To all Cricut Expression users PLEASE HELP

[tamibooher]

I am looking for help on a decision. I have a Cricut Expression and the Design Studio (don't how to use this program) to use with it. My question is...Should I buy the Sure Cuts A Lot? I ask because I hear people talk about cutting fonts and shapes with the cuts a lot but what I want to know is, does it cut anything from PC Crafter? How does it cut things that have shading in it? Does Sure Cuts A Lot cut out things just like the Cricut does with the cartridges where if you want something another color, you have to change the paper?

Can anyone tell me how to use the Design Studio? Does the Design Studio and Sure Cuts A Lot do the same thing? Please tell me the difference. If the Cuts A Lot does what I want it to then I could buy that. Any info would be greatly appreciated

[firstcut]

Any cutter can only cut outlines, so there is no way to do shading without changing the paper color, regardless of software. SCAL is completely separate from CDS though the interfaces are somewhat similar. You can not cut designs from the cartridges with SCAL. If you have found CDS too difficult, then you may have problems with SCAL, too, but I recommend you try out the trial version of SCAL to see how you like it. Also see scrappingtable.com for some great videos.

[tamibooher]

Thanks Kay

I'm going to try the trial version.

Tami

[HeatherM]

Does Sure Cuts A Lot cut out things just like the Cricut does with the cartridges where if you want something another color, you have to change the paper?

With SCAL you can put as many colors on your mat as you have room, so how many times you need to load your mat depends on the size of the pieces and number of colors you are using. I have the baby bug, and I usually only need 1 or sometimes 2 mats to cut all the pieces for my projects.

[firstcut]

Hether's is a great tip and you can use it whether you are using SCAL, CDS or just cartridges.

[zellko]

I love, love, love my Sure Cuts Alot. I bought my Cricut and SCAL on the same day, so didn't waste any $$ on carts. With the video on ScrappingTable.com it was easy to get set up. It does work a little differently than the Cricut with carts, but not much. The money savings and freedom is amazing. There are so many great dingbat (picture) fonts available that anything you can dream you can usually find in a free font. (directions on installing fonts are also available at Scrapping Table. Then there's the amazing selection of shared (free) files for cutting with SCAL. There's always someone to help with any questions on forums like this one. Have fun!

[TOASTER]

I have Design Studio and SCAL. When I first got DS I couldn't believe how hard and NOT user friendly it was. I watched video tutorials and read tutorials that other members posted and soon found out how to use it. It wasn't as bad as it looked. It just needed a better set of instructions that Provo Craft did not include. I waited a while before getting SCAL and after DS I knew the basics. I just decided to try my hand at Inkscape and now I see what the hub bub is all about. I have again looked at tutorials for it and found it has so many things it can do it is amazing. So my advice is look at all the tutorials you can. It may take a little time but you will be glad you did when you start to use these programs. HTH