What cutter should I get?
 

I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I need your input...

As a designer of layered digital templates, I'd like to be able to supply the files for cutting machines along with the layered templates. Call me stupid, but I've read and asked people about them and I just can't figure it out. I just don't understand how what I provide gets translated to the machine.

So....I'm thinking of buying a cutting machine. That way it will all be here in front of me and I can figure it all out (I hope) by trial and error if I have to!

So which cutter uses the most common file types? Which is easiest to use? Which is the most popular? Which one will allow me to provide the best product to the customer/hybrid crafter?

Please keep in mind that I can't spend $100s of dollars either. ;) Thanks for your input and help.

After doing a lot of research, I got a silhouette for Christmas... from what I understand, I don't need any special software and it was fairly priced. However, in full disclosure... I haven't even taken it out of the box.. *gasp - what is she waiting for?*

I am of no help. I sold my cricut and I'm not interested in any of the other cutters out there. I think the silhouette looks awesome, but I know myself and I know I'd rarely use it. I'd rather have a new die cutting machine than an electronic cutter, but that's just me.

I hope someone can help you with this! I feel like the silhouette is teh most popular right now, but I could be wrong. I think they usually have deals for it floating around the web for around $300.

I have a Cricut, but haven't used it a ton (I do have plans too, lol). But in the world of cutters, it seems like the Silhouette is gaining popularity over the other electronic cutters. It cuts a lot more types of things than the Cricut. Personally, if I didn't have a cutter of any sort, I'd be purchasing a Silhouette!

$300!!!!! Are you kidding?!! Well I might have to reconsider buying one!

Keep the advice and ideas coming...

No, they're all pretty much that expensive. :thumbdown:

Yep, I think they're all pretty expensive. I have friends who have the Cricut and the Silhouette and they both seem to like them. I had the impression that the silhouette might be a bit more versatile.

still might be out of your price range but overstock.com has it for $190.

http://www.overstock.com/Crafts-Sewi...0/product.html

Maybe you could trade a two week rental for free products for a month. Just a thought since they are so expensive, maybe someone would loan you theirs.

I have a Silhouette not the newest one. It will cut anything. I would offer to help you but I've never been able to get the registration mark setting to work. Essentially you print out the file with registration marks and then the machine reads them to cut from.

I only have a Cricut, which I rarely use any more - but I've heard really good stuff about the Silhouette. And yes, it's definitely a lot of $$ . . . one of those things where you just have to do a return-on-your-investment analysis.

So, I've been looking at some of the machines online...some print AND cut and some just print? Is it really possible to get something that is already printed (yk, precisely to a template) to get cut right when putting that page into the cutting machine?

It makes sense to me that with the same machine printing and cutting it could do it right...but I don't know.

Which machines print and cut and which just cut? The descriptions online don't always say! ugh

The Silhouette does print and cut. You print the file on your printer using the Silhouette software - it prints registration marks. Then the Silhouette has an "eye" (for want of a better term) and it reads the registration marks and cuts out the image.

I'm not sure if the Cricut does that with the Sir Cuts Alot software or not. I'm not a Cricut user.

Yes, I used a freebie template you had out around thanksgiving to "print & cut". I opened in the Silhouette software, sent it to print on my printer then put it through the machine and it cut like a dream! Because I choose to print from the machine software it added a few marks around the edge of the paper to recognize where the cut lines were when I fed it through. It feeds the paper through and back once to see the lines then it goes back over it with the blade.

Let me know if I that made any sense.

I've had a Silhouette SD since Christmas-time. Love it!

NOt sure I can add anymore that the others haven't already said here. :thumbup:

I have a Cricut and have barely even learned to use it. I know that it is POSSIBLE to print and have the Cricut cut, but additional software is needed... Sure Cuts a Lot and Inkscape I think.

ALL cutters will read SVG files I believe.

Would love to be able to print and cut!!!

Silhouettes do not cut SVG files, only GSD files.

hehe Rebecca! We really should get together and figure this out since you have the Silhoutte! Now I just need to figure out what file type to make for you to try!

thanks to everyone for your input...I'll still be looking into and reading about it for awhile...so if you have anything to add please do!

I got a Silhouette SD for Christmas and absolutely love it! They do seem to be
very popular, and I understand why! I am so excited to try cutting fabric with my Silhouette - they just started selling the iron on facing to be able to do that. There don't seem to be other designers including GSD files with their cutting files. I would so vote for Heather to get a Silhouette SD and sell those files!

Through the 29th, the Ucreate blog has a code for the Silhouette SD Machine: 1 Roll of Black Premium Vinyl,1 Roll of Premium Frosted Vinyl
1 Roll of Premium Transfer Paper, Home Decor CD for $225 for everything using code “UCREATE”!! You can also get 25% off premium vinyl using this code. You have to pay shipping so I actually think the overstock.com deal with their cheap shipping is better, but 25% off premium vinyl is so nice.

Crecia - can you give any more details/tips about adding cutting *marks* to Heather's templates to get your Silhouette to cut them for you. I would love to try that myself.

So, if you can open your decorated file up in the software, print and then cut...why do people need the GSD/SVG files?? Am I being dense?

So is it the Cricut that uses the SVG files?

I think it's because only the Silhouette does that Heather, I could be wrong though, but that's my understanding

I agree, the only reason I could see the cut files alone being handy would be if I wanted to cut some scrapbook paper I already had on hand, not print and cut. I would think that could open a new market up to you though, for people who don't want to have to print first or crafters who may not be scrapbookers.

In that case, you couldn't just pull over a jpg because the machine would be looking for the print lines, that you wouldn't have because you didn't run it through a printer.

you got it, boss! ;) My hubby will be happy that it will be out of the box and being used... LOL!

Yes, however they can be converted, but it's much nicer when the GSD files are included so you don't have to go through all of that.

Also, I wanted to say that I print and cut elements from designers' kits here all the time. It took me awhile to figure it out b/c of a lack of instructions on the internet - I had to kind of try it out and see if it worked. I finally got it though.

If anyone is interested you can read a tutorial I posted on my blog.

I got an email today from www.allaboutcricut.com. They're opening a new store and are having some HUGE sales. I personally have a Cricut but am thinking about selling it. I so seldom use it. The main thing I've used it for is to cut out Disney shapes for decorating when counting down for our vacations. :unsure:

I got a Silhouette for christmas from my mom- she got an awesome deal on it- it was around $175. I have gone one step further than Rebecca and have taken it out of the box but its not plugged in and I havent used it yet. I need to get on that because I want to make cards and other hybrid projects.

Yes, it's is the Cricut that cuts SVG files.

Lauren Meader makes files for just about everything, including pdf files for those that want to cut by hand. I just don't know what program/s she is using to make the svg and gsd files.

Yeah, I know they can be converted, I just don't have the time to deal with it. LOL I love it when gsd files are included. Now if I could just find a way to convert gsd files into svg files I'd be a very happy because then i would rethink buying the Ecraft.

I have the MM Slice that I *definitely* do not recommend. All the other cutters mentioned are better IMHO, even though I base this opinion on theory and reviews only.

In the meantime I've also discovered that I'm not a machine person and prefer my scissors to fiddling with settings and things. I just enjoy it better when I do it alone, even if the result is not perfect - but that's another story. :-)

and some incompetents like me can't get the marks to work no matter what i do!

Christy I was trying to come up with some instructions for you today since I wanted to cut out Dani's photo booth props - but I can't get the cutter to cut anywhere near the lines so I've given up :-( I don't think their new software can recognize a Jpg edges, do you have the Robosoft software as well?

Have you tried the tutorial on my blog? I use the Robo software...

I've been able to do it so many times in the past (I used it to cut 200 custom jelly jar lables in Nov),but last night it wasn't cutting on the lines - it was the design - it was just off so I'd get a 1/4 inch cut off the design and a 1/4 of white on the other side. Have you had that happen? I really wanted to take these on vacation with us but I don't have the time or energy to cut them out by hand!

I have a Cricut Expression, I got it for Christmas. Mom got it during a Black Friday sale at Wal-Mart for $165. I bought Sure Cuts a Lot to go with it.

I have not mastered the "print and cut" so for now I print a page of scrapbook paper from the digital kit then use the SCAL software to cut. Or use scrapbook paper from my LSS.

I like it for making boxes and 3D items. My program can convert an image to a SVG file, and I have been meaning to try to cut some of the templates of yours (Heather) that I have bought. I have some files from other designers at The Digi Chick that are supposed to be print and cut but I haven't tried them.

I have also tried using some of Darcy's fonts to cut out letters (because the SCAL software lets you use any font installed on your computer), but when they cut most were too thin to get off the sticky mat.

So how do I convert the .studio file from the Silhouette software into a GSD file? The software doesn't give me another file type option in the Save dialog box, not does it have an export function.

After you "get the outline" and "paste then exit," zoom in on the design and you can actually move the outline lines appropriately so they line up perfectly with the element. I've had it happen a couple of times to me for some unknown reason as well.

The file is saved as GSD format in the Robo software, then opened up in the Silhouette Studio software.

I hope I'm understanding your question right....my boys are on me right now and having a hard time focusing!

I'm not sure you can convert it. When they changed to a proprietary software I think they also switched to a proprietary cutting file, the .studio file. If you're wanting to do .GSD files you might have to go with the Robo software. Let me ask/look around and see what I can find out. I'm thinking that there just has to be a software out there somewhere that does both svg and gsd files. I'll let you know what I find out. :)

Heather,
Ok, nope, there is not 1 single software that does them all, at least not that I can find, but I'm looking into what works for each file type. I've been gone all day and now we are heading out to dinner and won't be back until late, but I'll play around some tomorrow and see what I can work out and hopefully I'll have something that will work for you tomorrow.

Thanks! That would be great! I was able to DL the Silhouette software from their site, so I'll go back to see if I can get the Robo one too. This is just so hard not having the equipment, knowledge or anything to understand all this and still want to include all these file types. I really hate to do it all wrong! :unsure:

I have a cricut that I got when they first came out, long before they even had the silhouette. I liked it at first when I was doing a lot more regular scrapping especially for alphas. Then my MIL and SIL got the silhouette and now I have silhouette envy. I have a fair amount of money invested in the cricut (the machine, cartridges, software etc.) that I can't justify getting a silhouette right now. So in my humble opinion, get the silhouette. Even though it seems expensive up front, you can cut true type fonts and download images to cut with out having to buy extra software and/or cartridges. One thing I hate about the cricut is that you have to buy a whole $49-$89 cartridge just to get one image even if you don't want/care about the other on it :thumbdown:

I've had my Silhouette a little over a year and I love it!!

You cannot convert .studio files, they've gone proprietary. But, if you have Inkscape (and maybe illustrator), you can create a file, save it as SVG, or DFX. The silhouette can read .dxf. The biggest problem I have with designers selling cutting files, in all honesty is, most charge around 4 or 5 dollars for just the cut file. They are .99 through the Silhouette so, I have a hard time there. But, I do love when I get a cut file with a hybrid tempate! Then, I can design my own and P&C, or use regular old scrao paper and cut it.

I have a silhouette and cricut, let me tell you the silhouette by far smokes the cricut product, I have made glass etched things for gifts and everyone just thinks I am soooo creative, which I am not! I put my daughters name on her bags and scrapbook pages with rhinestones. I dont know how I ever lived without my silhouette. This thing is great. I like the tattoo kit also, it is really neat. I can take a few pictures of things I have done. I have a thirty one bag that had these dotted circle pattern I put the rhinestones in them and my name on it. I can also help with any info if you need it. :)