Sizzix, Wishblade, Cricut, Xyron??

[carolinagirl]

I have a question for the Wishblabe owners... Can you cut your words out in one piece or just individual letters? The Cricut cuts individual letters unless a saying is programed on the cartridge. I want to be able to cut my titles out by word, not letter.

Linda

I do not currently own a Wishblade, I just ordered a Craftrobo today (which is basically the same machine but distributed by a different company).

When researching which one to purchase it became my understanding that the Wishblade/Craftrobo does have the ability to cut letters/words that have been "merged". But the software that is included with the Wishblade does not allow you to merge the letters together.

The trick is getting the software to be able to actually merge the letters/words together. You can either purchase a software package such a Pazzles software which apparently make the process pretty easy, or there is free downloadable software that is available, but will require 2-3 steps to create the appropriate file for the Wishblade to cut from.

So, yes, the Wishblade can do it. You just have to have the right software to create the file for the Wishblade to cut from.

Clear as mud????

 

[Mickey's old friend]

Thanks Kim. That's good to know. I think I will consider the Wishblade or Craftrobo in the future.

Linda

 

[rlovew]

Carolinagirl-

Have you gotten your robocraft yet? Do you think it is easy to use? Are you able to connect the letters to cut words? From what I have read you first print onto a paper and then the machine cuts it. . . is this how it works or can you simply get what you want to cut set up and have it cut from an unprinted paper?

Sorry about all the questions but I am interested in buying one of these and am unsure of how they work.

 

[bubbasmom99]

I have a Wishblade.

Wishblade does cut any TTF font, including dingbats if you want shapes.

Wishblade and CraftRobo are essentially the same machine. However, the WB does also cut pre-programmed fonts from SD cards that you can purchase (around $60/card for 3 fonts). These contain outlines of the fonts too which is nice if you want to do shadow mats of letters. CR does not have this functionality.... HOWEVER, with either machine, you can use third party software (free or purchased) to generate shadow mats, connect letters, etc.

I use Adobe Illustrator (which is $$) but I taught myself to use it and now it's the easiest for me. There are a couple of freeware programs that will do the same thing in a few different steps. I highly suggest finding the Yahoo groups related to CR and WB and there are a TON of tutorials out there than can help you with these instructions. They also file-share so you will usually be able to find a GSD file for whatever shape you need before you need to create it yourself.

Lastly, you CAN trace any shape you want so if you wanted to link letters, you could trace around the outside edge of the whole word. (Not my favorite method, but it is an option for you.)

Any other questions?? I got mine through www.thescrappinpath.com and she has a great yahoo group for help as well.