Sign Warehouse Vinyl Express® Cutter 31" w/ VE LXi Apprentice Software for Sign Making Hobby Craft

This thing is so cool!! I bought it for various craft projects for home and business (mostly business). I've used it to create gifts and with poster board to make cutouts of all sizes. I had planned to buy a craftrobo but opted for this to give me more size options. The software is basic, easy to understand once you get it configured properly (took me about an hour or less if I remember correctly). It's easy to import my designs from Adobe Illustrator, so I don't need any advanced features here. If you're just cutting text then you can just type right into the software and print with 1 click.For one project I printed on card stock then ran the card stock through the cutter. It took lots of trial and error to figure out exactly where the cutter would start, but I eventually got it to work properly and produced some floral cutouts with my client's logo printed on them. Very nice. If you're just printing cutouts on blank paper this won't affect you, but it's nice to know that you can stretch the limits on the machine.The 3 grips on the back are made to slide across the width of your paper/vinyl to hold it in place. I didn't see this in the instructions but figured it out quickly after beginning to use the cutter. The starter kit is generous and let's you use start right away.I suspect the poster board and card stock will wear down my blades quicker than vinyl, but it's worth it for all the things I can do.Thank you to all the previous reviewers: I researched this purchase extensively, comparing multiple cutters of all types and sizes before purchasing. I am happy with my choice and appreciate those who took time to share their feedback. I hope mine is helpful to someone else, too!

I am a former sys admin and I have used computers for years. I've used many software packages and agree this is a "bait" package. I have not upgraded the software. The company is very pushy trying to get you to purchase from them. If you have a question though, they are slow to respond and very condescending.Followup: The cutter is crap and the drivers quit working all the time. The LXi Apprentice software is only a cutting program. You have to use another program to put your design together. If you complain to Sign Warehouse, they tell you that you should have bought the software upgrade. I am using my Sure Cuts a Lot software with the cutter. Make the Cut DOES NOT have an R31 Vinyl Express driver. You cannot use it with the Vinyl Express cutters. I asked Sign Warehouse if they plan on a Make the Cut driver. They are not because they are selling Sure Cuts a Lot now and bundling it with cutters.

Lasted a year, before it quit working completely. The software is horrible, recommend going to a different brand.

Overall, this kit isn't bad as a starter setup. The vinyl they ship with it isn't something I'd call customer worthy, but it's great to use in order to test the plotter & for personal projects. There are much higher quality vinyl that you'd want to use for projects where your company name is on the line for the quality. The same can be said with the transfer tape. There is much better transfer tape out there, but the simple, entry level items they send with this kit will help learning so you don't waste quality with the learning curve.The plastic signs & banners are great. They were used for personal projects in my case, as my market was not for signage. Though it could have been. The license plate blanks were fun as well, though again, for my case, just something to mess with. Printed some fun things on them and gave them away to family & friends.The plotter itself is not a horrible starter plotter. If you're not sure if this is something you want to do, it's a great device to start your learning on. It helps you figure out ways to do different cutting tasks. If you're doing huge cuts and huge projects, you'll want to start with a more advanced machine. I started getting larger orders and it required creativity to get them cut. Getting the vinyl to line up right & the amount of data you can send to the plotter at once turned into big deals. Starting with this plotter before upgrading is still what I'd recommend if you're new to the vinyl business.The software that comes w/ this beginner vinyl isn't that great. It would be recommended to use Illustrator and then import them into the cutter software. It doesn't have enough features to do more than simple text. So keep that in mind when ordering as well.