Silhouette Cameo
Introduction
The Silhouette CAMEO is a low cost home-user plotting/cutting machine. It's probably the most simple tool to get to start a simple fab lab.
According to Silhouette Cameo USA “The Silhouette CAMEO™ is an electronic cutting tool for personal use. Like a home printer, it plugs into your PC or Mac® with a simple USB cable. However, instead of printing it uses a small blade to cut paper, cardstock, vinyl, fabric and more up to 12" wide and 10 feet long. The machine also boasts a quiet motor and the ability to register and cut printed materials.”
Specifications and installation
What can it do ?
This machine can make Scrapbook pages, Cards, Custom apparel, Vinyl décor, Etched glass, Sketch designs, Temporary tattoos, Paper crafts. Technically speaking it can cut:
- Paper and cardstock
- Adhesive vinyl
- Fabric
- Heat transfer material
- Rhinestone templates
- Specialty media
A free software is included. The $50 extended Cameo software can read SVG files
Installation
- Download the latest software from http://silhouetteamerica.com/software. (This software also comes with the included CD, but it's an older version probably).
- Enter the 13 digit code if you also bought the Silhouette Studio Designer edition. This will unlock extra features
- Connect the Silhouette to your PC
- On Win 7 64-bit: Power off the Silhouette. Insert the CD in the box and install the driver which can be found on Silhouette-Studio/Driver_64_English/GDSETUP64.exe. Ignore the warnings in the installation dialog.
Links
Official
Reviews and ideas
- Silhouette CAMEO by by AshleyAnn.
- Silhouette Cameo Guide (Tips, Projects and more)
The Cameo and other vinyl cutters in Fab Labs
Sharable designs
- The 'Vinyl Cutter' System (Thingiverse). Includes a small list of things.
- OpenClipArt (you must own the SilhouetteStudio Designer Edition, $50).