Resources

Setting up a Graphtec CE6000 vinyl cutter with Windows 10

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After using a desktop for over 10 years with Windows 7, I finally made the upgrade to Windows 10 on a new laptop but soon realized that I had issues finding the right set of software and drivers to make it work on my new machine.

I had bought my CE6000-40 vinyl cutter back in 2015 and had long lost the links to the old pages I had downloaded everything from. Google ended up directing me to newer product pages, but none of them linked me to the right resources and initial attempts to make the cutter work on Windows 10 completely failed. I had always worked with Graphtec Studio (not 2 or Pro) this entire time, with cut files in that specific format saved, and I could only find links to Graphtec Studio 2 and Graphtec Studio Pro. All drivers and software I installed did not work, and none of the forum posts I could find to reference had solutions either, so I gave up and went back to my Windows 7 machine for the time being.

A few months later, I attempted to search for different product pages (because surely someone had a copy of the original Graphtec Studio somewhere!) and finally found this Cutting Plotters page on the Graphtec Corporation website (and not Graphtec America). Scrolling to the bottom, I was extremely excited to find a list of links of old software and drivers corresponding with the CE6000 series of cutters. After following the user manual and installing the original Graphtec Studio, I was back in business and could finally consider deprecating my obsolete desktop machine.

Specifically, I installed the following in the exact order after downloading everything:

  1. Cutting Plotter Controller Ver.1.51A
  2. Windows 10 64-bit edition Driver Ver.4.00
  3. Graphtec Studio Ver.2.2.1252

My CE6000-40 cutter has been on firmware version 2.00 for forever, and I’ll eventually get around to updating it to the latest version Ver.2.70.

Happy cutting!

Starting a home-based online business in Cupertino, CA

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It’s been over two years since I first opened my business on Etsy as a sole proprietor. I was intent on starting the sole prop legally by filing all the right forms and paying for all the right fees, but the resources online can be very confusing if you have no idea where to start. (more…)

Using a Zebra LP2844 thermal printer on Windows 7

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About a year after I started my side business on Etsy selling decals and signs, I looked into buying a thermal printer to speed up my shipping process. Printing out labels on paper, trimming it, and taping them to the packages took a decent amount of time. Thermal printers are a great investment for serious businesses — they don’t need ink refills, you can print directly on properly sized labels, and the labels will not smear if they get wet.

Please note that the following Amazon links in this post are affiliate links, and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link.

I decided to purchase a used Zebra LP2844 thermal printer off of Craigslist for $110. A popular new option for sellers these days is the DYMO LabelWriter 4XL Label Maker, but the older Zebra thermal printer does the job just fine, and it was more than 50% cheaper than the DYMO new. (more…)

Replacing 2013 Toyota Prius C air filters

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Because my Prius C is not covered under the free 2-year Toyota maintenance anymore, I wanted to minimize the amount of work I needed the dealership to do at my service appointments. Air filters are commonly a giant rip-off at dealerships after the materials markup and labor costs and usually trivial to replace. After replacing the cabin and engine air filters for my Toyota at about 30k miles, I have to agree. (more…)

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