You know that CPR can literally save a life. Penicillin and other antibiotics revolutionized medicine and saved countless thousands of lives in the past century. In today’s appointment with the Cut Doctor, you are going to learn about Line Segment … [Read more...]
Designer, Designer Plus or Business Edition: How to upgrade your software
Here's a question I get all the time from beginners -- "I bought the Silhouette Studio Designer Edition. How do I get that into my software?" They also ask what to do if they get a new computer and need to install it there. That's our topic today: … [Read more...]
Drawing filled shapes or text: 2 ways to select attributes beforehand
I don't know about you, but I always work with filled shapes. Unfilled shapes are harder to move around, you can't easily see front to back order, and you don't know if you have groupings or compound paths (which makes a HUGE difference when you use … [Read more...]
Cut Doctor: Lesson 8 — Passes
Here we are again! I'm glad you've come back to see the Cut Doctor. You're getting better every day! Today we're going to talk about Passes. If you'll spend just a little time understanding this cut setting, you'll save loads of time in the long … [Read more...]
Right where you want it — how to move a shape precisely
I have to be truthful -- I'm not always super-precise as a crafter. I don't typically find that spending an extra 30 minutes to affect a change of .001% is worth it. If I'm moving my images around on the Design area in the Silhouette Studio software, … [Read more...]
Cut Doctor: Lesson 7 — Force
Are you beginning to feel better about your cut health? The way to continue to grow is step by step -- understanding each of your cut settings and how they affect your material. Today we're going to learn about another key component of that process … [Read more...]
Cut Doctor: Lesson 6 — Speed
Today's visit with the Cut Doctor will be a quick one. That's because we're discussing Speed -- how fast or slow your Silhouette machine moves as it cuts your design. There's not too much go over here, but it's very important. There are some big … [Read more...]
Cut Doctor: Lesson 5 — Blade Number
Yes, the Cut Doctor is in, and she wants to help you improve your cut health today by helping you understand how to use your blade. This is the most basic tool we use in Silhouette machines, but often the most misunderstood. Let's examine exactly … [Read more...]
Cut Doctor: Lesson 4 — Default Cut Settings
I'm so glad you are visiting the doctor's office again today! Your commitment to good cut health is impressive. In today's visit, we're going to talk about the default cut settings. Those are the recommendations the Silhouette Studio software gives … [Read more...]
Cut Doctor: Lesson 3 — Tools
Welcome back to the Cut Doctor's office! In today's visit, I'm going to share some of my tips on tools with you. Understanding your tools and knowing when to use them is critical to good, healthy cuts. Just like with medical terminology, it can be … [Read more...]
How to assemble a Silhouette pen holder
The first time I looked at the Silhouette brand pen holder, I was completely confused. There are 5 different pieces in the package, and the instructions made no sense to me. I had to have someone else show me. So I'm going to return the favor and … [Read more...]
Hack to make sure text around a circle is centered
Today I want to share a quick tip with you about getting text in the right spot when you wrap it around a circle or arc. (If you don't know how to do that, see this post). It's not hard to do, but one thing that I used to struggle with was making … [Read more...]
Cut Doctor: Lesson 2 — Actions
In our first appointment in the Cut Doctor series, we talked about purchasing materials and choosing the right one in the Send area. I also showed you how to create and save your own custom settings. You can find that lesson here. Now we're ready for … [Read more...]
Cut Doctor: Lesson 1 — Materials
One of the most frustrating things with using a Silhouette machine is when you have a great design and materials, but can't seem to get a good cut with them. Maybe it's that the cut doesn't go all the way through your material. Or perhaps it's … [Read more...]
Frugal Friday: Making the most of expensive HTV and vinyl material
As I told you in my first Frugal Friday tip, I hate to throw away scraps of expensive or beautiful material. I like to try to find ways to reuse the bits and pieces whenever I can. That’s certainly the case with any patterned adhesive vinyl or HTV. … [Read more...]