Adriennewot wrote:Your card designs are amazing. What software are you using? I am new to this forum, considering purchase of a Silver Bullet (have not decided which one yet - the 24" seems pretty big for me, a longtime Cricut user). I am fascinated with the greater versatility of these machines! Thanks and best regards. Adrienne
Not the OP, but I am pretty sure from OP's posts on other forums I belong to that she has used Make the Cut (MTC) and it's sister program, Popup Card Studio (PCS) for the popup cards that she has shown here. While MTC will work with the SB line of cutters, it does not have an actual plugin for the SB line of cutters. In addition, and important for new users to know and understand, MTC has not been updated or modified in any way in several years now.
I don't believe it ever will be but the developer has not said anything one way or another on the subject. That alone says plenty I am afraid. PCS has also not been updated or changed in the same time frame. As a result, I would hesitate to make MTC my "go to program" with any cutter or system. I still use it, and it is my go to program, but that is because I am too lazy to sit down and work with SCAL (Sure Cuts A Lot) and learn it as well as I know MTC.
Having used MTC and SCAL since their early days, I always preferred MTC and learned it. Since I have been using it since 2009 I can just go and do something quickly in it. SCAL has continued to improve since then and is what the Silver Bullet ships with if bought new with software so it is the program they support with the cutter. Further, SCAL continues to be updated and add plugins for newly released cutters which means it has ones for the SB and other new systems. MTC does not. Nor does PCS. Both MTC and PCS can import and export files out though so you could get PCS and export out a file to use in MTC or SCAL for example. Both are good programs and do pretty much what most people want to do, but given that they are no longer being updated, I would tell any new user to get SCAL over MTC for that reason alone.
In deciding what size cutter you want/need - determine how much space you have available, what you want to cut, do you want to do bigger projects that a 24" machine will let you do, etc. Only you can make that determination. Once you decide that, you will have a better idea of what you want to do. Now that said, if you have room for the bigger cutter, and can get a good deal on a used one, then I wouldn't hesitate to do so. Then you know you can always go bigger when you want.
I have had a BC Cutter (predecessor to the SB) and now a SB for years now and they have always served me well. Good luck in your decision.