I have cut a lot of paper with my Silhouette Cameo 3! When I heard that the Cameo 4 could cut without a mat, I was SO excited! Now that I have my Cameo 4, I got to try the new feature and it is pretty awesome! If you are a mom, you need a Silhouette for cutting paper!
What Paper to Cut
You can cut any paper with a Silhouette! The main difference in cutting is the paper weight. Did you know paper had different rating for how thick it is?! Yes, It does!
Most paper that you get at a craft store will have the number on the tag, packaging, or on the paper edge/back. Copy paper is 20lb and there is really heavy cardstock that’s 80lb.
There are different cut settings for each weight. I almost always buy 60lb cardstock and use the Cardstock, Plain setting in the studio software. I usually buy cardstock in packs when they go on sale to get the most for my money. When you are shopping, be mindful of the weight of the cardstock so you’re prepared to do a test cuts to find the right cut settings if your paper is thicker.
Favorite Paper Cutting Projects
- Cards for any reason! You can even add a gift card or money pocket
- Kid projects and presentations
- Paper Flowers
- Party Decorations
- Holiday Decorations
- Packaging for homemade gifts
- Cards to hold homemade jewelry or hair bows
- Teaching lessons to small kids
For a list of all the things you can cut with a Silhouette machine, and more paper cutting pictures, go to my post Here
Silhouette Cameo 3 or 4 for Paper Cutting
Paper cutting with a Cameo 3 requires a cutting mat. The problem with the mats is straight out of the package they are too sticky and will rip your paper. To solve the problem, I will take a clean t-shirt and stick it to my mat a few times to make it a little less sticky. Then after awhile of cutting, the mat will lose it’s stick and then I use masking tape to hold the cardstock to the mat for cutting. That is my favorite way to attach the paper because the mat won’t ruin it by being too sticky. Masking tape just takes a little more time.
Naturally, I was so excited to hear that the Cameo 4 will cut cardstock without a mat! The difference is that the software will leave little areas that aren’t cut all the way through and you need to punch them out when the cutting is done. This isn’t the best if you want a really clean edge, but great in case you have to cut a lot of shapes at once.
I did a experiment to see if I liked cutting paper better with my Cameo 3 or 4 better. I needed to cut a lot of little arrows for a bulletin board, so I connected both of my Cameos and cut with them both at the same time.
I found that the Cameo 4 cut a lot faster without a mat! The pieces that were cut on the mat were faster to weed after they were cut.
Here are the arrows I cut! I cut 84 arrows in 30 minutes since I was able to use both machines.
I think I hit all the reasons why you should be cutting paper with your Silhouette, and quite a few tips! If you still have questions or you want to show me your paper project, could you find me on Instagram? @craftingwithbrenna
