Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
New:Husband joined to ask ?'s on Christmas present
Hi,
I am here to get information from you professional/amateur stampers/scrapbookers. I want to get my wife a christmas present. What I am looking for is which forum to join, or which web site to join to find out about paper cutters. Specifically, I'm am interested in die cutters/paper cutters. Like the Cricut, Sizzix, Xyron and others.
My wife is handy with a computer, so I think she might be happy with a cutter that could be augmented with things she designed or programed. From what little I know, it looks like the Cricut systems are not easily modified to use after market cartridges. Yet when I accompany her to the local craft store she frequents, I see lots of Cricut and cartridges she could purchase. She even looks at them and says, I could get these online cheaper. So I know she's interested in the idea of a paper cutter.
My background is a software engineer, so if some extra skill is needed to utilize a paper cutter other than a Cricut type is needed, I would be helping my wife with the skills she would need to fully utilize and be happy with what ever you could recommend.
Thanks in advance for any replies that would help me in my quest.
b.t.w. My wife is a member here, but i do not think she will be visiting the new members forum.
Last edited by notthestamper; 11-12-2010 at 09:44 AM..
Definitely a good hubby! I am a retired Design Team Manager for an online store. I have owned 3 machines in the last 8 yrs. I've had my last for 2yrs and am very pleased with my Gazelle by BossKut.com. It's a mid-range pricing and there is little to no adjusting for the various paper thickness most is now done with an adjustable blade holder.
Saying "My wife is handy with the computer, so I think she might be happy with a cutter that could be augmented with things she designed or programed" leads me to say there are many cutters however a lot of the software is lacking in designing tools. As a designer of the electronic cutting files I have experience with the software for many of the cutters as I had to learn the software to provide the customer a completed file they can cut on their own machine. The Gazelle Software is an excellent design program with similar functionality to Auto-CAD and tailored to the paper cutting craft industry with its origin being from commercial sign/billboard design. Being a software engineer you may also be interested in the fact there are free software updates and discounted pricing for upgrades
So in your search of the perfect machine seriously review the software.
There is an excellent Forum at BossKut.com which provides support for the Gazelle owner, discussions, tutorials, file sharing and a place to post questions when learning early "how do I do..." I believe the forum contains a non bias cutter review file with the pro's and con's of various machines.
Bosskut.com is the "owner" of the cutter rights so others are selling the cutter at retail pricing.
Lisa .. I too have issues ...unfortunately cutters are not an exact science. Getting to know the machine and practicing with the software is the key.
I recently completed a project for 14 birthday invitations. I created the design sent it to the cutter and it went crazy pulling mat in and out cutting wherever it wanted and wouldn't stop. After troubleshooting for 2 hrs ...hidden line search etc...not considering a design flaw as I created it I was ready to toss the machine out the window. Finally I decided to delete each shape/line and one at a time...and there it was ..three simple circles representing paw prints nothing abnormal about them. Each time I returned them to the file the cutter went crazy. Solution was delete the circles save the file under a different name and recreated the series of circles again....14 perfect critters!
So I can sympathize with all cutter owners...sometimes things are crazy but mastering the machine and the software is our reward.
Thanks for all the help ladies. I gave my wife the Cricut Expressions system. She loves it. I had to stay off the forum and not reply or ask anymore ?'s because the wife actually found this thread. Lol.
New:Husband joined to ask ?'s on Christmas present
