|
Post by kirkbauer on Nov 17, 2013 11:00:22 GMT -9
I am brand new to this, so sorry for potentially newbie questions. I want to be able to quickly print and cut out things like tuck boxes (for cards), player references, print-and-play cards, etc. For this reason I'd like a combination of hardware and software that would let me quickly generate cuts based on the outline of the image(s) being printed, and be able to line up the cuts accurately to the print-out (especially because my color laser printer seems to not quite get things printed straight on the paper, perhaps off by 0.5 degrees). Somebody recommended Craft ROBO and I downloaded some software (from here: www.graphteccorp.com/craftrobo/support/index.html) called "Robo Master Pro". It looks great: it can print out registration marks and trace the edge of the image to determine the cuts (and lets you edit the cuts afterwards). It seems to be everything I need. But I'm not clear on how to use it -- must I buy the Craft ROBO CE5000-40-CRP for >$700 to use this software? Or does it work with other cutters? Do I have to make sure the cutter has something to read the registration marks? Is the software free (it looks like it is to me)? What would the process be: import the image(s) into Robo Master Pro, print it out, then put it into the cutter (do I need to print on special paper or using a backing?), then trace the cut lines and hit "cut"? I'd like to be able to cut through regular paper, photo paper, and thicker cardstock if possible. I'd love any and all recommendations.
|
|
|
Post by mproteau (Paper Realms) on Nov 17, 2013 11:09:20 GMT -9
The silhouette portrait (http://www.silhouetteamerica.com/shop/silhouette-portrait) is ~$180 and the silhouette cameo (http://www.silhouetteamerica.com/shop/silhouette-cameo) is ~$300, I think. The latter has a wider cutting width than the former.
You can use the Silhouette Studio software to do your creation of cutfiles. You can download and try out the software for free.
You don't need a > $700 machine for hobby cutting!
|
|
|
Post by kirkbauer on Nov 17, 2013 11:31:57 GMT -9
Thanks, I'm downloading the software now. Does the Silhouette Cameo have the ability to automatically align the cutting to the image that has been printed (e.g. using alignment/registration marks)? How long does the cutting mat last? Sorry again, complete newbie here.
|
|
|
Post by mproteau (Paper Realms) on Nov 17, 2013 11:40:31 GMT -9
The Cameo and the Portrait both support using registration marks. The primary difference between the two models (besides the price...) is that the Cameo supports wider pages.
I own a Silhouette SD, which is the previous generation of cutter. It's roughly compatible with the Portrait in terms of features. It came with 2 cutting mats, and I'm still using them after... 2 years? I occasionally will clean them with dish soap and warm water, and sometimes I apply a spray mount (not glue) to keep them tacky enough to hold down paper. Others make their own carrier sheets out of other materials (like a spare sheet of cardstock) and they love it. I personally hated that, and really like the carrier sheets.
Replacement sheets and blades are relatively cheap, too. A two-pack of blades is about $20, and the blades should last a while if you set the cutting depth reasonably. If you set it too deep, it'll cut through more than necessary and will get dull slicing into the cutting mat. Replacement carrier sheets are about $10 I think, though I've never bought one.
Note that the Silhouette SD and the newer Cameo/Portrait machines use a slightly different registration mark system. Frustratingly, I don't think there's any way to tell the newer machines to accept the older registration marks. That may mean doing some tricks to get the machine to read cutfiles that use the older regmarks. Folks with a Cameo or a Portrait can chime in about that.
|
|
|
Post by WackyAnne on Nov 17, 2013 12:57:47 GMT -9
Thanks for this thread and the advice. I've been thinking about getting one, but it looks like it's going on the birthday wishlist rather than the Christmas one...
|
|
|
Post by Sirrob01 on Nov 17, 2013 22:31:42 GMT -9
Note that the Silhouette SD and the newer Cameo/Portrait machines use a slightly different registration mark system. Frustratingly, I don't think there's any way to tell the newer machines to accept the older registration marks. That may mean doing some tricks to get the machine to read cutfiles that use the older regmarks. Folks with a Cameo or a Portrait can chime in about that. Yep had to replace my SD with a Portrait after the belt failed. The portrait and Cameo can't read the old L shaped marks however Emperor Ebbles developed a patch kit which works just print it on sticker sheet and carefully overstick the L marks or another alternative and what I do some of the time is simply import the pdf into gimp remove the L marks export as a png and import that to studio align the image in studio and then print with required marks. It sounds like a lot of work but you can whip through that in 1-2 mins. I tend to then save the studio file so that when the new cutter comes out using star symbols I'll be good to go
|
|