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Jump in Diane. It has been a learning process. Some times it doesn't do what I want it to do but that might be my fault and not the machine,s fault. Try out the built in patterns. I sized a border for a card for my first project......I was hooked!
Don't forget to go too Miss Kate Cuttables. There is a free download every day. You do have to convert the files but that is pretty easy in the ScanNCut Canvas.
By golly, I didn't think it could make a difference, but it does! I hope this is helpful to others. I guess the lesson is - if your image is not scanning, do try turning off lights near your machine before you give up. ;-)![/QUOTE]
I'm going to have to try this. There are no lamps at the back of my machine but I have a lamp, overhead light and a window in front of the SNC. It would be great if all I have to do is move my Ott light and draw the drapes to get a better scan.
As you can see, the lamp I turned off was neither to the front or back of the machine, but next to and above it. If I had thought about it, I would have tried turning off the other big light, since it does shine more into the front of the machine. But I was being lazy, and just reached up and turned off the nearest one and it was a total game changer. I went from NOTHING to a perfect scan.
So play around and see what works best!
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
Thank you Robin for you response to my questions. I have been doing a lot of research.
Did you ever find a way to update your SnC software using your Mac? I assume you could just copy the windows file to a thumbdrive using your Mac - and then upload it - since you aren't running it on your Mac, it should not matter if you copy a Windows file. Is this correct? Or is there another work around?
Also, where have people found the best prices for the machine and for accessories. I see Amazon is $399 for the 100 model. Is there anyone better? Do people have a better experience buying it from a dealer (I'd probably have to go with the 500 model through a local quilting shop to do that and I'm not sure I need all the fabric oriented stuff).
Robin have you been getting perfect cuts all along? Just wondering if there is some sort of side shadow thing going on for those that are having the uneven border cut issue.
Kristen, I have not had any trouble with uneven cuts. My problems have only been with scanning. I don't know if light can cause uneven cuts. If you are having that problem (or anyone else out there), I urge you to call customer service at Brother and speak to someone. Then post what you learned here.
The manual that comes with the machine is only a starting point. Since this is the first machine Brother has marketed to papercrafters, there is not a huge amount of info out there aimed specifically for us, and so we need to work together to become experts on how to exploit this machine and get the most out of it.
karjor, I have not done the update, but was told by Brother that there should be no problem doing it from a Mac. You don't need to select a Windows operating system on the update page. The update will appear in an "unnamed folder." That's all I know. I haven't rushed to do it because it appears to simply give you an option in the Canvas program and I haven't spent much time using the program yet.
As for pricing - I have not seen the red machine for less than what it is on Amazon (approx. $399). I think there is a website where you can pay in four installments, but it was not cheaper overall. I bought my machine from Amazon (which is where Brother directs you to go from their own website if you want the red machine). There are no dealers anywhere near me, in any case. The advantage of buying from an authorized dealer is if you need servicing, I think you can just bring it back to them (but I'd check with your local dealer on that!). But I am hearing that most dealers are only selling the more expensive machine. If I need servicing on my machine, I will have to send it to the nearest authorized servicer. And as I said, I had no choice but to order online. I didn't really want the more expensive machine anyway. I don't do quilting and I really doubt I ever would want to. And the only difference between the two machines is that the expensive one has more built in patterns (mostly for quilting) and came with a bundle of extra mats and the pen set. I'd love to have had a dealer who also serviced the machine nearby but I didn't have that option.
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
I have been doing lots of research and came across this description of how to manually set your blade depth to ensure the least cutting of your mat. I don't think I've seen it in this thread. It is from the Yahoo ScannCut group. Hope it is useful.
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In class today my dealer showed us a great way to check the blade depth setting without using Brother's Quick Reference Sheet (which tends to be a off on depth settings) Since everyone's blade depth setting on the blade holder will vary, he told us to check the blade depth manually.
To make the blade only slightly longer than the depth of the paper:
1. Put your cutting mat on a table (or other hard, flat surface)
2. Take the blade holder out of the SnC
3. Set the blade depth on your blade holder to <0>
4. Put your blade holder on the edge of the paper with the hole where the blade descends over the mat. (Blade hole over mat, rest of the holder on the paper)
At this point, nothing should be touching the mat except for the paper. The blade holder is resting on top of the paper
5. Slowly and gently rotate your blade down (towards the mat) leaving the holder on the paper.
When the holder is raised slightly off the paper by the descending blade, that's the starting depth for the paper you have on your mat.
He said he always starts with a pressure setting of <0> (in the settings menu).
He said if you adjust your blade this way (so the blade is only slightly longer than the depth of the paper) you won't get much, if any, scaring on your mat. If this blade depth doesn't cut, then increase the pressure by +1 and try again.
Last edited by karjor; 03-09-2014 at 08:01 PM..
Reason: add title
So I am really wanting to buy one of these, and would like to know if anyone who has one thinks they could make pop up and flip it style cards. I saw the website with the lovely lacy pop up, but I would like to make my own versions of
1 sizzix flip its,
2 the word pop ups, and
3 the way you can use individual die letters to make a partial cut pop up at the top of a card.
I have a picture below of what I think I would need to cut for each one of these (took about 30 seconds in powerpoint). The black lines areas are cut. I would need to do the score lines in a separate step, but that would not be hard. Clear as mud?
Any opinions on whether the machine could do these? Come on enablers - help me out here!
Last edited by karjor; 03-09-2014 at 08:18 PM..
Reason: spelling
to get an idea of what you want to do. I assume JFF used the "regions" command on those images, no way I could know for sure since she doesn't say and the projects are not posted on the Brother gallery that I could see. But I printed out your image and did a test on my machine (saving the image as cut data so I could specify "regions") and here is what I got when I cut it out of plain card stock:
I could not get the machine to cut out the center of the "e" on hello, despite trying three times. But JFF gets very small cuts in her video, smaller I think than that "e" opening, so that might be a problem with my machine. I'll probably call Brother and ask them about it. I don't know if this test helps you at all. I have no experience making popups, and of course I just took your picture and scanned the whole thing as it was, I didn't separate the images and then place them anywhere in particular on my card stock, I just cut as-is. Of course you would be placing these in specific places on a card.
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
Last night I tried scanning with different lighting in my craft room. I didn't have much success. I think I just have a couple stamps that are not going to scan no matter what. Too much detail perhaps. So I guess I'll have to fussy cut them if I want them cut. I can trace on acetate and scan and to the save, but I can't seem to get a good accurate tracing of the outline by hand.
Good article on the blade depth. I might have to check out the Yahoo group.
karjor - I redid it, using the "lines" command instead and it worked perfectly:
Didn't redo the others, but I can if you want. They seemed to cut out fine, although I don't know if you got what you wanted to see.
HTH!
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
Lilyzee - Someone posted a video where she was able to get a good scan of a problem image by heat embossing it in black. As I said, Brother does not have a set policy on whether you should do this (put embossed imaged through the machine) because they have not tested it, but I can link you to the video if you want. I am going to try it, and cross my fingers that if something goes awry (like some EP chips off and gets into the machine) it won't void my warranty!
Maybe post the images you are having trouble with. It might be obvious why they are not working, or maybe not.
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
Robin you are my hero. Those look seriously awesome. Enabler! Ok. What additional accessories do I need besides what comes in the box. I figure I need a scan mat since I will probably do a lot of what You just did. What else is important to the fun?
Lilyzee - Someone posted a video where she was able to get a good scan of a problem image by heat embossing it in black. As I said, Brother does not have a set policy on whether you should do this (put embossed imaged through the machine) because they have not tested it, but I can link you to the video if you want. I am going to try it, and cross my fingers that if something goes awry (like some EP chips off and gets into the machine) it won't void my warranty!
Maybe post the images you are having trouble with. It might be obvious why they are not working, or maybe not.
I would think if you could cut glittery card stock then embossed items wouldn't be a problem. With a small border around it You really wouldn't be cutting into the embossed part. I'll give it a go later.
karjor - if you are getting the red machine, like I did, I would buy the scan mat (it just makes scanning to cut data so easy and saves your regular mat's stickiness) and an extra regular mat just to have around. (The blue machine comes with all that and more, so if you have decided on that one you don't need anything else, you'll have everything including the whole pen set and pen holder).
I suppose I should buy some extra blades. I haven't yet, but will do it this week. I hate being stopped from working because I need something and don't have it on hand.
Nothing else really. And you actually don't need any of it to get started. I started with just what came out of the box of the red machine and was up and running in no time.
Glad I could help. Didn't expect to spend the morning in my PJ's in front of my ScanNCut! But I learned something doing those scans and cuts. Knowing which to choose - outline, region or line - is something I need to understand more fully. And I've never done word cutouts, and can see how I might incorporate those into my card making.
Lilyzee - that's a very good point. I think I'm ready to try cutting heat embossed images. Thanks!
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
Rachel - Would you recommend an extra standard mat or low tack? Also, do you think I could do some of the cuts you posted with the native fonts, but welding a rectangle onto the bottom then restricting the cutting area? It seems like that might be another way to get around the not cutting the insides of letters?
Sorry to pester with so many questions, but you are so helpful. and no good deed goes unpunished! - Karen
I got an extra regular mat. I haven't used the low-tack mat but once yet. Since you are thinking of getting some extra consumables at the start, I looked at the comparison page for both models to see if getting the more expensive machine would make more sense for you, but it doesn't seem to be the case. They do give you one extra standard mat with the $500 machine, but the rest is the extra patterns in the machine plus all the pen accessories and the design book (which you can buy separately anyway). The machine are the same. I asked the people at Brother this question at least five separate times and they kept assuring me that the machines are exactly the same, other than the extra quilter-oriented images in the blue machine and the extra mat and the design book and the pen paraphernalia:
I haven't yet done what you suggested with the native fonts, but I don't see why you couldn't. You mean just butt the bottoms of the fonts against a rectangle and then weld them to the rectangle shape? Seems pretty easy. What do you mean about not having to need to cut out the insides of letters? If I understand what you mean by that, I might be able to answer you better.
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
Thanks again Robin for your answers (I said Rachel previously out of habit!). What I meant was the first "hello" you cut out left the centers in the letters, and I remember from (I think) a prior post of yours that when you scanned letted in, it did that, but if you used the native fonts and welded, it would cut the entire letter. It looks like you solved it in your second cut using line, so maybe not necessary, but it might also just be faster than designing on a computer, printing, scanning, then cutting. Although I'm pretty fast in Powerpoint and being able to see a big screen might more than make up for it.
As I ramble, do you notice a different in the quality of the cut between using the native fonts for letters, versus letters you scanned. I was wondering if the slight ink variation on the edge of a scanned item creates any "noise".
I'm about to drive an hour to the "big" city to a quilt shop to see if I can justify the higher price model, but I think I will probably go with the red one as well. Thanks again! Karen
I've only used the native fonts once so far, and was able to cut out Happy Birthday pretty small, and I will say it cut really well. I can't say for sure, but I suspect using either a native font or bringing it through the Canvas program might give you a very slight edge because of the inevitable noise introduced in scanning (good point and I hadn't thought of it).
The native fonts are serviceable and useful, but just not terribly exciting! I ought to be doing text in Illustrator, creating vector outlines of the text and bringing it through Canvas to convert to FCM format, but I am so lazy. Or more like in a hurry. I just want to get it done, so I print and scan.
I would talk to the people at the place you are going to and ask them whether, in the case of a problem up the road, could you bring the machine in to them or would you have to pay to mail it off somewhere anyway. If they service what they sell, that might be a game changer for you. Or not. $400 is a lot for any machine - $500 and I start wanting it to be able to do dishes and fold laundry for me. And since there is absolutely zero chance I will ever want to make a quilt...
Have fun picking out your machine! Let us know how it goes!
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
OK - I just pulled the trigger on my Amazon cart. I just did not need most of the extra stuff to justify spending $100 more, as badly as I wanted to take it home today!!
SO, for those of you thinking about the 500 model - my diligent searching just turned up a new vendor - Joann!!! Online only, but they are showing the machine and many of the accessories, including the elusive scanning mat. Sadly, it all appears to be excluded from coupons - I tried! But they are listing it for $449, so worth considering. I didn't do it because their shipping takes forever, and I wanted the ease of dealing with Amazon in case I get a lemon. I don't think the Joann stores take back items that are purchased mail order. But I wanted to share my info.
I've had horrible experiences with Joann's and would never buy a high-ticket item from them. You definitely want to purchase something like this machine, which may not be all you hoped for or may be a lemon, from a vendor with an excellent reputation for customer service and also a lenient return/exchange policy.
Because this machine is new, I bought it from a local brick & mortar store. I wanted to deal with a real person and not have to mess with shipping if I needed an exchange or return. It's a sewing machine/vacuum store and a Brother distributor. They even had a coupon.
My 550 is running great and I haven't had any problems with it. I'm glad I got the extras, but would have been very happy with the other model.
__________________ Hi! I'm ISO the Fun Stampers Journey stamp "Say Cheese" AT-0167. Thank you!
(the mat is the same for both models, so don't let the 550DX in the description deter you)
I might hesitate to buy something like this from Joann's myself. Amazon was a good choice. Like I said, if you go to the Brother website and click on the "Buy Now" button for the red model, it takes you directly to the Amazon site.
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
Meg - that was my thought about Joann too. Robin - thanks for the Ken's link. I will wait until I know I have a good machine that fits me before I invest, but I she already figured out what I need to hit the free shipping.
I am now kicking myself for not paying the extra $8 for 1 day shipping! Patience not my strong suite. My impatience is only outweighed by my "frugality". I just realized I won't be home Thursday evening when it will be delivered. I probably would have pond up the extra $$ had I thought about that. Can't wait - so many ideas I want to try! Thanks to everyone here for all their help in the past and in the future.
I haven't done much of the more complicated actions you ladies are trying. But today I needed some clover leaves cut. Didn't have any from my cricut cartridges, so went online, found a jpg, printed, SNC scanned without issues, saved to SNC, arranged for a bunch of them to cut from my selected paper. It all worked without any issues whatsoever. Happy mamma.
OK SnCers - I unboxed my machine and did a few test cuts. It look like my alignment is a bit off. It cuts a bit high and to the right compared to the stamped image. The top row is 0 offset, the second is .04", and the bottom is .08". I think I would most use the .04 and 0.
I tried turning of the machine and reloading the cutter, but got exactly the same result with the second batch. Did anyone ever talk to Brother about how to get the machine recalibrated? Mine was an Amazon purchase, so might be challenging.
Otherwise, the machine is pretty impressive - if I can get it to cut on the line, or evenly all the way around at .04"
I will call Brother tomorrow, oops, Monday, but thought I would try here first for other thoughts.
Karen -
I'm thinking you might be better off exchanging the machine for another one through Amazon immediately, which should cost you nothing (but time) since you only just received it and you can legitimately claim there's something wrong with it. I think a couple of other people here have done that.
There have been a few here who had calibration issues like yours. Hopefully they will chime in and say if there was some easy fix you could try on your own.
In the meantime, may I just say - what a colossal DRAG. Take heart. Things will get resolved.
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
Hi everyone, my name is Carolyn and Yes, March 14th really is my birthday and I honestly had no intention of being a SNC owner.....yet.
Today started out innocently enough....brunch with my 16yr old and then making the rounds of the hobby & art stores in the area.....and I just couldn't find anything exciting enough to spend my birthday $$ on....NOTHING!
I had been stalking this board for about a week, and watching all the SNC videos on youtube etc.....so when I was passing the sewing machines at JoAnns I asked if they had the SNC and for a demo.....they told me they would NEVER get them since they are not a Brother dealer....then kindly suggested a sewing/quilting shop on Egret Bay in Clear Lake, TX called Sew Contempo.
So....that is where I ended up this afternoon.....after getting an in-person up close and personal demo.....I brought home my new "baby brother" LOL that is what the family is calling it after hearing me call it the Brother Scan N Cut
I got the blue machine with the extras since that is what the stores carry, they were offering it for $475 and also gave an additional blade......
Needless to say I am a HAPPY girl, so excited I can't get to sleep but I will wait till morning to open her up and start playing
Happy Birthday! You have the same birthday as my sister in law. I just gave her the card I made her with my SNC a few hours ago. You are going to love how intuitive working with the machine is! I know what you mean about sleeping...you have to make your mind shut off,all it wants to do is stay up late thinking of fun things to make. Have fun tomorrow!
Karen
Here's where I used an EK success punch, scanned it in, saved it to the machine, then enlarged it! LOOOOVE this machine!
The black is the actual punch, the white is what I cut out which is EXACTLY the same as the punched out image, then the pink is the enlarged!
My husband has listened to me complain about Cricut and some of their policies; he told me I should scan in all my images! That would be a job I would NEVER do but punches! OH YEAH!!!
I posted for help on the Facebook Scan n Cut INSPIRE page and got one suggestion to try using scan to data - but sadly it didn't fix it - exact same problem of cutting too high and to the right. I did find an interesting post on both Facebook and the Yahoo user group from Liz Hicks, who said that some SnCs have this problem. I'll see if I can copy the relevant posts here, since they are closed group and can't be accessed unless you join (which I recommend - lots of good info). I want this machine to work! I am loving the capabilities, other than the wonky cuts on my stamped images.
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(From Yahoo User Group Feb 6 2014)
I have seen a few inquiries in regards to calibrating ScanNCut. I have asked Brother and received this as a solution that will help to check machines and make sure that they are operating properly.
"Issue: Please advise that if a user has an issue cutting the stamped images on their machine in direct cut mode without offsetting.
If the issue is persistent, They will need to locate a Brother Authorized Service Center. They would need to perform adjustment in test mode which end users cannot access.
To locate nearest ASC by going to brother.com and within the Support Page there is a link for Service Center Locator"
If you are working with your local Authorized Brother dealer to remedy this off set issue, please let me know who you are going to so that I can inform Brother and they can make sure that this company has all of the tools needed to make this adjustment for you. You can email me at primadonnaliz@...
I hope that this information finds a solution for those that are experiencing an offset with direct cut, if you have any other questions feel free to ask, I will do my best to find answers for you. In addition, I do know that Brother is working hard towards find solutions for this. As an end user myself, I was very please to see their quick response to my email and I hope that this gives comfort to those dealing with this issue.
(From Facebook Scan N Cut INSPIRE group Feb 6 2014) Liz Del Real Hicks
Hey friends! I just wanted to share with you something that I shared over at the yahoo group. If your machine is having an issue when using direct cut and adding a margin to your image (stamped, printed, drawn... etc) then you may want to seek out the help of your local authorized Brother dealer. They are trained professionals that understand the ins and outs of the machine and how it works and can help you with this. Since this is something the machine is new and this issue is very rare, I want to try and help and make sure that each of you gets the help you need. Brother is VERY good about making sure that this is being taken care of. If this pertains to you then please email me at [email protected] and I can forward this on to those at Brother who handle ScanNCut directly. Please include the country you are in, as well as your local authorized Brother Dealer (you can find this at Brother.com under support) and I will forward this on for you. I am not a Brother employee, but want to make sure that I can help in any way to make this info available as well as get you on your way to crafting. Like I mentioned before, Brother has a great system of support set up and I only want to help make this happen for those who need it.
Hmm aren't some people buying this online because authorized dealers are too far away. I would prefer no middleman to recalibrate as a potential customer.
The brother website won't even give me a listing for my zip code. They want me to call them for info which tells me I would have to ship one pretty far away. The calibration issue is the one thing preventing me from buying this machine. Hope they come up with a better solution than a service center.
The brother website won't even give me a listing for my zip code. They want me to call them for info which tells me I would have to ship one pretty far away. The calibration issue is the one thing preventing me from buying this machine. Hope they come up with a better solution than a service center.
Same here, no service center came up at all when I entered my zip code. I am not willing to ship my machine somewhere to have it calibrated which it probably needs since I have had the "lopsided image" cutting problem.
Update on my calibration problem. I called Brother yesterday and the rep said the misaligned cutting was not a known problem - a bit frustrating since we have seen several people here alone with it - but maybe they aren't reporting it. Even though the Brother website lists no service centers with 150+ miles of me, the rep said the Brother dealer nearest me is actually an authorized service center and that I could take the machine to them. I decided that I was uncomfortable taking an online purchase and getting the brick and mortar place to service it, so I am returning it to Amazon. I am trying to decide if it is worth the extra $100 for me to purchase the 550 machine locally from our dealer - it might be. I may get more value from the pens, etc than I originally thought (I have some ideas about score lines!) so I am in the process of walking myself up the ladder.
The moral of this story is - don't assume you don't have a service center just because the website doesn't show it. If you have a dealer showing up nearby, you can either call them and ask if they are an authorized service center, or call the Brother number for customer service number 877-276-8437. Oh - but don't call the one that comes up when you look for a service center- 1-877-427-6843
- it takes you industrial machine support and you have to leave a message for a call back, which probably won't happen. Good luck all! I'll keep you posted on my decision.
Thanks for the info Karjor. Seems like Brother is not communicating with their service reps since several people here have mentioned contacting them about it, as well as the problem being discussed here and on facebook. I hope you get your issue resolved. Definitely keep us posted.
