If you have a Cameo 3 or Portrait 2 machine, or are looking with longing at the new models coming in the fall (more on that in an upcoming post), you have the option to use the AutoBlade. While it’s nice that the machine adjusts the blade for you, sometimes it does it unnecessarily and that wastes time. I don’t know about you, but that frustrates me when I’m working on a large project like this one. So I’ve got a quick time-saving tip today.
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When you have AutoBlade as the tool type, the machine resets it before every cut. It clicks it all the way down to 0, back up to 10, and then down to the selected number. That’s not a big deal when you’re just doing 1 cut. But it’s a pain with repeated cuts on the same material. If you’re cutting by line, fill or layer in the current software version, the machine also resets it between each color or layer row. That’s being worked on by the software developers, and the new machine models coming out are supposed to have a 1 click adjustment . But for now…
Set it and forget it
In the project I linked above, I was cutting vinyl — lots and LOTS of vinyl — for several days. Here’s what I did to save time. The first time I sent a cut on any day, I chose AutoBlade as my tool type. (I was transporting my machines to the job site each day, and the blade can get out of adjustment when moved like that. So I was careful to check that each day with a small test cut). That set it to the right number for vinyl.
On the next cut, and for every cut thereafter that day, I chose Ratchet Blade. That means I didn’t waste time with the machine resetting the blade each time to the same number it was already on. That may not seem like a big deal, but when you’re trying to finish things quickly the small time savers add up.
Machine and AutoBlade longevity
It also saves your machine and blade because each time it has to do something mechanical like that, it wears out a little more. That also adds up over time. It’s like my car. I have seat heaters that I LOVE since I live in a cold winter climate in Utah. If someone is riding with me, I make sure they know they can turn on the seat heater in the passenger seat. But when I’m driving alone, I turn it off so the parts will last longer. That’s a feature on my car I want to have always working well.
That’s it! I hope this tip saves you some time and helps your machine and blade last longer. (But when you need more — you can find them here, along with a trial membership here on my site).
I would have never thought of this trick. So good to know. Thanks, Cindy.
You are very welcome :). Sometimes the smallest tips are the most helpful.
Cindy, so you kept your auto blade in the left slot, but selected Ratchet blade in the send panel, correct?
Correct. The Cameo 3 and Portrait 2 do not actually know which blade you have in the machine — they just go by what you select in the Send area. The Cameo 4 is supposed to both read the tool you have inserted and have an AutoBlade that adjusts more quickly. There’s a recap of the features of the new machine in — this post. I believe the software developers are also working on if you are cutting by line, fill or layer, having it not have to adjust between rows with the same blade number.
Your awesome, thanks for the tip.
Happy to help! Every little bit of time saved adds up.
I had to do this on a whim as the self adjusting blade would adjust itself to 0 and not go back up again. So I manually put it on 3 and changed the settings so it wouldn’t set it back to 0.
Great advice you’ve given!
I have heard of folks who have that issue with autoblades sometimes, although it has not happened to me (yet). So glad you found this helpful!
OMG this just saved me so much time. I just did a google search for this exact issue and how to circumvent it. I cut hundreds of sheets of die-cut address labels, and every time I load a sheet, I have to listen and wait for all the clicking of the auto adjusting, even though it’s the same setting every time! I can’t believe I didn’t figure this out sooner! THANK YOU!
Jodi– Right? I will admit I had been working on a large project for about half a day before I thought of it. It did save me a TON of time! This trick only works on a Cameo 3 or Portrait 2. The newer models have an auto-detect system for which tool is inserted so you can’t use this trick.