I’ll be updating this page with lots of photos and a full review on the new vinyl auto blade kit shortly….the gist of my review is that it cuts *beautifully* and the tiling feature is fabulous!
Giant size vinyl projects here we come! Great for walls, windows, cars, vans etc 🙂
This new vinyl auto blade does a fantastic job of cutting intricate, fine details on both self adhesive vinyl AND heat transfer vinyl.
Before I go any further, please note that the Vinyl Auto Blade Kit is for SDX/DX machines only – so in the UK this kit will work on the
SDX135PRO, SDX2200D, SDX1200 and SDX900.
In the UK, the vinyl auto blade kit is sold exclusively through www.makerssuperstore.com, who sell the two ScanNCut machines that I personally recommend, the SDX135 and the SDX2200D, as well as a FULL range of accessories and kits for both the CM series and the SDX series machines – how fabulous is that!
There are two versions of the kit available – the standard vinyl autoblade kit which contains –
Vinyl Auto Blade and Vinyl Auto Blade Holder
All Occasions Activation Card x 21 Designs
Access to Canvas Workspace vinyl features.
And the Disney vinyl autoblade kit which contains
55 Designs – 21 All Occasions/34 Disney
Includes SDX Vinyl Auto Blade and Vinyl Auto Blade Holder
Access to new tiling weeding functions in Canvas Workspace
I recorded a couple of videos at the end of last week and they are now live on YouTube!
So here’s the first video: unboxing the kit, a look at the patterns etc:
And how to activate the vinyl autoblade kit; how to activate the Disney patterns; how to access the patterns and transfer them to your machine; how to access the patterns in Canvas Workspace; how to use the tiling function and more!
Hope you find the videos useful, and I would love to see photos of your projects created with the vinyl autoblade!
Cut a piece of the super smooth cardstock in half so you have an A5 sized piece.
Ink up your cardstock in your preferred style and colours. For my projects, I’ve used linear ink blending (used a ruler) and overlapped the colours.
Chose the chameleon pattern on the machine – I resized my chameleon to fit the A5 piece of cardstock – in inches – 7.38″ wide by 4.91″ high (mm measurements are 187.5mm wide by 124.7mm high).
From the machine, send the file across to Canvas Workspace – to do this tap “save” and then tap the icon that with a laptop and wifi icon.
In Canvas Workspace, open up the file you just sent across. (On the web based version of Canvas Workspace, you’ll find your file in the “My Projects” tab. If you’re using the offline/downloadable version of Canvas Workspace, then go to FILE, EDIT, IMPORT FROM YOUR CUTTING MACHINE, FCM IMAGE.
Select the Chameleon and now UNGROUP it. This will separate the outline from the inner elements. Select the INNER ELEMENTS ONLY (so leave the outline unselected) and change these to DRAW lines. Leave the outline as a CUT file. Now select everything (so both the inner element shapes, and the outline) and GROUP these back together.
Now EXPORT/TRANSFER the chameleon file back to your machine.
Scan in your inked card stock, and drag the chameleon over the top of the cardstock until your happy with the placement.
Next, insert a pen into the universal pen holder (I’ve used a glitter pen from the Scribbalicious range available from The Works). Select the “fill shape” function on the machine (shaped like a pen nib). Select DRAW, and you will find only the inner elements appear on the machine’s screen filled in with blue – this is what the machine is going to draw out.
Once the machine has drawn out and filled in the inner elements, WITHOUT DELETING ANYTHING OFF THE SCREEN OR UNLOADING THE MAT, take the universal pen holder out of the machine, and swap the pen to a different one – I’ve used a metallic pen again from the Scribbalicious range available from The Works).
Put the metallic pen/universal pen holder back in the machine. Deselect the fill function by clicking on the pen nib icon again. Select DRAW once again to draw and the machine will draw an outline around those filled shapes! Magic!
Once the machine has finished drawing the outlines, take out the universal pen holder from the machine, and replace with the blade holder. Select CUT to cut the chameleon outline.
Once the machine has finished, take everything off the mat. 🙂
I’ve cut three more chameleon outlines out of black cardstock and glued them together then offsetting the inked/drawn chameleon slightly glued to those to create a bit of contrast and to help the chameleon “pop” up from the card base a tiny bit.
To create the finished card, simply fold an A4 piece of cardstock in half and burnish down the fold to create your card base. Glue the outer inked piece to the card base first, then glue the chameleon into the opening and you have your eclipse card!
There has been a new model added to the ScanNCut family – the SDX135PRO! 🙂
So if you’ve wanted upgrade to the latest SDX series for a while, but maybe don’t quite have the budget for the top of the range SDX2200D, then this is the mid range ScanNCut to go for, especially now the CM900 has been officially discontinued – you’ll still be able to use almost everything from your CM series machine on this, so all the kits, the manual blade holders etc (the only exception is the mats, as the SDX range uses a different style mat), but everything else will work!
In the UK, it’s available exclusively through Makers Superstore:
This machine has a great range of fabulous specifications!
New Updated Mat Feed Roller System (same as the SDX2200D) 🙂 Auto Blade Technology Extra Large LCD Touchscreen – 5”/12.7cm 682 resizable built in designs 9 Built in Fonts Cutting area – 11.7 x 11.7″ (297 x 297mm), 11.7 x 24″ with optional mat (297 x 610mm) Built in Scanner – 12”x 12” Scanning Area (305mm x 305mm) 600DPI Scan to USB (for scanning photos, documents etc) Up to 3mm cutting depth with fully automatic blade 2 Year Warranty
PLUS being a SDX series machine, there are a WHOLE RANGE of fabulous additional extras available for it – so all the accessories, kits and pattern activation cards from the CM series will work, as will the vinyl roll feeder, paper piercing kit, the calligraphy kit, the new Print to Cut activation card feature, the new vinyl autoblade kit, and the new fabric mat!
So if you’re thinking of upgrading, this is definitely a machine that will grow with you and will be a fantastic addition to your craft room and is a fantastic upgrade to the CM300, CM600, CM700, CM800Q and CM900 machines!
Let me know what you are going to make with yours! 🙂
Just wanted to give everyone a heads up on the latest ScanNCut news from Brother.
You all know I do love the ScanNCut 🙂 so I always make sure I keep up to date with what’s happening, and what’s coming up with Brother.
Ok so the first bit of news is a bit of both good and bad and comes direct from my Brother source.
THE CM900 HAS NOW OFFICIALLY BEEN DISCONTINUED IN THE UK. And there is a BRAND NEW SDX MODEL in the ScanNCut family – the SDX135 PRO!
(I posted that I thought that the CM900 was going to be discontinued a short while back, as all the new kits have been for the SDX only – the CM900 was already discontinued a while back in Australia, so I knew it was just a matter of time..)
Now I don’t know about the CM300 yet, I will do my best to find out..it MAY be that Brother decide to keep it on for a while as a very basic entry level model, but I have asked Brother direct and will post when I get more information on that.
Now if you own a CM series (and along with my SDX I also own the CM900) then DO NOT PANIC, because Makers Superstore ARE stocking ALL the accessories for the CM series, mats, blades, kits etc so you’ll be OK for those and Makers Superstore are a VERY reliable source!
So you WILL be able to keep on cutting with your CM900, just like you can on the other CM machines that are no longer sold in the UK (ie the CM600, CM700, CM800Q).
Along with everything you need for the ScanNCut CM series, Makers Superstore also stock a FULL RANGE of accessories and kits for the ScanNCut DX series (so SDX2200D, SDX135pro, SDX1200) 🙂
I did ask Brother just over a year ago about the mats and blades for the CM series, as I want to see us CM users are alright, and this was their reply..
“Anyway, our factory are providing accessories for some years after the production of last machine”
So I’m sure we can rely on Makers Superstore to provide us with CM series mats and blades for a while yet!
Plus if you’re thinking of upgrading to the SDX series, so I’ll post the features and specifications about the new SDX135 PRO in an upcoming post!
So – all these items will work on all models of the SDX series, (but not the CM series).
Vinyl Auto Blade Kit 🙂
There are two versions of the new vinyl autoblade kit:
1) Vinyl autoblade with All Occasions activation card.
2) Vinyl autoblade with All Occasions activation card AND Disney activation card patterns.
New autoblade especially for vinyl – I have seen this in a Youtube video somewhere and it’s *a lot* smaller and finer than the current standard autoblade in the black holder and is designed for fine, intricate details – I can’t wait to try this!
There is also a Disney version, so you get the all occasions card PLUS the Disney activation card.
Disney version in this video –
The vinyl autoblade kit gives us access in Canvas Workspace to a tiling function, so we can make HUGE vinyl designs for walls etc 🙂 hahaha got to love that! Here’s how it works:
Also gives us access to create weeding boxes so makes designs easier to weed and saves on vinyl waste –
There are also spare vinyl auto blades on the site 🙂
New Frozen 2 patterns activation card 🙂
New rhinestone patterns activation card. 🙂 I absolutely love rhinestones so was really pleased to see this! Look at that fabulous unicorn!
Also there are two fabulous new additional functions available by purchasing the activation cards below:
Print to Cut Function for the ScanNCut allows you to precisely cut sheets of design with ease. “Includes: Activation Card for ScanNCut Print and Cut
Use Adobe Illustrator? The Plugin Auto Position Adjustment For use with Adobe Illustrator and SDX Series” AND ScanNCut Link has been designed for use with Adobe Illustrator software to transfer your custom-made designs directly to your ScanNCut SDX machine. “Transferring your .AI files allows you to have even more flexibility in creating your next project! Add registrations marks to help align your projects when cutting with this function.”
So I’m a very happy bunny….there is a fantastic new update for the SDX series of machines giving us some fabulous new features! 🙂
Brother have released a new software update (version 1.51) for the SDX series of machines – so in the UK, for models SDX2200D and SDX1200, as well as a new update for Canvas Workspace. The update is the same for ALL SDX/DX models – so wherever you are in the world, please check for the new update! 🙂
The actual machine updates I am posting about are for the SDX machines ONLY – the CM series has NOT been updated with this functions. (I have spoken about the in and outs of why the CM series is not being updated in previous posts).
In brief, the SDX series (known as DX in the US and other countries) has been updated with three new fabulous features!
1) The ability to resize designs by percentage (this is fantastic and I’m really delighted with this new feature!) You can easily switch between standard measurements and percentages by toggling the percentage icon on and off on the resizing screen.
2) a great new function to add weeding boxes to your vinyl designs (again brilliant if you’re like me and love adding vinyl to your projects – and weeding boxes really cut down on vinyl waste!) – so set your half cut setting to on, click “cut”, hit the wrench icon and scroll down and you’ll see the new weeding box tool in the settings. You can either leave the box the size it is, or increase the spacing around your design.
3) The ability to easily access your activation card files on the machine through the “My Collection” function – it’s now fast and easy to batch download your activation cards from Canvas Workspace to your computer so that you can pop them onto a USB. Once you’ve done that, pop the USB into your ScanNCut and you will be able to easily identity and access the individual activation cards and patterns through the “My Collection” feature.
(PLEASE NOTE: the “My Collection” feature below is very buggy at the moment, and I’ve no doubt that Brother will roll out another update asap to correct it – I’ve already sent Brother Tech a video showing them the bug –but once it works properly it will be brilliant!)
In addition, both the browser based version Canvas Workspace and the Canvas Workspace for PC (the downloadable version) have also been updated with various new features: here is a quick overview.
Preview images now are available for .fcm files, meaning you can see exactly what your file is before you open it.
Canvas Workspace for PC has an improved weeding box function (for vinyl projects).
The browser based version of Canvas Workspace has a new function so that you can batch download all the files from the activation cards in one go (the activation cards are purchased separately). This is fantastic if you’re like me and like to store your files on a USB (most of the time I’m too lazy to switch the computer on!) – so now you can download and transfer your activation card patterns to USB in a jiffy! 🙂
To see how to use the new features – please see the handy dandy reference guide that Brother have uploaded for the update:
So there was an offer on at Makers Superstore at the weekend, so I decided to treat myself to the ScanNCut rolling tote!
It’s amazing! It’s *huge* and stores so much stuff – also if you wanted to you could fit TWO machines in there (one on the bottom and another on the top in the cradle to protect the one in the bottom), plus mats and some accessories! I love the luggage tag as well, I’ll post some photos below.
I’m using it to store my kits and spare mats and blades in – I love everything ScanNCut and jokingly call my craft room “ScanNCut Central” and I’m happy now because I know exactly where all my ScanNCut kits are and they are all nicely organised 🙂
I absolutely love the rolling tote – now if I need to take my machine anywhere on the go, I know it will be nicely protected and the cradle will make it easy to get the machine in and out, and I can fit everything I need in it.
I’ve been away for a while as have been very busy with family…just come online to see the fabulous SDX2200D is now just £479.99 at Makers Superstore – they have 20% off on EVERYTHING including the SDX2200D !!! But only until minight this Sunday (26th July 2020) – see here! – http://www.makerssuperstore.com
That is an FANTASTIC price for an AMAZING machine (I have three ScanNCut machines but the SDX2200D is my GO TO machine – it is seriously AWESOME), and 20% is a great discount for all the goodies on the Makers Superstore website…my favourite place for all things ScanNCut – Makers Superstore sell all accessories, kits and MORE for both the CM range and the SDX range and have really fast despatch and delivery times (think 2/3 days rather than weeks!) 🙂
The SDX2200D TOP OF THE RANGE of ALL ScanNcut machines and has an new and much improved mat roller feed system compared to the SDX1200 (which I also have). Can you tell LOL how much I love mine…I’ve been busy lately cutting stencils – I’m really into stencilling and distress inks at the minute and am loving being able to create and cut any stencil I want, saved a bomb on buying expensive stencils…really enjoying myself. 😀😀😀😀
If I didn’t have three machines already I would definitely be buying another SDX2200D…don’t think hubby would believe me if I tried telling him they made babies ….but I’m sure I will need to stock up on some spare blades and mats! 😂😂😂😂
Sorry everyone, sadly I’m going to have to postpone tonight’s Facebook live for Makers Superstore as I have a family issue I have to deal with….apologies but I will be rescheduling the live free class as soon as I can!
I will let you know the new date for the free class as soon as I can, it will be held over on the Makers Superstore Facebook page here –
The stream will be available to watch anytime once the livestream has ended, so no need to miss out if you’re in a different timezone! 🙂
I’ll be covering how to get gorgeous CLEAN CUTS with your machine…lots of troubleshooting tips, tricks and machine demos to help you get the best cut possible from a variety of materials – this is a FREE CLASS for all models of ScanNCut!
I’ve had a message from the guys over at Funky Pen – they have some special greyboard (construction board) offers going on – ideal for those 3d projects!
I’m a big fan of Funky Pen – they have excellent products at great prices, and fantastic customer service! 🙂 Their website can be found at http://www.funkypen.co.uk
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“We also have a 3for2 mix&match offer across a range of kids craft & colouring, notepads and pens that can be viewed here and is running until later this week – funkypen.co.uk/3for2
And finally as a heads up, from Wednesday 1st July, we have an offer which is ideal for users of our 12×12” 750Micron and 1000Micron Greyboard that like the smaller packs.
There will be 50% OFF on the following 3 product codes when the coupon code ‘GBHALF’ is entered at checkout:GB12SQ15MIX1000750 – MIX PACK – 30 Sheets of 12×12″ Construction board – 15 Sheets 750mic & 15 Sheets 1000mic Greyboard (Normally £9.99 – £4.99 with code) funkypen.co.uk/GB12SQ15MIX1000750
GB12SQ100025RM – 25 Sheets of 12×12″ Construction board 1mm 1000mic Greyboard (Normally £10.98 – £5.49 with code) funkypen.co.uk/GB12SQ100025RM
GB12SQ75035 – 35 Sheets of 12×12″ Construction board 0.75MM 750mic Greyboard (Normally £10.98 – £5.49 with code) funkypen.co.uk/GB12SQ75035
The discount code (GBHALF) is live now if you wanted to share (early access) but it won’t be published on funkypen.co.uk/promotions or our facebook page until later tomorrow/Wednesday morning.”
