Metalhip

I think the rough cut is more likely to be the quality of the card. I once bought a ream of Xerox card and had similar results, ended up giving it all away. Allan

The amount of offset will determine whether square corners are square or rounded or out of shape. Sorry,can't remember which way increasing or decreasing the offset changes things,not sure if you can change the offset in the Silhoutte cutters software. Allan

Hello Mike, It's sometimes very handy having someone on the end of a phone like that,it's more or less a 24/7 operation. You'll be surprised at the size of the box when it arrives. I got the extension tables for mine,not necessary but handy for supporting material,you can also get "Renu" sheets when your mat loses its stickyness,probably cheaper than keep using spray adhesive. This is the same as the detail blade holder and blades.. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HQ-Blade-Holder-5Pcs-60-Blades-for-Graphtec-CB09-Cutting-Cutter-Plotter-/230980823657?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35c787aa69 Roland blades fit the standard holder you'll get with the machine. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15Pcs-45-HQ-Cemented-Carbide-Blades-Knife-Roland-Cutter-Cutting-Plotter-Can-Mix-/230926443663?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35c449e48f Just about any 14mm diam holder will be useable. Allan

Hi Mike, I only have the 13" model which is adequate for A4 size,that's all I cut. I've just checked the thickness of the plasticard I cut and it's 0.010" or 0.25mm thick,but I don't see any reason why it won't cut thicker,the machine can be set up to do five passes if required, Just be aware your wife might want to use it if she does any crafting. Might be worth contacting Dawn here....... http://www.thymegraphics.co.uk/contact.asp I collected mine,it was cheaper than the courier delivery.Just beware the box it comes in is larger than you might expect,had to lay it across the back seat in my car. Allan

Hello Mike, The Silver Bullet is considerably quieter than the Silhouette and a lot more robust,it's also bigger and heavier.The learning curve is also bigger. There is also a forum in which you can get any queries or problems sorted,very often getting an answer in minutes.It does seem expensive,but I have no regrets after buying mine. The Scal software is okay,but I've found Signcut to be better If you get one,just get the blades and holders that come with it,identical blades and holders are available on ebay at considerably less cost as I have since found out. Regards,Allan

Hello Jason, The only styrene I've cut has been 0.25 which I cut a about 40 holes in to make a holder for Valejo paint bottles. I know it's not the same settings as a Silhouette,but I used speed 200,pressure 50 and three cuts.The blade was a 45 degree blade. All the cuts were clean and the centres just dropped out. I haven't done any cutting for several weeks now because of a personal bereavement,but I'm gradually getting back into making things. Allan.

Blade stick out will only determine the maximum that the blade will cut through,it's the pressure that determines the depth of cut,not the amount of blade sticking out. The ideal pressure will just cut through the material and leave a faint line on the mat,if you can feel score marks on the mat with your fingernail then the pressure is too high. I only generally cut card and paper and don't alter the blade stick out,just alter the pressure and use multi passes if required because each pass is accumulative. Allan

You can always collect and have it demo'd,that's what I did. Allan

The blade offset is where the point of the blade is in relation to the centre of the holder. The amount of offset determines whether corners are cut square,stretched or rounded. IIRC there is no offset adjustment in the Cameo software. Allan

Cutting thicker materials is dependent on force available and number of cuts. Extending the blade further than is necessary to just cut through the media will not make any difference apart from cutting the mat and possibly damaging the blade. From memory the Cameo max thickness stated for card was about 350gsm thick or approx 0.5mm,however things might have changed since I last used mine. This was the main reason I bought a machine with more grunt so that I could cut 1mm card stock. Allan

From the demo's I've seen it doesn't seem that accuracy is a big feature,for print and cut of Scalescenes type stuff I think it would be hard work to get the cuts where needed,especially using that tiny touch screen. It seems aimed at crafters for making cards and stuff where a scan and cut is probably accurate enough. Allan

Hi Chris, I have a Silver Bullet and bought it because I couldn't get the Cameo to always cut on the line for the print and cut Scalescenes stuff I make for "N" gauge, and found the software somewhat clunky to use for print and cut. With the Silver Bullet I have no trouble cutting 1mm card but have only ever cut circles in 10 thou styrene to make a stand for Vallejo paints. I use Inkscape to put the vector cutting lines on and Signcut for the actual cutting. It's really a more heavy duty machine than the Cameo and has more adjustments available.It's also a lot quieter and sounds less agricultural. There is also an active forum and any queries or software problems will often get an answer in minutes,usually from the distributor in Derby. I haven't used my Cameo for about a year now and am unlikely to use it again. Allan

Sorry,I missed that bit at the time of reading it. I'll refrain from trying to make what I think are helpful comments in this thread in future. Allan

I very reluctantly signed up for paypal a few years ago because of all the horror stories I'd heard. I set up another bank account specifically to use with paypal and most other online purchases,doing my banking online makes it easy to transfer funds into that account to cover a new purchase. Paypal is used by a lot of places now and it's easier than keep filling all the visa details out each time. Allan

The mat does seem excessively sticky at first,but it does wear off to the point where you might wish it was a bit stickier cutting thicker card and parts lifting off during cutting. I've given mine a coat of repositionable spray mount. The best way I've found to get parts off is to bend the mat downwards away from the card and over the edge of a desk or worktop.Either remove the cut parts or the waste by sliding a thin pallet knife under a free end,I use a small trowel shaped artists pallet knife. Probably best to update the software before doing too much saving of cut lines,I remember I seemed to have a conflict between original saved files after the upgrade,but that could have been me. Allan