Fletcher Future CMC vs. Wizard - Comparisons Please

Bel Air Custom Frame Lady

Grumbler in Training
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Hello everyone. I'm relatively new to this forum, having just changed my screenname.

We currently use the Wizard 8000 CMC. We saw the Fletcher/Valiani CMC for the first time at the WCAF and were rather impressed with several features. (Oh no - was it the good looking Italians??) :help:

Does anyone out there have a Fletcher CMC?

Thanks.
 
Hello everyone. I'm relatively new to this forum, having just changed my screenname.

We currently use the Wizard 8000 CMC. We saw the Fletcher/Valiani CMC for the first time at the WCAF and were rather impressed with several features. (Oh no - was it the good looking Italians??) :help:

Does anyone out there have a Fletcher CMC?

Thanks.
Debbie,

We just purchased the Wizard 8500 at the WCAF. We went to both Fletcher and Wizard classes, and although we were impressed with the Fletcher's ability to cut double and triple mats in one stack, and liked the "feel" of the engineering, after much hand-wringing and research we went with the Wizard because the Fletcher software class went over our heads and the Wizard class made sense. We felt that our staff would much more easily grasp the Wizard mat cutting software. I am a mac person, so looking at all this PC stuff is Greek to me, but I had sales reps in both booths go over the software with me, and the Wizard won out. We bought the 8500 for the speed, which is faster than the entry level Fletcher. We also bought the Brian Wolf book of mat designs with CD because his desings look tasteful--like designs we could actually use rather than some of the kitchy corners the mat cutter companies put in their software. I'd recommend the book if you keep yourWizard. What is making you think of changing? I'm really curious after just buying a Wizard!

Kirstie
The Framer's Workshop, Berkeley
 
A great alternative!

Hello everyone. I'm relatively new to this forum, having just changed my screenname.

We currently use the Wizard 8000 CMC. We saw the Fletcher/Valiani CMC for the first time at the WCAF and were rather impressed with several features. (Oh no - was it the good looking Italians??) :help:

Does anyone out there have a Fletcher CMC?

Hey Debbie,

I for one use a pair of Fletcher CMC's in my shop....and although I was one of the presenters at the WCAF Show, I don't have a drop of Italian blood in me. :smiley: Mostly English with a bit of German. (Nico Valiani is back in Italy....but I'll tell him you said hello!)

Sorry that Kirstie was a bit thrown off by our user software class, but in truth, the Fletcher-Valiani software is extremely intuitive and logical....copy and paste...capture....click and drag. The real strength of this machine is it's ruggedness and solid engineering combined with some unique features. It's ability to cut a small radius is second to none, and this is useful when you have small letter fonts within your design.

The smart thing that any framer can do is exactly what Kirstie did and that was attend a major show to examine all her options in person. I'll personally be in Seattle and Indiana during the next month demonstrating the Fletcher CMC's so please stop by if you're in the neighborhood.

Regards,

John (Consultant to The Fletcher-Terry Co.)

fletchercmc.gif
 
im a wizard user.
there are only two things I can fault:
the absence of a straight cut. and the inability to toggle between metric and imperial in the software on the fly. This is a particularly "british" problem, as many of our customers think in both measurements, and its the toss of a coin which default to use. (although i believe the second issue may be addressed in a future software upgrade).

To us Brits, the wizard is an overwhelmingly "american" looking lump of machinery. A big rolling thunder job that plods on remorselessly, no need to mend it, you can't bend it. Over-engineered perhaps! A Mack truck.

The valiani is a lovely bit of european engineering. A collegue of mine has one, and he can't fault it. Alfa Romeo.

Toss a coin!
 
...the inability to toggle between metric and imperial in the software on the fly. This is a particularly "british" problem, as many of our customers think in both measurements

Yeah, I was thrown for a loop when we realized that you brits have "unique" measuring requirements. We even had someone ask if we could accomdate dual-unit numbers, e.g. 6"25mm (where the whole number is in inches and the fractional part is in metric). You can switch between units, just not an easy toggle. It was originally meant to be set and forgotton. On the list.. :)

As far as comparing Fletcher/Valiani to Wizard goes, both machines certainlly have their strengths and weaknesses and I totally agree with John - get a good "hands on" with each machine, and don't forget to grab a software demo and try it out at home. Wizard hasn't placed more machines than all our competitors combined for no reason. :)
 
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Yeah, I was thrown for a loop when we realized that you brits have "unique" measuring requirements. We even had someone ask if we could accomdate dual-unit numbers, e.g. 6"25mm (where the whole number is in inches and the fractional part is in metric). You can switch between units, just not an easy toggle. It was originally meant to be set and forgotton. On the list.. :)

As far as comparing Fletcher/Valiani to Wizard goes, both machines certainlly have their strengths and weaknesses and I totally agree with John - get a good "hands on" with each machine, and don't forget to grab a software demo and try it out at home. Wizard hasn't placed more machines than all our competitors combined for no reason. :)

:faintthud: phew. of all the jobs we "get wrong" the majority are in the back-of-an envelope metric to imperial conversions done "off machine".
everything in our workshop (including the wizard) is set in millimetres, but when it comes to transferring out 11 and 13/16th of an inch into metric it can take longer to do the maths than to cut the mounts!

As my staff keep pointing out, if we were any good at maths, Kev, we'd be rocket scientists, not picture framers ;)

I guess this problem will be transitory (for a few years) as the UK is gradually shifting towards full metrication, and imperial measurements are hardly taught at all in schools now, and the popular frame size of 16x12 or 20x16seems to be equally available in ready made 300x400 or 500x600 (30x40cm) frames - a mainland european size. I guess this is due to plenty of imports from "the continent". PITA having to make ready mades in BOTH sizes though.
makes your brain hurt some days :icon9:

my own kids (age 20 and 16) do "think" in metric and can't grasp the concept of inches, feet etc, let alone fractions of an inch!
My age (late 40s) were brought up thinking "dual" so have far less problem with working in both than the generations either side.
 
Yeah, I was thrown for a loop when we realized that you brits have "unique" measuring requirements. We even had someone ask if we could accomdate dual-unit numbers, e.g. 6"25mm (where the whole number is in inches and the fractional part is in metric). You can switch between units, just not an easy toggle. It was originally meant to be set and forgotton. On the list.. :)

As far as comparing Fletcher/Valiani to Wizard goes, both machines certainlly have their strengths and weaknesses and I totally agree with John - get a good "hands on" with each machine, and don't forget to grab a software demo and try it out at home. Wizard hasn't placed more machines than all our competitors combined for no reason. :)

:faintthud: phew. of all the jobs we "get wrong" the majority are in the back-of-an envelope metric to imperial conversions done "off machine".
everything in our workshop (including the wizard) is set in millimetres, but when it comes to transferring out 11 and 13/16th of an inch into metric it can take longer to do the maths than to cut the mounts!

As my staff keep pointing out, if we were any good at maths, Kev, we'd be rocket scientists, not picture framers ;)

I guess this problem will be transitory (for a few years) as the UK is gradually shifting towards full metrication, and imperial measurements are hardly taught at all in schools now, and the popular frame size of 16x12 or 20x16seems to be equally available in ready made 300x400 or 500x600 (30x40cm) frames - a mainland european size. I guess this is due to plenty of imports from "the continent". PITA having to make ready mades in BOTH sizes though.
makes your brain hurt some days :icon9:

BTW if I was to get another, it would be a Wizard again. Purely for the software ease of use and the awesome reliability. (and in the UK the after sales service from the UK distributors and wizard europe in germany cannot be faulted).
 
John, and chance of someone coming to our shop and giving me a quick hands-on lesson with our Mat-pro? The person who was operating it quit, only giving me a quick overview which was way over my luddite head!
 
im a wizard user.
there are only two things I can fault:
the absence of a straight cut. and the inability to toggle between metric and imperial in the software on the fly!

Amen for the first one!

And no, reverse bevel is not the same as a straight cut.....:fire:

And yes, I am upgrading my Wizard 5000 to 8000, as we speak, so I do like it a lot otherwise.
 
:faintthud: phew. of all the jobs we "get wrong" the majority are in the back-of-an envelope metric to imperial conversions done "off machine"................"
O.K. I don't know much about computers or Wizards but I do know maths and here in Australia we have been metric for a few years so I know that too.

To avoid conversion problems write the following on a huge sign, hang it above your bed and burn it into your brain.

"THERE IS ONLY ONE MEASURING UNIT IN THIS WORKSHOP AND THAT IS THE MILLIMETRE"

Calibrate all your machinery in millimetres throw out all tapes with inches on them measure, cut, order and speak to customers in metric and all will be well. Keep one metric/imperial tape by the 'phone or on the counter for quick "roughie" conversions but never bring them into the workshop.

If you try and use the two systems together sooner or later you will screw up and it will always be on a rush job or one involving the last piece of that moulding/matt. (Yeah, Murphy's Law works in Austrralia too!!);)
 
I have a question for people who have recently installed computer mat cutters:

I am interested in C.M.C's because I run a one-man business and am currently up to my neck in work and struggling to keep up. Here, in Western Australia, there is a shortage of labour and the costs and hassles of employing people are more than I want to get involved with so I am looking at technology to pick up my turnaround and, hopefully, give me a competetive edge. At present I am using a Fletcher 2100 and while it is as good a matcutter as anyone ever built it is slow and a bit hard on my back.

I cut a minimum of 30 single or double matts a week, usually with a half-dozen or so v-grooves and multiple opening jobs thrown in. I also have occasional production jobs involving 30 - 40 singles and/or 20 or so doubles. On most average weeks I would spend close to 4 hours cutting matts in my major weekly session but this time does not include docking them and drawing the lines for multiple openings. Also, there are always a couple of recuts and rush jobs to do at other times. Anyway, even if I halve my time spent cutting matts it does not seem like a huge return for the considerable outlay I am considering.

Apart from the ability to design and cut stuff I can now only dream of what sort of time saving could I realistically expect if I buy a computer matt cutter?
 
Oh YEAH!!

Artfolio, having been pretty much a one-woman shop for years, with a Fletcher 2200 mat cutter, and having recently acquired a CMC (Wizard, one month ago) I can safely say that I will never regret making the change. Already, I have noticed a considerable time savings, stress relief and pain reduction (back, hands, wrists, shoulders, head...!)

Getting a CMC is like hiring an employee, but much less expensive.

Time savings? Consider this: I can now cut a mat in less than a minute, start to finish, that used to take...well, much more than a minute, by the time I cleared the mat table, set all the stops, marked the margins, turned the matboard 4 times (or 8 or 12), reset the measurements, change the blade, etc. I recently set up and cut a 24-opening double mat in less than 4 minutes (yes, that says "minutes"). Do the math.

Time saved is money saved....and no more doctor bills and anti-inflammatories for the back and hands and headache. I will never look back.

And there's all the cool stuff that I can now do that I only dreamed about before! Like you said! But that's icing.
 
I'm going to a Fletcher Terry CMC demo tomorrow afternoon by John Ranes at Frame Specialties in Elkhart, IN about a half hour from my shop.

:popc:

Dave Makielski
 
Ice...sleet....and hail in Indiana!

Dave,

Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. Got in late tonight despite three flights to South Bend being canceled - picked up a rental car and hit I-80. I'm short my checked luggage which I left back at O'Hare.

But I'll be there tomorrow....bring your questions.

:thumbsup:

John
 
Artfolio:
Im with Val on that one!!!

working out time savings with a cmc is as etherial as an accountants workings of self employed earnings- you can make the figures fit whatever you want them to mean! eg you can always justify a cmc, so the answer depends on the question ;)

Id say get one, your back will love you for it.

In practice a slower CMC like the wizard does allow you to get on with other work while it does its thing. So in that regard its almost like having an extra pair of hands. You can make frames while it cuts an array of mounts, and just pop back every two or three minutes to feed another sheet of board in.

The time saving with accuracy (ie. get it right first time) helps.

Multi-cuts (multi-apertures) and arrays, double mounts etc are a doddle. No messing about drawing or marking for uneven borders is also a major timesaver.

Storing popular sizes and apertures makes life easier and saves time.

Overall, the CMC makes life easier, saves wear and tear on the back, thumb, arms and shoulders. Repetitive strain injury - I think I was a borderline case through mount cutting (mat cutting).

But I still reckon its worth it to save your back, if nothing else. You wont belive the aches and pains that you will have picked up over the years with repetitive use of a hand machine, that just melt away when you get a cmc.

I dont believe there is a minimum quantity to justify having one, imho the only justification is why not to have one if you can afford one? And if you cant afford one, then you can look at how to make one earn its keep.

My Wizard made me an extra (approx) UK equivilent to 50,000 dollars last year, so I guess it pays for itself. (online sales and small to medium volume mount orders). Plus it made mincemeat of the day to day shop work. But if I was starting in business again, it would be right up there at the head of the list alongside an underpinner and a morso now.

If I had to be without my wizard now, I would look for another job. They would have to drag it from my cold dead grasp....


any help? Go on, you know you want one ..... you just need an excuse now ;) And remember, they cost us up to approx TWICE the US price in the UK, and we love 'em over here. So do our customers.
 
Just returned from the demo/seminar that John Ranes did this afternoon in Indiana for Fletcher Terry and their local distributor, Frame Specialties. I must say that I was quite impressed with the ease of operation and the quality of cuts.

I'm speaking from a limited knowledge base because I have never set eyes on a Wizard having only seen the Eclipse and the Fletcher-Terry CMCs in action, but from my understanding these are the main differences as they pertain to my needs:

1.) Wizard has much wider placement I'll presume because they have offered rental/leasing programs which make it easier for placement with customers not willing to make an outright purchase. Since there are more Wizards placed there is at present a bigger group of framers using this CMC and that may or may not present an advantage. I'm not aware if there is a formal Wizards user group.

Fletcher-Terry doesn't offer financing programs so a buyer would need to seek outside financing ...loan or lease ...from a financial institution unless they do a cash purchase.

2.) The standard head on the FT (Fletcher-Terry) machine holds the blade at a 37 degree (?) angle which allows for much tighter curves ...especially important if doing alphabet or very detailed designs. Because of this more vertical blade design the bevels are not as wide as Wizard's standard 45 degree bevels. To my eye the both bevels were fine and some people may even prefer a more inclined bevel. FT does offer a 45 degree head too.

3.) Fletcher-Terry offers additional cutting heads which run in the $ 400 -600 range. See the link in a former post for details, but what especially appealed to me was the straight cut head capable of cutting up to three 4 ply standard wt. mat boards at a time or 3/16" fom-cor. The blades for all the heads offered are identical and last for roughly 100 mat cuts before needing replacement. The new machines shipping in June of 2007 (?) will allow you to choose any one head as your standard head and purchase any additional you want. There are a couple other improvements being made ...more easily adjusted and viewed blade depth gage and a quick change mechanism for the cutting heads. Current price of $ 12,900 will rise to $ 13,900 with the new improved version.

Wizard currently only offers the standard 45 degree cutting head , but I'm sure they will offer other capabilities at some point because their user's seem to want this feature.

4.) The FT machine runs on a Windows based platform only and I believe the Wizard is cross platform.

5.) The Wizard cuts from the back of the mat board and the FT cuts with the mat board face up. Personal preference issue, but I do like that I can see the face of the board and therefore it's in front of me longer giving me more opportunity to see any flaws on the board surface than if I'm glancing at the board and then flipping it over. Also, since most guys are visual ;), I can actually see the layout as it will be in the frame and could recognize any errors more quickly during the cutting process than if I had to invert the design in my mind.

6.) Wizard will interface with all three of the major POS software packages whereas FT at present only has the interface for Lifesaver. In reality I don't know how much difference this makes unless you cut off site. I would be curious to know how many Wizard users actually do their design work through LS.

I can't speak about the Wizard's capabilities with 6 or 8 ply board, but I was very impressed with the cuts of the FT. From my understanding when a circle/oval or curvy design is cut the FT will cut in one direction and the go back and make another pass in the other direction which virtually eliminates any over-cuts and makes for an extremely smooth bevel surface.

There are probably many other minute differences and I am sure both machines are excellent and you wouldn't make a mistake acquiring either one. The ability to use differing measuring scales doesn't affect my choice like it may our European or Australian counterparts ...and I would like to see a cross platform software, but I unfortunately have had to become more versed in Windows the past few years and it won't make that much difference to me.

There may be other advantages to the Wizard that I'm not aware of so this in no way is intended to be anything but my personal observations and present understanding of the two CMCs.

Oh, and by the way, John's presentation skills, for those who haven't seen him, would make any Grumbler proud.

:)



Dave Makielski
 
The Fletcher with the interchangeable heads sounds interesting indeed.

When cutting double/triple mats on the Fletcher, are there any circumstances where the score mark from cutting the upper mat might be visible on the lower mat? It just seems that conceptually there might be, however I am sure that in practice it is a moot point.
 
Dave, you can cut from the front of the mat on the Wizard, too.

And Brian showed us, in the Wiz class in Vegas, how to "stack" a double/triple mat the same way we do it on the straight line cutter, by cutting the 2nd/3rd matbd a hair smaller, ATG-ing to the first mat, and leaving the fallout in as the slip sheet. Works fine, if you choose to do it that way, in the event you only have a scrap of matbd available rather than the exact size.
 
The Fletcher with the interchangeable heads sounds interesting indeed.

When cutting double/triple mats on the Fletcher, are there any circumstances where the score mark from cutting the upper mat might be visible on the lower mat? It just seems that conceptually there might be, however I am sure that in practice it is a moot point.

Bob ...John cut a double mat with ornate corners and a V-groove with the top and bottom mats atg'd together and I couldn't see any score line one the bottom mat.

Dave, you can cut from the front of the mat on the Wizard, too.

And Brian showed us, in the Wiz class in Vegas, how to "stack" a double/triple mat the same way we do it on the straight line cutter, by cutting the 2nd/3rd matbd a hair smaller, ATG-ing to the first mat, and leaving the fallout in as the slip sheet. Works fine, if you choose to do it that way, in the event you only have a scrap of matbd available rather than the exact size.

Val ...thanks ...that's why I made some statements in my thread bold ...to emphasize that I can't speak with authority on either machine, but wanted to state my impressions only.

I know how loyal people can be to what they use and I wanted to make sure I wouldn't ruffle any feathers ...just keep some conversation rolling.

:popc:

Dave Makielski
 
Being a framer for more than 20 years the method of cutting several mats stacked from the front is not TECHNICALLY correct. The surface paper of the mat underneath is most certainly scored and if you look at a mat cut with a Fletcher Valiani stacked from the front you will see the cuts especially when using a Foil Mat.
It is a gimmick to save time in the cutting process and I for one would not cut a layered mat this way. Neither would Brian Wolf.

The Wizard will also cut mats from the front one layer at a time, not stacked.

There are not many differences between all the mat cutters mechanically but the software is where all the difference is made.

You will find Wizard's Mat Designer powers all the Wizard Range of Cutters, The Eclipse XL and PRO and also the all conquering ZUND. Go and have a look at how good the Mat Designer software is and make up your own mind.
 
"...Fletcher-Terry doesn't offer financing programs so a buyer would need to seek outside financing ...loan or lease ...from a financial institution unless they do a cash purchase...."

WRONG


John Ranes emailed me to correct me about this ...I misunderstood what he said at the seminar ...Fletcher-Terry does offer a leasing program but they do not offer a rental program like available from Wizard.

Sorry.

Dave Makielski
 
Technically Vs. Traditionally

Hi Wayne,

I understand what you're trying to say...
...Being a framer for more than 20 years the method of cutting several mats stacked from the front is not TECHNICALLY correct....
As you are probably aware, most CMC's cut from the back side of the mat, as this is how manual mat cutters approached the task previously. When layers were cut on top of each other, the score mark would impact the fallout rather than part of the finished product.

The Fletcher-Valiani CMC's do cut from the front allowing the operater several options.
  • Cut multiple layers mats one layer at a time. Design them together and in the new software 4.2 upgrade, simply select which layer you wish to cut on the cut screen.
  • Cut multiple layers on top of each other. I personally was skeptical of this method when I first saw it a couple years ago...... (Hey....29 years of tradition does that to your head.) However, I was pleasantly surprised at the perfection achieved with this method. Granted, I tend to cut layers separately on complex or mats with detailed corners. But when it is a simple rectangular opening, this method works....and works well.

Val said:
...And Brian showed us, in the Wiz class in Vegas, how to "stack" a double/triple mat the same way we do it on the straight line cutter, by cutting the 2nd/3rd matbd a hair smaller, ATG-ing to the first mat, and leaving the fallout in as the slip sheet....
With the second technique that I described above, the mats can be cut all the exact same size....no need to make some smaller as on professional, straightline, table top mat cutters.

The user also has the option of cutting all three layers, then sizing the outside as well.

Regards,

John
 
It seems that all of a sudden stacked-mats and tight-radius cuts are so ever important.. probably a testament to the excellent showmenship of the Fletcher sales staff (that's a complement John :) ). As those are the two main features that the Fletcher does better than the Wizard, I can see why John and crew bring them up again and again.

However, after playing a bit with the Fletcher software demo, I'm suprised that more people haven't mentioned these few things as well:
  • Wizard's software uses an intelligent, yet simple, drag-n-drop layout and design system - we abandoned CAD as a primary design interface a long time ago and for good reason.
  • Multi-layer openings are treated a as single object - dragging to a new spot drags all the layers together
  • All our custom "shapes" are highly configurable (i.e. specify the number of steps, radius width, blend width) and not simply stretched and scaled
  • Multi-opening design layout is a breeze - you can select groups of openings and move them together (as well as change the number of layers, shape, and reveals together too).
  • Extra layout tools, such as unlimited guides, borders, measuring tools that all snap to openings and openings snap to them.
  • Fractions - overseas it's not a big deal, but here in the US obviously we like to enter sizes as a fraction (12 1/16)
  • Unlimited undo.. hit the wrong key? didn't like that last tweak? Just simply undo..
  • Dynamic outsides - don't know the final outside dimsions of a complex multi-opening? Wizard's software does it for you..
  • Fillet support built in
  • Opengs can have labels (like "boy photo" and "girl photo" so you remember what picture goes where
  • Reserved areas, so the software knows that an object is going somewhere on the mat and you can design around it
  • Litterally thousands and thousands of CutArt, any TrueType font, and many many CMC-optimized phonts (incluing the original and popular Photo Font for framers)
And those are just the basic features.. then you have the cool stuff like Merged openings and PathTrace.

So ask me again why cutting stacked mats is so important when doing the other 95% is so much harder? :)
:beer: (cheers)
 
I am in the throes of evaluating Computer Matcutters with a view to possibly buying one if I can convince myself it is something I need rather than an expensive toy I want. To date, I have only properly looked at a Wizard and like it a lot, it is also the cheapest one here in Australia by around $AUD4,000.

One thing I have believed for a long time, is that, in my humble opinion, cutting stacked matts from the front is NOT good technique. I often suspected this method could cause the top layer of paper on the lower matt to delaminate, especially in humid weather which we get a lot in Perth.

I have now seen it happen with my own eyes in a gallery. It was a large frame, around a full 32 x 40 sheet of museum board with a double matt. I am pretty sure it was cut on one of the newer manual upright Valianis because of the steep angle of the bevels. At one point, halfway along one long side the coloured facing paper on the lower matt had lifted at both the inner and outer edges, which is probably why it was in a back room and not on display.

I would be very interested to learn if anyone else has seen this.
 
Stacked mats is only one option!

....One thing I have believed for a long time, is that, in my humble opinion, cutting stacked matts from the front is NOT good technique. I often suspected this method could cause the top layer of paper on the lower matt to delaminate, especially in humid weather which we get a lot in Perth.........I have now seen it happen with my own eyes in a gallery........I would be very interested to learn if anyone else has seen this.

Artfolio,

A valid question, and as I mentioned above, I was initially suspicious of this method when I first saw it years ago. However experience has shown me that it works. Nonetheless, I decided to bounce this off of the CMC Manager at Fletcher-Terry to see what he had to share to this discussion. Here is Brian's response....

Brian Simard said:
I have heard reports of this since we first took on Valiani MatPros.

I'm sure that it's possible under the right conditions: heat humidity, mat type, depth of cut into the lower layer(s), etc. If a framed piece of artwork was hung under these adverse conditions, chances are that the artwork itself would suffer damage as well as the mat itself.

Valiani machines have been cutting mats using this method since the late 1980's. If there was a major issue with cutting mats this way, it would certainly be common knowledge by now and widely discredited in the industry.

My only response is that this is unlikely to happen under most conditions, and that it is not necessary to cut multiple layer mats with this technique, simply a speed and convenience option.

I hope this answers any concerns you might have Artfolio.

Regards,

John
 
Cutting mats from the front.

I have a contract to cut mats on an ongoing basis for a customer. A single mat with a vee groove. We have cut many thousands of mats for this customer. We cut them all from the front - both the vee groove and the opening. Less chance of an alignment error. Never had any problem or seen the slightest mark on the surface paper. The customer buys from us because he says our quality is far better than the other 4 framers he tried. We use an old Fletcher Terry F6100 which can cut from the front or the back. We are in a location with high humidity - Perth would look dry compared to here.
 
Artfolio,

A valid question, and as I mentioned above, I was initially suspicious of this method when I first saw it years ago. However experience has shown me that it works. Nonetheless, I decided to bounce this off of the CMC Manager at Fletcher-Terry to see what he had to share to this discussion. Here is Brian's response....



I hope this answers any concerns you might have Artfolio.

Regards,

John

Thanks, John,

I found this discussion quite interesting because double matts make up a large part of my work and anything which can save time doing them is worth investigating. Unfortunately, my biggest regular order involves a silver foil matt under a strong blue and foil matts are pretty unforgiving so I will probably have to keep cutting these from the back whatever machine I end up with.:icon20:

Technically, I feel it is not possible to set a blade finely enough on any machine to cut through the top matt without scoring the matt underneath to some degree. However, at trade demos and in other framers' workshops I have seen double matts cut this way which I would be happy to give to my customers and, as Brian points out, the method is hardly new.

I guess it all comes down to how carefully the machine is set up and how fussy the operator is about changing blades, adjusting depth etc.
 
We currently have a Wizard for 2 years and loved it however when I was at the trade show, I was mesmerized by the capabilities of the Fletcher mat cutter. The fletcher was able to cut 90 degrees and import Corel Draw clip art. For this reason, I purchased a Fletcher. Can't wait till it delivers in April.

Wizard has the capability of using clipart in their trace program however once you import the clipart you will have to retrace. Not good for me. Learning curve of having to learn the software and redoing the trace. Whereas, Fletcher you don't have to retrace. Just import and you are good to go. More design capabilities which means more creative products which means more revenues. My two cents on another 15k cmc. Have best of both worlds, A Fletcher and a Wizard.

Fletcher did disappoint me becuase they did not have show special price in regards to their New MatPro i series.

Their flyer was deceiving as well. They noted that you will receive a Free Training or Fletcher 3000 board cutter with a purchase of a CMC. NOT TRUE if you are purchasing a MatPro-i series. No discounts nor no free items.
 
Wizard has the capability of using clipart in their trace program however once you import the clipart you will have to retrace. Not good for me. Learning curve of having to learn the software and redoing the trace.

Just a clarification here: for importing a raw DXF file from a 3rd-party package (like CorelDraw) we don't really require a retrace; our software just needs to know the starting point (and cutorder if it contains more than one hole) and bevel type (normal, reverse, vgroove, etc.). Then it can be saved as a Wizard CutArt and used over and over again without further modification...
 
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