best press will not be stiff enough to cut without adhesive, you need a heavy starch or something like terial magic, but you don't need any if using adhesive for fusible applique. There is a learning curve but there are lots of facebook groups and tutorials to help and dealer support for the scanncut. I do love that I don't need a computer to be hooked up to the scanncut like the silhouette. I have tried cutting both appliques with and without adhesive and was successful with both. The mats do lose their stick fast but there are tutorials to make them stick again which I haven't tried yet. I am very happy with my scanncut for fabric paper and vinyl