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So excited I just got the Silhouette SD for my bday...:p
Loaded my SU white paper on the sticky carrier....
Cut out my first shape...:eek:
Paper totally stuck to the carrier!!!:mad:
Any tips for a Silhouette newbie? I scraped the cardstock off the carrier - it was really stuck on there. The one part that did come off without tearing is all curled.
What am I doing wrong?
I have tried to take some of the sticky off with a clean cloth, but when I tried again tonight, the card stock still stuck in places.
Silhouette has stated that SU cardstock is not really compatible with their machines. Several of the girls/guys here have used it with success doing a multi-cut though. I just bought my first pack of SU cardstock but I don't want to use it on my die cut machine. I bought it for coloring.
All the die cutters on the market come with super sticky mats. Trust me on this I have a lot of die cutters. It's just frustrating if your a newbie starting out. Your paper pulls, tears, curls, sticks and rips. You will need to condition your mat. There are lots of ways to do this. You can stick your hands all over the mat. I have not done this but apparently it works. You can use a soft t-shirt to dab all over you mat. I do this with my Cricut mats and it works great. I don't like this technique with the Silhouette since I got fluffies on the mat. What I did with the Silhouette is stick bits and pieces of trashed card stock all over it. Then I lifted it all off. I did this several times. I washed my mats in warm soapy water with a few squirts of baby wash. Then I let air dry. Now, my mats have the perfect stickiness. I do want to add I live in a humid climate so this might have helped with the variables in this recipe. If trying this in a different climate it could be a disaster.
Another tip is that you can take an old gift card and scrap some of the sticky off. I would be gentle doing this because you can scrape too much sticky off. I accidentally did this with my Pazzles mat. I was trying to get a piece of cardstock off and scraped all the glue off too. Frustration does not help remove sticky or stubborn cardstock.
Silhouette has stated that SU cardstock is not really compatible with their machines. Several of the girls/guys here have used it with success doing a multi-cut though. I just bought my first pack of SU cardstock but I don't want to use it on my die cut machine. I bought it for coloring.
That I did not know. I only have SU cardstock and was thinking of purchasing a Silhouette when the new one is released. I don't want to have to start buying two types of cardstock--one for cardmaking and Cricut E and a different cardstock for Silhouette. Interesting.
I have used PTI and Clear & Simple Stamps cardstock in my Silhouette without a problem of it sticking to the mat. Both cut wonderfully, although I prefer the CSS b/c it's a bit thinner and therefore the cuts come out cleaner.
Glad to hear that others use SU cardstock in their Silhouettes. I too am interested in knowing the reason why Silhouette says it isn't compatible as it's a big investment if it won't cut my preferred cardstock.
I use SU cardstock with my Silhouette (the older version) and I have a hard time with it cutting through all the way in the new software. I got so frustrated with it last year that I went and cut my image in the old software and it worked just fine. I think it's something with the new software. I need to cut some stuff either tonight or tomorrow and I don't even want to get it out because I get so frustrated with it not cutting deep enough in the new software. I have all of my settings correct, it just isn't cutting deep enough.
edited to add: even with the double cut it's not cutting through all the way
I used SU cardstock after conditioning my mat without a problem. What was the reason that Sihouette said that it isnt compatible?
SU cardstock is too dense in depth to get proper cuts. Also, it's said to be fibrous CS like the Bazzill. Cutting it on the Silhouette dulls the blade faster and makes the motor work harder.
In my previous post I wrote that I only have one thing of SU CS. I bought that for coloring. I did look at the CS closely too see why the Silhouette would have trouble. I only have Whisper White. The only thing I can see to be a problem is the glossy coat. The weight doesn't seem to be an issue for a cutter. I run Georgia Pacific CS all the time through my Silhouette and it cuts fine. I think that might be a heavier weight CS compared to SU. For density GP is a lot thinner. If that makes sense.
michelleh1 is correct about the cutting and software. The new Silhouette Studio has a different cutting pressure than the old Silhouette software. I have noticed the Silhouette Studio tends to baby the machines. Which is great for intricate cutting but terrible when needing to apply extra pressure or speed. The old Silhouette software was great for cutting a variety of materials.
I did read somewhere, maybe at the Silhouette Yahoo group, the aluminum blade holder (third party) handles heavier materials better. It supposedly can cut chipboard.
I use SU cardstock with my Silhouette (the older version) and I have a hard time with it cutting through all the way in the new software. I got so frustrated with it last year that I went and cut my image in the old software and it worked just fine. I think it's something with the new software. I need to cut some stuff either tonight or tomorrow and I don't even want to get it out because I get so frustrated with it not cutting deep enough in the new software. I have all of my settings correct, it just isn't cutting deep enough.
edited to add: even with the double cut it's not cutting through all the way
I have this problem too and did not even think about it being the new software. I am going to try on my old software and see how it goes. Thank you for mentioning it!
well, I used Pretty in Pink last night and it worked pretty good! I'm glad because I hate wasting my cardstock. It is the darker/heavier SU papers that I have issues with in the new software.
I was going to use the old software but I needed exact dimensions, which is so much easier in the new software. plus, most of my downloads are in the new software.
is there an easy way to transfer shapes between programs? I know I've done it before but it's been a while. thanks!
I have the new machine and the new software and used it to make this card. The orange, red and yellow are all Stampin Up and the small blue piece is Bazzill (I think corduroy texture) and all were cut out in one pass. You can see how intricate some are (the small blue piece which has the circles and line cut out of it-the red is behind, the orange where the antenna is) and I had no problems with it.
that makes me wonder if the issue is only with the old machine and new software. I have e-mailed Silhouette, and they told me they would forward my concerns to the software programmers, but I haven't noticed a difference even with new version updates (it's been 7 months).
I use SU cardstock with my Silhouette (the older version) and I have a hard time with it cutting through all the way in the new software. I got so frustrated with it last year that I went and cut my image in the old software and it worked just fine. I think it's something with the new software. I need to cut some stuff either tonight or tomorrow and I don't even want to get it out because I get so frustrated with it not cutting deep enough in the new software. I have all of my settings correct, it just isn't cutting deep enough.
edited to add: even with the double cut it's not cutting through all the way
Did you do the update to the new program? I have the old machine with the new program and it wouldn't cut through at all either. When I installed the most recent update (from awhile ago), it worked fine again.
Have you tried using the 'double cut' button? I have to agree, I have less cutting issues with the new software than I did with the old. I don't use SU, but I do use all sorts/brands of cardstock in all sorts of finishes & weights.
Did you do the update to the new program? I have the old machine with the new program and it wouldn't cut through at all either. When I installed the most recent update (from awhile ago), it worked fine again.
I do update when it tells me there is a new update available. Perhaps that is why my Pretty in Pink cardstock cut well. I know when I was cutting a month ago I was having issues with it not cutting all the way through, even though I did a double cut and cut it again!
I don't use MTC or SCAL with my Silhouette machines. Those programs might cut SU cardstock better. It doesn't hurt to try if you have a copy. You can download demo's.
Silhouette newbie
