QuicKutz Silhouette

This is the best scrapbooking tool ever! I am not affiliated with this company at all, but recently bought one of these machines and wanted to share my knowledge.

What is it?

The Quickutz Silhouette is a scrapbook cutting tool designed to make cutouts from paper, to make your scrapbooking life easier. You can use any .TTF font you can free on the internet and will never have to pay for cartridges ever again.

You can find a brief overview by clicking on the above photo.


What are the positive and negatives?

Whenever you buy any scrapbooking tool that is this much money, it's a big investment. No one product is perfect for everyone, so as a brief overview here are some benefits and negatives with this tool.

Positive

* It is very easy to set up
* You can use any .TTF font you can find free on the internet. No paying for any contridges ever again
* Since you can cut any font you will never have to hand-cut a title again
* You can design your own files to make your layouts more personal
* Lots of free files are shared online with other users


Negatives

* You need a computer to be able to use it so it's not as portable as other products
* It is a loud machine, not good with a sleeping baby nearby
* It only comes with one sticky mat and they eventually lose their stickiness and need to be replaced

What else does it make?

Anything you can design on a piece of paper or fold using a piece of paper, including scrapbook page designs, text, small boxes, envelopes, or bookmarks. It is a great tool to use for weddings for favour boxes, invitations and more.

Example: This is a small butterfly box I am using at my wedding.

What kind of files does it take? Where can I find free files?

It takes GSD files. Here are some sites that have free files.

The Wish Blading Well
http://www.thewishbladingwell.com/Freebies.html

UKScrappers
http://www.ukscrappers.co.uk/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=200

You need to be a member for 30 days and fill out a form to get access to the files.

MyDieCuts.com
http://www.mydiecuts.com/projects

Time for Crafting
http://www.timeforcrafting.co.uk/templates.html

Craft, le Craft Robo
http://www.scrapmag.info/crafty/index.php


Paperthreads
http://www.paperthreads.com/forum/

Arnolds
http://scrapbooking.arnolds.net.au/forum/index.php


What kind of paper does it cut?

It depends on the thickness but in general it cuts the following:

* Patterned paper
* Cardstock
* Iron-on Transfer paper
* Vinyl
* Manetic Paper
* Wood Paper
* Vellum
* Sticker paper

How does it work?

Here is a video explaining its usage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TAtsMLeStA

Example layouts: