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Silhouette CAMEO 4 Premium Blade: How and When to Use It

The new purple 1mm Silhouette CAMEO 4 Premium Blade is now available as an Autoblade alternative...but how and when should you use it? 

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This Silhouette tutorial will explain everything you need to know about the new CAMEO 4 Premium Blade aka 1mm manual blade. 

The purple 1mm Premium Blade can only be used in the left tool carriage (carriage 1) of the Silhouette CAMEO 4, CAMEO 4 Plus, and CAMEO 4 Pro along with the Silhouette Portrait 3.  

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It's an alternative to: the CAMEO 4 Autoblade, the black ratchet blade and Type A Premium Blade (both of which require adapters to work in the CAMEO 4). 

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In other words the 1mm Premium Blade is basically a Silhouette CAMEO 4 ratchet blade that does not require an adapter. It's a manually adjustable 1mm blade with a blade depth up to 10.  Each blade depth number indicates a fraction of the 1mm. For example, a blade depth of 6 = 0.6mm of the blade exposed. 

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Like the Autoblade, the Silhouette CAMEO 4 Premium Blade can be used for a wide assortment of materials from vinyl to paper to sticker sheets to HTV and faux leather.  

Because you need to manually set the blade depth on it, you'll want to select the material in the Send panel first to find the recommended blade depth. The blade depth dial will give you the recommended blade depth...along with the force and speed.   Turn the area around the blade with your fingers to adjust the blade depth. The higher the number, the more blade will be exposed so if you think you're on a 10 and no blade is showing, you're probably actually at 0. 

Place the blade in Carriage 1 in a CAMEO 4 machine. Make sure there's no gap. 

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Then press the lock in so the teeth grab onto the blade to keep it in place. 

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Like other Type B tools, the CAMEO 4 Premium Blade has a tool sensor strip on the back so the software should automatically detect that you are using the 1mm blade. Don't be alarmed though - the Silhouette Studio software is a bit confusing as it will show the selected tool as "Manual Blade, 1mm" with an image that looks like a black ratchet blade. 

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Now you can move forward cutting your material like you normally would. 

If you're interested in learning more about other blades and tools for the Silhouette CAMEO 4 check out this blog post. 

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Note: This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing products through my links, I receive a small commission. That's what helps fund Silhouette School so I can keep buying new Silhouette-related products to show you how to get the most out of your machine!


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9 comments

  1. I just want to know, what is the point of this blade...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The 1mm Premium Blade is basically a Silhouette CAMEO 4 ratchet blade that does not require an adapter. It's a manually adjustable 1mm blade with a blade depth up to 10. Each blade depth number indicates a fraction of the 1mm. For example, a blade depth of 6 = 0.6mm of the blade exposed.

      Delete
  2. I mean the real point, that you pointed out is exactly what is written in the text... Why would we buy a manual blade (except the CB09, which is AMAZING) when the autoblade does the same without adjustment?

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    Replies
    1. I agree! Seems like a waste of money to me!

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  3. I have used the premium blades in my Cameo 3 and have ordered the Cameo 4 Pro, so will probably invest in these for it, too. One of the reasons I choose this over the autoblade is that it lasts a lot longer. I didn't need to replace it nearly as often. Another plus, is that I don't have to listen to that annoying clicking of the autoblade.

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  4. I'll be interested to hear what people say about this blade ...
    I used the blue premium blade in my Cameo (1) and was sorely disappointed. I had to revise my settings completely and it was tearing "difficult" media more often than the regular ratchet blade. I'm happy with using my old ratchet blades with my cameo 4 for mass production (and I'm very grateful there is an option to do this), otherwise I'm fine with the autoblade - and the clicking (it's just the blade saying "YES Ma'm"!).

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  5. I see there is also a 2mm manual blade. Is there a reason to get the 1mm blade since I can still get 0-1mm on the 2mm blade?

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    Replies
    1. I think that is totally up to you! Depends on the materials you're cutting and how often.

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  6. I love the new Cameo 4, but I miss being able to use a sketch pen or ratchet blade in tool 2. I use those way more than other cuts on heavier materials. Is there a hack for using a 1mm or 2mm blade in tool 2 holder?

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