It’s an exciting day! You’ve got your software and materials ready to go so it’s finally time to set up your machine. I’m going to walk you through each step of unboxing everything and getting ready to cut.

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What’s in the box

Cords

There are 2 cords in the box. These are the same for all machines and therefore interchangeable. That means if you can’t find your Cameo 3 power cord you can use the one from your Curio, etc.

USB cord — Use this to connect your machine to your computer. This is a fairly standard cord similar to a USB printer cord. Specifically, it’s a male to male USB 2.0 cable with one A-type connection and one B-type.

Power cable – This is less generic than the USB cord. There are 2 cords that plug into the adapter (the white box in the package with the cord). Make sure you have the cord fully inserted into the adapter.

If you need to replace this one, I strongly suggest getting one from Silhouette America. In a pinch, you can sometimes find another cord that works if you have a project to get done right away and the dog ate your cord. Here are the specs:

Adapter (the box in the middle of the cord) —

Input: 100-240V~ 50/60Hz, 1.2A

Output: +24V – 2.0A (or as low as 1.25A will also work)

Output polarity: positive center

Cord —

Figure 8 cord end (Type A)

For now, go ahead and plug in the power cord but not the USB cord.

Tools

Which tools are included will vary depending on which machine you get. If you purchased a bundle, you may receive extra tools. But here’s what’s in every box:

Crosscutter (Cameo 2 and 3) – This allows you to slice off a completed project from a roll of vinyl or HTV while it’s still in your machine. That means you can weed that section while the next job is being cut and you don’t have to keep loading and unloading the vinyl. You use this when cutting without the mat.

Auto-blade (Cameo 3 only) – the self-adjusting blade. This can only be used in the left tool-holder.

Ratchet blade (all machines besides Cameo 3) – the blade you adjust yourself with the hole in the machine or the tool included with the Cameo 3. The gray piece in the package with the blade is something you can toss. It’s an adjuster for the blade, but since there’s one on the machine you don’t need it. It’s included for folks with REALLY old machines (prior to the Portrait and Cameo) that don’t have the hole in the platform to adjust the blade.

The Bluetooth removal tool (Cameo 3 only) – Since this isn’t a great name for this tool, lots of folks have no clue what it is.

This tool has 3 uses—

The hole on the end is the most useful part. This helps you unscrew the cap on the end of the blade, which allows you to clean out around the blade. You want to do this periodically, particularly when cutting tiny pieces.

The hole in the middle is for adjusting a ratchet blade. However, there’s a hole right on the machine to do that so you really don’t need it. I’ll still show you how to do it just to satisfy your curiosity.

The prongs on the end are the things that perplex folks the most. This is for helping to remove the Bluetooth adapter when necessary. The prongs help you pry it out ‘cuz it’s tricky otherwise.

Cutting mat

The adhesive cutting mat is what you use for cutting any material that does not have its own adhesive backing. You can cut a material like vinyl or HTV without a mat on any machine except the Curio. I’ll teach you the tricks for that. The size of the mat depends on which machine you have. The blue paper is a removable cover – don’t throw it away.

Paperwork

Registration information –You register your machine on the Silhouette America website. However, you might want to keep this for the back side of the page, which has the warranty information. You can also find the warranty info on the website here.

Safety precautions – Ya, don’t use your machine in the bathtub. Duh. This is one of those things they are required by law to include but which you don’t really need unless you have absolutely no common sense.

Trial subscription/1 month free card — This gets you $25 worth of any shapes you want in the design store.

Cameo 3 machines don’t come with a physical card anymore. You just get a code emailed to you when you register the machine (see below).

Keep this somewhere you can find it, but don’t apply it to your Silhouette Design Store account yet. Once you do, you have to use it up within 30 days. I recommend waiting until you learn a little more about your machine so you know more what you want. It’s also a good idea to wait for a sale.

User guide – Don’t expect a lot of detail here. I’ve gotten more detail on a box of cereal. Ya, just keep reading my tutorials. There is a new Silhouette Handbook available, but if you read my posts you won’t need it.

Software CD (machines prior to Cameo 3) — Some machines may still come with this in the box. You can toss that, as you want to always use the most recent update and you can get that on the Silhouette America website. For more info on downloading and installing the software, see this post.

The machine

Let’s take a look at the machine itself. Don’t plug the machine in or turn it on quite yet. Let’s just get to know where everything is. I’m going to go over primarily the Cameo 3 in this post, but older Cameos will be similar. I’ll point out a few crucial differences as we go along. You can always comment below if you have questions.

Outer right side of machine

The power button – self-explanatory.

USB slot (SD on a Cameo 1) – to cut a project without being connected to your computer with the USB cord.

Cord plugs for both the USB and power cords.

Outer back of machine

Serial number — On the back side of the machine, on the right, will be a little sticker with a bar code. That’s your machine serial number, which you’ll need in order to register the machine. You may also be able to find the serial number on the box for your machine.

If you haven’t yet registered your machine, do it now. You’ll need an account with Silhouette first, so see this post if you haven’t set one up. To register, go to the Silhouette America website here for Cameo 3 or here for Cameo 2. It’s step 1.

Once you register, if it’s a Cameo 3 you’ll get an email with the code for your 1 month trial subscription to the Silhouette Design Store that I showed you above. Make sure to keep that, but don’t apply the code yet. It’s only good for 30 days so I recommend waiting until you have some more experience with designs and what to look for. That and waiting for a sale will get you more bang for your buck.

Crosscutter — The Cameo 2 and 3 have a crosscutter in the back. It’s a groove that the cross cutter tool slides along. I’ll show you how to use this when we start cutting vinyl without a mat.

Bluetooth drawer (Cameo 3 only)

If you have a Cameo 3, make sure your machine is turned off and then flip it over. You’ll see a small drawer with a screw.

That’s where your Bluetooth dongle lives. If you ever need to change it out, you open the compartment and use your Bluetooth removal tool to remove the dongle. Ya, you probably won’t ever need to do this.

Now let’s lift the lid and look around.

Tape and foam

First, make sure to remove ALL packing tape and foam pieces.

Be very careful when looking for the foamy pieces – they hide behind the roller bar in dark corners like a creepy cat. When the machine is off, you can safely move the motor box back and forth. That will help you look for those.

The front platform

The arrows and line on the left indicate where you place the left edge of your mat or material when loading it into the machine. That makes sure it is gripped correctly by the rollers.

The arrows toward the right end of the platform indicate where the grooves in the roller bar are. There are 4 grooves for 4 different right roller locations. We’ll discuss these more in detail later. On a Cameo 1, the arrows and line are the same color as the platform so harder to see. Just know they are there.

The hole on the left side is your ratchet blade adjuster. I’ll show you how to adjust the blade when we make the first cut.

Storage

The holes on the left of a Cameo 3 are for storing blades. If you remove the cap from a sketch pen, you can put it there as well. The cap can fit below.

Blade storage drawer (Cameo 2 only) — Look on the outside left of the machine if you have a Cameo 2. There’s a little drawer there for storing blades of pens. Some folks don’t find that for years.

Front storage drawer (Cameo 3 only) —The Cameo 3 has a slide-out storage drawer in the front of the platform. Slide the drawer out and you’ll see 2 compartments. The one on the left can store things like weeding tools or the spatula tool. The one on the right can hold your cross cutter and Bluetooth removal tool.

The drawer also has pull out supports for your mat. Lift and extend the 3 levers. If you are cutting a heavier material, this gives your mat more support.

Motor box

This is where the motor is housed. It holds the blades or other tools and moves back and forth as you cut. On a Cameo 3, there are 2 tool holders. The one on the left has a red circle and the one on the right has a blue one. This will make more sense as we begin to cut. For now, you just need to know that the Auto-blade can only be used in the left tool holder. Any other blade or tool can go in either holder.

On a Cameo 1 or 2, there’s only 1 tool holder and the locking mechanism is a bit different.

When we’re ready to make the first cut, I’ll show you how to properly adjust and load a blade.

There’s one more thing to check on your motor box. The top portion can be removed. You VERY rarely need to do this, so don’t mess with it. Just check to make sure that portion is fully engaged and aligned. If it’s shifted slightly or popping up, it can cause cutting issues.

Round silver bar

The motor box runs along a round silver metal bar. If grease or dust builds up here, clean it gently with a cotton swab.

Black band

Behind the motor box is a black, serrated band. That’s the belt that moves the motor left and right.

Data ribbon

On a Cameo 1 or 2, you will also see a white, wavy ribbon with blue writing on it. It’s enclosed on the Cameo 3 so not visible. That’s the data ribbon. It carries the information from the brain to the motor. I just mention that because I once had a lady who had cut that, thinking it was packing tape. EEK! I also mention it because it’s supposed to be wavy and that freaks some folks out.

Roller bar

The front roller bar controls the mat or material – it holds it and moves it in and out.

Outside rollers — The rollers at the outside hold the mat or material. The have a very tight grip because of the tension on them and the secondary roller bar underneath the first. The roller on the left does not move along the bar. You move the roller on the right in when you want to cut without a mat or cut on a smaller mat. We’ll go into that more later as we do some of our beginner projects. Trust me — don’t move it yet.

Here’s what they look like on a Cameo 2–

And on a Cameo 3–

The roller bar lock lever is above the right white roller. You only need to unlock the bar with this when you need to move that right white roller.

Spring or rubber rollers — The rubber or spring rollers in the middle help hold the material down as it’s cut, but are really just a back-up measure. The stickiness of the mat or the backing paper on an adhesive material is what should hold the material and cut pieces in place. On a Cameo 1, they are rubber. On a Cameo 2, they are springs, which make less of an indention on delicate materials. These do NOT move left and right.

On a Cameo 3, they are a combination of plastic and springs and they do slide along the roller bar. If you are cutting a delicate material like metal clay, you can move these so that they don’t make indentions in the material.

Grooves — Notice there are grooves in the roller bar. These will become important when we start to cut without the mat or use a smaller mat.

The cutting strip

Peek behind the roller bar and look for a long white (black on Cameo 1) strip that looks like tape. That’s your cutting strip. When the blade drops and is cutting, this area provides the resistance. This is the only part of the machine itself that may occasionally need to be replaced, particularly if you cut without the mat frequently. Grooves here are normal. Deep grooves or gouges indicate it’s time to replace it so you get even pressure on the blade. You won’t need to for quite a while, so just tuck this tidbit away in your brain.

Flat bar

This helps keep a material from popping up and catching the motor box if for some reason the mat or backing isn’t holding it securely. It’s white plastic on a Cameo 3…

…and silver metal on earlier models.

LCD screen

Let’s go ahead and turn the machine on so we can look at the LCD screen. You’ll make changes to some settings and load your material using the touchscreen. Since the screens are different on a Cameo 2 and 3, I’ll talk through each one separately. The Cameo 1 has buttons instead of a touch screen, although there is a small screen just to show you what your current choices are.

Cameo 2

The first thing to know if that this touch screen is NOT like the one on your smart phone. Here are some tips:

It responds to touch, not heat. A stylus (like the wrong end of pen) works better than your finger.
It may respond more slowly than you expect. Lots of people have ruined their machines by pressing too hard, thinking the machine wasn’t sensing their click. Or they think their touch screen isn’t working because they are clicking fast and not waiting for the machine to respond. Be patient.
The back arrow at the bottom takes you back to the previous screen.

When you first turn on the screen, you’ll see 3 options–

Load cut mat

Load media

Unload

We’ll talk through each of those as we begin to cut.

Notice the gear in the upper right corner. That helps you access your preferences. Let’s look in that area.

Language – to set up your preferred language.

Color scheme – to toggle through 3 color choices for your LCD screen.

Sleep mode – to have the machine turn itself off after a set period of time. You can set it OFF, which means it never goes to sleep, or set it in 5 minute increments up to 30 minutes. It doesn’t hurt to keep the machine on even when you aren’t using it for a bit, but you can set this up if you like. FYI — the machine only goes to sleep when there is not an active connection to the software.

Help icons – to toggle off and on little icons that help you during the cut job. For instance, on the home screen it would show a “?” next to Load cut mat and Load media. Clicking the “?” would give you tips on how to load correctly.

Tutorial – A series of pictures and text that show you how to adjust the rollers and how to load the mat. Not really much in here.

About – This you DEFINITELY need to visit. We’re going to talk about firmware in the next lesson, and this is where you find the number of the firmware version currently installed on your machine. This is not the same as the software version, which is on your computer. You’ll see 2 numbers here, an INT and EXT version number. Both are important.

Cameo 3

The touchscreen for a Cameo 3 is better than on the 2, but it’s still not going to be just like your smartphone. Let me repeat the info to keep in mind.

It responds to touch, not heat. Use a stylus (like the wrong end of pen) instead of your finger.
It may respond more slowly than you expect. Lots of people have ruined their machines by pressing too hard, thinking the machine wasn’t sensing their click. Or they think their touch screen isn’t working because they are clicking fast and not waiting for the machine to respond. Be patient.
The back arrow at the bottom takes you back to the previous screen.

The first time you turn on the screen, you’ll be prompted to select your language and then be given the option to view tutorials. You can skip the latter.

After that, you’ll see the normal welcome screen each time with 3 parts–

Load – we’ll go over this later.

Unload – again, later.

Preferences (the gear in the upper right). Let’s look through some of those. Be sure to notice the arrows at top and bottom. Those take you to additional items in the menu of choices.

Language – to set up your preferred language.

Theme – to toggle through 3 colors for your LCD screen.

Tutorials – Simple text and pictures to show you how to load material and blade, adjust the blade and roller bar and how to cut from a USB stick. We will go over all this.

Bluetooth – to enable or disable your Bluetooth connection. I’ll show you how to do this later. It’s better to start with the machine connected directly to your computer.

Job Summary – to turn on or off the job summary that shows up after a job is complete. The job summary tells you how long it took to complete the cut.

Sounds – to turn on or off the sounds that happen when you click something on the machine screen. I recommend keeping them on, as it helps to know if the machine caught your click.

Help icons — to toggle off and on little icons that help you during the cut job. For instance, on the home screen it would show a “?” next to Load cut mat and Load media. Clicking the “?” would give you tips on how to load correctly.

Firmware – This you DEFINITELY need to visit. We’re going to talk about firmware in the next lesson, and this is where you find the number of the firmware version currently installed on your machine. This is not the same as the software version, which is on your computer. You’ll see 2 numbers here, an INT and EXT version number. Both are important.

Up next

Now that you know where things are on your machine, you want to check your firmware version against the Silhouette America website and update it as needed. That’s in the next lesson.

To start with lesson 1 of the Before You Begin series, go here.