It arrived yesterday, I've done one title for a page with it - that's enough to warrant a review, right? 
It arrived in a HUGE box, well packed. the actual unit is about as big as a shoebox (ladies evening shoes), with a pink transparent lid so you can see it cutting. You pull out a tray which has the works for the design books, so you need a space about twice the size of the unit to operate it.
I thought the design books looked a bit flimsy - the paper they're on looks recycled, if you see what I mean - but they fitted into the slot neatly enough, and the machine tells you what book you've plugged in. You pull out the cutting mat and press a piece of paper 10cmx10cm on it - you need to press firmly so it doesn't shift. If anyone knows a supplier of 10cmx10cm paper please let me know!
The books it comes with are a basic font (like Times New Roman) and a shape book with some basic squares, triangles etc plus other shapes like ballon, suitcase and speech bubbles. The font book includes shadows for all letters, numbers and symbols for layering. You can cut everytthing in three sizes - the small letters are about the size of CM standard letters. It includes a pair of plastic tweezers to lift the shapes off - I found they stuck quite hard but that's because its a new mat I suppose. ETA I tried some thinner paper and a couple of the letters tore, and the paper curled as I pulled it off. It might be because the mat is still so sticky, but for the time being I'll stick to cardstock or heavier paper.
There are other books of fonts and shapes available (including some with more complex shapes using several colours) - at first I thought I wouldn't get those but now I've seen how easy it is to use I might Once you start entering the letters or shapes you want to cut it will accept quite a lot before beeping if there is no more room - I was using 2 colours for "Christmas & New Year" on the small size and had paper to spare for both colours.
As I can't leave it out (unless I tidy up - now there's a thought! ) I might invest in the carry bag - I'm not sure if you can get it here yet but a friend is going to Florida in MArch and has said she'll get anything I need (foolish woman! She has now idea the scrapping desert I live in compared with your land of plenty! Mwaa-ha-haaaaaa
)
So that's my take on it - at half the price of a Cricut I thoguht it was a bargain!
It arrived in a HUGE box, well packed. the actual unit is about as big as a shoebox (ladies evening shoes), with a pink transparent lid so you can see it cutting. You pull out a tray which has the works for the design books, so you need a space about twice the size of the unit to operate it.
I thought the design books looked a bit flimsy - the paper they're on looks recycled, if you see what I mean - but they fitted into the slot neatly enough, and the machine tells you what book you've plugged in. You pull out the cutting mat and press a piece of paper 10cmx10cm on it - you need to press firmly so it doesn't shift. If anyone knows a supplier of 10cmx10cm paper please let me know!
The books it comes with are a basic font (like Times New Roman) and a shape book with some basic squares, triangles etc plus other shapes like ballon, suitcase and speech bubbles. The font book includes shadows for all letters, numbers and symbols for layering. You can cut everytthing in three sizes - the small letters are about the size of CM standard letters. It includes a pair of plastic tweezers to lift the shapes off - I found they stuck quite hard but that's because its a new mat I suppose. ETA I tried some thinner paper and a couple of the letters tore, and the paper curled as I pulled it off. It might be because the mat is still so sticky, but for the time being I'll stick to cardstock or heavier paper.
There are other books of fonts and shapes available (including some with more complex shapes using several colours) - at first I thought I wouldn't get those but now I've seen how easy it is to use I might
Once you start entering the letters or shapes you want to cut it will accept quite a lot before beeping if there is no more room - I was using 2 colours for "Christmas & New Year" on the small size and had paper to spare for both colours.As I can't leave it out (unless I tidy up - now there's a thought! ) I might invest in the carry bag - I'm not sure if you can get it here yet but a friend is going to Florida in MArch and has said she'll get anything I need (foolish woman! She has now idea the scrapping desert I live in compared with your land of plenty! Mwaa-ha-haaaaaa
)So that's my take on it - at half the price of a Cricut I thoguht it was a bargain!
Haven't found it here yet
