Alright, for the three of you that are still with me, here we go on plotters. What is a "Plotter"? A plotter is just another name for a"vinyl cutter", but it sounds cooler! The name plotter stems back to the use of printers (plotters) used for very large printouts. The basic difference between a cutter and the old style plotters is the use of a pen versus a cutting knife or blade. Some of you may already have a vinyl cutter so you should be good to go.
Cutters come in many different forms for small desktop units used by craft folks or monster units used by sign shops, custom auto and motor cycle painters, etc. So the question is, "what do I need in a plotter to paint my toy airplanes"? What I found was, there is very little difference between an ultra high dollar unit and one for a few hundred in the quality of the cut. The main difference is the high dollar machines can run 24/7, whereas the low end stuff may be good for occasional use (just what we need). I did a lot of reading and research before I bought mine and decided on a house brand cutter from U.S. Cutter. The problem with their stuff is they are so inexpensive (relative) that you tend to question how good are they. I can only attest to my experience, but I would say I would not hesitate for a minute to buy another of their units.
With mine I had one little issue and called their support (U.S. Based) and they bent over backwards to resolve my issue (which they did). I spent $400 for my unit which is their 25 inch Laser Point II and I will tell you I spent a hundred bucks (or more) than I needed to. The unit I own has a (laser) feature that I will likely never use so their SC for $300 would do the same for our needs. In fact I think their little 14 inch wide MH unit for $220 would work just fine as well. Don't let the low price scare you away. They are really nice. The difference in their units is they would not likely hold up to everyday use, but for the little amount we would use one, they should last forever. By the way, you don't need a stand.
http://www.uscutter.com/Value-Cutters
Their machines ship with basic software to get you going (more about this later). Mine was extremely easy to setup and use. I literally had it out of the box and cutting in less than 30 minutes. The concern I had was how well their low cost machines would cut small detail. To be honest I am continually amazed at how small and precise detail I have been able to achieve and I am only using 45 degree knives. The degree pitch of the knife is important. A lower pitch angle (45) will last longer, but will not cut as fine detail. A 60 degree knife has less blade exposed to the material we are cutting so it cuts more precise, but will not last as long. I am still on the same blade it came with.
The next subject is the material used to create our paint masks. Paint mask material is basically vinyl that is designed for a specific use (mask) and cuts and handles the same as regular vinyl. The first thing to take into account is the use of water or solvent based paints. If you shoot a solvent based paint (HOK0 over a masking film not designed for solvent paints you can have a real mess on your hands.
I have been using MACmask by Mac Tac and have had exceptional results with it. Avery and Orical also make very high quality products.
http://www.mactac.eu/products-macmas...0-1-11--25.htm
You also need what is called "transfer tape" that is applied over the masking film after it comes off the cutter. Transfer tape holds the masking film together while you apply it to your project.
http://www.uscutter.com/index/page/s...=transfer+tape