The GS-24 can cut up to 23″ inches wide, easily handling 24-inch rolls of vinyl. Grey market machines often have no warranty or a warranty that requires you to ship a sometimes heavy package several countries away, with a risk of loss or a prohibitively expensive shipping expense. You’ll have to buy embossing folders or textured masks separately, but the Big Shot also works with all sorts of non-Sizzix brand dies, so you have a lot to chose from. They typically offer a selection of widths, ranging from 24″ to 60″, and so can fit large rolls of vinyl, paint mask, and reflective films. The pinch-rollers can be easily adjusted to accommodate a range of media widths. They don’t use Bluetooth or WiFi as often as the home cutters. amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; We take a look at every vinyl cutter for both home cutting and business. To begin with, this machine comes with a superior rotary cutter. The Cricut Maker also boasts a fresh new software. Standalone machine, works without a computer, The ScanNCutCanvas software is web-based, and the machine has wireless functionality to connect to your PC or tablet. Isn’t that so cool? This vinyl cutter is popular for straddling the line between personal and commercial use. It also has a Smart Set Dial, which lets you select your material and automatically picks the appropriate cut settings. But if that fails, it has a 2-year warranty and free lifetime phone support. On the other hand, if you’re a seasoned pro with a lot of pre-existing cartridges that you’ve used with older, compatible Cricut machines, you might just be looking for something to replace your Cricut Mini or Expression (both of which no longer work with a PC due to Cricut’s discontinuation of Craft Room). No more wasting vinyl because you, uh, accidentally forget to change the blade setting! Easy print and cut registration with precise contour cutting, Best professional-grade small vinyl cutter, Can print and cut stickers, labels, and heat transfer, Ultimate small desktop cutter from industrial giant Roland, Uses optical registration of crop marks for easy print-and-cut projects, Best for large vinyl cutting at a cheap price, Comes with stand and Signmaster Cut Basic software, A very affordable machine for cutting wide rolls of vinyl, Includes stand and compatible software for PC, Cricut Tool Kit with spatula, weeder, scraper, scissors, tweezers, 4 sheets glitter HTV, 8 sheets vinyl, 2 sheets transfer paper, 26 sheets Oracal 651, 1 roll premium transfer tape, Cameo 3 online instructional class, full color printed vinyl application guide (plus 7 bonus guides online), 1-month memberships to Silhouette Club and Silhouette U (access to 150+ videos and perks), Loads of additional software: Pro Studio license key and training videos, 1 roll (24″) of Oracal 651 in white and 1 roll of Oracal 651 (24″) in black, 5 rolls of Greenstar vinyl (24″) in: black, white, red, green, yellow, 1 roll (6″ x 10 yd) TransferRite clear gridded transfer tape, 1 roll (6″ x 10 yd) TransferRite high tack application tape, 3 vinyl cutting blades, 1 hobby knife, 1 squeegee, have advanced features like automatic contour cutting, handle the trickiest materials like high static window tint or prismatic reflective vinyl. It has the most versatility in a powerful home crafting machine, able to handle everything from balsa wood to vinyl to crepe paper to silk. So, in order to combine speed and efficiency, the GS-24 is endowed with a curve-smoothing function which ensures great precision at all times. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; The GS-24 is fantastic for print and cut applications, such as runs of stickers or printable vinyl decals. The Big Shot is also good at cutting out shapes from fabrics. Cricut offers a wide range of materials specifically designed and tested for use with the Cricut machine including basic and specialty Vinyl colors, Iron-on Vinyls, Cardstock, Faux Leather, Adhesive Foils, Specialty Paper, Poster Board and more, Fast and accurate with automatic registration tracking and 2-way communication, Advanced technology comes with a higher price tag, Best high-end personal cutter for complex cutting jobs, Automatic Registration Tracking and 2-way communication with your computer, Motorized head makes it a true 3-axis cutter, Connects to your network via Ethernet or WiFi for wireless cutting, Dual tool head and optical eye for contour cutting, Great software included with VinylMaster Cut, Included software doesn’t work with macOS, Best entry-level vinyl cutter for signmakers and small businesses, Unbeatable price for a commercial-sized vinyl cutter. So, in case you love designing award-winning artwork, this cutter is certainly up to the mark. We tested nine die cutters for over 35 hours by comparing their ease of use, cutting force, the number of materials they could work with and each machine's software compatibility. The vinyl lettering machine then uses a roller or similar mechanism to feed the vinyl sheet into the machine and cut the letter, designs, word, or shapes selected by the user into the vinyl. But a foot-wide clearance is plenty big enough to handle most of the projects you can dream up. You can find all sorts of projects and tutorials that show you exactly how to use your machine, and people to answer your questions or gush over your recent creations. A better choice for a small and portable personal cutter is the Silhouette Portrait 2 (which is more affordable, has Bluetooth, and can cut materials up to 10′ long). Another awesome addition to this vinyl cutter is the Smart Set Dial. (Instead of a computer-controlled cutting blade like the other machines on this list.). Use the powerful Silhouette Studio design software to create your projects. In case you’re too busy to design your own stuff, you’ll be happy to learn that there are dozens of pre-made choices that you can find for free within the Design Space repository. I’ll cover the most important terms to know when examining these machines. As I mentioned above, the Sizzix Big Shot is a fantastic little machine for embossing papers and foils. amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search"; But as the high-end home cutter, the Maker always makes a fantastic gift. If you’ll be cutting lots of vinyl every day, you should check out the professional tier of cutters. With such a broad range of price and utility, it’s helpful to split up vinyl cutters into two main groups for comparison: those intended for personal use, and the machines designed for heavy-duty commercial use. And now you can cut that shape out of any material! It attaches to a computer through the included USB cable, a simple “plug-and-play,” but doesn’t have any wireless capabilities. However, it does have one major drawback. With optical registration of crop marks, it can do print and cut projects to make labels, stickers, and more! Vinyl Cutter Large TS330 Camera Sensor Mini Cutter, DIY Cutting Machine, Make Custom Stickers Vinyl Wall Art Greeting Cards and More Professional HTV Vinyl Plotter Cutter 2.1 out of … Shop from the world's largest selection and best deals for Vinyl Cutting Machines. This means you can cut thick and light materials like balsa wood and craft foam, perfect for jigsaw puzzles and party decorations. A good print and cut machine is capable of cutting out the most intricately printed designs, whether printed on vinyl or any other substrate. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; The Sizzix Big Shot is the most portable cutting machine I’ve reviewed. amzn_assoc_search_bar = "false"; It’s standalone (and not web-based like Cricut’s Design Space) and works with or without an active internet connection. If you’ll be using a lot of contour cuts, you want automatic contour cutting, and not manual contour cutting, where you have to manually line up the cutting blade over the registration marks. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: my favorite thing about the Portrait 2 is its size. It comes with the basic edition of VinylMaster Cut software (a $60 value), which makes designing vinyl signage a snap. Any ordinary machine can cut fabric, but it takes a rotary cutter to achieve an extra-deep cut. It’s reliably been one of the most popular machines for small businesses. To work around this, USCutter recommends performing big jobs in smaller batches. Bad machines ultimately lead to poor quality output and of course, frustrations. Whether you need letters for a scrapbook layout or to put on a banner as event decorations, bold fonts are your best bet for cutting out individual letters. It features an aluminum frame with all-metal moving parts, for long-lasting durability. Small format and lightweight machine is perfect for creating innovative cards for birthdays, holidays, parties, & more. This is like a powered electromagnet that simply drops the cutting blade into the material to cut it. This is an area of crafts where the learning curve is as big as you want it to be. With the included stylus you can weld, rotate, and resize these images to create custom designs to cut or draw out of all sorts of materials. What’s more, the machine’s user-friendliness is at the very top and with a few simple commands such as “resize”, “reposition” and “rotate”, you’ll be in a perfect position to get any job done to global standards. Even more impressive, you can do surface work on materials up to 5 mm thick! (And without cartridges!). It’s a cheaper version than the best Cricut models, so it’s a little slower and doesn’t have Bluetooth, but it gives the same quality cuts as my other favorite starter machine, the Explore Air 2. We tend to see new versions of beloved machines created every few years. This lets you use scraps of material so they don’t go to waste, but it’s also ideal for those with unique projects that need the ability to improvise to cut a variety of creations. I’d feel proud to call it the best vinyl cutting machine available today when you take price into account. It comes with KNK C3 (their Cutter Command Center) software which lets you control the cutter from a PC, Mac, smartphone or tablet. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; As I’ve said before, you typically get what you pay for with vinyl cutters. But if you are simply looking for the most affordable machine that can cut very wide rolls of vinyl, then you should check it out. - All Rights Reserved. It’s important to take the time and research your vinyl cutter before you buy, so you know you are actually getting a machine that is right for you. The blade holder is compatible with Roland blades, the industry standard for reliable and affordable blades. The small, sturdy cutter is perfectly portable: ideal for crafts projects with kids. The downwards cutting force is given in gf or grams-force. The price for the 34″ model is less than most of the smaller desktop cutters. Combined with a digital servo motor that gives an incredible cutting resolution of up to 0.0005″, you will be able to cleanly cut even the most complex contours with this machine. To evaluate each machine, we tested the die cutters with standard vinyl and medium-weight cardstock, as not every Here is a step by step guide on how to cut vinyl with a Cricut machine! It comes with a 12″ x 12″ cutting mat, though there is a larger 12″ by 24″ one you can add on if you want to work on longer projects. In particular, this machine is capable of recognizing crop marks from any desktop printer. That’s more than any other cutter I’ve seen, beating even the industrial or professional machines that cost thousands of dollars. It is also exceptionally quiet, at least compared to any of the stepper motor cutters you can buy. And the media rollers use dual ball-bearings so you can save time by top-loading, instead of having to feed vinyl through the rolls. This is the latest release from Cricut and since its entry into the market, we feel that it has achieved incredible milestones. The KNK Zing Orbit uses improved 2-way communication (called RTS/CTS flow control signals) to control the information it receives for cutting. Better to just check the manufacturer’s listing of materials that can be cut to judge whether the machine is capable of your intended projects. Having a machine that grows in functionality along with your knowledge is essential! There are amazing online communities on forums, blogs, Facebook groups, and YouTube channels where you can learn all about your machine. It features a double tool holder, letting you cut and write, or cut and score, at the same time, without having to change tools in between. For mugs or anything that’s going to get washed you are going to want to make sure you use a permanent vinyl.You will also need transfer tape to transfer your design. The Best Fonts for Weeding I’m no expert, but one of the biggest frustrations I had when learning to use my Cricut was weeding fonts. amzn_assoc_linkid = "712713ca0795b5070388b51c13539c65"; They are small enough to move around: to bring to a friend’s house or store in a closet. If you want a much more reliable budget commercial cutter, check out the USCutter MH Series reviewed above, which is my choice for the best value professional cutter. If you have bought a lettering machine, but don’t know how to make vinyl letters, there are many online tutorials available that can help you learn. Features Bluetooth for wireless cutting or plugs into your home computer. This is definitely the kind of workflow efficiency needed to handle multiple cuts in quick succession. Most vinyl cutters use a solenoid to control the tool pushing into the material. Features a dual-carriage for multi-tool use. I would also suggest in investing in a Cricut Tool Set for weeding and a scraper for getting your vinyl to stick to first the transfer tape and then your projects. Its ability to provide remarkable cutting power and remain fast and accurate is just one of the many reasons we really like it. Subscribe to my newsletter for new posts, reviews & discounts. So if you use a lot of stencils and like to design your own, the stencil cutting machine is your best option. In addition, you will receive free lifetime support via phone and chart from the warm and friendly MH team. It is basically like a portable version of the Silhouette Cameo 3, with the same machine parts, but a smaller cutting width and reduced price.