cut files

[Keitha]

Do you ever buy premade cut files, or cut your own before you need them - and if so how do you store them? While my Silhouette continues to intimidate and mock me I have acquired a few premade cut files recently, but can't decide where/how to store them. Leaning toward in with papers because they're flat and I don't want them to get bent. But I don't know...
I also wondered, for those of you who have mastered your electronic die-cutters, if you use them for fussy-cutting. That never would have occurred to me, but I saw a video where the gal said she 'cheated' and cut an entire sheet of icons using her Scan 'n Cut; something I knew the Silhouette will also do. I almost think that's a better reason to master this darn machine.

[jfugina]

I have a cricut, so I can't answer the cut file storage question.

Regarding fussy cuts though, I do love my cricut, but I've found that no matter whether I have a brand new blade or not, there are some levels of fussy/delicate that it just doesn't do well with paper. Cardstock - hit and miss - I have to be willing to possibly sacrifice the cardstock if I'm experimenting with a delicate image. Textured cardstock - forget about it. But go the other direction with a thinner paper, and it just gets shredded. I have a super old physical cricut cartrige called "paper lace", and the images are beautiful. But I don't think I've ever managed to cut anything from that cartridge perfectly. I usually have to go in with an exacto knife or something, which is a pain.

I've never been brave to try the "print and cut" functionality, which might be close to what you're talking about. In theory I could import an image of cardstock, and then set up different layers for printing and cutting, and just do the cutting. But I've never tried it.

[Monica]

I have a bunch of diecuts stored in Avery Elle envelopes. Are you talking larger cutfiles? If so, I'd likely keep them with whatever paper I felt they went with, but probably in a plastic 12x12 folder. When I bought my Cropper Hopper paper holders many years ago, they came with tabbed inserts and folder to use for a page or delicate papers, so that's where my thought went. I don't tend to cut unless I need it thus far, maybe because I do it for specific projects, but I might think about doing that in the future.

[pamcook]

I have the storage notebook I bought with my ScrapRack and store them in 12x12 page protectors. Any 12 x 12 album would work. I don’t keep all that many on hand but it’s nice to flip through them and not have to worry about damaging them.

Wilna has a tutorial, I believe, on printing and cutting with the Silhouette. I’ve done it after an online class years ago. It wasn’t difficult but I couldn’t begin to guess how to do it now!

[pugmom]

I don't have a lot of pre cut die cuts. I pretty much cut them as I need them, but the ones I do have are small and I just keep them in a small box and I usually forget to look through the box when I need one

I, too, am curious about the Scan 'n Cut. I do a lot of fussy cutting by hand and wonder if the Scan 'n Cut is user friendly (it needs to be VERY user friendly for me) or if it would just be an aggravation.

Edited to add...
I didn't realize the Scan 'n Cut was that expensive. I also don't want another machine sitting around. Does anyone use the PixScan feature on the Silhouette machine?

[Keitha]

Years ago when I had my old computer and Silhouette talking to each other, I successfully used the PixScan feature to cut something out. As I recall it was no easier nor more difficult that making a cut file. I didn't do more of it because I was cutting things I printed, so was limited by the size of my printer (not 12x12). Pam, everything I (used to) know about the Silhouette I learned from Wilna, and hopefully still can find those tutorials when I'm ready.