Hi, I have the original Silhouette machine and I haven't used it all that much (because I haven't been scrapbooking all that much this last year). Anyway, I was wondering if it would be worth it to upgrade to either a Pazzles or Gazelle.

I see that I'd have the ability to use 12x12 paper, but I'm wondering what other advantages they would have (if any). Also, is there a way to convert the images I have for my Silhouette (a few are GSD, but most are GST) so I could use them with either of the new machines? I still have $180 credit with Silhouette so I'd want to purchase even more images so that credit wouldn't go to waste.

Finally are there any for sale/trade forums around where I could look for someone to buy my Silhouette and also where I might find a Pazzles or Gazelle that someone didn't want. (other than ebay - there aren't many listed there.)

Thanks!
Ann-Marie

Oh, and one more question - is the software for the Inspiration (or Gazelle) more complicated or easier than the Silhouette software?

Actually, yes you can import GST and GSD files to use with the Gazelle, there are instructions in the Bosskut user forums.

I have a Gazelle, which I love!, but I've never used any other cutter so I really cannot compare them or their software. I mostly make my own designs and so far I've been able to make whatever I want and haven't felt limited by either the software or the cutter.

The real question to ask yourself is what you want to do with it and what features are important to you, and then find the cutter that will match your needs. E.g., for me, the ability to import any graphic file and convert it to a cutting file was the single most important feature. For you it might be the size, the availability of cutting files for purchase, or the types of materials you want to be able to cut that matters more.

Sandy is right about taking the time to learn how to use the software, and going through the available trainings and tutorials are always helpful. I personally hate videos, for me they take longer than written documentation, but that's just me, I learn really quickly and I hate waiting for a video to catch up to my thought processes.

Well, I'm pretty computer savy so I don't think learning is going to be that much of a problem. I want the best of all worlds. I want the ease and availability of lots of cute predone designs that you purchase inexpensively YET, have the total freedom to modify or change them as well as being able to design your own. I am not a designer and I don't want to spend hours or even more than a couple of minutes creating a design to cut out. I like being able to go on to (currently Silhouette's) a website and search for "rings" and get a few different types of images with rings in them. I do like to be able to resize, weld or separate the images after being imported, I highly doubt that I would create my own image from scratch though.

So far the Silhouette has worked well for me, I'm just annoyed at having to first cut off a piece of my 12" cardstock to get it to fit into the machine. But, I haven't really used the Silhouette all that much - maybe 10 times.

I like the idea of being able to use the machine for other things like vinyl and also embossing and/or engraving.

I saw instructions somewhere on how to import/modify/convert a GSD file to a WCP (or something), but most of my file types were GST. How do I change it from a GST to a GSD?

Spending hours designing my own files is half the fun

Check out bosskutdiecuts.com to see the available for-purchase files. I know there are instructions to convert GST to WPC because I did a search for it on the user forums, but you can't access those unless you're actually a Gazelle owner. There is a Visitors' forum on bosskutforum.com which might also be of help to you.

I did a bunch of research before I settled on my Gazzy, there are several good machines out there so it's a tough decision!

Yeah, I know designing can be fun - I just don't have that much time. I have 80 pages done on my wedding scrapbook and we've been married 6-1/2 years. I've only done about 8 pages that weren't my wedding album during that time so it's not that I don't want to design my own, it's a time issue.

I would much prefer to buy an image - much faster. In fact, when I want to do a title - that can easily take me a couple of hours to choose the font, set it up, cut it out, pull it apart, run the letters through the xyron and then put it on my page.

Sticker letters start sounding pretty nice about then.

Thanks for the advice. I'm just researching for the future. I need to save up. I see that there is a new cutting machine by craftwell, the ecraft or something like that. It's supposed to come out this spring and it doesn't need a mat. It's very slim. But, I want to wait at least 6 months if not a year before I commit to that. It's one of those things - it's a new generation of craft cutters which mean it can be revolutionary (no mat) but it also could mean problems. I'm not convinced that my small letters wouldn't come apart in the machine and jam it. Plus, I want to hear reviews and see what kind of software/images they come out with.

I have to say, I love that I can buy just one image at a time with Silhouette. I like the option to buy a compilation, but it's nice not to have to spend $40 (or even $10) for a whole set of stuff if I just need one image.

Do a search on the boards, there have been a couple of threads about the ecraft. Its initial release was not received very favorably, altho I don't know if anything's changed with them recently.

How do I do a search? I don't see a search place anywhere except for the store.

Up above, there's a yellow menu bar, underneath the main tabbed menu. It's not the greatest search engine - especially if you're looking for a common phrase - but you should do all right with "craftwell" and "ecraft"