As an earnest design pro or sign shop owner, every tool you add to your arsenal should correspond in quality, power, and elegance. Your glorious flourishing sign workshop deserves a befitting and equally splendid vinyl cutter that packs a punch to add more muscle to functionality.
Graphtec has always impressed in all the right spaces, and their Graphtec FC9000 Series Pro Cutting Plotters is another of them. These plotters pack a punch and are designed to tear stuff up effortlessly.
The FC9000 Series Pro vinyl cutters are muscular, uncontrollable powerhouses that will make a joke of intense cutting projects and are unapologetic for what they do and almost over-equipped for dangerous commercial use.
They boast immense power coupled with a ton of exciting features meant to enhance and elevate your vinyl cutting and sign making experience.
The FC9000 Series can only be a better version of its predecessors, the FC8600 series. A worthy successor of the FC8600 series, the FC9000 Series sits pretty at the very apex of the best professional vinyl cutter list.
About the Manufacturer
Graphtec has earned its reputation over time and become a household name in the design world. The company has been serving the design fraternity with modern and top-class equipment for a while now. So, it’s no surprise to see the company running the show in this niche.
The manufacturer tries to set the bar too high for the competition to reach and rocks design professionals with the FC9000 Vinyl Cutter Series.
These plotters provide extra working power and energy to meet the demands of professionals. The power you get here is enormous, and no matter the materials you purpose to cut, nothing will be too hard for these plotters. This makes the cutters in the FC9000 series machines worth going for advanced commercial users and professionals.
Industries such as fine art, sign, graphics, engraving, photography, Ultraviolet light, 3D modeling, and vehicle graphics all swear by these cutting tools.
The plotters, however, are not cheap, but quality products on the market seldom are. These power and speed demons offer superior quality and splendid performance that justifies every extra penny your pay. After all, isn’t it said that you spend your money where you spend your time.
Graphtec FC9000 Series Pro Cutting Plotters Reviews
Design and Construction
Graphtec did a commendable job constructing this exceptional unit. Fist and best of all, the construction is all for highly durable equipment, and the materials used are industrial grade. Therefore, expect a lifetime of unquestionable quality cutting.
The FC9000 series comes in four variants of different cutting widths ranging from modest 30 and 42 inches to extensive 54 and 64-inch offerings. So you get the freedom to choose what works for the projects you have in mind.
If you are scared of size but are in for power, then this is your best bet. The FC9000 series boasts a rather compact design and lightweight build considering the mighty oomph you enjoy.
You can simply squeeze it into the tightest of spaces and tuck it away when you’re done using it. It is innovative that the manufacturer incorporates a newly developed feeding system and cutting head to make it effortless to feed in the cut material, reduce wastage, and enhance the quality of the output.
You cannot help but notice the sleek design, and dynamic and luxurious details and finish that will add a sense of style to any space and affirm that you are a pro.
Also notable is an elegant finish and polish that ensure the plotters are rust, scratch, and corrosion-free, and will never get old or get damaged by anything.
Performance
While not overlooking quality, we must agree that this vinyl cutter printer’s sheer power is a big selling point.
Thanks to the staggering 600g of downforce, no material can stand up to FC9000 vinyl cutters when they release all of their potentials. And no matter how much you give these cutting tools, they can always take more.
Moreover, the 58.5 inches per second speed is blistering and best in class. You will save yourself the frustrating wait and swiftly slit through the thickest of materials imaginable in a fraction of a second. Materials don’t come thicker than the 55 mm maximum thickness that these pretty cutting beasts can handle. You need no more than the 50 feet accurate tracking, responsible for high accuracy, unrivaled precision, and consequently, super straight and elegant cuts.
Exclusive Features
The company also struck a real note with its proprietary Advanced Registration Marking System (ARMS 8.0). The feature uses white LED sensors and an improved search algorithm to detect the registration marks on the cut material and initiate Axis alignment and elevate precision when cutting.
Metallic, high gloss, glitter, and high-intensity reflective materials won’t bother this cutter one bit. This feature is spiced up further by Graphtec’s Datalink Barcode System.
This system interprets cutting data from your computer or portable USB storage, access all necessary files, ensures appropriate cut settings, and automatically initiate the cutting process.
The Average Joe may not need the take-up reel boosts, but if you often find yourself using long rolls of media, this feature will improve efficiency during production.
The feature is optional and only works with the FC9000-140 and FC9000-160 models. Other output quality-enhancing features worth mentioning are the new X-Y feature and pen block.
Software and Connectivity
As you’d expect from such a premium product, the package comes with Cutting Master 4 and Graphtec Pro Studio software. You get to design, edit, and print custom designs and enjoy access to countless ready-made designs and fonts.
Still, the devices allow you to use them and any other design software or printer you prefer. Each piece comes with a USB cable for transferring cut data from your PC. That is not all. You will also find a USB port for outputting data offline onto a portable USB storage device.
The manufacturer expresses immense confidence in their products and stands by each vinyl cutter in the FC9000 series with a three-year warranty.
Drawbacks
The Graphtec vinyl cutter plotter slacks in the failure of the provided software to work in Apple computers. The included applications are only compatible with Windows computers.
Therefore, if you use an Apple computer, you will have to find another alternative system. Additionally, FC9000 vinyl cutters can be pricier than a new small car. The high price tag restricts this pick to buyers who are not afraid of shedding four-figures for a pro-quality vinyl cutter.
- Efficient ARMS 8.0 and Datalink Barcode System
- Can handle very thick materials
- Very high cutting speed and power
- 3-year warranty
- Software compatible with Windows PC only
- Very expensive
Final Thoughts
If sheer power, versatility, and functionality are anything to go by, then an FC9000 vinyl cutter should not miss a spot in your cart. They quite the beast in comparison to others in their class and smashes the competition with ease.
The price may be high, but these plotters are genuinely worth the much they cost for all this level of quality and craftsmanship. So those who are prepared to take the plunge and genuinely have the money to invest in a solid plotter really can’t go wrong with these capable picks.
