How Do We Feel About Plotters?

This is a question we often get, do I need a plotter, is it required to tint, and do they work?

Plotters, also referred to as "machine cut" or "laser cut" is a printer 

Computer plotters cut film pieces with exact precision. The information they use is accessed through a large database containing film patterns that match the glass and body dimensions of your car model.

But do you need a plotter to tint? 

NO, but there are pros and cons for each

Plotter PROS: Save time, exact window patterns, 

Plotter CONS: Expensive, excess film waste, pattern not always correct, computer missing some patterns. 

No single method is better than the other. In fact, most plotters agree that a mixture of both methods is necessary for a shop in today’s world. This is because there are many different types of vehicles, and your plotter might not have a pattern for a rare vehicle in its software library.

Most plotters agree that while using a plotter can save time, it can’t match the high standards set by meticulous, mastercraft hand-cutters. At the end of the day, it’s a choice between quantity and quality. Sometimes you need a little of both

Hand-cutting is the best way to learn how to properly tint a car. When you become more confident, you can start to use a plotter and handle more cars per day. That being said, there will be slight variances in the patterns when you use a plotter, which means that hand-cutting is usually the best way to achieve perfect, consistent results. 

When you get to a high volume, or dealership work it may be required to use a plotter, but at the beginning, hand cutting is suggested to be the best way to go..

In our course, we teach the exact method of hand cutting with drills and repetition so the skill becomes easier.. 

Are you tinting and not sure about cutting on a car?

Watch the video below and learn the proper tools, technique and drill to become proficient in hand cutting on any vehicle..