Craft Edge

Hi, I am new here. My name is Liz and I am a Cricut addict. I was given the Cricut Expressions for Christmas by my mom and dad (my dad passed away just before Christmas). I have 31 (embarrassed) cartridges and the Design Studio. I am very curious about SCAL, but a little nervous. Does Cricut "approve" of this software. Not that is really matters, but I guess my concern is if something goes wrong, might I run into problems. Does that make any sense? I also have never heard of Inkscape before, is this required to use the SCAL and how much does the Inkscape program cost? Will I need anything else in order to use SCAL?

Inkscape is a free vector program that allows you to work with various graphic files so they cut well in SCAL. It is not a required program, but does help when you want to work with more than letters and basic shapes.

CraftEdge, creator of SCAL, is a competitor of the Studio Design created by Provo (maker of Cricut). No manufacturer requires the approval of another manufacturer. That said, Provo did come out with a statement saying that any third-party updates to the firmware would void the Cricut warranty. I understand that the Cricut warranty is only 1 year, so when the Cricut is older than 1 year, there is no warranty to void anyway. I took the "risk" because I love, love, love SCAL and all it can do. SCAL makes no hardware change to the Cricut and you can download Cricut's firmware any time, so there is only the hardware moving parts. I think Provo would find a way to NOT cover most all hardware issues anyway, or make it too expensive to make it worthwhile - that's the job of most warranty departments (I have worked on software systems that put in void rules for a warranty company).

HTH but probably confuses!

To use SCAL you need three things: a Cricut, one cartridge (doesn't matter which one), and the updated firmware version from the trial version of Design Studio. (OK, to actually cut your designs you need the blade, the mat and the material you're cutting.) Your computer already has fonts on it, so you can cut those. It's an easy program to use!

I read something that said the machine warranty was only 90 days, so if you got if for Christmas, it's already voided, right? SCAL has not broken my Expression or made it stop cutting with cartridges only (not connected to my computer) or even with my full paid version of Design Studio. I still bought 2 shapes cartridges after purchasing SCAL and might buy more of the new ones in the future. SCAL just gives you tons more options for cutting and designing. It made my Cricut the machine I wanted it to be.

Just purchased my cricut expression and been trying to download the trial version of the design studio from the cricut web site. I have tried several times but no luck at all. I downloaded the one from craft edge but I coudn't open it for it's asking for the firmware. Any suggestions?

Did you try this link to download the cricut trial? http://forums.surecutsalot.com/viewtopi ... mesh#p9303

Where do you go to get detailed info about SCAL and to purchase? Thanks