eCraft Electronic Die Cutter Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I am an avid papercrafter and purchased this as a supplement to my Cricut. With promises of being able to cut multiple sheets without a mat - and software that would allow the use of SVG files, it seemed like it would be a good way to do some mass production. I have a love-hate relationship with the mats for my Cricut and was really excited about the possibilities for cutting without a mat. However, I have to say I have been pretty underwhelmed. The reasons are:
1. The software is not capable and has only rudimentary features. The first version was downright buggy and impossible to use. The one and only update that has come out fixed a lot of bugs but did not add any capability. For those of us used to using Sure Cuts A Lot or Make The Cut with our Cricuts and SVG files, this software is in the dark ages. A software update promised for late December has yet to materialize - and at this point, Craftwell is being very vague about when that update may actually become available.
2. The level of customer support from Craftwell is pretty underwhelming. There is one fairly active Yahoo group for this machine, but the owner of that group has pretty much limited it to "happy talk" so discussing problems with the machine and software is not welome there. Craftwell has a community on their website, but the level of activity there is very minimal. Their facebook page is an embarassment - people begging for information, updates, and help that just sit there unanswered.The documentation that comes with the machine is very slim - and Craftwell has been pretty spotty about answering questions.
3. The image cards that are available for the machine are - in my opinion - pretty cartoonish and not very interesting. Because the software is so limited at this point, the image cards are really the only way to robustly work with the machine.
I have not given up on this cutter yet. I have high hopes that Craftwell can get their act together on both the software and the customer service and make this a big success. Some more interesting image cards would be a big plus, too. But for right now, mine is not getting used very much while the warranty ticks away - waiting for vastly improved software and customer support.
Having said all of this - the machine itself is a wonder to behold. It seems to be solid and well-engineered. It has the potential to be something very special, but it just isn't there yet.

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Introducing the eCraft, the first and only personal electronic cutter that allows you to cut without a mat.Its ease of use combined with advanced technology makes the eCraft the perfect cutting system for all consumers from beginner to expert.It is ideal for scrapbooking, banners, paper crafting, card making, fashion designing, home decor, and so much more.The eCraft's unique design and paper feeder system make it easy to cut materials automatically, without the use of a cutting mat. Use the Paper Tray to stack multiple sheets at a time, or use the Roller to cut 12" by any length.The eCraft is ultra slim, and its lightweight design and onboard storage compartment let you take it anywhere. Use it on its own with SD Image Cards, or attached to a computer with the eCraftshop Professional Design Software that comes in the box.With the large selection of fonts, shapes and designs, anyone can be an expert in minutes. Making great looking projects has never been easier.

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Silhouette SD Digital Craft Cutting Tool (Silhouette) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Quick summary: great for average to above average computer users, like creating my own designs, like not having to buy cartridges, cheapest way to go for die cutting machine (in my humble opinion), overall good investment
First, a little about me. I'm a graphic designer with training in Adobe Illustrator. The Silhouette appealed to me because I could create my own shapes and it was cheaper than buying a more expensive machine plus a million cartridges with something like Cricut. I did a lot of research on Wishblade and Silhouette and found the most positive reviews for the Silhouette so I decided to buy it.
I bought the SD because I liked the idea of an auto-load/eject vs. the original Silhouette manual crank. Now, though, I think it'd be ok with the manual crank. I've never used the "SD" feature of this Silhouette.
I was a little nervous about the learning curve with this machine, but it hasn't been a problem for me at all (I consider myself about a 7/10 for computer savvy). I think this cutting machine might be more frustrating for people who are less computer literate or those who don't want to hassle with setting up shapes to cut in the most economical way (so to not waste paper).
I use the red cap (for "thick" paper) most of the time as the yellow cap just wasn't cutting well enough. I think I use average cardstock from the craft store, like the DCWV stacks. If you have really thick paper like bristol, the plugin I linked to below allows you to set the blade to run over the design multiple times. I haven't tried cutting vellum yet, but supposedly this machine can do that with the blue cap. I tried to cut out some pre-printed designs, but it seems like it never cuts exactly the same way twice, so I gave up trying (even after creating the template I talk about below). This is the biggest reason why I didn't give it 5 stars.
PROS:
- make my own designs
- not much else to buy after the machine except cutting mats (see my tip below) and paper
- can cut very long designs (not even sure how long because I've never had paper longer than 12")
- small and light, super easy to store
CONS:
- with the proprietary cutting software that comes with it, paper is wasted
- a little difficult to use with Adobe Illustrator
- proprietary software is PC only Mac users need a plugin
- for some, may have to buy shapes through the Silhouette store, but they are inexpensive
- only cuts up to 8" wide (if you cut the 1/4-1/2" wider they claim it can, you have an indented line from the wheels)
- loud
- lint and pet hair clings to the cutting mats pretty easily. They are hard to keep clean, but still work fine when dirty like this
- when I bought in Dec 09, Vista users had to download a new driver from the Silhouette website (not really a con, just an FYI)
Even though I listed more cons than pros, this is a GREAT buy. I think the pros still outweigh the cons and I would buy it again and recommend it to friends. I guess I'm just paying more attention to the down sides that you probably won't read about anywhere else online.
I downloaded a free plugin for use with Illustrator (on PC, may work for Mac too) from the GraphtecCorp website: [...] .
You'll have to test and set up a template to get everything to cut on the paper with this plugin (I made a 8 x 12 document and added a small box to be cut just outside these borders and make sure all of my shapes are within a 1/4" margin of the document and haven't had a problem. The box doesn't cut on the paper, but it lines up everything else to cut properly. I can set shapes to cut almost right at the edges, so no wasted paper!!). If you know Illy and like the freedom it gives you, it's worth the frustration of figuring this out. This plugin gives you a lot of control over the cutting. You can set the paper type, pressure, how many times the blade runs over the design and even the line type (solid, dashes, dots!!).
My best tip: buy the Cricut brand cutting mats. They are thicker and I feel like they last longer. They are a lot cheaper than the Silhouette brand cutting mats. The only down side is that you'll need to trim them to fit in the Silhouette, but it's very worth it. I thought the Silhouette brand cutting mats were too sticky and pretty thin; I felt like I was cutting through them after a dozen uses. Paper doesn't stick to the Cricut ones but they hold it just fine.

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BUYER TAKE NOTICE!!! This product comes with a $10 download card as per the manufacturer, and not the $25 download card as stated in the prior description. The manufacturer has chosen to change the amount of the download card. However, Amazon's SKU still shows the old description.

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Rhinestone Starter Kit for Silhouette SD Machine Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)March 14, 2011
This is an attractive way of
challenging the young aritsts.
thank You,
Edna D

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Includes the following:2 sheets of rhinestone template material2 backing boards and 2 sheets of transfer tapepositioning brushacrylic work tray (which doubles as a storage solution)clear rhinestonesA bonus CD of exclusive rhinestone templates.For use with the Silhouette SD Digital Craft Cutter Machine (sold separately).

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Craft ROBO/ Silhouette CC330L-20 SD Digital Craft Cutting Machine for scrapbooking, crafts, vinyl, & more Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I purchased the Silhouette SD after reading reviews for many similar products. I chose it because it appeared to be the best priced product that would suit my needs. I wanted to use it for paper art and book making. This is my first experience with digital cutters. I was hopeful, but based on the reviews I had read I was afraid that I would have trouble getting it to work with my computer, etc. As it turned out I had no problems whatsoever. I took it out of the box, designed a piece, and had it cut out within 3 hours. The machine has exceeded my expectations in every way. I had no problem getting it to work with my laptop. The drawing program that comes with the machine is much better than I expected. I did go ahead and purchase an older copy of Corel Draw so that I could make my own designs more easily. I downloaded the plug in for it and it cuts beautifully from Corel! I'm very pleased. I do think that a person needs to have a fair amount of computer savvy to be comfortable setting up and using the machine. Also, if you have never used a computer drawing program, the drawing aspect will take some practice. On a scale of 0-10, 0 being computer dummy and 10 being total techno-geek, I consider myself about 6.

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"This is a tough little cutter. It handles everything from light film to card stock - no problem!""Silhouette SD is affordable and portable. It fits nicely, both in the budget and in the classroom.""It's lightweight and easy to carry around, yet it is robust and very accurate.""Combine a Silhouette SD with your color laser or inkjet printer, for the ultimate desktop print and cut system."With a Laptop and Silhouette SD, I've got a Sign Shop in a bag." Silhouette SD CC330L-20 Brochure 2.6MB Silhouette SD is Portable Silhouette SD is a powerful and sturdy media cutter, scaled down to fit on the desktop and easy enough for anyone to use. Silhouette SD is about sixteen inches long by 5.5 inches deep and 4.5 inches tall - smaller than most inkjet printers. It only weighs 4.5 lbs. Don't be deceived by it's small size. It can handle media up to 11 inches wide by more than 1 yard long, with a cutting area of 8 inches wide by 39.4 inches in extended mode.The NEW Silhouette SD also has a removable SD Card * media slot so you can cut saved files without a PC!*SD Card not included. Silhouette SD is Affordable Silhouette SD has features typically only found on cutting plotters thousands of dollars more expensive. Our engineers have adapted these features to fit Silhouette SD's size and price, making Silhouette SD an excellent value, and the perfect entry level cutter for students, yet powerful and functional enough to satisfy professionals for small desktop sized jobs. The package includes: ? 1 Silhouette SD CC330L-20 ? 1 external power supply(100~240VAC 1.2A input /24VDC 2.0A out) ? 1 blade holder with 3 blade caps(0.1mm, 0.2mm, 0.3mm) ? 1 6 foot USB 2.0 cable ? 1 Installation Guide ? 1 Application Guide with instructions for three basic projects. ? 2 Carrier Sheets ? 1 Software installation CD(ROBO Master, Silhouette SD Controller and driver, Adobe Illustrator® Plug-in Cutting Master ROBO)

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