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Post by 50offscrapper on Mar 8, 2022 7:24:41 GMT
I own a Cricut and have been happy with it except for the print and cut feature since I can’t cut anything bigger than 6.75 x 9.25. Because of that I decided to buy a Scan n Cut. I have been putting it through its paces.
Here’s what I’ve discovered about the Scan and Cut:
It is so quiet and it cuts really fast. It cuts really finely. Sometimes too finely. I cut and scanned a page of butterflies and it cut the antennae but it was so small it just broke off.
I love that I have all shapes included in my price unlike Cricut which requires more money per shape or I pay $9.99 per month to get Cricut access.
The cut and scan worked great for a printable the was black and white. It cut it really well.
It has offset which I really like. (I think Cricut has it now as a Beta.)
Brother charges for Enhanced Tracing and believe or not, they won’t take my money. I have to go to a store to get an activation code. Like what century are we in? I should be able to buy an activation code online, I shouldn’t have to drive anywhere to get an activation code. If I order one from the brother site, the would ship it but guess what they are OUT OF STOCK . They are out of stock of an activation number. If I buy the activation code and decide to return the machine I will be out of $40.
The scan and cut for complicated printables is sub-par which is why I wanted to buy the Enhanced Tracing. The Cricut does better with me taking the file and getting a png from Mac Preview and by using the the background manual tool. Much better than the scan and cut. I wish I had the activation code so I could try the enhanced tracing.
Next step is to try stamped images and then I will make a decision.
Unfortunately, the reason I bought it was to help with the cut and scan and it isn't doing what I want it to do.
Thoughts? Does anyone have Enhanced Tracing?
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Post by amyl on Mar 8, 2022 10:23:12 GMT
I don’t even know what enhanced tracing is! Haha! I bought mine simply for stamped images and love it. Hope you can get the features you wish for!
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penguinpea
Junior Member
Posts: 62
Aug 20, 2014 16:40:52 GMT
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Post by penguinpea on Mar 8, 2022 12:57:15 GMT
I love my scan n cut. I don't have enhanced tracing yet but it is available on amazon. It comes from the UK but shipping is free.
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Post by cmpeter on Mar 8, 2022 16:25:28 GMT
I only use mine to cut out stamped images…love it for that.
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Post by Restless Spirit on Mar 8, 2022 17:04:56 GMT
I bought mine to scan and cut images from patterned scrapbook paper. I have never been able to it to do that neatly and consistently. It makes me sad I wasted so much money on it.  It’s been gathering dust for a few years and now it’s a really old model. I really should just send it off the the Goodwill. I love my little Cricut Joy and my cutting dies and use those all the time. |
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Post by joblackford on Mar 8, 2022 17:23:13 GMT
Brother charges for Enhanced Tracing and believe or not, they won’t take my money. I have to go to a store to get an activation code. Like what century are we in? I should be able to buy an activation code online, I shouldn’t have to drive anywhere to get an activation code. If I order one from the brother site, the would ship it but guess what they are OUT OF STOCK . They are out of stock of an activation number. This is truly perplexing. I haven't heard of enhanced tracing but their whole business with selling activation codes to turn on wifi pissed me off, and what you're describing is completely bat$#!+  Sorry it's not working out for what you wanted it for most. I had issues with tracing printed digital images too but I assumed it was something about my printer or the image and it's wasn't my primary use for it so I just gave up on that image. I mostly use it for boldly stamped images that I've colored. (tbh I rarely use it, but when I do...) |
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Post by scrapcat on Mar 8, 2022 17:38:44 GMT
I am not familiar with scan n cut or enhanced tracing, but all that sounds rather complicated. The activation codes?! It's like did they realize they were giving away too much so just make all these steps a cost?
Anyways, I am wondering if it's similar to Silhouette in that when I was using a pixscan mat, which sounds similar to the scan n cut process, I really have to do it in the middle of the day with bright, natural light. I used to go to a crop in a church all purpose room with high ceilings and tons of windows, and the machine would cut so well. Then I would be home at night and it would be totally off. I probably read something here about the light. Sometimes I've had ok results with shining an ott light over top, but the best is still just regular bright daylight. It has to do with the sensor.
Not sure if it is similar to your machine, but maybe something to research or trial.
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scrapnnana
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,439 
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Post by scrapnnana on Mar 8, 2022 17:41:50 GMT
I use mine for stamped images, not enhanced tracing. However, if you are a stamper, please, please try it for cutting out your stamped images before you decide whether or not to send it back, especially since you got it for such a great price.
Also, the lighting in the room makes a difference. Try to move your machine around. The optic eye needs the right lighting to see and cut the image correctly. I switched the light bulbs in my craft room to daylight bulbs, which helped for some things, but my Scan-N-Cut machine is on a table over near lighting that is less bright. This sounds weird, but in some cases, poorer light got a better scan than brighter light for my Scan-N-Cut, but not always. It can also depend on the design.
Some use their Silhouette and a Pixscan mat for scanning and cutting out stamped images, etc., but that never worked well for me. That’s one reason why I bought the Scan-N-Cut.
I have bought far fewer dies because I can cut many of my stamped images out with my Scan-N-Cut. That alone meant the machine paid for itself pretty soon after buying it. I also have a lot of stamps that don’t have matching dies. I love being able to cut them with my machine.
Most electronic cutters require the user to take time to get acquainted with the features of their machine. It took me a month at least to get comfortable with my Scan-N-Cut, and I had my share of frustration. Like you, I wasn’t sure I was happy with my purchase at first. Now that I understand what I can do (as well as what doesn’t always work well, like butterfly antenna), I am glad that I have it. Once you learn how to use it, it’s well worth the price and the space it takes in the craft room.
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Post by tealpaperowl on Mar 8, 2022 20:52:28 GMT
How long do the mats last? I've been looking at this but the mats seem to be $30+ for one!
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Post by papersilly on Mar 8, 2022 22:08:39 GMT
How long do the mats last? I've been looking at this but the mats seem to be $30+ for one! i think they will last for a while if you are good about not cutting through the mat and remove the misc gunk leftover from cuts. recently i accidentally cut through my mat and thought i was going to have to toss it out. then i found out you can put clear packing tape on the back of the mat (just don't get it on the textured strips that feed through the rollers). i put the clear tape and now my mat is good as new. |
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Post by papersilly on Mar 8, 2022 22:09:39 GMT
i have the enhanced tracing feature. i bought the card in late 2020 and was able to activate it with no problem. i've only used it a few times and i think you can live without it.
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Post by peanutterbutter on Mar 9, 2022 7:26:51 GMT
Love my scan n cut, loathe their mats lol. Keep playing with it, watch some videos. There is so much you can do. There are some great Facebook groups, I recommend the one with Jennifer Brodie, and/or the gentleman crafter.
If you keep it, or for anyone else looking, I highly recommend the Artistix mats, they work like a charm and really hold up. You have to order them from the Uk, but I usually order 3 at a time ( I like to be able to line up several projects to cut), and don't find the shipping costs to be too bad. For as long as they last and the great reduction in my frustration they are well worth it to me, just make sure you get the right one for your machine.
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Post by myboysnme on Mar 9, 2022 12:34:51 GMT
I bought a scan and cut from someone else and it never did what I needed. I sold it to someone else who I believe has never used it.
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Post by tealpaperowl on Mar 9, 2022 16:57:58 GMT
I see a few on FB Marketplace around $100/125... I might splurge after reading the pea's reviews!
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Post by cmpeter on Mar 9, 2022 20:33:50 GMT
I find the mats lose their stickiness pretty quickly. I end up putting a dab of removable tape runner behind the shapes I want to cut. That’s been working beautifully for me.
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Post by 50offscrapper on Mar 13, 2022 16:58:21 GMT
The mat has lots it stickiness after a week so I am going to call brother. I googled a bunch of stuff and found that you should clean with baby wipes. I think what happened is that the mat is super sticky at first and paper fibers got stuck on it. I read that you should put a t-shirt on it first to remove some of the stickiness.
I watched more videos and think it will do what I need it to do with the printables. I just need to learn more. The stamped images cut well.
Thanks to you all for the good suggestions. Hearing everyone talk about the switch makes me feel like this is a better investment for me since I already a Big Shot. The plus side is that I am also using my Cricut a lot more. It is slower but I did a side to side on a Mandela Svg on craft plastic. The Cricut cut every single detail. The Scanncut said some spots were to small to cut when I downloaded from Canvas workspace to the machine.
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Post by 50offscrapper on Mar 13, 2022 16:59:23 GMT
The mat has lots it stickiness after a week so I am going to call brother. I googled a bunch of stuff and found that you should clean with baby wipes. I think what happened is that the mat is super sticky at first and paper fibers got stuck on it. I read that you should put a t-shirt on it first to remove some of the stickiness.
I watched more videos and think it will do what I need it to do with the printables. I just need to learn more. The stamped images cut well.
Thanks to you all for the good suggestions. Hearing everyone talk about the switch makes me feel like this is a better investment for me since I already a Big Shot. The plus side is that I am also using my Cricut a lot more. It is slower but I did a side to side on a Mandela Svg on craft plastic. The Cricut cut every single detail. The Scanncut said some spots were to small to cut when I downloaded from Canvas workspace to the machine. It cut the reduced intricacy really well and fast.
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Post by papersilly on Mar 14, 2022 17:50:09 GMT
i use the Zig 2-way glue pen to make my mats sticky again. works great and the stickiness lasts a long time.
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Post by tealpaperowl on Mar 24, 2022 15:19:42 GMT
I ordered mine! It arrives tomorrow! I won't have time to try it until next next weekend but I'm excited!
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