Pledge Drive - Silhouette Cameo 3 vinyl/card cutter

[Froggy]

Hi all,

After seeing the results from a friend who's bought one, I think the space should pick up a Silhouette Cameo cutter: https://www.silhouetteamerica.com/shop/machines/cameo

The machine can cut vinyl, cardstock, fabric, paper, etc, up to 2mm thick, and supports a whole bunch of stuff like automatic blade adjustment and alignment keys to make the process super easy. I've seen these produce items like layered christmas cards and even stickers (by printing the sticker sheet, then aligning so the cameo cuts them out).

We can pick it up with a pack of materials from MDP for £285 here: http://www.mdpsupplies.co.uk/silhouette-cameo-3-packb.asp

A pledge drive page has been opened up here: https://wiki.nottinghack.org.uk/wiki/Cameo_Pledge

I'm currently thinking this will replace the aging Roland vinyl cutter, which currently needs a serial cable. The cameo has a slightly wider cutting bed, but doesn't require strange drivers and old software to connect to, which in my eyes is a major upgrade.

If you'd like to pledge, please comment here and update the Wiki page too! If you don't know how to update the wiki, just ask.

Thanks,

Froggy

[Sam Kelly]

That looks shiny! Will it work with open source software, ie. can I design something in Inkscape and send it over with no more faff than the laser needs?

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[Froggy]

As far as I'm aware it does allow you to open SVG files: https://www.silhouetteamerica.com/printer-friendly/faq/svg-file-capability-designer-edition

There's also a bunch of tutorials on going straight out of Inkscape too, but I think at first we'll have a setup like the laser/embroiderer where there's a PC with the right software installed.

On Monday, 4 September 2017 12:48:50 UTC+1, Somhairle Kelly wrote:

That looks shiny! Will it work with open source software, ie. can I design something in Inkscape and send it over with no more faff than the laser needs?

[Kate Bolin]

So in.  So in because it takes rolls of paper and I totally think we should decorate the hell out of the space using that fax paper we have sitting in the craft room.

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www.katebolin.com

[Sam Kelly]

Definitely in, in that case!

[social justice flash gordon]

 Looks like there's an inkscape plugin for it: https://blog.philippklaus.de/2015/12/silhouette-cameo-2, and various other tools.

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[Arthur Moore]

Hi Froggy,

I see that this works with both rolls and cut sheets, but only the small mat (12 x 12") is included for sheet material.  How much would it cost to add the mat to make it capable of cutting 12" x 24" sheets?

Also the ones that I have seen have the ability to choose cutting depth depending on the colour on your drawing, so you can do shallow (engraved) lines and then deeper cut lines.  Will the Cameo do that?

Thanks,

Arthur

[Froggy]

Looks like the 12x24 mat is £20, so we can definitely include that as an extra.

As for the varying depth, this blog suggests that you can: http://the-lilypad.com/cutting-stickers-with-your-silhouette/

[Arthur Moore]

Thanks Froggy,

Thanks for the info.

I will add my name to the pledge as this would be a great addition to the Space.

Will we get the basic free Studio Software (BMP. JPG, DXF import), or the $50 designer edition (to directly import .svg files)?

Arthur

On 4 September 2017 at 19:27, Froggy <frogg...@gmail.com> wrote:

Looks like the 12x24 mat is £20, so we can definitely include that as an extra.

As for the varying depth, this blog suggests that you can: http://the-lilypad.com/cutting-stickers-with-your-silhouette/

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[Arthur Moore]

HOW TO PLEDGE???

Afraid I cannot see how to Pledge?  I followed Froggy's link 

https://wiki.nottinghack.org.uk/wiki/Cameo_Pledge

and I can see the £80 already pledged, but I cannot see how to add my pledge for £20.

I looked on HMS, but could not see how to do it there either.

Advice please.

Arthur 

[James Hayward]

Hi Arthur

When you get to the page you need to log in.  The link is in the top-right hand corner and uses the same username and password as you use for HMS.

Once you are logged in there will be an "edit" tab at the top of the page.  Click this and then look how the pledge table is formatted.  I tend to just copy someone else's line and edit the data!

J

On Monday, 4 September 2017 12:48:50 UTC+1, Somhairle Kelly wrote:

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[Arthur Moore]

I seem to have totally ***!!?** that up.

I seem to have deleted someone elses Pledge by adding mine.

I am pretty sure that Kelly had pledged and there was £80 in the pledge before I added my name, so it should now be up to £100.

Sorry everyone for messing this up.

Arthur

[Froggy]

Hey Arthur,

Looks like it'd be £20 to upgrade - the basic version does a good job of setting lines with jpg and png images, but as we already have a vector toolchain for the laser, it would be worth the upgrade for us I think.

On Tuesday, 5 September 2017 09:59:58 UTC+1, Arthur Moore wrote:

Thanks Froggy,

Thanks for the info.

I will add my name to the pledge as this would be a great addition to the Space.

Will we get the basic free Studio Software (BMP. JPG, DXF import), or the $50 designer edition (to directly import .svg files)?

Arthur

[Froggy]

I've fixed it, thankyou for the pledge!

[Arthur Moore]

Thanks Froggy,

Sorry to have messed up and great news that you are organising this.

Arthur

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[Froggy]

We've now hit £120, which is just under half of the cost of the machine! 

Thanks to everyone who's pledged, it is most appreciated. For anyone else who might want to jump in, please do! All pledges help, no matter how much they are.

[Betty Ching]

I do have a Cricut, if anyone fancy to test it first, I could bring it in next Tuesday!

https://home.cricut.com

[Betty Ching]

I think Cameo can cut continue sheet, =)

[Marky Domleo]

I will pledge £20 

But I can't log in forgot my user name & password

   *doh*

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[Ian Dickinson]

Hi Mark,

I've added your pledge to the wiki.
The wiki uses the same password as HMS and can be reset via HMS.

Regards,
Ian

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[Marky Domleo]

Thanks Ian 

That worked 

[Froggy]

Hey all, we're now only £40 away from the target!

I'd love to get this ordered this week, so if you know anyone on the fence then let them know every pledge is a help, no matter how much.

Thanks to all those who've helped out so far, I'm looking forward to seeing what we make with our new tool :D

[Froggy]

Good news everyone!
The Trustees agreed to add in the extra cash so we could get the extra bits, and I've just ordered the following:

• Cameo
• Studio upgrade
• Larger cutting mat
• Pixscan mat (so you can use your phone to align cuts in the studio)

If you could please pay your pledges to the bank account (same details as your standing order) with the reference: HSCAMEOXX where XX is your initials, eg for me it would be HSCAMEOAF.

Mark up on the wiki when it's sent, and the machine will be coming to the space sometime this weekend, all going to plan!

On Monday, 4 September 2017 12:32:46 UTC+1, Froggy wrote:

[Arthur Moore]

Great news.

Thank you for organising this.

I have made my £20 payment ref: HSCAMEOAM

All the best

Arthur

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[Arthur Moore]

Depending when it arrives, if you want any help unpacking / setting it up I am happy to come along Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

Just let me know when to come.

Arthur

[Marky Domleo]

HSCAMEOXXMD

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[Froggy]

Cameo and all the bits have arrived! Including the 12x24 mat, which was posted in a box about ten times its size.

I'll be bringing everything in tomorrow to set it up, will update here and wiki with the how to guide once it's all set and going.

Thanks for those who've paid up so far.

[Arthur Moore]

Hi Froggy,

Would you prefer to be left in peace to work on the Cameo on your own, or do you want any help?

If help, then let me know what time Tuesday?.  I am free all day, but it would be after 10:15 so i can use my bus pass.

Thanks again for organising this.

Arthur 

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[Arthur Moore]

Hi Froggy,

I have been playing with the Cameo software (free download) this weekend and also talking to a friend who has had the same machine for a long time.

He gave me a few tips which might prove useful for the wiki-guide (hope I am not saying things you already know or for which you have better experience).

- On the driver software, as default the scale is inches not millimetres and needs to be set according to your drawing.

- When you import drawings you need to make sure that the import is As-Is, or Centred.  The default is Fit which re-scales the object to fit the page.

- If you are importing a DXF file then you cannot use layers.  If you import a drawing with layers 0 (black), Green, Red.. then it will be flattened to be black.    If you move everything to layer 0 and change the colour of the individual elements then it imports correctly and this allows you to further manipulate the elements in the Cameo.

- Not sure if there is a standard for colours, but a common one seems to be Red for cut, Green for score lines and Blue for very shallow 'witness marks'.

- The Cameo will cut through 10mm plasticard, but will not cut 20mm plasticard.  You can score 20mm plasticard half way through and then break it out on the score lines.

- For thicker, harder materials like plasticard it is better to start off with lighter cuts and work down to a deep cut, rather than making the machine work hard trying to cut deep first time.  The light cut also seems to guide the cutter on the deeper cuts.  My friend said that for 10mm plasticard he uses a speed of 5 and pressure of 1 for all layers (blue, green and red), cuts again with pressures 3 and 5 for green and red layers and then cut at 7 and 10 for the red layer only.

It takes more time, but saves thrashing the machine.

Hope that is of some help.

Best wishes

Arthur 

On 18 September 2017 at 07:56, Froggy <frogg...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Froggy]

Hey Arthur,

That's all super handy, thanks for putting it together! Once I've created the wiki page I'll copy it all in as part of the guide/tips.

Tomorrow is mostly going to be just the boring stuff like placement and setting a computer for it, so don't worry about coming in for that. Once it's up though its all yours to play around with, if you want to rough out a mini user guide? Just the basics of how to, then we can have tips and such afterwards, bit like how the laser page is.

On Monday, 18 September 2017 09:23:26 UTC+1, Arthur Moore wrote:

Hi Froggy,

I have been playing with the Cameo software (free download) this weekend and also talking to a friend who has had the same machine for a long time.

He gave me a few tips which might prove useful for the wiki-guide (hope I am not saying things you already know or for which you have better experience).

- On the driver software, as default the scale is inches not millimetres and needs to be set according to your drawing.

- When you import drawings you need to make sure that the import is As-Is, or Centred.  The default is Fit which re-scales the object to fit the page.

- If you are importing a DXF file then you cannot use layers.  If you import a drawing with layers 0 (black), Green, Red.. then it will be flattened to be black.    If you move everything to layer 0 and change the colour of the individual elements then it imports correctly and this allows you to further manipulate the elements in the Cameo.

- Not sure if there is a standard for colours, but a common one seems to be Red for cut, Green for score lines and Blue for very shallow 'witness marks'.

- The Cameo will cut through 10mm plasticard, but will not cut 20mm plasticard.  You can score 20mm plasticard half way through and then break it out on the score lines.

- For thicker, harder materials like plasticard it is better to start off with lighter cuts and work down to a deep cut, rather than making the machine work hard trying to cut deep first time.  The light cut also seems to guide the cutter on the deeper cuts.  My friend said that for 10mm plasticard he uses a speed of 5 and pressure of 1 for all layers (blue, green and red), cuts again with pressures 3 and 5 for green and red layers and then cut at 7 and 10 for the red layer only.

It takes more time, but saves thrashing the machine.

Hope that is of some help.

Best wishes

Arthur 

[Arthur Moore]

Hi Froggy,

I'll read through the book on the actual cutter and then have a go at putting some notes together.

Arthur

[Froggy]

Cameo is now in the space, having replaced the Roland in the blue room. Still needs a little tweaking, however I have GOOD NEWS EVERYONE.

The Studio is completely free to download (https://www.silhouetteamerica.com/software) and it can import .dxf files. So even without the upgrade, which will go on Fay in the blue room, you can get designing in Inkscape and just import it. Also I'll be installing Cameo Link, so you can submit jobs from your own laptop to the Cameo by just being on the same network.

Will be tinkering tomorrow evening when I get chance.

[Arthur Moore]

Thanks Froggy,

There is a manual to go with the free software at:

https://cdn.silhouetteamerica.com/m/d/manual_silhouette-studio_v5.pdf

and the actual cutter manual can be donwloaded at:

http://cdn.silhouetteamerica.com/m/d/CAMEO2_ENG.PDF

Arthur

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[Arthur Moore]

Hello Froggy,

Will you be in the space anytime soon?  I looked in the blue room, but having never used the computers in there I did not want to just start messing around (and messing something up) so I did not use the Cameo.  

Thanks, Arthur

On 19 September 2017 at 20:22, Froggy <frogg...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Alex Price]

Will this device require an induction?,

Alex

[Arthur Moore]

Hi Alex,

I am not sure that we need a formal induction process, but the hardware and software manuals are quite long and could do with shortening to some brief notes on the Wiki.  

It was late and rather tired on Friday, but I could not even see how to run up the computer and monitor in the blue room and I do not like to fiddle with things I have never used.

Also there are a few basic guidelines needed.  We need to make sure users set the blade correctly for the material, or they will ruin the adhesive mat in a fairly short time.  Also you need to clean the blade of dust most times after you use it, or it will not cut properly.  So I think we need to do some notes before it goes into general use.

I am happy to try to hack the official manuals into something shorter for the Wiki, but I need to try the machine out myself first and really need Froggy to give me (and anyone else who contributed and wants to come along) a heads up on how to use it.
Arthur

[Alex Price]

That approach sounds reasonable, prevents damage and keeps users happy,

Alex

[Skag]

Hi, I'm new to the group. 

I'd like to donate to help purchase this vinyl cutter.

How do I go about it? What bank details do I send the money to?

Thanks in advance!

[Arthur Moore]

When i donated I went to this link:

https://wiki.nottinghack.org.uk/wiki/Cameo_Pledge

Log in to Hackspace at the box top right

Go down to where it says <List of Pledges {edit}>

Click on Edit

Copy someone else's pledge to a new line and amend it to show your name

Click on <Show preview> at the bottom of the page to check you have entered your details correctly and not changed someone else's pledge

<Save page>

Hope that helps,

Arthur

[Skag]

Thank you Arthur 👍

[social justice flash gordon]

Not that you still can't donate some money (we like money!), but just so you know, we've already purchased the vinyl cutter.

[Arthur Moore]

I have now had a chance to try out the Cameo, which worked fine on a small test piece. 

At the moment the mat is very sticky, so it is very difficult to get thin paper off the mat.  It will get easier with time.

Bring a scalpel to lift off your cut work without damaging it.  A small plastic scraper is also useful to pick off bits of scrap material which are stuck to the mat.

 

These are my own notes on how to use the Cameo and I hope they might be of use to others.

 

Switch on the computer which is a couple of metres to the left of the Cameo cutter in the corner of the Blue Room.

Password is on the top of the computer – lower case.

Double click on the Silhouette software.

 

Go to edit > Preferences >

Check that <General> is set to mm

Make sure <Import> is set to Centred for your file format.

Apply > OK

This will make sure that your drawing stays the same scale as you drew it, rather than re-sizing it to fit the mat.

 

if you are using a memory stick to download your drawings, put it in one of the USB slots at bottom of PC. 

File > Open >

Silhouette accepts dxf / gsd / svg formats.

 

File > Select all.

Now click in the middle of the box which has appeared around your drawing and you will be able to drag your drawing to one corner of the work area.

 

Switch on Cameo (button on right hand side), making sure power socket is on.

Peel protective cover off the sticky mat.  Put your paper or card on the mat.  Load the mat up with the rollers.

Using the screen on the Cameo cutter press LOAD to load the mat and media.

 

On the computer SEND the drawing to the cutter.

A new screen will now appear enabling you to set the cut settings, such as

Ø  Type of material

Ø  Action  (type of cut)

The cutter has a knife which automatically sets to the correct depth and speed, provided you have selected the correct material.  It sounds a bit odd as it taps up and down a few times to change the depth, but that is normal.

 

I have not yet tried to use different colours – for example for a shallow cut to have a score line instead of a cut.

 

If the computer says no connection when you click SEND, make sure the USB lead is plugged in both ends.  It was unplugged from the Cameo when I used the system.

 

When you have finished, unload work.  Carefully peel off your work and clean up the sticky mat. 

Put the protective sheet back on mat and put back in its bag.

Hope that is of help,

Arthur