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Shape Cutting Options for Crafters

How to Pick the Best Shape Cutting Tools for Your Craft Needs

Shape cutting machines available to crafters allow you to make perfect die-cut embellishments for your scrapbook pages, greeting cards or other craft projects. The results are perfect every time. And they’re oh-so-cute!

Trying to decide which shape cutting system is best for you? Do a cost-benefit appraisal. The more you use die-cuts in your work, the more you should be willing to spend for a better system.

Here the shape cutting options are listed from simplest to most powerful.

Shape Punches

These are very much like traditional hole punches, but in a variety of fancy shapes including pretty corner designs. You need to buy the whole mechanism for each shape you desire but they’re affordable. Joann’s Scrapbooking & Card Making pages has a large variety of individual punches as well as punch sets.

Punches with Interchangeable Templates

– like QuicKutz. Templates (currently 375 shapes available) are affordable and are frequently available in specially priced sets. This is a reasonably portable machine. You have to enter individual templates one by one to create your project.

You can use the eBay search box to help you locate it.

From here on down, we’re no longer talking simple “shapes” but “figures”. “Figures” are multiple die-cut shapes that can be assembled into things like teddy bears, gumball machines filled with teeny gumballs, and bamboo stalks with feathery foliage.

Shape Cutting Machines

-like Sizzix. They’re less portable than the punches; but Sizzix will cut the thickest paper and even leather with ease. To do so, it has to be bigger and heavier than a simple punch, and really this is the kind of tool you leave on your desktop.

Use the eBay search box above to help you find it or check out our shape cutter store.

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The Artful Crafter Shape Cutter Store

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Wizard Die Cut & Embossing Machine

This shape cutting machine is a cross between the Fiskars ScrapBoss and a die cutting machine.

Exerting over 3000 pounds of pressure, it is perfect for artists, scrapbookers, paper crafters and card makers.

You can dry emboss onto various mediums such as cardstock, foils, velvet, paper and more using items such as stencils, charms, texture plates, even leaves from your own backyard, all without the use of a light box and stylus.

This machine is also a die cutter and can be used not only with Spellbinder's dies, but also with Sizzix and QuicKutz dies, using a special universal adapter kit. Here is more information about the Wizard System.

Xyron Design Runner Personal Papercrafting Printer

This is not a shape cutter per se, but it is a very useful machine for scrappers and card makers. It is a wireless printer that puts beautiful shapes, borders, phrases and more in the palm of your hand.

Print anything you want anywhere you want. Even on those tough surfaces like ribbon, twill, wood and tissue. No limitations here. You can take the printer to the project. No computer is needed.

The Design Runner silently prints as fast or as slow as desired - simply line up the crosshairs on the guide edge with where you want to print, swipe the Design Runner across the print point and your selected design will immediately appear.

You can print on virtually any surface - paper, tissue, photographs, fabric, ribbon, wood, vellum, metal and more. And choose whether a design prints just once, or repeats itself to create an endless border.

This easy to use machine has a simple user interface with touch button selection that allows instant access to all designs.

The designs are safe, long-lasting and of archival quality. Totally acid-free, the non-toxic inks won't fade or deteriorate over time.

Each ink cartridge will print up to 5000 inches of embellishments. A protective dock keeps ink from drying out.

Xyron Wishblade with Create & Cut Software

The costliest, but most verstile, die cutting option is the brand new and exciting Xyron Wishblade with Create & Cut Software.

Xyron's motto is "If you can wish it, you can cut it."

The latest version of the Wishblade costs the same as when it was first released - bugs and all. Now it comes with the software to provide maximum flexibity in your die cut designs - and without the bugs.

The Wishblade is beginning to look affordable to me. The new Wishblade with software included retails for about $400 and you can often find it on sale.

Wishblade is a computer peripheral. In fact it looks like a small printer. Rather than ink, it contains a blade to trace and cut your designs.

Xyron Wishblade comes with two distinct software programs and is both MAC and PC compatible. The standard Wishblade software offers Print and Cut technology, drawing tools, and an auto-tracing feature for images and allows for the cutting of any True Type Font.

The new Create and Cut software enhances Wishblade functionality to include welding words and creating outlines (shadows) for text and images with the click of your mouse. The Create and Cut software can be used alone or in conjunction with the Wishblade software and also includes an auto-tracing feature for clipart and other various file types.

Think about what you can design with the Wishblade. Or rather, try to think of something you can’t!

It seems to me, if you need a lot of shapes, Wishblade is the way to go. Buy a few cartridges for one of the other die cutting machines and you'll quickly exceed the cost of the Wishblade.

Keep in mind that you will need to buy replacement blades and cutting mats from time to time.

If you're fairly computer literate or willing to learn, the Wishblade may be right for you. Some crafter are just not ready for the complexity and slow speed – compared to simply loading a template and pressing down. One frustrated user said if she can’t figure out how to work the dang thing, it’s going on e-Bay. So I’ll be keeping my eye on e-Bay!

Provo Craft Cricut Personal Electronic Cutter

Provo Craft has an entry in the electronic cutting field, the Cricut (say "cricket"). The Cricut is a personal electronic cutting machine that takes die cutting to the next level without the use of a personal computer.

With just the touch of a button, crafters can choose from thousands of letters and shapes in sizes from 1 inch to 5.5 inches tall, and phrases up to 11.5 inches long.

If you want 5-inch birthday candles and 3-inch party hats, you'll get them. There's no need to be tied down by pre-set sizes or odd paper shapes.

The Cricut machine delivers crisp, detailed cuts every time on a variety of papers, from vellum to heavy cardstock.

Cricut is less expensive than the Wishblade system, while it sounds almost as versatile. The cost of the basic machine has come down to below $200. Additional design cartridges are about $80. The blade and cutting mat must be replaced periodically. Provo Craft is having a difficult time keeping up with the demand for Cricut.

Once you’re able to cut all these great shapes, you have no excuse not to scrapbook anymore.

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