Anyone have any experience with these? I was looking at the Silhouette Cameo and Cricut Explore getting exact cuts after having artwork printed out. The Silhouette is definitely priced at a point I like, but wasn’t sure how reliable any of these printer type versions are compared to cnc laser cutters. Seemed cool to have for other projects and just being able to print and then get the exact cutouts to change artwork often.
Sorry to bump, but no one has any experience using these to get nice clean cuts for their artwork prints?
It does look really cool and I can certainly think of some uses for it. Links for more info?
Here is info and a video on the Silhouette Cameo:
silhouetteamerica.com/shop/machines/cameo
http://vimeo.com/109052044
and here is the Cricut Explore:
us.cricut.com/home/learn/machines/explore
https://youtube.com/watch?v=umAU-pPbzkE
I’m really thinking of buying one, but I’m curious if anyone here has experience with one. Would be great to have perfectly cut artwork before applying it and having to make each cut myself manually.
Perfectly cut artwork is nice and all, but imagine being able to cut out minimalist style designs, making it 3D, sandwiched between layers of plexi or that FedEx style clear protective sheets? It would look slick. I’m talking designs like Shadow of the Colossus or ICO Japanese disc cases.
I’m not sure what all that meant LOL. But alas, the main thing it sounds like (since we are the only two replying on here), is that no one has really used these before. Wonder if there is some place where I can rent one to test it out for a day or two.
That would be awesome if you did that. Then you could give some good feedback.
I have personally owned the Cameo since it first released. I mainly used it for cutting various adhesive vinyl such as frosted (which I used on the bottom plexi panels), coloured vinyl, card etc. I also used it for making templates for airbrushing etc using masking vinyl. I much like yourself was attracted to the price tag and wasnt sure what I was going to receive. Anyway I took the plunge and ordered it and when I pulled it out the box I was abit worried because it was so light weight. However, it far exceeded my expectations and love the machine.
It can cut pretty thick material as long as you have the settings right and the blade is in good condition. Since owning it I have never had to change the blade and is still working perfectly as it did when I first received it.
I think for personal/hobby use its perfect. If you plan on using this machine all day long, every day then definitely get a commercial grade machine.
The beauty of this machine is that it can do very long pieces as long as the have the table space for it. The only thing I would suggest, is to really look after the tacky mat that comes with it (I forgot the name of it but its like a document feeder). The tackier it stays the better it will hold the vinyl. I found that after dropping it on the floor it lost its tack strength and the vinyl would slip in the middle of the cutting process. So to overcome this I decided to use masking tape to hold the workpiece down onto the cutting mat. That ensured it would never move while being cut.
Hope this helps
I have one of the Cameos. I started making some small stuff like NEO-GEO side art on it. I eventually had to upscale to a bigger cutter to take on more volume though.
The tacky mat as Sam says, is a good investment. You can print from the Studio software with registration marks, place the art on the sticky mat and have it detect and contour cut your artwork, project. I never used the mat with vinyl, no need as the rollers hold it fine if you get it square when you feed it. Additionally, you cant print on vinyl with a home printer but if you want to make masks, etching overlays, and such, its not a bad investment.
My mom sells them in Florida at her sewing store and hasn’t had a problem with any of them. I think she has sold around 150 of them at last count. Not bad for an inexpensive cutting tool. If you want good material the Silhouette stuff is pretty good material. Don’t buy their vinyl or transfer tape though, its very expensive and not the greatest. Check out www.uscutter.com or call the folks at www.tyrrelltech.com for vinyl. Oracal is the best, but Greenstar will work well. Calendared vinyl is less expensive than Cast Vinyl and does more than a good job for what we (the diy gamer community) need.
One thing I do recommend is getting a copy of Illustrator and using it to setup art and cutlines, its far more powerful than the stock software (which you need still even if you set everything up in Illustrator first).