CRICUT EXPRESSION versus
SILHOUETTE CAMEO
The CardMonkey’s Review April 14, 2012
©
2012 - Ellen S. Jarvis, CardMonkey – All
Rights Reserved
I started
papercrafting in November, 2009, when my daughter Emily introduced me to the
wonders of electronic cutting. Santa brought us each a Cricut Expression, along
with several cartridges to get our cutting started.
The branded Cricut
cartridges were plentiful by 2009, and now three years later, there are more
than 400 Cricut cartridges available for purchase. Our collection of cartridges
grew to about 150 now, but along the way, so did my desire for just the right
cut for the project at hand. Enter SVG files, or “Scalable Vector Graphics.”
The text-rich
computer language used to develop SVGs has been used by graphic artists since
1999. The advantage of an SVG (over, say, a JPEG file) is that an SVG file can
be enlarged or reduced without losing any of the file’s clarity. In 1999, SVG
files were used primarily in the printing and advertising industries for
computer-generated and printed images. Some industries (such as architecture)
used SVGs and a version of a computer-driven plotter with an electronic cutter
to create building/plan models.
The system and
method of using one cutting system instead of a printer for use in the craft
industry was described first in a U.S. patent application filed on July 13,
2006 by Workman et al (Ser. No. 11/457,417), who called the product an
“Electronic Paper Cutting Apparatus and Method.” The machine was the first to use proprietary computer
technology in a stand-alone cutting tool for paper – what is now known as the
Cricut.
Over time, the
two technologies (paper cutters and SVGs) merged, and not so lawfully as it
turns out. According to lawsuits filed in 2010 by ProvoCraft, several software
developers violated ProvoCraft’s patented software by developing
computer-linked software to cut SVG files with the Cricut – a move designed to
sidestep the need to buy Cricut cartridges. These suits (against Make The Cut
[MTC], Sure Cuts A Lot [SCAL] and FairyCut [FC]) were settled in 2011, when
MTC, SCAL and FC agreed to upgrade their software packages to disable the connectivity
to a Cricut, and to stop marketing their programs as Cricut-enabled.
Prior to the
lawsuits having been filed, I invested in each of the original versions of MTC,
SCAL and FC, and learned/compared them all, using my Cricut as my cutter. I
loved being able to access free and purchased SVGs, and converting JPEG images
to design my own cut files. And still, I purchased Cricut cartridges.
Now, I have a
little more computer agility than the average 55+ senior citizen – but
certainly not as much as a graphic designer or a younger person who has grown
up around computers. Even though I loved my newfound ability to cut just about
anything, I still found my Cricut cartridges easier to use, less time consuming
to set up and get crafting, and more portable when I went to a crop. I never
did upgrade my MTC, SCAL or FC software post-lawsuit settlement, so I can still
use my Cricut to cut SVG files using any of these programs. Unfortunately, by
not upgrading the software, I still have to work my way around some of the
original programs’ glitches and cannot use the Help feature when I get stuck in
designing or have questions.
Perhaps aided by
the negative press caused by the lawsuits and the hew and cry of those who
loved using their Cricuts to cut SVGs, many message boards lit up with reviews
of other sorts of electronic cutting machines on which upgraded versions of
MTC, SCAL and FC could be operated.
There are many
electronic cutting machines available now to crafters, ranging (in price) from
the Black Cat Cougar (MSRP $749), Pazzles Inspiration ($599), Sizzix eClips
($499), the Boss Kut Gazelle ($419), Craftwell eCraft ($349), and the
Silhouette Cameo ($299). The Cameo, targeted in the same price range as the
Cricut Expression (also with an MSRP of $299), caught my eye.
Sleek and light,
the early reviews I read on the Cameo showed that it offered easier to use
“What You See Is What You Get” (WYSIWYG) software – basically, I could set up
and go. There are thousands of images are available in the Silhouette online
store (many are free, others are typically $0.99 each). And early reviews I
read promised a machine with the ability
to cut fine and intricate images, and perfect circles. This month, I added a
Silhouette Cameo to my craft room.
Here is what I can
attest: installing and using the Cameo is delightfully easy. Without spending a
lot of time learning the software (yet), I was able to cut several SVG files
within a half-hour of opening the box. I believe you can see the comparison of
the two cutting machines (Cricut and Cameo) in this card I made, below:
I purchased and
downloaded the vintage sewing machine image from the Silhouette shop,
downloaded it to my Cameo and cut it at 3.5” on Core’dinations cardstock, using
the default settings to cut. I was amazed at how finely cut the paper is (see the top bit representing thread on the
machine, which is only slightly wider than the actual thread I wrapped around
the spool). A downside: the new mat is so sticky that one fine swirl of
“thread” to the left got stuck/left on the mat when I removed the image.
To contrast, the
doily behind the sewing machine was also cut on Core’dinations cardstock, but
used my Cricut and the new “Sophie” cartridge, an exclusive to Cricut Circle
members. The booklet that comes with the newer cartridges recommends minimum
setting sizes for each image – and this one was 5”. While the image is cut cleanly (and I used a
new blade for a fair comparison), it is far less smooth than the image cut with
the Cameo. The curves are a bit jagged, and some of the smaller connections
were more fragile than the Cameo’s tiniest cuts.
The bottom line:
For crafters who
like the simplicity and guidance of images in a collection on a cartridge, a
Cricut is for you. I have the Cricut Expression and a Cricut Cake. There are
also a Cricut Expression 2, the smaller Cricut personal, the original Cricut
Create, and the smallest Cricut Mini. ProvoCraft also sells a Cricut Imagine,
which combines color inkjet printing and cutting together, for enhanced print/cut
capabilities.
On the downside,
if you limit yourself to a Cricut, you will not be able to use the vast array
of millions of images created worldwide in the SVG format. However, ProvoCraft
now releases dozens of new cartridges weekly (announced on “Hello Thursdays”).
ProvoCraft has
expanded into a broader per-image market with the introduction of its new Cricut
Craft Room (accessed at http://www.cricut.com/craftroom/default.html). If you have some
computer knowledge (PC or Mac-based) and want to add to your capabilities
beyond the cartridges but don’t want to (or can’t) invest in a new cutting
machine, adding Cricut Craft Room (CCR) to your mix might be the next logical
step.
But if you are
comfortable with your computer and want to move into the world of SVG files,
and creating your own files from JPEG images, then you'll need to move to an
electronic cutter and its software that supports that endeavor. There are many
companies that sell SVG files (and have freebies, too). Here are My Top Dozen favorites:
- SVG Cuts (http://www.svgcuts.com/)
- SVG Attic (http://www.svgattic.com/)
- My Grafico (http://www.mygrafico.com/)
- Lettering
Delights (http://www.letteringdelights.com/)
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