Sure Cuts A Lot and Inkscape (The Misunderstanding)

Posted on April 8, 2009 - by SVGCuts

Sure Cuts A Lot and Inkscape (The Misunderstanding)

“You DO NOT have to know Inkscape to use Sure Cuts A Lot, there are now thousands of free files that are 100% ready to cut!”

Recently while lurking in various Cricut and Sure Cuts A Lot forums, I realized that a large number of Cricut owners don’t completely understand how and why Sure Cuts a Lot is beneficial to them. Many of them think they have to know how to use Inkscape in order to have fun with Sure Cuts A Lot, this is soooo far from the truth.

Lets bust some Sure Cuts A Lot myths.

You DO NOT have to know Inkscape to use Sure Cuts A Lot, there are now thousands of free files that are 100% ready to cut! In addition to free files, there are also a few places on the internet to purchase “designer SVG files”, http://www.svgcuts.com being one of them. Check out out Free SVG downloads to get an idea of the cuts available!
You DO NOT have to have a full version of Cricut’s Design Studio in order to use Sure Cuts A Lot, nor do you have to have a full version of Design Studio to upgrade the Cricut’s firmware. (In certain instances the Cricut’s firmware needs to be upgraded in order for it to function with Sure Cuts A Lot software). You can upgrade the firmware by simply using the trial version available on their website!
Standard A/B USB Cable
You do not have to have a special USB cable to connect your Cricut to your computer. Any generic A/B USB cable will do the trick. Some USB cables are built better then others, but don’t go out of your way to buy a high end USB cable. Here are two examples of compatible USB cables, a 10 Foot A/B USB Cable or the 6 Foot A/B USB Cable are both fully compatible. Also, it is important to remember that the longer the USB cable the more you are likely to experience attenuation (loss of signal over a long distance). Attenuation can cause your Cricut to act up. For example, it may freeze in the middle of a cut or Sure Cuts A Lot may say that it cannot find an attached Cricut device. For this reason, it is a good idea to make sure your USB cable is definitly less then 15 feet long. Ideally, the shorter the better! You’ll get the best performace if your cable is 5 feet or shorter.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 at 9:08 am and is filed under SVG 101. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

11 Comments

We'd love to hear yours!

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January 6, 2010

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leokowal said:

Hi there! Some designs are better then others. There is no changing the fine lines unless you manually manipulate the original files in Inkscape or Illustrator. Other then that, I would suggest slowing down the cut speed and making sure you have a sticky mat. All of our files are guaranteed to cut perfectly!
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January 5, 2010

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curlylox said:

got scal for christmas—downloaded some svg’s but am having a hard time with cutting—-the designs I’ve tried so far have fine lines that do not cut well on my cricut expression and are hard to handle—-any suggestions?
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December 28, 2009

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Jayne said:

I use the usb cable from my craft robo.Got a cricut for christmas and have found the tutorials invauable.
Thanks
Jayne
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August 9, 2009

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Pam said:

Thank you! I have had SCAL for months and I never used it because I thought I had to learn inkscape. When I upgraded to 2.0 I decided to take the time to learn it and I am soooo glad I did. Thanks to you and other SCAL experts I can cut anything!!!!
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July 19, 2009

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Lesley said:

Can SVG files be used by a Silhouette SD
user? I don’t really understand the different file types, but I use GSD. files.
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June 12, 2009

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Bonnie said:

I have SCAL, but don’t know how to use the SVG files that I do have. Are there any tutorials about these?

Aloha, Bonnie
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April 25, 2009

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Clever Someday said:

So right about not needing Inkscape. I even figured out a way to bring circular/shaped text that is designed in MSWord, Publisher, etc. into SCAL. Details on my blog.
ttp://cleversomeday.wordpress.com/2009/04/16/using-msword-to-generate-circular-text-for-cutting/
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April 19, 2009

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TM Jameson said:

I love my Cricut but was disapointed by the cost of purchasing more cartidges. I found out about SCAL and Inkscape from this web site,downloaded and tried the software,(the tutorials are great!) I did a totally custom craft for Sunday School this morning using 15 cuts a child and didn’t have to pick up a scissor. It was a big hit! Thank-you
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April 11, 2009

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Donna S said:

I always learn so much from you even though I cut svg’s all the time! For instance, my cable is really long for ease of use (switching a printer and cricut back and forth), yet I have had more stalling… hmmmm. I’m one of ‘those’ that downloaded Inkscape and don’t have the first clue (or time) to use it yet; however, I’ve experienced great success thanks to others sharing (especially you!)
Thanks so much,
Donna S.
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April 11, 2009

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Brenda said:

MSoary,
I’m glad you addressed this. I purchased SCAL, (haven’t had a chance to install it yet), and was dragging my feet because of the Inkscape intimidation factor. I really like the silhouette fonts, and think for the most part these are ready to cut. I also love the files that you and others have created. Even if I was a wiz at Inkscape, that doesn’t mean I could design the beautiful files that you do.
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April 9, 2009

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Kathi said:

You are soooo right about all of this! I have a SCAL and love it!!! I use it most every day without ever using Inkscape! I just recently downloaded Inkscape and have not even opened it yet.
Thanks for the myth busting…I am sure it will be helpful to many!