practice, you can get pretty precise. You would create your design, put a cutline around it, and add 3 point registration marks on the page.

Then you would follow the steps, and after printing, put it on your mat, set the 3 corners at the registration points and then cut. The more you do it, the better you get. I recommend a little bit of "bleed" on your printout, and you will be fine...this will accommodate for the smidgen of error on print and cuts.

WB and CR machines have an optical eye that automatically reads the registration points, but KNK machines, you have to do this manually, it's not impossible, but is something you have to take the time to learn!

[Kazyg]

Thank you both for the info. :)
I will definitely try the tissue paper and try different techniques once I get the machine and let you know what works and doesn't work. :)
Kudos to whomever tried the polymer clay!
Yes, I typically do have to print a little bleed margin with my labels anyway because I use round labels for my products and each batch from my manufacturer is never the same.
I always have to test and adjust my templates for each new box of labels.
I'm hoping this KNK will help eliminate some of that...I'll just order them without cut lines! - yippee
Doing the lining up manually is one of the perks in my opinion to the machine.
It sounds very exciting!
Thanks again for all of your help!
~ Carol dba Kazyg Originals

[Kazyg]

Well I did it!
Finally decided on the KNK 15" - Yippee
I can't wait to try that puppy out!
~ Carol dba Kazyg Originals

[Shirley803]

I am sure you won't be disappointed!

Shirley

[Kazyg]

I bet you're correct!
The idea that I can make my own custom sized soap boxes and have my logo cut out of the top...all without trying to line it up on a manual die cutter...ahh :)
It's going to have so many uses, I can hardly stand it!

[Shirley803]

Sounds like you are on your soapbox . . . so to speak! LOL!

Shirley

[Kazyg]

HaHa :D
Thank you ladies for all of your help the past couple days with my multiple questions.
You all have chimed in so quickly it was wonderful.
And a special thank you to you Michelle!
Had I not stumbled upon your site that had such a great forum, I might have purchased it elsewhere.
I'm sure glad I found this place!
~ Carol

[Paperthreads]

Well,

we are certainly glad you found us! As more and more people are getting KNK machines, we hope to really build the information and database for this on our forum!

That will happen soon!! ;)

In the meantime, just post questions, that's the quickest way to building up an information database! Because someone will answer, and then we can have an anwser for someone else to stumble upon!