Any good tips on the Cameo or Silhouette Studio software?

I love my cameo. If it every breaks, I will buy another in a hot second. Unfortunately, I don't the answers to your technical questions because I have a guy for that (my husband!). I've learned to never unload the mat until you know you have a clean cut. Wal Mart cardstock in the pad cuts really well. I've learned what I know through you tube videos and trial and error.

Check out Silhouette School. I think she’s great. I did her beginners course several years ago and learned a ton. I have found double cutting Bazzill to be especially helpful, even with intricate designs. Good luck!

Bazzill cardstock is somewhat notorious for being difficult to cut in a Silhouette/Cricut, so that might be part of your problem. It's very fibrous, so it doesn't cut cleanly. When I used some earlier this year, I had to clean up the edges with a craft knife and my cutting mat was absolutely covered in fibers after using several sheets.

If you want to use textured cardstock, I'd recommend American Crafts Precision cardstock (the Park Lane brand is JoAnn's house brand, I think it's manufactured by AC as well so it's basically the same thing). If you prefer smooth cardstock, I like to use Recollections 65lb cardstock. This is rather thin, so if you need it to be sturdy, you'd have to layer it, but it does more intricate cuts better than a thicker (80-100lb) cardstock.

You mentioned that you are in a basement. Depending on where you live, basements can be more humid, and that also affects the cut. I have always lived in a humid area, although where I live now is not as humid as where I used to live. Humidity makes it harder to get a clean cut because it affects the paper fibers.

Definitely try cutting twice, and slowing the speed down. A LOT. Do NOT remove the mat from the machine when it’s done. That way, you can use a tool to just lift a corner of the cut image to make sure it has cut through. If it hasn’t, just have the machine repeat the cut. As long as you haven’t removed the mat, or take the paper off the mat, it should cut in the same exact spot.

I use a variety if card stock, from different manufacturers, including Bazzill. Black card stock is denser, no matter what brand. That is one reason that you can do a test cut. Just make sure your design is positioned elsewhere, so you don’t get the test cut on top of your desired cut.

You mention that you have files that won’t download properly. What you don’t say is if those files are files you bought from Silhouette. If so, then customer service can help you recover them. If they are from other websites that you got from anyplace other than from Silhouette, then get them off your old laptop. I had to do that once, when I updated my software and didn’t remember to export the library to my hard drive first.

If you still have the software and files on your old laptop, just export the library to a thumb drive. That will be helpful when you chat with Silhouette. I recommend chat, not email, although if you are using your machine after customer service hours, then email really is your only option. It’s just slower, and they always, always seem to start by giving you an answer that is off the troubleshooting page of their website, even if it doesn’t solve the issue. Chat takes more time right now, because some people got their machines on Black Friday. I had an issue that I needed help with recently, and the message once I started the Chat process said that I could expect a reply in 3 hours. I took my computer to my kitchen table so that I could keep an eye out for a reply and get some other things done. I got my reply in about 30 minutes, not 3 hours, thankfully. I’m guessing most people gave up instead of waiting, but I am a stubborn gal and being patient paid off because I got my answer sooner by waiting for the chat service than for an email exchange.

Some Silhouette files that I have created or tweaked also did not download. For example, I combined print and cut files with designs that I had created. The more complex, the larger the file. Those are the ones that never downloaded, even though I had used Silhouette print and cut files, and welded them to designs that I had made using the Silhouette software. Fortunately, I had backed up those designs on my hard drive.

I hope you get to love your machine as much as I love mine!

Both of these x100.  Humidity really affects the cuts.  Belgium is very humid, especially in the summer.  I've ironed over paper (without steam) and it does a better job cutting.  I've also noticed that it also affects vinyl cuts--the vinyl doesn't want to adhere to the release paper and also doesn't want to adhere to the project surface.  A cooler room temperature also can affect vinyl.

And yes, check your cut before removing the mat from the machine.  I have the speed slowed down on my cutter.  For papers with a lot of ragg (little bits, like Bazzill), you're better off doing a double pass on a cut.  If you are using a textured paper, turn it over and cut on the smooth side.  My favorite 12x12 paper to use is American Crafts.  My favorite letter sized paper to use is the Recollections brand sold in packs of 50.

For cuts in general, you only want the blade as deep as it takes to cut--no deeper.  That will help with tearing and make nicer corners.  Speaking of corners, I have my machine set to bypass the corner just a little.  It makes a corner sharp and helps with tearing as well.  I have had two machines and they cut differently. So even if I tell you my setting, you may need to tweak them for your machine.  Go by the recommendation when you go to the Send window and tweak it from there.

Silhouette makes a light tack mat that works, but I just take a towel or some fabric (like my shirt!) and lay it over a new mat.  You need that tackiness because if the letters move, they can get in the way of your blade and ruin the cut.  But it's a fine line between too tacky and not tacky enough.

I upgraded one level with the software.  It was about $25 and it's worth every penny.  There are a lot of features that you gain with the upgrade that make it worth it.

I really, really recommend Silhouette Studio.  She tells it like it is and gives GREAT tips.  Her blog posts are free, but I think she also has some pay-for classes.  Start with the blog posts and go from there.

Don't get discouraged.  Use up the paper that you don't like for test cuts.  It takes a lot of trial and error to get proficient at the machine.  It's simple on the surface, but there are a lot of little tweaks to using it that you will learn along the way.