brother cm350 electronic cutting machine scanncut2 4.85 lcd touch screen factory

Background Scan - See your scanned image on the large color LCD touch screen, open your cut design, and use the stylus to simply move the design to the desired area for a perfect cut without measuring or using a computer.

Welding - Use the welding feature to combine shapes, hand drawings, fonts, and more directly on-screen. Combine detailed or intricate cuts in seconds to simply group designs in one piece prior to cutting.

Scan to USB - Scan virtually anything into your machine to be saved as a cut file. You can also use ScanNCut to scan important documents, files, artwork, photographs, and more - then save to your USB for future use without the need for a clunky, stand-alone scanner. USB not included.

On-screen Editing - Every editing function can be done right on your LCD touch screen. This includes customizing designs by resizing them, changing shape or position, using only part of a design, welding designs, rotating designs, and more.

Large Scanning and Cutting Area - Use the included 12" x 12" cutting mat, or the 12" x 24" cutting mat (available for additional purchase) to easily create and cut a wide variety of designs of all sizes.

Editing designs is both quick and easy with ScanNCut2. Every editing function can be done on the LCD touch screen display. Easily convert your scanned designs into custom cut or draw files. Customize designs by changing the shape, size, or position, even using just part of a design. Enjoy the ability to weld, rotate and resize to create fully detailed designs all without the use of a computer or expensive design cartridges.

2) I found that I needed to hold an Ott Light right over the cutting blade in order for it to scan in stamped out images. Even if I do this, it still won"t capture all the stamped out images properly if I stamp out a whole sheet, even if I rescan several times.

5) If you want to be able to use the new "enhanced imaging feature" that came out, you have to purchase it for $130 from a Brother dealer, which comes in a bundle that includes a bunch of designs that are ugly, AND, in order to use that feature, you MUST purchase and install the Online Activation feature, another $50 purchase, so in all, almost another $200 to get that one feature. Owners have been outraged, most people feel this should have been a feature users can access for free through the Canvas software. The only thing I give Brother credit for is that they did not come out trying to sell a new machine with this new feature, but for the price they are charging, you might as well have purchased a new machine!

6) Also, BEWARE, if you purchase any "card" like the "online activation card" for this machine from any one else other then an "Authorized Brother Dealer" the warranty will be VOID, SO DO NOT BUY THE ONLINE ACTIVATION CARD HERE ON AMAZON.

7) Even though the area of the mat that can be cut on is 12x12" the mat is much much larger than 12x12" - it is so huge, you need a huge table for that mat to go in and out of that machine, it takes up the entire area of my craft table when I use it. I have to lug it out (its heavy), carry it over to my table, use it, then lug it back to where I store it. So I try to stamp out a bunch of images and do a big batch production when I do use it. If you have a large craft room with lots of tables where you can keep this machine in a dedicated area, that will help you out, otherwise, it is not very practical to stamp out images for one card, pull this out, set it up, and scan and cut 5 images, then put it away.

9)) Brother has terrible customer support. They have these You Tube Channels with tutorials on how to use the various features of the machine, however, if you leave a question in the comment section, no one answers it. You need to get help from a Brother Dealer, however, if you bought your machine in Amazon, well, out of luck. I have a local Brother Dealer and asked them a few questions, they were not trained on the machine and didn"t know, ended up giving me a bunch of information that turned out to be inaccurate. The only other option is to call the Brother toll free number, which you need to get from a Brother dealer.

10) When I called the Brother Customer Support phone number they told me that for as long as this machine has been on the market, from the "original" they have never allowed any seller other than Brother dealers to see their "enhanced feature" cards (ie. online activation card, enhanced imaging card etc.) so there will never be price competition so you can buy them elsewhere for a lower cost. I still don"t understand how the online activation card can be sold on Amazon after I was told that. Also, with the mats, you HAVE TO USE A BROTHER MAT on this machine, it needs to see the numbers along the edges of the machine when it scans in images, so you cannot use another mat from Cricut for example, and these mats are very expensive. At least you can buy them cheaper here on Amazon, my dealer wanted $30 for 1 mat, and they were unwilling to do a price match with online pricing for the mat.

The only thing and I mean the only thing this machine has been good for, for me, is that it does do a fairly decent job of directly scanning and cutting out a stamped out image. It has paid for itself already from what I have been able to save by not having to buy the coordinating dies for stamps I have purchased. But thats all it is good for. Its very big, it takes up a lot of space, and

Crafters rejoice – the ScanNCut2 lets you create mixed media art projects with ease. Make your own stamps and stencils, or cut precise fabric shapes for sewing and quilting. Use your own designs or chose from one of ScanNCut’s 631 built-in selections for a whole range of crafts. The large scanning and cutting area makes it easy to handle bigger patterns like coverlets. When you’re done, remember to save your patterns to the machine’s memory and USB memory stick.

Just use the included 12" x 12" cutting mat (or optional 12" x 24" cutting mat) to create and cut a wide variety of designs. Plus, the cutting mats double as scanning mats! Now with 12" x 24" scanning capability! It’s great for scanning 18" doll patterns and large quilt patterns to create cut data.

No PC or internet needed! Create your own works or chose from one of ScanNCut’s 631 built-in designs, including 100 applique patterns and 7 lettering fonts. You can adapt borders, shapes, quilt patterns and more with the LCD touch screen display.

Get even more versatile with the ScanNCut machine. Not only can you save cut data to the machine’s memory and USB memory stick, but you can now connect and transfer an FCM cut file to your PC via USB cable (USB cable required, not included). The new ScanNCut Online feature allows you to connect wirelessly in order to transfer cut data to and from the ScanNCut machine via ScanNCutCanvas (optional ScaNCut Online Activation Card).

Yes, it cuts precise fabric shapes with ease, making sewing, quilting and appliqué projects easier to create than ever before. This machine has the ability to read PES* and PHC* files containing appliqué stitch data for cutting appliqué pieces.

Free cloud-based web application for editing and designing cut data as well as converting SVG files to FCM format for use with the ScanNCut2 with new project gallery.

Developed with the advanced, cutting-edge technology that Brother is known for, ScanNCut2 is truly an incredible innovation in electronic cutting machines. This standalone cutting machine gives artists the freedom to make truly unique, one-of-a-kind creations with the push of a button. The Brother CM350 ScanNCut2 provides users with the flexibility of connecting wirelessly or directly to a PC and scanning images directly to the system, and it features a large cutting area to cut and draw a variety of shapes and designs with precision.

The Brother CM350 home and hobby cutting machine does not require cartridges, dyes, or monthly subscriptions and includes multiple built-in features that simplify the process. Unlike other cutting machines, the Brother ScanNCut2 allows you to scan virtually anything – from your handmade drawings to cherished family photos, home decor designs, and more – and then create custom-cut shapes or outlines to fit your unique project. The Brother ScanNCut2 machine features a high-quality, built-in 300 DPI scanner, a super-large 4.85” LCD touchscreen display (30% larger than before), and over 600 designs. It also has the ability to read SVG data files.

The on-screen editing function allows users to edit designs on the LCD touchscreen. The Brother ScanNCut2 also features 631 built-in designs, including 100 quilt patterns and 7 lettering fonts. The ScanNCut online feature allows you to connect wirelessly to transfer cut data to and from the ScanNCut2 machine via ScanNCutCanvas. (An optional WLAN activation card is required to access this feature). This product is backed by a 1-year limited warranty with free technical phone support for the life of the product.

631 Built-in Designs, Including 100 Quilt patterns, Plus 7 Lettering FontsGet Creative! Basic shapes, intricate designs, borders, quilt patterns, fonts and more are all available on the easy-to-use color LCD touch screen display - now 30 percent larger than our prior models. Simply select a design, and then have it cut out on your material of choice. For even more variety in your creations, combine built-in designs or scan an image to create a one-of-a-kind design.

Turn your scanned images into unique one-of-a-kind cut designs and patterns. The secret lies in the 300DPI built-in scanner. Scan virtually anything - a handmade drawing, a magazine clipping, cherished photos, and more - to create endless cut designs and save to the machine"s memory. Say goodbye to expensive, clunky design cartridges! As a bonus, use ScanNCut2 as a home scanner to archive pictures, documents, and more and save to your memory stick for use in your computer. Enhanced scanning with color recognition. Choose to scan in either gray scale or color RGB mode.

Background ScanThe magic of ScanNCut2 lies in the ability to scan your materials using the 300 DPI built-in scanner. See the scanned image on the large color LCD touch screen display - now 30 percent larger than our prior models, open your cut design and, using the Touch Screen, simply move the cut design over the desired area for a perfect cut without measuring or using a computer.

Scan and convert to cut data. Using the technology of the 300DPI smart scanner, scan in your design and save it as data to cut or draw. ScanNCut2 will create cut lines automatically, and then within minutes, hand drawn elements can grace the pages of your art work as a cut element or drawing with the assistance of the pen draw feature.

Single Pass... See it, Cut it! No more fussy cutting! Relax, and let ScanNCut2 do the work for you. With just a few simple steps, ScanNCut2 will scan your material, create the outline cuts, and allow you to select your design straight from the surface to cut out. This revolutionary feature will eliminate the hassle of hand-cutting designs from your favorite papers and fabrics! More scanning power with the ability to scan in gray scale or Color RGB mode.

Large Scanning and Cutting AreaUsing the included 12"x 12" cutting mat, or the 12"x 24" cutting mat (available for additional purchase), easily create and cut a wide variety of designs - from one as small as a delicate snowflake for a holiday ornament or one as large as an inspirational wall quote to place in your family living room. Plus, the cutting mats double as a scanning mat for ease of use!

On-Screen EditingEditing designs is both quick and easy with ScanNCut2 Every editing function can be done on the LCD touch screen display - now 30 percent larger than our prior models. Easily convert your scanned designs into custom cut or draw files. Customize designs by changing the shape, size, or position, even using just part of a design. With the ability to weld, rotate and resize your designs, you"ll love having the ability to create fully detailed designs to your liking - all without the use of a computer or expensive design cartridges.

Select from the wide variety of built-in designs or from your gallery of scanned images to build your own unique cut designs. Use the welding feature to combine shapes, hand drawings, fonts and more directly on the large color LCD touch screen display - now 30 percent larger than our prior models. Combine detailed or intricate cuts in seconds to simply group designs into one piece prior to cutting.

Creative Embellishment. Have you ever dreamt about adding custom drawings to your crafting projects? ScanNCut2 gives you the ability to change your cut file - whether it"s from a previous scanned image or a built-in design, and replicate the design into a drawing in virtually seconds! With the Color Pen Set (6 pens) for drawing plus Erasable Pen Set (2 pens) for working with fabric you can now take all your sewing and crafting projects to the next level.

Seam Allowance and Sewing GuidelinesHave you ever struggled with piecing together your fabric when working on various sewing and quilting projects? ScanNCut2 gives you the ability to add a seam allowance in 1/4" increments to assist you in piecing together fabric pieces for your quilts, clothing and more. But wait, it gets better! You can even utilize the erasable pens (air soluble and water soluble) to create sewing guidelines on your designs to assure virtually perfect placement of your stitches.

Space Saving Auto Layout CapabilitiesDo you often find yourself with a collection of odd shaped scraps of paper and fabric that you likely won"t be able to use again? With the space saving capabilities of ScanNCut2, get the maximum use out of your material. Using the background scan option, simply scan your material into the machine and watch as an image of the material quickly appears on the large color LCD touch screen display - now 30 percent larger than our prior models. From there, see the exact placement of where your designs will lie on the material prior to cutting them out. Even the smallest scraps can be utilized when working with this innovative crafting tool!

Scan and Save Data - Even more versatility!Even more versatility with the ScanNCut2 machine, not only can you save cut data to the machine"s memory and USB memory stick but now you can connect transfer a .fcm cut file to your PC via USB cable (USB cable required, not included). The ScanNCut Online feature allows you to connect wirelessly to transfer cut data to and from the ScanNCut2 machine via ScanNCutCanvas (optional WLAN activation card required).

ScanNCutCanvasScanNCutCanvas is a FREE cloud-based web application that combines the versatility of your favorite design software and the awesome cutting power of your Brother ScanNCut2, giving you the ability to easily convert .SVG files to .FCM, perform Image Tracing, and edit multiple images for cutting. It is easy to import projects that you have created or edited with ScanNCutCanvas into your ScanNCut2 cutting machine, via the ScanNCut2 memory stick port, PC direct connect (USB cable required, not included), or ScanNCut Online (optional WLAN activation card required). Try It Now!

Cutting Material - Max 1.5mm (May Vary): Paper: Printer/Scrapbook/Cardstock/Velum/Tracing/Poster Board, Fabric: Thin Cotton/Flannel/Felt, Others: Magnet/Sticker or Seal

On-Screen Editing Functions: Sizing (Height), Sizing (Width), Duplicating, Lock or Unlock the Aspect Ratio, Pattern Rotation in 1 Degree Increments, Mirroring, Seam Allowance On/Off, Unifying, Wielding, Group Deleting/Group Selecting, Auto Layout by Rearranging Patterns - Rotate at Any Angle, Rotate Patterns 0 degrees or 180 degrees without Rotating, Moving (on 100/200/400 percent Screen), Magnifying (by 200 or 400 percent), Undoing, SVG File Readability

Turn your images or hand-drawn sketches into cutting designs with this Brother ScanNCut 2 CM350 cutting machine, which features a 300 dpi scanner for accurate image replication. A 4.85" color touch-screen LCD makes viewing and changing settings easy.

631 Built-in Designs, Including 100 Quilt patterns, Plus 7 Lettering FontsGet Creative! Basic shapes, intricate designs, borders, quilt patterns, fonts and more are all available on the easy-to-use color LCD touch screen display - now 30 percent larger than our prior models. Simply select a design, and then have it cut out on your material of choice. For even more variety in your creations, combine built-in designs or scan an image to create a one-of-a-kind design.

Turn your scanned images into unique one-of-a-kind cut designs and patterns. The secret lies in the 300DPI built-in scanner. Scan virtually anything - a handmade drawing, a magazine clipping, cherished photos, and more - to create endless cut designs and save to the machine"s memory. Say goodbye to expensive, clunky design cartridges! As a bonus, use ScanNCut2 as a home scanner to archive pictures, documents, and more and save to your memory stick for use in your computer. Enhanced scanning with color recognition. Choose to scan in either gray scale or color RGB mode.

Background ScanThe magic of ScanNCut2 lies in the ability to scan your materials using the 300 DPI built-in scanner. See the scanned image on the large color LCD touch screen display - now 30 percent larger than our prior models, open your cut design and, using the Touch Screen, simply move the cut design over the desired area for a perfect cut without measuring or using a computer.

Scan and convert to cut data. Using the technology of the 300DPI smart scanner, scan in your design and save it as data to cut or draw. ScanNCut2 will create cut lines automatically, and then within minutes, hand drawn elements can grace the pages of your art work as a cut element or drawing with the assistance of the pen draw feature.

Single Pass... See it, Cut it! No more fussy cutting! Relax, and let ScanNCut2 do the work for you. With just a few simple steps, ScanNCut2 will scan your material, create the outline cuts, and allow you to select your design straight from the surface to cut out. This revolutionary feature will eliminate the hassle of hand-cutting designs from your favorite papers and fabrics! More scanning power with the ability to scan in gray scale or Color RGB mode.

Large Scanning and Cutting AreaUsing the included 12"x 12" cutting mat, or the 12"x 24" cutting mat (available for additional purchase), easily create and cut a wide variety of designs - from one as small as a delicate snowflake for a holiday ornament or one as large as an inspirational wall quote to place in your family living room. Plus, the cutting mats double as a scanning mat for ease of use!

On-Screen EditingEditing designs is both quick and easy with ScanNCut2 Every editing function can be done on the LCD touch screen display - now 30 percent larger than our prior models. Easily convert your scanned designs into custom cut or draw files. Customize designs by changing the shape, size, or position, even using just part of a design. With the ability to weld, rotate and resize your designs, you"ll love having the ability to create fully detailed designs to your liking - all without the use of a computer or expensive design cartridges.

Select from the wide variety of built-in designs or from your gallery of scanned images to build your own unique cut designs. Use the welding feature to combine shapes, hand drawings, fonts and more directly on the large color LCD touch screen display - now 30 percent larger than our prior models. Combine detailed or intricate cuts in seconds to simply group designs into one piece prior to cutting.

Creative Embellishment. Have you ever dreamt about adding custom drawings to your crafting projects? ScanNCut2 gives you the ability to change your cut file - whether it"s from a previous scanned image or a built-in design, and replicate the design into a drawing in virtually seconds! With the Color Pen Set (6 pens) for drawing plus Erasable Pen Set (2 pens) for working with fabric you can now take all your sewing and crafting projects to the next level.

Seam Allowance and Sewing GuidelinesHave you ever struggled with piecing together your fabric when working on various sewing and quilting projects? ScanNCut2 gives you the ability to add a seam allowance in 1/4" increments to assist you in piecing together fabric pieces for your quilts, clothing and more. But wait, it gets better! You can even utilize the erasable pens (air soluble and water soluble) to create sewing guidelines on your designs to assure virtually perfect placement of your stitches.

Space Saving Auto Layout CapabilitiesDo you often find yourself with a collection of odd shaped scraps of paper and fabric that you likely won"t be able to use again? With the space saving capabilities of ScanNCut2, get the maximum use out of your material. Using the background scan option, simply scan your material into the machine and watch as an image of the material quickly appears on the large color LCD touch screen display - now 30 percent larger than our prior models. From there, see the exact placement of where your designs will lie on the material prior to cutting them out. Even the smallest scraps can be utilized when working with this innovative crafting tool!

Scan and Save Data - Even more versatility!Even more versatility with the ScanNCut2 machine, not only can you save cut data to the machine"s memory and USB memory stick but now you can connect transfer a .fcm cut file to your PC via USB cable (USB cable required, not included). The ScanNCut Online feature allows you to connect wirelessly to transfer cut data to and from the ScanNCut2 machine via ScanNCutCanvas (optional WLAN activation card required).

ScanNCutCanvasScanNCutCanvas is a FREE cloud-based web application that combines the versatility of your favorite design software and the awesome cutting power of your Brother ScanNCut2, giving you the ability to easily convert .SVG files to .FCM, perform Image Tracing, and edit multiple images for cutting. It is easy to import projects that you have created or edited with ScanNCutCanvas into your ScanNCut2 cutting machine, via the ScanNCut2 memory stick port, PC direct connect (USB cable required, not included), or ScanNCut Online (optional WLAN activation card required). Try It Now!

Cutting Material - Max 1.5mm (May Vary): Paper: Printer/Scrapbook/Cardstock/Velum/Tracing/Poster Board, Fabric: Thin Cotton/Flannel/Felt, Others: Magnet/Sticker or Seal

On-Screen Editing Functions: Sizing (Height), Sizing (Width), Duplicating, Lock or Unlock the Aspect Ratio, Pattern Rotation in 1 Degree Increments, Mirroring, Seam Allowance On/Off, Unifying, Wielding, Group Deleting/Group Selecting, Auto Layout by Rearranging Patterns - Rotate at Any Angle, Rotate Patterns 0 degrees or 180 degrees without Rotating, Moving (on 100/200/400 percent Screen), Magnifying (by 200 or 400 percent), Undoing, SVG File Readability

What is the best vinyl cutter—for you? Well, needs and wants can vary a lot between hobbyists and small businesses. That’s why there are so many cutters out the targeted at specific consumers. This short intro will help you identify your expectations and find a cutter that’s just right. The 8 easy-to-read product reviews on this page highlight the best cutting machines around.

Vinyl cutters are not cheap, so you want to get it right the first time. One of the traps beginners make is to buy a machine that’s too big or too complex for their needs. That can lead to frustrations if you only want a simple cutter for basic jobs. Likewise, you don’t want to buy something that falls short and can’t do what you need it to. Think about the usage now and potential usage later.

It’s a simple question yet one the buyer often overlooks. Most machines can cut a variety of materials as well as vinyl. Think about what you want to use the device for now and in the future. It’s better to have a few options you don’t need than missing features you do. Home hobbyists may only want a lightweight desktop cutter for vinyl. However, that won’t be enough if you have other ambitions.

There’s nothing more frustrating than getting a new vinyl cutter you can’t fathom. Some machines are complex, or their software is hard to grasp. Cutters can vary a lot in this area. Make a note of your current skill level and read user feedback or ask questions based on that.

A friend of mine once bought a couch that was too big to fit through his door. You won’t face problems like that with a vinyl cutter but size is still a crucial buying factor. Know where you plan to put the machine before you buy it. It’s not much fun to find that it’s too large to go in the space you allocated. It’s a common buying blunder but easy to avoid. So, always check the product dimensions—that’s it.

The two motor options are digital-servo and mechanical-stepper. A stepper motor uses physical gears to drive it. That makes it noisier and less precise than servos. Precision issues are most noticeable when cutting smaller projects. Stepper motors are the cheaper option, but servos are the best choice.

You may only want a vinyl cutter though most machines can cut a variety of materials. Some typical examples include adhesive vinyl, heat transfer material, cardstock, fabric, transparencies, vellum, paper, and so on. I include material compatibility for each cutter in the reviews.

You can buy vinyl cutters that only come with the machine and a user guide. Others may include extra accessories and sold as bundles. Accessory examples are spatulas, vinyl trimmers, pickup tools, hooks, vinyl sheets, and sketching pens, etc. Consider a vinyl cutter that includes tools and accessories you were going to buy anyway. It’s a convenient way to shop and may even save you a few dollars.

Think carefully about the points above as you consider your vinyl cutter machine. Make a note of anything else that matters to you like blade types, cutting speed and cutting depth. The average maximum cutting depth is about 2mm. More is always better. Finally, always ask the seller if you’re unsure about anything, anything at all. Buying in ignorance is too much of a gamble.

Cricut Explore Air 2 Mint is a favorite DIY cutter among hobbyists. It’s an ideal machine for all things vinyl and so much more. The device is quick to set up out of the box and super easy to use.Best feature 1: Cuts, writes, and scores

Consider the Cricut Explore Air 2 if you’re a hobbyist who wants to bring custom designs to life. It’s the perfect partner for things like vinyl stickers, custom designed garb, bespoke home decor, events cards, and so on. The versatile machine cuts, writes, scores, and includes a 2x fast cutting mode. It also has a Smart Set Dial to prevent using the wrong depth or pressure.

The built-in Bluetooth is a welcome touch for those who love to create on the go. All you do is access Cricut’s ‘Design Space’ simple design software and you’re good to go. The company provides a vast library of pre-made projects and designs. There were over 60,000 images available at the last count.

The Silhouette Cameo 3 comes with a touchscreen, Bluetooth, and the latest Studio software. Its AutoBlade auto-adjusts to match the material in use. You don’t need an internet connection to use this vinyl cutter or software. That’s a significant buying consideration. Some rival products won’t function unless you pay a monthly subscription fee. There’s no need to buy fonts or designs either.

This machine has a standard blade holder for use with the most economical blade types. Its 3 fully-adjustable pinch-rollers accommodate a flexible choice of materials. The dual media roller system is a real time-saver. It allows material to be placed on top of the rollers (no feeding necessary).

There are only 2 negatives with this otherwise incredible machine. One is the cutter doesn’t work with Apple/Mac computer systems. The other is that first-time users of a vinyl sign maker are sure to experience a learning curve. It’s as intuitive as it can be, but there’s still lots to take in.

Silhouette Portrait 2 is an excellent choice for those who need to be mobile. It’s a lightweight, portable machine that you can take anywhere with minimal hassle.Best feature 1: Auto blade design

There are many reasons why hobbyists love the Silhouette Portrait 2 electronic cutter. It’s akin to a home printer in its size, lightweight, and ease of use. The machine plugs into the USB port of any Mac or PC via a simple USB cable. Material choice is vast with over 100 types to choose from (see above). And Silhouette’s brilliant new auto blade automatically adjusts itself to the proper cutting depth.

The Portrait 2 utilizes the deep cut blade due to its 2mm clearance. That’s ideal if you need to cut thicker materials. Bluetooth® is another welcome feature (adapter included) for wireless connectivity. The machine is also capable of digitalized cutting as it’s PixScan compatible. PixScan™ is a technology that cuts around printed images or positions with ultra-high precision. Think stamps as one example.

Brother’s Scanncut2 CM350 is a cutting machine with a scanner. This arrangement lets uses scan what they see and then cut it from a single device. It’s a worthy rival to Silhouette and Cricut.Best feature 1: Larger color touchscreen

The color LCD touchscreen is a clear, anti-glare 4.85” display. That’s a 30% increase on the previous model and makes working with projects even easier. Brother is the only vinyl cutter producer to include a built-in scanner. The RGB color recognition helps to produce incredibly accurate cuts. On-screen editing is a snap, and there’s access to 100s of built-in designs and fonts to choose from.

Multiple connectivity options make this machine even more appealing. You can connect wirelessly, direct to PC, and via USB memory stick. There’s no skimping on the cutting area either with the 12×12” cutting mat. There’s also an option to upgrade to a larger mat if you need extra space.

This cutting machine is the popular 14” Mophorn Vinyl Plotter. It comes equipped with easy-to-use software and works with a variety of materials.Best feature 1: Backlit LCD screen

Setting the machine up out of the box could not be easier. The instruction booklet that comes with the product is straightforward and easy to follow. I mention that because not all guides are so practical. All users praise this model for its bright LCD screen. It also has large Control Panel buttons that make navigation a breeze. That includes touch-button controls for speed and force.

The machine comes with SIGNMASTER vinyl cutting software (Basic Version). It lets you design, produce, and edit existing projects like logos, vinyl lettering, and pinstriping, etc. It has everything a hobbyist or small business could need.

Anyone who’s used a vinyl cutter before will have no trouble working the Mophorn Vinyl Plotter. But some novice users report a slight learning curve. Set aside a little time to play around and get familiar with it all. The price is average for a cutter in its class, but so is the finish. Everything works and nothing breaks. It’s just that the machine doesn’t have the same quality finish as some of its rivals.

Cricut Maker is a reliable workhorse of professional grade. The machine comes with an expandable suite of tools to meet all kinds of challenges. Tools include powerful blades, a scoring tool, and pens. It works with over 300 different materials without exaggeration. It’s a versatile cutter too. It slices through fine papers, fabrics, and tougher materials like chipboard and balsa.

The rotary blade can tackle just about any fabric (without backing material). It works fast and with high accuracy too. This blade is also ideal for cutting felt and crepe paper. The Knife Blade is the one to use for heavier materials like 2.4mm balsa and matboard. Another valuable feature is blade detection. What that does is auto-check the blade in use is the right one for the material.

The biggest gripe with the Cricut Maker Champagne is its limited cutting area. There’s less space than its rivals Cameo and Silhouette. The other complaint is the internet-based Design Space software. It’s free to use, but being web—as opposed to computer-based—it has limits.

This USCutter is a 28” SC2 professional vinyl cutting machine for creative sign businesses. It’s also a bundle and includes a 15x 5” clamshell heat press as part of the combo.Best feature 1: MH Series Vinyl Cutter w/Stand + Heat Press

The clamshell heat press that comes with this combo has a large 15″ x 15″ working area. It’s an easy-to-use commercial-grade machine that features a large digital LCD panel. It also arrives fully-assembled and ready to go straight out of the box. It’s a versatile product that can apply creative designs to any flat surface. Some of those include ceramic, fabric, wood, metal, and glass.

New users may encounter some frustration assembling the USCutter 28” SC2. The stand is especially awkward, and there are no instructions in the box. You can find help on the website, but they don’t make that obvious either. My advice would be to find some set up and installation videos on YouTube. Note also, this machine is not compatible with Apple Mac computer systems.

The secret to the Brother ScanNCut’s amazing versatility lies in the 300 DPI built-in scanner, making ScanNCut the only cutting machine that can take your scanned images, photos or hand-drawn sketches, and turn them into unique cutting designs, without the need or expense of a computer, software, or pricey cartridges.

The Brother ScanNCut CM900 promises new creative heights with over 1000 built-in designs, wireless connectivity and a huge 12″ x 24″ scanning and cutting area. That means no wires, no worries and no limits.

Brother’s ScanNCut CM900 will take you to new creative heights thanks to state-of-the-art upgrades and new features that are changing the game. We’re talking about a large 4.85” LCD touchscreen, over 1000 built-in designs, enhanced data readability perfect for working with embroidery machines, and a large 12” x 24” scanning and cutting area so you can integrate larger designs than ever before. And let’s not forget about its wireless connectivity, making it easier to transfer your designs from ScanNCut Canvas. That’s no wires, no worries and no limits, allowing you to enjoy creative freedom like never before

Take your crafting to a whole new level! The CM350 features a new 4.85 LCD touch screen and is wireless ready (requires activation card). It also has scanning color recognition and has SVG file import capacity. This 23x10x10 inch package contains one machine, one standard cut blade holder, one standard cut blade, one spatula, one 12x12 inch mat, two color pen set, one pen holder and one touch pen. Includes over 600 built-in designs and 7 built-in fonts. USB cable is required (not included). Imported.

When it comes to crafting and cutting machines, there’s no easy answer, considering that there’s always going to be at least one alternative to the machine that you’re eyeing that seems to have just a couple of extra features.

Since you’re not going to buy them all and then decide which one’s best for you, we’ve decided to simplify the process for you by comparing various cutting machines to some of their counterparts. By the end of it, you’ll hopefully be able to make an educated choice that will reflect both your needs and your budget.

Without further ado, in this guide, we’ll discuss a bit about the capabilities of the Brother Scan and Cut compared to Cricut Maker’s, given that they’re both pretty popular choices when it comes to competent cutting machines.

Intuitive software: the learning curve for the Cricut Design Space is low and fit even for beginnersBuilt-in scanner: the built-in scanner component lets you operate the machine without relying on additional devices

Strong: impressive 4000g cutting force and 2.4 mm clearance makes it possible to work even with stubborn materialsEasy to use: the software utility that comes with Brother Scan and Cut can be handled even by complete novices

Multi-material support: Cricut Maker can handle more than 300 materials, including fabric, leather, craft foam, vinyl, paper, and even mat boardSilent: the Brother scan and Cut lets you enjoy a quiet evening, even while it"s working at full capacity

Versatility: can handle various projects, ranging from creating vinyl decals to designing T-shirts, greeting cards, invitations and craft stencilsDecent cutting power: Brother Scan and Cut comes with a decent 350g of cutting power and a 12 x 24 inches cutting surface

Child-proof: several safety components make it easy even for children to operate Cricut Maker without riskLarge screen: the Brother Scan and Cut 2 has a screen that"s 30% larger than its previous model

Before we start, you must understand that both machines have their strong points, but they also have a bunch of drawbacks. In the end, it’s all about what features you are willing to compromise for and what drawbacks are dealbreakers for you.

Therefore, even if we suggest that you stick with a machine, ultimately, you’ll have to make your own choice based on our observations, but you’ll also have to take your needs from your soon-to-be cutting machine, as well as your budget, into consideration.

If you’re new to the world of crafting, you may need a quick crash course on what cutting machines can help you achieve. Whether you go with the Cricut or Brother cutting machine, they could both help you create designs and cut them from various materials.

While most people use them for vinyl (they’re both excellent choices for cutting vinyl) and paper, you can also use them for other materials. Brother Scan and Cut 2 not so much, but Cricut Maker 3 can handle more than 300 materials, including more stubborn ones, such as leather, fabric, and even mat board.

That’s not to say that the Brother Scan and Cut 2 isn’t great at what it does, though. With its built-in 300 DPI scanner and generous LCD screen, you can get started working on your projects in no time and without pairing the machine up with a secondary device.

The presentation above is merely meant to show you a comparison between the two cutting machines. As you may have noticed, we only focused on the strong points of each contender, as we’ll soon pop the hood right up and take a closer look at what these two machines can or can’t do.

It’s worth mentioning that the machines we’ve used for our comparison guide are the Cricut Maker 3, which we believe is the absolute best choice when it comes to Cricut cutting machines, and the Brother Scan and Cut 2, seeing as it’s gone a long way to surpass its predecessor.

Despite the fact that many crafters don’t see size as being a definite dealbreaker when it comes to choosing the perfect cutting machine, there are a lot of crafters who are also educators or who need to take their projects on the road for various conventions or fairs. For them, size and weight are crucial.

While the Cricut Maker 3 and the Brother Scan and Cut 2 are about the same in size, the former weighs about twice as much as the latter, which could be a bit of a problem. As far as finding space on your busy desk, both machines will probably fit just fine.

However, if you need to move your cutting machine frequently from one place to another and you can’t exactly use a convenient means of transportation every time (such as a car), you may want to tip the scales in Brother’s favor. It will save you from a lot of back pain in the long run.

Here’s something that has to do more with the machines’ actual capabilities and not with their designs: their strength or cutting power. Now, this may not look like a fair fight, considering that there’s a huge difference in cutting power between the two.

Cricut Maker 3 delivers a whopping 4000g of cutting power, while the Brother Scan and Cut 2 only hits the 350g mark on the strength scale, which is almost 11 times weaker than its counterpart.

Cutting force is paramount, especially if you’re planning to use your cutting machine with more than just some basic materials (such as paper, vinyl, or cardboard). Cricut can handle more than 300 materials, including more resilient ones such as mat board, craft foam, fabric, and leather.

Now here’s another important aspect of your cutting machine: the material clearance. This parameter is actually your machine’s capability to work with materials of a certain thickness, so the larger its supported material clearance is, the thicker the supported material could be.

Cricut Maker 3 comes with a clearance of 2.4 mm, which should be more than enough even if you’re using it for a small business. At the opposite corner stands the Brother Scan and Cut 2, which can handle only 2 mm, which could feel enough for a hobbyist, but not if you’re serious about working with thicker materials.

However, if your only plans with the cutting machine that you’re going to choose after reading our guide are cutting paper and vinyl, you’ll breathe out in relief considering that even2 mm are enough to process these materials. Furthermore, you won’t even need a cutting force that’s higher than 100g for those two materials, so you can also scratch the part about cutting power.

We learned that Cricut Maker 3 has a cutting speed of 8 inches per second, which is really impressive. It also comes with a 2x speed upgrade that you can toggle on or off, depending on how fast you want to go through the material with the blades or pens.

However, note that going full throttle on any cutting machine, let alone the Cricut Maker 3, will also tremendously increase the noise it generates, so maybe refrain from doing that if you’re in a busy household or there’s someone trying to focus or sleep nearby.

The Brother CM350 ScanNCut2 has a decent cutting speed, but it’s no match for the Cricut Maker 3. On the plus side, it can scan a mat in just about 20 seconds, so it takes a bunch of extra points thanks to this nifty little feature.

The Auto Blade is a feature that crafters never knew needed until its implementation on various cutting machines. The brilliance behind this feature is that it lets you eliminate all the guesswork from your projects and ensure that their quality will always be the best.

Brother Scan and Cut 2 features an Auto Blade, which means that the projects you’ll be going to create with its help will always turn out fine as long as you can specify the type of material you’re using.

Cricut Maker 3 lacks this feature, which means that you need to configure most of the parameters of the cut manually by using Cricut’s software solution, the Cricut Design Space. The bottom line is that Brother gets the point for implementing a crucial feature in its flagship cutting machine.

The Dual Carriage feature is a bit self-explanatory; instead of boasting just one holster, the cutting machine has a dual carriage which means that you can configure and run two separate steps with the same machine, such as drawing and cutting.

Cricut Maker 3 showcases a dual carriage, which means that you have two holsters where you can place the tools that you need. Mind you that the two holsters can accommodate any tool you want, just as long as it’s supported by the machine.

For instance, you can put two pens if you want to run two drawing steps, two blades if you want to cut and then cut some more, but you can also mix and match by placing a pen and a blade to streamline an entire drawing and cutting process.

Unfortunately, Brother Scan and Cut 2 lacks this feature entirely, which means that you’ll have to wait for it to complete the first step, perform a bunch of configurations on its software, swap the tool you need for the second step, and let the machine carry on. Although it may not sound like such a big deal, it actually costs you some precious time doing all that.

Both the Cricut Maker 3 and the Brother Scan and Cut 2 come with a selection of premade designs so that you can jump right into crafting moments after successfully setting up the machine. However, this doesn’t mean that you should stick only to those designs.

In fact, that’s the whole point of getting a cutting machine so that you can unleash your creativity and generate new designs that the machine will cut, thus saving you a lot of precious time. Look at it this way: built-in designs are nice to have so you can grow accustomed to the machine, but custom designs are where the real fun is really at.

Obviously, both machines support custom designs, but the way they work is somewhat different. For starters, the Cricut Maker relies on an external software utility that you have to install on your PC so that you can feed your custom designs to the machine through it.

While this is somewhat standard for cutting machines, here’s where the true genius behind the Brother Scan and Cut 2 truly shines. Although the Brother Scan and Cut 2 has a software tool you can use to load your custom designs, the machine also benefits from a built-in scanner.

This means that you can simply scan an image of your design by feeding it through Brother Scan and Cut 2’s built-in scanner and let the machine do the rest. The scanner has a resolution of 300 DPI, which means that it will be able to detect even the finer details of your design.

Since you can operate the Brother Scan and Cut 2 with or without an external device, it goes without saying that as far as custom design support goes, Brother Scan and Cut 2 is definitely the winner.

As we’re sure you’re aware, software integration is definitely a crucial component of cutting machines, so it should make perfect sense that we’re using this feature in our cutting machine comparison between the Cricut Maker and the Brother Scan and Cut 2.

The Cricut Maker comes with an intuitive software solution that can help you create your designs, customize them, and process them through the machine in no time. A while back, Cricut Maker’s software was actually a web application, which meant that you could only access it from web browsers.

Brother Scan and Cut 2, on the other hand, is on a whole different level, given that you don’t even need to have a secondary device in order to use your cutting machine. By using the built-in 300 DPI scanner and generous LCD screen, you can get started with your projects in virtually no time.

On the downside, working on an LCD screen and not a monitor can feel somewhat limiting, so you may find out that although the Brother Scan and Cut 2 provides you with a lot of freedom and flexibility regarding not being tied to a secondary device, it also restricts you and the types of operations you can perform on it.

The bottom line is that if you’re constantly on the move and participate in a lot of fairs or expositions, you’ll definitely find that Brother Scan and Cut 2 is a better choice since you don’t need any secondary device to operate it.

However, if you don’t mind pairing up your cutting machine with a laptop every time and know for a fact that you have everything you need with you, or at least you have a sturdy Internet connection at the destination, you may consider going with Cricut Maker, seeing as it gives you more freedom.

Cutting power is definitely a turning point when it comes to cutting machines. I mean, would you still purchase a machine if you found out that it can’t cut the material you’re planning to work the most with? Didn’t think so.

Thus, it’s safe to assume that this parameter is indeed an important one, and in turn, we’ll use it to compare the capabilities of the two cutting machines that we’re comparing today in our guide, the Cricut Maker and the Brother Scan and Cut 2.

The Cricut Maker has an impressive force of 4000g, which is one of the highest cutting forces that a machine of its caliber has. The fact that it can apply 4000 grams of cutting force to whatever you feed it makes it possible to work with a broad range of materials.

More so, it also allows you to feed materials that are strongerand more resilient to the machine, and it will handle them just as easily. However, you must definitely pay attention that whatever it is that you feed to the Cricut Maker isn’t thicker than 2.4 mm, since that’s the clearance of this machine.

On the opposite corner stands Brother Scan and Cut 2 with a cutting force of merely 350g, which is less than 11x of the cutting force that its counterpart provides you with. So it’s not exactly a competition at all here, considering the huge difference in cutting power levels.

Reportedly, Cricut Maker can cut more than 300 materials, which makes absolute sense, judging by its cutting power. It’s also advertised as being capable of cutting tougher materials too, such as leather and mat board. It goes without saying that as far as cutting power goes, Cricut Maker gets the point.

If you don’t want to settle on just finding the machine with the highest cutting power on the market, you’ll want to press on and look for more parameters that could help you decide on which machine is best for your needs and another equally important feature is the cutting size.

While Cricut Maker boasts an industry-standard cutting size of 12 x 24 inches, Brother Scan and Cut 2 only provides you with a 12 x 12 inches maximum cutting size.

If you’re interested in Brother Scan and Cut 2 so far, but you’re a bit disappointed about the limited cutting size, you’ll probably be glad to learn that you can purchase an additional add-on mat that would expand the cutting size of this machine to a full 12 x 24 inches.

We weren’t glad to learn that, but if that’s the only thing that’s stopping you from making the leap and purchasing a Brother Scan and Cut 2, you should just go for it at this point.

If you find the practice of almost halving the industry-standard cutting size and then asking for money to make it ‘normal’ a bit unsavory (like we do), you could just pick Cricut Maker and stick with it.

Note that you can also extend the Cricut Maker 3’s cutting size, but the good news is that you’ll still have the standard 12 x 24 inches cutting size available to you. For once, you can use Smart Materials in your crafts, which will allow you to perform cuts up to 12 feet in one go (yes, 12 feet).

Alright, now you may believe that we’re just nitpicking now since noise levels should be absolutely the latest thing you should worry about when picking a cutting machine, but trust us, if you’re planning on using the cutting machine often, the noise will start to be a nuisance in no time.

Cutting machines are generally loud, there’s no way around it. I guess you could give it a try and find a model that can cut your designs flawlessly and still let you hear a pin drop, but you won’t be able to, and let me tell you why.

For starters, these cutting machines have a lot of moving parts, and these moving parts, believe it or not, are set into motion by motors. Some machines use servo motors, while other use stepper motors, and the latter are usually much noisier than the former, but that’s not the point we’re trying to make.

As long as you have a machine with multiple motors whirring around in your house, you won’t be able to achieve that level of complete silence. However, there are still notable differences between cutting machines since each of them has a different build than the other.

We’ve mentioned in one of our other comparison guides that the Silhouette Cameo 4 is (in)famous for the noise it can generate. Scratch that, all the cutting machines in the Cameo family are notoriously loud. However, we’re here to talk about the Brother Scan and Cut 2 and Cricut Maker, so let’s see which one’s better from a noise standpoint.

The Brother Scan and Cut 2 is a bit noisy, as you’d expect from a cutting machine, but it’s nothing out of this world. The word we’d use to best describe it is acceptable since it is, after all, a cutting machine we’re talking about.

On the other hand, the Cricut Maker 3 seems to score another point in this department as well. This cutting machine is not 100% silent, but it generates way less noise than any of its counterparts (in this case, the Brother Scan and Cut 2).

One quick tip, though: if you want to keep the noise down, even with the Cricut Maker, we suggest you refrain from using the 2x speed feature. You’ll get the job done slower, but at least you’ll have a quieter machine. On the other hand, if you can afford a bit of noise, you can fire up the 2x speed and get the job done twice as fast, but with a lot more noise.

It’s one thing to buy a cutting machine that can set you back a few hundred dollars, but accessories are a whole nother story, since you have to keep buying them, and the frequency of this purchase strictly depends both on how often you use the machine and the way you use it.

A hard lesson you learn as a cutting machine owner is that accessories are not made to last, and it’s easy to understand considering that the accessories are actually knives and blades, which get dull in time. Although it doesn’t seem that way, paper is one of the biggest enemies of blade sharpness.

Now back to our sheep; you should always take into consideration the costs of owning a cutting machine, and not only its price. The price of the unit doesn’t matter as long as you’ll end up paying a fortune for maintenance, supplies, and accessories while you own it.

With that being said, you should know that while Brother Scan and Cut 2 is a bit more affordable than its counterpart (the Cricut Maker), it has one of the most expensive sets of accessories on the market. In addition, some customers have even complained that Brother’s mats lose their stickiness way faster than products from different brands.

Thus, you shouldn’t be thrilled that you can save a couple of bucks if you go with the Brother Scan and Cut 2, seeing as purchasing accessories every now and then will definitely set you back a whole lot more than if you went with the Cricut.

We’re going to go ahead and announce that this is a tie way before we start going into more detail. As we’re sure you know by now, the Brother Scan and Cut 2 features not only a built-in 300 DPI scannerbut also a generous LCD screen that lets you perform various operations without relying on a secondary device.

At this point, it’s more of a personal choice whether you need a machine that eliminates the need for a secondary device (i.e, the Brother Scan and Cut 2), or you prefer having a docking station where you can add a separate device to access the design software of the machine.

It goes without saying that the screen & scanner combo is more impressive than the docking station, which is why from our standpoint, the Brother Scan and Cut 2 gets the win in this department, but we’ll let you be the judge of that, based on what you need more.

As we’re sure we already made you aware, there’s no such thing as a perfect cutting machine. In fact, all of them have flaws, and it’s only a matter of preferences and what features you can compromise on that decides which cutting machine can meet your requirements best.

We’ve already talked about what these machines are capable of, and it seems like we’re looking at them through rose-colored glasses, but the reality is that these machines have flaws of their own, even if they seem to be able to handle a huge variety of tasks.

For the sake of our guide, in the next couple of sections, we’re only going to focus on the drawbacks of each machine and won’t compare it to the other. This decision was made mainly because these machines are built differently, and comparing their drawbacks may sound a bit like an apple-oranges situation.

There’s one last thing that you might find a bit disconcerting about Cricut, and that’s the fact that you’ll need to buy a subscription plan if you want to access its complete database of designs and fonts. While this isn’t a limitation of the machine, it comes with owning one, so it still counts.

Brother Scan and Cut 2 is an overall reliable machine, but it lacks a bunch of features that would make it even better. For instance, it doesn’t have a dual carriage mode, so that you can’t run multiple steps on the machine without stopping and configuring parameters for each operation.

Second of all, the cost of the machine may be comparable to that of other desktop cutting machines, but the cost of its accessories is a bit much, if not even exaggerated. Although you could save a bunch of dollars during the machine purchase phase, the accessories will burn a hole in your wallet.

Now let’s discuss the scanner for a bit. The scanner is what tells Brother Scan and Cut 2 apart from other similar products in the market since almost none of them have a built-in scanner and an LCD screen you could use to control the machine without a secondary device.

While the scanner is most definitely a sought-after feature, it could definitely do better. If you have a monochrome or high contrast design, you need to process, Brother Scan and Cut 2’s built-in scanner will do great, but if you’re using a colored design with not so much contrast, you may have a hard time.

Last, but not least, the LCD screen, which many consider a real lifesaver (considering it eliminates the need for a secondary device), is a bit sluggish, whether you decide to operate it with your bare fingers or the design pen this machine comes with.

To wrap it up, this guide is here to help you make an educated choice when it comes to picking up your new cutting machine that will assist you with your crafting, as long as you’re on the fence between the Brother Scan and Cut 2 and the Cricut Maker 3.

We’ve discussed the good, we’ve talked about the bad, and now you should understand a lot more about these machines, the way they work, and which departments they lack in.

It goes without saying that neither one of the machines is perfect, as they both have some quite annoying limitations. Now regardless of what we said in our guide, the final choice between the two cutting machines will be a matter of your own preferences and what features you’re willing to compromise for.

The bottom line is that both machines are excellent and what they do, but the Cricut Maker 3 seems to dominate Brother Scan and Cut 2, at least regarding features that both of them share (e.g., cutting force, cutting size, cutting speed, noise).

At the time being, the Silhouette Cameo 4 is not only a fair match for the Cricut Maker, but it’s also more powerful in some aspects, such as cutting force, cutting size, and material clearance.

Yes, it’s possible that you can use custom images with any cutting machine from the Cricut family, as long as you’re using the proprietary software solution called Cricut Design Space. The utility features support for SVG files, as well, and the best part is that it’s 100% free.

Although the general consensus seems to point in the direction of the two machines being highly comparable or even alike, we believe that the Cricut Explore Air 2 is simply better. Not only is it less expensive (both the machine and its accessories), but it also has a smoother learning curve.

Yes, you can use Cricut Design Space (proprietary Cricut software for its cutting machines) to create your own designs and use them with Cricut machines, whether it’s the Maker or Explore Air you’re sticking with.

Obviously, the best Cricut machine you can buy at the time being is the flagship model, Cricut Maker 3. It has everything you need to get started, features a huge cutting force of 4000g, has a 2x speed boost, is silent, and its accessories are among the cheapest ones on the market.

If you want to cut simple materials that are not very strong such as vinyl or paper, then really, either one of the Cricut Maker 3 or Brother Scan and Cut 2 is a valid choice. However, note that the Brother Scan and Cut 2 is more expensive, both the machine and the accessories and supplies it comes with.

Although the machines may seem similar at first sight, the Silhouette Cameo and the Cricut Maker are in a league of their own from many aspects (cutting force, cutting speed, cutting size). The only thing that the Brother Scan and Cut brings to this 3-way match is a built-in scanner and an LCD screen, which eliminates the need for a secondary device to interface with the machine, so if you’re into that, you should stick with Brother.

As far as we’re concerned, you can activate your Cricut machines without an activation card. On the other hand, Brother sells ScanNCut online activation cards that will let you connect your Brother Scan and Cut 2 machine to a wireless network.

No, it’s not better, the Brother Scan and Cut 2 has a 300 DPI scanner and an LCD screen that many customers find attractive or convenient, but as far as cutting power, cutting size, speed, or accessories cost go, the other two cutting machines are far superior.