Is anybody using the Silhouette line of vinyl cutters for RC and if so which one and any tips?
Any Silhouette vinyl users?
- Thread starter thenated0g
- Start date
donalson
Active member
my wife has the silhouette cameo 2, I've used it once to cut the windows and lightning bolt on my cub... it missfed about 3/4 of the way though so I ended up having to draw on the back windows lol...
it's neat what you can do and kind of funny to watch info videos on youtube because nearly all of them are middle aged ladies... a contrast to everything else I watch on there.
if I had more space to play with it I can imagine a lot of fun to be had... you can get so many colors of vinyl to cut
it's neat what you can do and kind of funny to watch info videos on youtube because nearly all of them are middle aged ladies... a contrast to everything else I watch on there.
if I had more space to play with it I can imagine a lot of fun to be had... you can get so many colors of vinyl to cut
My wife has a Silhouette Cameo which has been borrowed a few times. It can do pens as well as cut vinyl and card stock. Pretty slick if you can find material to both print on in your inkjet printer then mount it up to automatically cut it.... If only it could do foamboard.....
Cheers!
LitterBug
Cheers!
LitterBug
Thanks. Been looking at them and they seem pretty great for doing single or 2 or 3 color decals.
Brett_N
Well-known member
Have one myself - works well but does take some practice to get it working right / repeatable. I've only done single colors with it but to be honest it's been collecting dust for a while since I haven't built anything foam lately.
(Although, I did just build a goblin, and finishing up a PUN JET tonight)
(Although, I did just build a goblin, and finishing up a PUN JET tonight)
more and more i have been ordering graphics from calliegraphics as something about the vinyl stickers just takes the planes to that next level. Figured at $200'sh i could probably save myself some money in the long run and put more stickers on more planes.
you can get the portrait2 which does 8" wide vinyl shipped for like $129, so pretty easy to get into.
Ended up getting a cricut explorer one at Walmart today.
b-29er
Well-known member
I have access to a 52" cheap chinese vinyl cutter. I used it to cut some decals for the first time today, works well. I'm kind of 50/50 on the cricut. On the one hand the low noise and high capability is a big plus but using those weird plastic backer sheets is not my cup of tea.
I think if you were doing large stickers or using Rolls of vinyl for a business, using this everyday, than yes the backer sheet would be irritating. But for hobbiest who do small batches of stickers, even just one at a time, than the backer sheet is awesome. You can dramatically reduce your waste as the grid on the sheet makes it very easy to use any little piece of vinyl and you can resize your sticker to fit it.
Years ago, my wife purchased a Silhouetted SD cutter. Still works great today. Any custom stuff that is small, like lettering and such, I can easily cut it out. Keep in mind that these cutters prefer VECTOR graphics. Inkscape is your best free solution but my wife has been known to do stuff for me in Illustrator. It does great on fine details like what was done on my Sikorsky logo. Generally you need to generate the art in your vector program, export it as a DXF file and then you can import that into the Silhouette studio software. Keep things as a single layer too as you sometimes find that parts of your art will not show up. I work in layers a lot and sometimes I forget to consolidate my layers.
One thing to keep in mind is that for longevity, it is best to apply a clear sealer to keep the vinyl in place. The heat from the sun can cause it to stretch and warp over time. It's a first-time user common mistake so don't think you can get away without it.
One thing to keep in mind is that for longevity, it is best to apply a clear sealer to keep the vinyl in place. The heat from the sun can cause it to stretch and warp over time. It's a first-time user common mistake so don't think you can get away without it.
Attachments
Thanks for the tip. The cricut browser software seems to be liking the svg files i am exporting from inkscape so far.
TylerEleni
New member
@thenated0g are you happy with your cricut? would you recommend it?
Sorry for being off topic.
I'm in the market for a vinyl cutter and I sure could use some help. Where did you get started? Because there are a number to choose from. At the moment I don't want to shell out a lot of money so I was looking at desktop vinyl cutters. I've got tired of all the hype reviews that were on the net. And finally managed to find one that seems legit. On this page I've found a review that was critical. It actually showed the flaws of each machines. What do you think which one would be better.
Any help is appreciated
Sorry for being off topic.
I'm in the market for a vinyl cutter and I sure could use some help. Where did you get started? Because there are a number to choose from. At the moment I don't want to shell out a lot of money so I was looking at desktop vinyl cutters. I've got tired of all the hype reviews that were on the net. And finally managed to find one that seems legit. On this page I've found a review that was critical. It actually showed the flaws of each machines. What do you think which one would be better.
Any help is appreciated
Flying Monkey fab
Elite member
I had an earlier Silhouette and am now waiting on the 20" version 4 to be released. I'm looking for a big bed and a lot of cutter pressure so I can do a lot of things with it. I need to see if it is reasonably priced first. It is expected late spring or so.
I have had my cricut now for a while and love it, would totally repurchase another cricut. There are going to be drawbacks to anything you get. 2 things have made it even better in the fast few months. 1) realizing that i can just feed 12" rolls straight into it without using the stupid sticky back sheets and 2) getting the bluetooth module so i can just print from my smart phone.
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