The USCutter Story, As Seen through the Eyes of Employee #1

Posted on by USCutter

Introduction: Cutter Power to the People

The year is 2006. The world is in upheaval. Tech giant Google buys a little democratic video sharing platform called Youtube. Pluto is kicked out of the planetary brotherhood. Borat debuts to a shocked and chastened viewing public. And in Redmond, Washington, in a non-descript building nestled among a mushroom colony of Microsoft buildings, a little start-up called Selltopia is selling people’s possessions through an eBay consignment store (think Catherine Keener’s character in The 40 Year Old Virgin).

Selltopia (the precursor to USCutter) sold many items on eBay. Not these fabulous boots, but items such as antique jewelry up to large size boat engines!

Little did they know that a product in their testing queue called the MH vinyl cutter would change the face of the world as we know it…

Chapter 1: Employee #1 Jaster Nyasulu Hops Aboard and Reports for Duty

USCutter: When did you start with the company, Jaster?

Jaster: March 6th, 2006.

USCutter: Wow. You know your start date to the day. That’s a lot of water under the bridge. All right. It’s 2006. Set the scene for us.

Jaster: My background was in web development. Building systems to sell in the supplementary insurance market.

USCutter: Interesting. Tell us about the early days on eBay with Selltopia.

Jaster: We were a 2 man operation, Marcus (the original owner of Selltopia), and myself. We would list products for customers on eBay. We’d photograph and describe them and sell them via a Chinese auction for a commission. We sold all kinds of items from antique jewelry to large size boat engines.

USCutter: Really, so what’s the story behind the MH? The vinyl cutter which made sign-production and apparel-decoration accessible to the masses?

Jaster: We were studying how different categories of products performed in the marketplace. And we knew pretty quickly we had a winner in the MH. Affordable relative to the competition, reliable, and easy to operate.

USCutter: So how did Selltopia become a sign and graphics supply wholesaler?

Jaster: MH was such a huge success on eBay that we had to quickly expand the business. USCutter.com was born. We moved to a larger warehouse in Woodinville, and we started carrying sign vinyl. In 2008, we brought on current president Karl Bowman to oversee the daily administrative operations of the company. He came from a background in the sign-making industry and had his own sign shop making cut vinyl graphics and digitally printed signs and banners.

USCutter: So from the ashes of Selltopia, USCutter.com (me) was born?

Jaster: Yes, the company was rebranded as USCutter to cater to the sign-making community. We brought on Orafol and launched GreenStar adhesive vinyl brands to sell through our new ecommerce portal. In 2008, in our industry, this was a fairly revolutionary way to do business and reach customers not served by local wholesalers.

USCutter: So, in 10+ years of developing a platform for servicing businesses, as well as beginners and hobbyists in this industry, what are the main lessons you’ve learned?

Jaster: USCutter has grown to a position of leadership in servicing this segment of business. From bringing on the MH, to Oracal products, to leading the charge into apparel customization with Siser heat transfer vinyl, and other brands, we always have to be pushing the envelope to remain innovative and relevant to our customers. WE CAN’T BE SLEEPING!

USCutter: Thank you Jaster. One last question, you’re also known in the community for your charitable endeavors. Can you tell us a little about Mzuzu Academy?

Jaster: Yes. As many people know around the office, I am from Malawi. And my heritage has always been very close to me, even living here in the Seattle area all these decades. Mzuzu Academy is a boarding school in my home country of Malawi that draws teachers from all over the world to come and teach grades K-12. It began in 2003 as a joint collaboration between myself and fellow Malawaian expats who perceived a need for the local children in the community to receive a quality education and exposure to the global community at large.

Jaster, proudly posing before the international academy he helped to make into a reality.

USCutter: That’s amazing. And it’s really snowballed since 2003, hasn’t it?

Jaster: Yes. We’ve been very fortunate to have the support of some very generous donors, and even famous people, like Tom Brokaw’s wife! The school has been in operation for 9 years, and now serves a student body of over 300, including students from other countries than Malawi! It is truly an international success story, and a symbol of what can be achieved when people work together. The academy is also home to an elementary school section and orphanage.

Students from Malawi and beyond call these halls home. Education is a cause near and dear to Jaster’s heart as a former mathematics and computer science teacher.

USCutter: Thanks so much for your time, Jaster, and all you do.

Make your own Halloween Special Effects: Glow in the Dark Vinyl Reveals!

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It’s that spooky season again, when the moon seems to bathe everything in an eerie glow… Read on for details on how to add some Hollywood movie magic to Halloween costumes, trick-or-treat bags, and other items, using Siser Glow-in-the-Dark adhesive and heat transfer vinyl.

Now you see it now you don’t!

With a little creativity and a little (night) vision, you can create a scary reveal on any light or dark colored fabric or apparel blank.

Steps to Make Spooky Reveal Trick-or-Treat Bag:

Step 1: First, you’ll need both some Siser Glow-in-the-Dark and solid-white heat transfer vinyl, and a blank canvas or fabric bag (all available at USCutter.com!)
Step 2: Vectorize your spooky Halloween cutfile. Separate the cut jobs into white vinyl for the part of the design that will be visible in daylight, and glow-in-the-dark (appears like white) vinyl for the part of the design you want to illuminate the darkness.
Step 3: Put down the Glow-in-the-Dark layer first, then briefly tack the heat transfer onto the bag’s facing for 5 seconds. Then lay down the layer of white vinyl, and follow the recommended pressure and temperature settings on your heat press for the full duration of the heat press cycle.
Step 4: Voila!
Note: you can do similar effects on shirts or other fabrics, including dark colors.
Also, don’t limit your imagination to Halloween (see this cool glow-in-the-dark directional signage made from Siser EasyPSV Glow-in-the-Dark adhesive vinyl)…
or vinyl (check out this cool dye-sublimation printed trick-or-treat bag!)…

Get Glow-in-the-Dark adhesive vinyl, HTV, trick-or-treat bag, and more materials in our special seasonal Halloween Grab Bag bundle! Only $19.95 while supplies last!

Meet Taylor aka “Kid Cutter”: A Vinyl Graphics and Car Wrap Wunderkind

Posted on by USCutter

Taylor stays pretty busy in the USCutter shop these days, refurbing and QA’ing equipment, getting to know our machines on a personal level.

So I approach cautiously, and get right to the point. I don’t want to take up too much of his valuable time.

USCutter: How’d you get hooked up with USCutter, Taylor?

Taylor: Basically, I was coming into the Redmond will-call area (now a full-fledged retail store) 3 – 4 times a week. After a while, the (then) contact center manager told me, I might as well work here. Made sense to me. I guess the rest is history.

USCutter: What were you doing with all that material?

Taylor: I was just using my Cameo to make graphics for friends, and friends of friends. It took off. I couldn’t even keep up with all the requests I was getting for decals, window banners, and custom shirts.

USCutter: Where did you find this huge audience for your products?

Taylor: Honestly, most of my business came through word of mouth, Snapchat, and Instagram.

USCutter: Wow. Really? Snapchat?

Taylor: Ha, yeah. People were hitting me up for logos they wanted on their cars. I’d do the artwork. I had a design of the week.

USCutter: That’s awesome. What keeps you busy these days?

Taylor: Ha. All these. Seriously though, I’m proud to work at USCutter. They’ve been very supportive of me getting to know all these products better. And I’m happy to help spreading awareness of the USCutter brand out there in the community.

Here’s Taylor’s home maker space! USCutter wants to see yours! Get entered into a random drawing for a free giveaway on the USCutter Facebook!

USCutter: Thanks for your time Taylor. Any final thoughts?

Taylor: I spend almost every waking hour either thinking about or playing with vehicle wrap, adhesive vinyl, heat transfer vinyl and sublimation. While most people my age are simply chasing a dollar or wasting time, I am living my dreams. Thank you US Cutter!