I think every time I write a post about the Silhouette, I will feel as if I need to compare it to the Cricut! I think they're in two different classes, but in terms of which machine has more capabilities, that is definitely the Silhouette. One of the most amazing things that it can do is the Print and Cut feature. Basically, you can just print whatever you want from your printer, and then feed it into the Silhouette machine to cut for you! That means there's no more need for fussy cutting digital stamps!!! It would open up even more options if I had a color printer, but this is still enough to wow me!
I watched a random video on YouTube and followed the directions and paused it so I could do each step as well because I had read that some people avoided it because it was difficult. It really wasn't, but I did have to figure some things out for myself. In short, the image is printed out on the paper with registration marks. Then when it is fed into the machine on the mat, it detects the registration marks to know where to cut. CRAZY! There's also the option of having it cut on the outer edge of the image or with an offset, which is what I did.
I chose a Pink Cat Studios gnome digital stamp, but this is what happened on my first attempt.
Whoops! I forgot to change the paper size to 8.5x11, so all the registration marks were missing. I had to click around to figure out what I did wrong. Once I adjusted it, I tried it again but forgot to put in cardstock so it cut out on copy paper. Despite that, it was fine because I just changed the blade settings. It cut so perfectly! I went through a digital stamps phase, but then I stopped using them because I got a little annoyed at having to do all the fussy cutting, which is basically taking the time to cut all the small details by hand.
I decided to try it one more time to make sure I really did get it down and remember all the steps, so I used a different Pink Cat Studio digital stamp. I love this birthday dinosaur, but it's time-consuming having to cut around the candle and the spikes. Now I don't have to! I made this offset a little smaller, so it's closer to the black line, but next time, I think I want to see what happens when I decrease it even more! I think it can cut directly on the line, but I actually prefer the white outline.
Wow - that is really cool! What image format does it need? I'm really jealous, and since I have a color printer, I can only imagine...
ReplyDeleteIsn't it so cool?!? Fussy cutting takes up so much time! I think any format is fine actually. I used JPG and PNG. Once it's copy and pasted into the program, you set the cut lines (ex. the outer edge vs. cutting all the lines).
DeleteThat is insane! I don't know anything about the Silhouette, but it looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteRight?! I had to explain it to Howard once he got home because I was just too excited, and it's hard to understand how the machine can do it! I was confused if the Silhouette was the thing doing the printing or something before the cutting. I couldn't understand how I could take something from my printer and have it cut perfectly in the Cameo.
DeleteSo, looking into the cameo and thought I'd ask you... What is the difference between the trace feature and the print then cut? Would the trace be for if you wanted the image in different colors?
ReplyDeleteThe trace feature means that you can take an image (ex. using a coloring page from a Google search) and then trace it in the program. You can then divide up the sections and cut it in different colors. You would then have to glue the layers together to create the final image.
DeleteThe print then cut is just printing the image from the printer and then feeding it back into the Silhouette to cut the outline. I know crafters print in color, but we don't have a color printer.
Ooo, you're thinking of buying a Cameo?
Thanks for answering! Thinking about it. Probably more interested in using it for vinyl than paper, but it would have made making Halloween (and Valentine's) stuff for Mo's daycare class much easier, too! So, let's say I just wanted to cut out a picture of Mickey Mouse, could I print it out and then just have it cut it out without tracing it? I think that's what I'm confused about?
DeleteYup, you could just print it out on your printer, load it in so the Silhouette can read the registration marks that printed on the paper, and then it'll cut it out for you. You can decide if you want it to cut as close to the printed image as possible or with a space like I did in my cuts above.
DeleteBy the way, just to clarify, the trace is just an option in the program. You highlight the image and click trace. You don't actually have to do any tracing yourself. That's what I thought had to be done before I got the Cameo for myself!
Thanks! That's so confusing online.
DeleteYeah, it really is! I thought I had to get like a tablet or something to trace the image because I didn't think I could do it with a mouse! Thankfully, it does it for you in the program!
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