Using the Vinyl Cutter

The RedSail RS500C that we have works with the same technology as the General iCarver in the woodshop. This machine will cut any design you have out of vinyl to create a sticker, a template for screen printing, or heat press vinyl for one-off t-shirts.

In order to cut your image, we will need to know how to set up the software that came with it.

CREATING A SUITABLE IMAGE TO CUT

In order to use the vinyl cutter you need to create a vector-based image to cut, similar to what you would use with Easel and the CNC.

I have found that .svg (scalable vector graphic) files work very well and can be opened with many different programs. Gravit Designer is a great and easy to learn program that you can get started with.

PREPARING THE IMAGE

Once you have a vector image created with Gravit Designer, you will need to export it as a PDF. You can do this by clicking on File > Export > PDF Document.

OPENING WINPCSIGN

Once you have a PDF exported from Gravit Designer, you will need to import it to into a Windows program called WinPCSign. This program is not available for Chromebooks and can only be used on the computer attached to the vinyl cutter.

Once WinPCSign is open, click on Create new document and set the width and the height for your sticker.

PREPARING THE CUT

Once you have your file size set, you can import your PDF that you made with Gravit Designer by clicking on File > Import > EPS, AI, PDF (Vector Only).

CUTTING THE VINYL

Select your file and position it on the canvas. When you are happy click on Cut Project > Start. Within a few seconds, your project should be ready to go.

Video Tutorial

This is a video tutorial of the instructions above: