Silhouette Summit 2019 recap and photos

Silhouette Summit wrapped up recently, which is the event Silhouette America holds each year to announce what’s coming in the next year. There are LOTS of new things coming — new machine models, new products and new software features. Here’s a recap with some photos.

New machines

Cameo 4

I’m starting with this, because it’s the most exciting! There are some great features in the new Cameo 4 that will blow your mind! Some are things we’ve been hoping for, others are fantastic new ideas.

A greater force of up to 5000gf. How much is that? WAY more than we have in any current models. The Cameo 3 has 210gf. That means we’ll be able to cut some materials that are more dense and/or thick. The exact number is not set so this is a ballpark estimate.
An overhaul of the tool carriage. There will still be room for 2 tools. The left is as on the Cameo 3, and the right is the one with the increased force. The slot is also larger, but the machine will come with an adapter so you can use any of the current regular blades. You will NOT be able to use the current AutoBlade. The adapter can be used for sketch pens, but they have to be the new type pens that are coming out. Keep reading to find out about some of the new tools.
Faster AutoBlade adjustment.
3mm clearance under the bar instead of the current 2mm. However, since the deep cut blade still only goes to 2mm, you can’t cut materials any thicker than you can with the Cameo 3. It just helps when you’re using thicker materials so they can move in and out of the machine easier. A deeper blade is in the works.
Auto-detection of the inserted tool. The machine will figure out which tool is inserted and send that info to the software.
Faster speed — up to 3 times faster. It’s variable because straight lines cut faster than curves, line segment overcut slows things, etc.
Matless cutting for paper! Say what? Yep — you’ll be able to cut paper WITHOUT a mat. A slot in the machine base at the blade location will allow cardstock and other materials without an adhesive backing to get cut without using a mat. A feature in the cut settings in Silhouette Studio will create small “tabs” that will hold the pieces in place until they are manually punched out (think old-time sticker books). This one is still in development so we don’t have any more details at this point.
Can use a sheet feeder. I believe this one is not integrated into the machine or included with it, but the machine can use it. I’ll give more details below in the section on other products.
An integrated roll feeder for materials like vinyl and HTV that come on a roll. In other words, you wouldn’t have to buy one separately — it’s part of the machine.

Easier roller adjustment. Instead of locking and unlocking, you’ll just press and slide the roller to a new position.
Built-in crosscutter tool (rather than the separate tool that comes with current Cameos).
Back-lit touch panel instead of the touch screen.
The colors are white, pink and black.

The Cameo 3 models have more colors. If you’re longing for a mint or aqua one, grab it up now. You should see Cameo 3 models dropping dramatically in price soon.

A retractable/roll back lid replaces the lift lid. Notice in all my photos you don’t see a lid when you see the roller bar/blade carriage.
If you nickname your machine, currently only the software keeps that info. With Cameo 4 models, the machine itself will store that information. So if, for example, you plug your machine into your friend’s computer and she has hers connected also, you can tell which is which. It will also help in places like schools and businesses.

This machines should be coming out in September 2019 and you’ll begin to see places to pre-order them soon. The expected MSRP is $300.

Cameo 4 Plus (15″)

This is just like the regular Cameo 4, but the Cameo 4 Plus can use materials up to 15″ wide, with roller locations for 9″, 12″ and 15″ rolls of vinyl or HTV. This model also has the integrated roll feeder and comes with at 15″ x 15″ mat. It comes in white only.

The expected release date is early 2020 with the MSRP around $400-450.

Cameo 4 Pro (20″)

Again, this one is like the Cameo 4 but is able to accomodate materials up to 20″ wide, with roller locations for 9″, 12″, 15″ and 20″ rolls. A roll feeder is included, but is a separate piece from the machine. It includes a 15″ x 15″ mat (no 20″ x 20″ at this point). It comes in white only.

Expect to see these beginning in early 2020 with a MSRP around $500-600.

Alta Plus

The Alta is a 3D printer. Alta Plus is the new model coming out next. Here are the features:

A built-in cooling fan, which is a HUGE improvement. That means faster printing because the layers cool more quickly as they are laid down. It also means it’s easier to make more intricate small prints.
The nozzle/print head is redesigned so that it can be removed for cleaning.
The color is gray instead of white.

The Alta Plus should be out in Fall 2019 with an MSRP of $300 (the same as the current Alta).

Heat Press

Silhouette America is coming out with their own heat press. Again, this is still in VERY early development stages so not much is known about it. All this information is subject to change:

It’s a clamshell type. That mean’s the top platen lifts up, as opposed to a swing-away where it moves to the side. That’s good, because it takes up less room.
The top platen is heated. The bottom platen is not but is there so you have a firm surface for the top platen to push against. This is similar to most heat presses.
Here’s what’s different — there’s no locking mechanism. That means you have to hold the top platen down yourself, rather than the heat press locking in place during the press.
The size is 11″ x 16.”
Max temperature is 350°, which should be fine for most HTV.
It includes a small tool that warms up with press. You can use that for things like curves on shoes, small details or areas that aren’t sticking well.

This is slated to arrive in early 2020 with an MSRP of $200.

Wow! That’s a TON of new machine options. There are some great new products coming as well.

New Products

New AutoBlade (for Cameo 4s only) that adjusts more quickly. That means no more waiting around while the machine adjusts the blade click by click. (For a time-saving tip on the current model, see this post). This will be the default blade going forward.
Rotary blade (for Cameo 4s only). This one makes it easier to cut things like fabric without a stabilizer.
Punching tool (for Cameo 4s only). This punches a small hole outside the design so that you can weed vinyl or HTV more easily. It’s a similar function as stipple.
Kraft blade, which was actually announced at last year’s Summit, is for cutting delicate materials more precisely. There will be separate models of this blade for the Cameo 4 and for older machines.
Sheet feeder works like the paper tray on a printer and it’s for Print and Cut projects. This ONLY works with the Cameo 4 and Portrait 2. You would print out sheets with bar codes on them. As the machine pulls in the material, it reads the bar code and so knows which job you’re cutting. This is expected in early 2020 selling for $80.
Crepe paper packs of coordinated colors — leaf, rose and sunset.
Paper flowers starter kit.
The vinyl, glass etching and HTV starter kits will be changed up, probably with new colors and included designs. No details on what will change in that glass etching kit.
Sticker materials — glitter white, iridescent, holographic, holographic dots, brushed metal silver.
New wood sheets (I’m hoping we’ll get these in a larger size).
Printable heat transfer fabric in black, white, red, blue and pink. No details on this yet.
New filament colors for the Alta — orange, sky blue, brown.
Specialty filament types for the Alta — silks in white and pink; metallics in gold, silver and bronze; wood; marble; glow in the dark.
A new design for the sketch pens is on the horizon, but no details or date frame yet.

Software updates

There are fewer software updates coming out to report. That’s because version 4 is still relatively new. The next update, 4.3, is expected to come out some time this summer and will include–

Variable line styles (probably in Designer Edition Plus and up). This one is hard to explain, but it’s cool. You can choose styles for varying the thickness of your lines between the points. That gives your shape more dimension. Something like this:

Custom color palettes — create, save and name your own custom color palettes. This is SUPER helpful when you’re doing a project with a specific set of colors. I have done a hack with making small rectangles and filling them with those colors, then saving them off to the side of the design area and using the eyedropper tool to transfer the colors to my shapes. This makes it much easier.
Recently-used colors for fill and line color. Those will show at the top of the panel for fill/line colors.
The Page Setup panel will include a spot to select which machine you’re using. That then limits your mat and page sizes to what works with that machine. It keeps you from accidentally designing something that won’t work on your machine.
If you have a Graphtec CE-50 Lite, you can use the Silhouette Studio software with it. (If you aren’t aware, Graphtec is the company that originally created the Silhouette machines).

There are other features coming in 4.4 and 4.5, but we’ve been asked not to share those details quite yet. Make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter and I’ll keep you informed! If I am able, I will get more photos at the All Things Silhouette Conference and update this post.

That’s all for now. What are you looking forward to most?