SCAL vs. Design Studio...

[jacksmomma]

Experienced Cricuters please fill me in...

I find that I am using my cricut (the original machine) more and more and I would love to have a computer program to go along with it. I was thinking about getting the design studio, but then I came across the Sure Cuts A Lot (when I saw the abbreviation, SCAL, I thought there was a new cart called Southern California! ). Most reviews say the users love scal, but I have heard of some people having problems because it is not a provo craft product. Is that just a scare tactic by PC? Fill me in...if you have either DS or SCAL do you like it, have you had any problems? Which should I get?

TIA!

 

[Doot Fan Mommy]

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE SCAL!!! You will never have to buy another font cartridge again! And the welding works great!

 

[Lisa]

I have SCAL, and like it as well. I know MorgansMom has both.

 

[morgansmom2000]

I do have both. I like being able to use any fonts in SCAL, I'm still learning how to work with graphics (slowly but surely). What I like about CDS is being able to cut out only certain parts of an image. For instance, yesterday PO3 wanted to cut out a tree trunk and a bunch of leaves. In the new Jubilee cartridge, there are both, but they are on the same image. In order to cut them (because CDS hasn't been updated with the new cartridge), she had to cut trunks in brown and then stop the machine, then cut trunks in green and then the leaves and stop the machine. It's a big waste of paper!

I do like both and I do like what you can do with them, I just wish there were one program that do it all!

 

[party of 3]

well i think i could do the DS. maybe. but it might be more of a learning curve for me to do SCAL. i did love the stuff MM was making with them. I think for me the welding thing is just so neat. i'd love to be able to just do that.
but i first need a laptop, and then the ds, and then and then......

 

[123SA]

I have both. If I could only have one, I'd get SCAL for the fonts and the very easy welding and shadows which you can make in multiple sizes. I'm pretty sure there is no easy way to make a triple shadow in CDS. I think SCAL is so much easier to use for welding and shadowing than CDS - -I don't use CDS for this because I can't get the hang of it and it takes too long.

I have been struggling with the image stuff in SCAL, but I haven't been patient about trying to learn it. I've found lots of dingbats to use which don't require inkscape.

I love my CDS for the reason morgansmom listed. Also, I use if to see what size I want to cut an image and I use it to arrange the items I am cutting on the page to save paper. I have done some simple welding with images. I would never have been able to piece together some of the Cars if I didn't have CDS to see the pieces -- I couldn't figure out what was trash and what was a layer! It is also nice to manipulate the sizes -- you can make the image or letters a little fatter or thinner, taller or shorter, you can slant the letters -- you can do all of this in SCAL too.

I would get SCAL first - -you'll save on cartridges and then you'll have extra $$ for CDS.

 

[kitkat324]

I was wondering what inkscape is?