Cameo 3 cut settings

[silverdogsarah]

Hi, I bought a Silhouette Cameo 3 about a week ago and I've spent hours trying to get the cut settings right for deTAPE sign vinyl. Either it doesn't cut deep enough or it rips the vinyl as it's cutting and I've tried dozens of different settings. I had a Cameo 2 a few years ago and cut intricate designs like snowflakes without too much trouble. At the moment I can't even cut a word with a 72 pt font, never mind a blinking snowflake! I've wasted loads of vinyl doing tests because I don't find the test cut a very good indication that it will cut what I want. I've taken the blade apart and cleaned some vinyl out of it, not that it makes any difference! Any tips because I'm losing my patience with it and wish I'd never sold my Cameo 2. Thanks.

[webtrekker]

Have you checked the tip of your blade with a high power magnifier to make sure it's not chipped or broken, or even swapped it out for a new blade?

Are you cutting you vinyl using the mat or not?

Did your Cameo 2 work ok with DeTape sign vinyl?

Have you tried using two lighter cuts?

Personally, I don't rate the Cameos for anything other than very light materials. They've got a very poor roller system for starters.

[silverdogsarah]

I've checked it with a magnifying glass and it looks fine, although it's not a high powered one. I'm not using the mat and yes the other one worked fine with this vinyl. I only have the blade it came with, what do you mean by lighter cuts? I'm sure the other one came with a booklet on recommended cut settings.

[webtrekker]

what do you mean by lighter cuts?

Cut with more than one pass.

It's best to disregard published cut settings, other than as a starting point, and find your own settings through trial & error.

[silverdogsarah]

Thanks, I'll give it a go. I've had a week of trial and error and gone way beyond any published settings.:frown: I've watched so many tutorials of perfect cuts with this machine before I bought it, although mostly American and they use different vinyl, but this vinyl is designed to do what I want it to and they sell the machine so I don't know why it's so complicated.

[silverdogsarah]

I have found the magic numbers, with the help of Silhouette School, but it seems that Oracal vinyl is the best one to use.

[loobyloo]

Hi
I have found that if you slow the speed down by increments of of 2 and do 2 passes for standard vinyl say speed of 3, force of 1 to 20 and 2 passes.
For metallic vinyl i have speed at 3 and force at 30 and one pass.
I away use the mat.
I always do a test cut this saves vinyl.
Also the blade can become dirty and you have to unscrew the top of blade carrier (blade end) with the tool supplied and use a small artists brush to clean it.
Also the settings for different vinyl given by programme are absolute garbage I only use as a guide and test cut confirms if I get is wright. I keep a record of the settings so I know what to use next time I use the product. hope this helps

[webtrekker]

Even when you find the right settings, blade wear needs to be compensated for as time goes by.

[loobyloo]

Yes I agree about the blade webtrekker but lady has only had it 3 weeks

[JaimieS]

@silverdogsarah what was your best settings for the cut?
I'm thinking about buying a cameo as I heard v4 is coming out in matter of weeks.
Maybe I'll wait until that's released. What I've seen looks promising like higher speed,
quitter and bigger force.

I've looked a number of review sites up and I haven't seen anything just hype. What
are you experiences? Does the machine have flaws?

Not long ago I came across a blog that actually mentions negatives. It looks like it did
a hatchet job on the silhouette brand. I've found this cameo 3 vs silhouette curio comparison.

Is it accurate? You have no chance with bluetooth connection and what about the noise?