OT: Matt cutting: Logan 750...any experiences?

[xcapekey]

hey all...i'm preparing for a show mid-january...i was thinking about farming out the matting but i'm cutting it to close to get them done by the day i need them...i'm thinking about just buying the raw materials and matting myself...i'm going to have several shows this year so i think it would be worthwhile to learn to do it...

anyway, the local art store has a logan 750 for about $168...the price seems right...anyone have any experience with this cutter?

i need something that will make things easy, as i sometimes have problems drawing straight lines with a ruler 🙂

 

[JoeFriday]

I have a similar model that I used to use on a regular basis at my job, matting and framing artist architectural renderings.. it's a good system.. fairly easy to use and does a very good job doing basic cuts with mitered or straight edges

you'll definitely want to have someone teach you how the process works.. it's not hard, but not very intuitive.. you could learn it in an hour or two.. and eventually you'll be able to whip out square or rectangular mattes in just a few minutes

I assume you already have a source for matte board.. I think I was paying about $8-10 a sheet for that, just to give you a frame of reference

 

[xcapekey]

JF..i'm having a tough time finding mats locally for cheaper than $13 for 40x32, 4ply archival...maybe that's the going rate now? i could order out of state and maybe save a few $ but the transaction cost is time...i have to learn how to use it adequately enough in a short time to matt about 20 images....

 

[Theo-Prof]

I looked at both the 750 and the 650 and paid the extra money for the 650. I found that having the cutting head mounted to the cutting bar left less room for mistakes. That being said, the 750 is one of the best cutters for the money for those on a tight budget.

 

[JoeFriday]

yeah, $13 a sheet is probably the going rate these days.. I haven't bought any matte board for about 2 years now.. and now that I'm in my office, I see that my cutter is the 750

if you're planning to do simple cuts (rectangles, or better yet, squares) you should be able to crank out the mattes in an afternoon.. it gets a little more difficult if you're double-matting or offsetting the photo rather than centering it

 

[xcapekey]

hey guys...i ended up buying the 750 for $168! it was too good of a deal to pass up on....the guys at the local art store were really friendly and helped me strap it to my bike 🙂 managed to get it home....

anyway, i set it up last night and played around with it with some scrap mat they gave me...holy mother does it make it easy! i cut up about 4 mats in twenty minutes....

i think with the cost of the cutter and raw materials it will be the same as sending the mats out to be cut....but every show hereafter and i'll start making the money back...sorta like bulk loading i suppose...

so anyone else considering the logan simplex 750, go for it!!!