Silhouette 2mm Kraft Blade 101: Beginners Getting Started Tutorial

If you got yourself a Silhouette 2mm Kraft Blade and are now like "Now what?"...you're not alone. 

I've heard this a lot lately which is why I figured it was a good time to put together a Silhouette 2mm Kraft Blade beginners tutorial to answer some of those FAQs.

New 2024 Silhouette Product Announcements: Heat Press, CAMEO Pro, Studio V5: Everything to Know (Price, Features, Release Date-ish)

The new Silhouette heat press, 24" CAMEO Pro II, tools, Silhouette Studio V5, and a web-based software are coming! 

The official 2024 new product announcement was made at the Silhouette Summit this year. Unfortunately, due to a scheduling conflict, I was unable to attend Summit this year - but fear not I still have lots of info on the big announcements including pricing, release dates and more so read on! 

Adding Custom Silhouette Cut Settings for 3mm Kraft Blade (And Why You Should NOT Skip This Step)

The key to cutting with the Silhouette 3mm Kraft Blade is cutting in multiple passes with varying levels of force and blade depth.

Because Silhouette Studio is not able to do this automatically, you need to set up a series of custom material cut settings for every material you cut with 3mm Kraft Blade.

Silhouette CAMEO 4 Cross Cutter Tutorial

One of the new features of the Silhouette CAMEO 4 is the built in roll trimmer or cross cutter. It's a great addition to the new CAMEO - but it's only useful if you intentionally set up your vinyl and HTV cuts to use it - BEFORE you cut.

Rather than your having the material feed back out the front of the machine, when the cut is complete, you want the vinyl to feed through the back.

Foil Quill Transfer Sheets: Avoid Foil Quill Skips

If your Foil Quill skips while it's foiling with your Silhouette CAMEO - I'm sharing a trick today that will help you avoid skipping! 

One of the reasons you may be having skipping issues with Foil Quill is because the foil transfer sheet isn't smooth which can results in areas of missed foil.  In this Silhouette Foil Quill tutorial I'll show you one easy way to get your foil to lay flat! 

How to Use (Game Changing) Silhouette CAMEO 4 Pen Holder

The Silhouette CAMEO 4 pen holder is now available and they're honestly a pretty big deal.

The marker and pen holders for the CAMEO 4 open up the possibility to use products - like the Cricut Infusible Ink Markers, these American Craft cutting machine pens, gel pens, and fabric pens -  that otherwise can't be used with the CAMEO 4, but can be used with the older model Silhouette machines.

Multi Color Sketch Pens on Silhouette CAMEO 4

Silhouette CAMEO 4's high pressure carriage offers a ton of benefits (hello rotary and kraft blades!!!), but also sacrificed a couple of techniques a lot of users got used to on the dual carriage CAMEO 3 and Curio.

Just like with the single carriage Silhouette machines, it's not possible to do a multi color sketch (with two different color sketch pens), foil and cut, or a sketch and cut in a single pass with CAMEO 4. This is because Carriage 2 is exclusively for the specialty tools. That means sketch pens and the sketch pen holder won't fit.  But the good news is, it is still possible and just an extra step or two.

Silhouette Rotary Blade: How to Turn Off Hooks and Loops in Silhouette Studio

You're not stuck cutting those hooks and loops Silhouette Studio adds to cuts with the Rotary (and Kraft) blades.  They can be turned off.

When you use the Silhouette CAMEO 4 Rotary Blade, the software adds the extra cut lines to help the Rotary Blade turn. Unfortunately, when cut, those hooks and loops can also almost literally eat up the fabric - which has many users wanting to turn them off completely.  Read on for how to turn off the rotary blade extra cut lines. 

How to Engrave Metal Bracelets with Silhouette CAMEO and Zoom Precision Tool (Free Templates)

Now that I've figured out the best way to etch metal with Silhouette CAMEO - thanks to the Zoom Precision engraving and etching tool - I'm taking it one step further. 

I have to admit engraving on metal bracelets with Silhouette CAMEO seemed a bit intimidating. I mean how do you hit something THAT small - we're talking 1/4" wide - that precisely? 

Read on because I'm sharing the secret to not only a deep engraving on metal bracelets, but how to hit such a narrow target on the first try! 

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? 

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

What Silhouette CAMEO Do I Have? (And What Tools Can I Use?)

Believe it or not we get asked more than you'd think "What Silhouette CAMEO machine do I have?" 

While the same Silhouette Studio software can run all of the Silhouette machines, there are some differences in machines themselves - especially older machines - that make it important to know which Silhouette CAMEO you have.  

Silhouette Blade Name Changes in the Send Panel (V4.4)

In preparation to release a set of new blades for the Silhouette CAMEO 4, the tool names displayed in Silhouette Studio's newest Beta release of the software have changed. 

If you're looking for the Ratchet Blade and Deep Cut Blade in Silhouette Studio you won't find them in the latest Beta release (do not mistake this for the blades themselves being discontinued - they are NOT).  

The names have changed...read on to find out more about what you need to know whether you're cutting with a Silhouette CAMEO 4, CAMEO 4, or even CAMEO 2, 1 or Portrait. 

Silhouette CAMEO Autoblade Won't Cut? Use this WorkAround

If you’re having trouble cutting with your Silhouette CAMEO Autoblade - there could be multiple reasons why. 

If you have exhausted all of the troubleshooting - including making sure your blade is installed correctly and there is no debris under the cap, you may just have an Autoblade that is acting faulty.  But there's a workaround that should help so you can still use your Autoblade!

Advanced Tips for Custom Warping SVGs in Silhouette Studio

If you've upgraded the Silhouette Studio software, you may have already played around with reshaping an SVG using the Warp Panel. Maybe you've used the Warp Panel to create some cool looking Word Art or used the warp panel to make realistic mock ups.  

In this tutorial, we'll show up some fool-proof tips to using the Warp Panel so you can custom warp SVGs into any shape and exactly how you want it to look. So, no more guessing if your warped design is lined up or symmetrical - here's how to get it perfect!

How to Change the Blade Depth Setting In Silhouette Studio for a Better Cut

With the popularity of the Silhouette CAMEO AutoBlade, many users have never had to manually adjust their blade depth. 

However there are times when you need to adjust the blade depth - most often due to the recommended default cut settings are not working for your material. 

Silhouette CAMEO 4 AutoBlade Won't Cut? 5 Things to Check!

If you're having trouble with your Silhouette CAMEO 4 Autoblade not cutting - which has been a relatively common complaint - there are a few things to check.

Go through this check list to troubleshoot common CAMEO 4 AutoBlade issues.

Silhouette CAMEO 4 vs CAMEO 4 Pro: What's the Same and What's Changed on the 24" CAMEO

If you're wondering what the differences are between the Silhouette CAMEO 4 and the CAMEO Pro you've come to the right spot. 

While the Silhouette CAMEO 4 vs CAMEO 4 Plus (15" Silhouette) are minimal, there are some changes to the Silhouette CAMEO 4 Pro which makes the list of differences between it and the CAMEO 4 and CAMEO Plus longer. 

Silhouette CAMEO 4 Blade: How to Use the Ratchet Blade Instead of Autoblade

Silhouette CAMEO 4 autoblades are becoming increasingly more difficult to find, but that doesn't mean you can't cut with your machine. If the CAMEO 4 Autoblade is sold out, switch over and use the Silhouette ratchet blade instead.

This manually adjustable blade can be used in any and all Silhouette cutting machines - including all Silhouette CAMEO 4 machines.

Perfect Silhouette Score Lines with Foil Quill

This hack may become your newest best friend when it comes to making score lines with your Silhouette machine. You may already know how to create a score line using a cutting blade, but now here's a way to use your Silhouette and the Foil Quill to create "soft" score lines that put a gentle bend in the paper instead of a small cut like the cutting blade does.

This is especially helpful when you are working with thin, lightweight paper and need to make lots of score lines - like when creating the paper rosettes for this Halloween Banner. (This trick saves you SO much time versus using a bone folder and score board to make all the score marks!) 

Keep reading to learn how you can use the Foil Quill to make score lines. 

Silhouette CAMEO 4 Tools and Blades: Which Tools are Compatible (And How to Use them)

Confused on which tools can be used in the Silhouette CAMEO 4? You're not alone.

Between two different tool carriages, various tool adapters, and multiple versions of the same tool, it's easy to see why knowing which tool to use in the Silhouette CAMEO 4, 15" Silhouette CAMEO 4 Plus, and Pro can seem like a guessing game.