Jump to content
 

  

858 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you currently own a cutting machine?

    • Yes
    • No, but I want to in the next 12 months
    • No, I have no plans to buy one
    • I'm undecided at the moment


Recommended Posts

The Cameo will most certainly provide you with accurate and consistent lines assuming the drawing you produce in the software is accurate.

That is a good point that I had overlooked. It will happily cut over the exact same lines several times - as needed to penetrate plasticard.

 

...R

Link to post
Share on other sites

Many thanks for the help-info-guidance, i very much appreciate it. I am now so looking forward to getting either a Cameo 3 or a Curio (by the way, do they both have the same cutting resolution? Cameo can cut longer pieces whereas Curio can perform other tasks as well such as embossing etc?)

Link to post
Share on other sites

I considered buying the Curio before I bought my Portrait. I phoned the Graphtec people in the UK and a very helpful chap told me that whereas you can make your own "sticky mats" for a Portrait (or Cameo)  you can't do so for a Curio so it would have higher running costs. If that matters to you do check with Graphtec yourself before making a decision.

 

IIRC the Curio can cut thicker material but its blade pressure is the same as the Portrait/Cameo

 

...R

Edited by Robin2
Link to post
Share on other sites

Finally received my Cameo late last week, and have just managed to sit down to have a play. I have a couple of questions which I'm not sure have been answered before (and a couple of insights I think have been missed).

 

I'm a user of Arch Linux, and the Inkscape plugin doesn't appear to work with the most recent version compiled from source. When I connect the Cameo, I get a notification that a new printer has been attached, but Inkscape cannot communicate with it. I've been running Studio in a Win10x64 VM, which is painfully slow but seems to work. Do any of the other linux users hanging around this thread have any config advice beyond that in the docuantation for the inkscape Silhouette plugin, or is it just my fault for running a bleeding-edge OS?

 

I've also been having a play with using Studio under Wine. The latest stable version which came out a few weeks ago (Wine 2.0) will not even open the installer properly, but the current (unstable) Wine 2.1 compiled from source will install it quite nicely but not run it (apparently the graphics libraries it requires aren't yet supported properly). I live in hope that future versions of Wine will work...

 

Thanks for all the useful and inspiring information in this thread!

 

I've attached a photo of the quick and dirty hut I knocked up (and scaled incorrectly, so is actually in 3mm rather than 4mm), potentially being rather optimistic about the windowframe thicknesses I could achieve - the whole thing is <4cm long. Must say, I'm very impressed thus far...

 

post-28270-0-25562600-1488208621.png

  • Like 4
Link to post
Share on other sites

This information appeared in post no 1018

 

I know this post is now about 2 years old but I would like to try this out. However, I am strugling to understand how to modify the blade. Any chance of a sketch showing original and modified please, as I find the pictures are dificult to see.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

John

 

Sorry for the delayed reply as I have not viewed this thread for a while.

I have tried to draw a view of the tool which I agree is not easy to show so I have added cross sections of a normal cutter and of the skrawker. I ground off the end of an old cutter at an angle and then made the cut curved so that the end was nearer to vertical. I thought that if the end was at an angle it would tend to push the tool out of the work piece. The cut is made by the flat face which gouges out the plastic and does not try to cut through it.

​Note that the skrawker mentioned in post #1823 is a hand held tool, however my tool is made to work in the same way.

 

​Regards Roger

post-3947-0-22310200-1488209663.gif

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm a user of Arch Linux, and the Inkscape plugin doesn't appear to work with the most recent version compiled from source. When I connect the Cameo, I get a notification that a new printer has been attached, but Inkscape cannot communicate with it. I've been running Studio in a Win10x64 VM, which is painfully slow but seems to work.

What plugin are you referring to - please post a link to its source

 

I am using Mint 18 Mate (and before that Puppy Linux). That irritating printer message appears with Mate but I just ignore it. The Inkscape extension I have (links in a recent Post above) does not treat my Portrait as a printer.

 

...R

Link to post
Share on other sites

In my Inkscape I use Extensions/Export/Send to Silhouette

 

IIRC I had to install the python-usb library - but I can't remember if that was only with Puppy Linux (which has a lot less stuff as normal) or also with Mate. python-usb is certainly installed on Mate now.

 

...R

Edited by Robin2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

In the absence of any Yolo discounts, digital transfers have by far the best price I have found.

 

It is a good price, when you take vat and delivery into account they are £10 cheaper than Yolo. The only concern for me is that they do not seem to have any spares or accessories for the Portrait listed on their website so I would be worried about aftersales service. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

It is a good price, when you take vat and delivery into account they are £10 cheaper than Yolo. The only concern for me is that they do not seem to have any spares or accessories for the Portrait listed on their website so I would be worried about aftersales service.

 

( usual disclaimer)

 

I purchased mine from them approx 3 weeks ago, excellent service next day by Royal Mail before 11.00 am and found them to be the best price at the time. Personally I'm not overly worried about after sales service.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Since linux and inkscape have been mentioned again. Could one produce an svg file with inkscape (on linux). Put it on a usb stick and then plug the stick on the Cameo 3 and use the file directly there for the cut without the cameo being connected to the PC? If i am not mistaken the Cameo 3 has a usb port for cutting directly.

Link to post
Share on other sites

In my Inkscape I use Extensions/Export/Send to Silhouette

 

IIRC I had to install the python-usb library - but I can't remember if that was only with Puppy Linux (which has a lot less stuff as normal) or also with Mate. python-usb is certainly installed on Mate now.

 

...R

 

Yes, I installed the python-pyusb package (which provides python-usb on Arch), but I don't get any of the relevant menu items in Inkscape after running the install script. I think I'll have a chase up with the developers and see if they can shed any light.

 

 

Since linux and inkscape have been mentioned again. Could one produce an svg file with inkscape (on linux). Put it on a usb stick and then plug the stick on the Cameo 3 and use the file directly there for the cut without the cameo being connected to the PC? If i am not mistaken the Cameo 3 has a usb port for cutting directly.

 

From my experiments with the same, this doens't work - an svg file is a description of the shapes and positions of objects, while a studio file (which the cameo can read from USB) is a description of where cut lines should be. Incidentally, I've found that cutting studio files from a usb stick has been unreliable, and some parts of files I've tried to cut that way have just been omitted by the cutter.

 

 

It is a good price, when you take vat and delivery into account they are £10 cheaper than Yolo. The only concern for me is that they do not seem to have any spares or accessories for the Portrait listed on their website so I would be worried about aftersales service. 

 

I've been burned before when purchasing from suppliers with little interest in aftercare (though I usually only require it should the product break). I recently purchased my cameo from them, but bought it from their eBay shop; this way I have eBay's buyer protection built into the purchase (which has come in very useful in the past).

Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes, I installed the python-pyusb package (which provides python-usb on Arch), but I don't get any of the relevant menu items in Inkscape after running the install script. I think I'll have a chase up with the developers and see if they can shed any light.

 

I believe Arch linux is somewhat different from the Ubuntu varieties that I am familiar with.

 

...R

Link to post
Share on other sites

Portakabins and stairs made on the Cameo. Just add some square profile styrene for the supports.

Bachmann ones of these are over £30, I have a cutting file and can make as many as I want!

Don't really need any more though :-)

post-583-0-85355600-1488412527_thumb.png

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

Ok, i just added the inkscape extension in Mint 18.1 and the "export/send to silhouette" appears as it should in the menus. I just need to buy the Cameo now :). Thanks for the links Robin!

 

Silly question, do i need anything more to get me going apart from the basic package of the Cameo 3? In other words do i just get the Cameo and a sheet of styrene and i can get started in cutting/scribing? Are there any essential extras (for the Cameo 3) that i need to buy as well? For example any extra cutting mats etc (the 12" by 24" for example...)

 

Many thanks again, (this thread is like being in a friendly pub and having friends explaining how things work on a new topic/issue... much appreciated!)

Link to post
Share on other sites

 

Silly question, do i need anything more to get me going apart from the basic package of the Cameo 3? In other words do i just get the Cameo and a sheet of styrene and i can get started in cutting/scribing? Are there any essential extras (for the Cameo 3) that i need to buy as well? For example any extra cutting mats etc (the 12" by 24" for example...)

 

 I think wherever you purchase your Cameo from it will come with a blade and a 12x12'' mat, which are all you really need. I'd wait until you've got it and have had a tinker before deciding what other accessories it may or may not be worth splashing out one (for example, I've now decided that some kind of scribing tool would be useful but that the deep-cut blade I'd thought I'd want turns out to be unnecessary).

Link to post
Share on other sites

Ok, i just added the inkscape extension in Mint 18.1 and the "export/send to silhouette" appears as it should in the menus.

I'm starting to wonder if I need a separate computer running Windows for my Portrait now. It looks as though I just need it for Windows stuff I can't get to work in Wine!

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm starting to wonder if I need a separate computer running Windows for my Portrait now. It looks as though I just need it for Windows stuff I can't get to work in Wine!

I'm not surprised John you're doing it all wrong ......

 

post-20303-0-20833300-1488449040.jpeg

 

Yours,

Oz Clarke

Link to post
Share on other sites

I need something stronger than wine for the hassle that Windows causes! Linux is so much less trouble, and all the problems I have with it are related in some way to Windows. Except for trying to discover why I get errors on one of my printers!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Silly question, do i need anything more to get me going apart from the basic package of the Cameo 3? In other words do i just get the Cameo and a sheet of styrene and i can get started in cutting/scribing?

Start with card until you are confident. :)

 

...R

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...