Brothers new "Scan & Cut" machine
 

Have you all seen Brothers new Scan & Cut machine yet? You can scan in any picture, drawing or whatnot & it will cut it for you from fabric, plastic, paper and the like. Have not seen it work yet, it was at the Sewing Machine store yesterday. If it does what is says, it will put the "GO" in the dust. It cost a bit more $449. but you don't have to spend the big bucks on all those cutting dies. I did see one on Amazon for $399 free shipping. So if your thinking of buying a "GO" check out this machine. I just might get one myself, down the road.

Just looked it up at http://www.brother-usa.com/scanNcut/

Looks awesome. I like the flexibility of using it for many different mediums. I agree it will put the "GO" in the dust.

I've looked at this one, and the Silhouette Cameo. From what I understand, you can hook up the Silhouette to your PC to cut out pics. With the Brother you have to scan the pic first and run it through, or use a USB. That's the only difference I've seen. I'm waiting to hear more reviews on cutting fabric - most of the reviews for both of these are for cutting paper. But they both sure look interesting!!

I don't think so. It might be good for scrap booking. Can you cut more than 1 layer of fabric ? Can it cut long strips for binding or borders? It seems to me it is really slow. If it cuts only 1 layer it would take forever to cut enough patches for a quilt.

Char, I think that it's meant more for appliqué than quilt blocks. Also, if you're looking to cut long strips for borders, I don't know about the Brother, but Silhouette says they can cut up to 10 feet long!

I do think it is meant for applique type projects, how much fabric it can cut at a time, I don't know, just saw the product and it looked interesting. As for the Silhouette, I have not heard of that one at all. Guess I need to do some looking.

I have not seen it in real life, but it looks like all the other mechanized cutters on the market such as the Cameo, Pazzles etc. They have differences in how the image gets to the cutter, some you need to scan in, some you buy cartridges for, some you hook up to your PC. These machines work like a plotter, if you are familiar with that technology. Because the media that you are cutting moves back and forth under the blade, whatever you are cutting needs to be fairly stiff. Fabric is usually adhered to a slightly sticky cutting mat, so you can only cut one layer. Looks like the size of the cutting area is 12X12, so no strips. If someone liked using Inklingo to print and cut an entire quilt, this would be a great time saver as it will also cut the shape. For me it would be a great solution for intricate applique shapes, a whole quilt, not so much.

By the way I have the accu quilt go. I don't think the scan&cut will replace it for cutting out quilts. there are ways to cut squares,triangle. rectangles, diamonds etc. with just the strip dies. But as most people say,its good for scrapbooking and applique.

My cousin is thinking about buying this machine. She is a crafter and scrabooker not a quilter. She went to a demo of it and told me it would be very tedious to cut fabric for quilt blocks.

I am going to a demo for this next Friday. It is at a quilt shop. I will let you all know a little more about it. I have the go cutter and I don't think that this will compare to it.

It only cuts one layer at a time but there are so many designs already built in for quilting HST etc and you can make them any size you want and then you can have the machine to draw your 1/4 in seam allowance too, it can make all different seam allowances. There are two machines, I got the second one and it has over 700 built in designs plus fonts and then you can create and scan in your own created designs or the ones your kids make and then cut them out as well. Or just scan a document onto your USB if you don't have a way to get it onto you pc.

I have the Go and wouldn't get rid of it; they both have great qualities and like some other cutters out there they do enough things that are different from each other that having them both will be great. I would never make a rag quilt without my Go. It's not going to cut long strips of fabrics but what other machine can cut in a few seconds lots of quilt block pieces and even draw the 1/4in on it. It also has a setting that allows you to utilize the fabric by placing designs so that it uses less fabric. You can also scan in your fabric to be cut as a background and then place your design where you want. Great way to fussy cut; one of my favorite things to do.

My BFF sent me the link to Brother ScanNCut a few days ago after she saw it in a quilt shop. There will be a booth at the Houston IQF for those of you who will be attending. IMHO, if this machine works like the videos, it will cost much less in the long run than AccuQuilt, plus it is more versatile because it can be used for fabric or paper. I know quite a few people who have way more invested in their AccuQuilt and dies than the cost of this machine. Advantages are that you can scan your pattern pieces, then cut them out accurately and - you are not limited to heat and bond type applications - or make up your own pattern.

I don't see the connection to saving money on dies as a main reason to buy it. That is not a good enough selling point for me. I think InkLingo users will love it.

I agree and it shouldn't even be in the same category with the accucut. I think they compliment each other and each bring different things to the table. It's like comparing and Ipad to an eReader or to a pc, they may be in the same field but do different jobs, each may do a few things that the other does but not everything. I have an ereader, a pc and a tablet, except for my eReader that I now do on my tablet (same company) I use them for different things.

I have a basic Cricut, but there is an aftermarket program that lets you design on the computer and you only need one cartridge. I'd probably go for the Silhouette so I can use Inkscape or Illustrator for the vector files.

The first embroidery machines did a scan and sew. Brother had the software.

I have 5D pro and can still scan in a picture and digitize it including turning a picture into a portrait. I do like Brother's picture feature on thier machines though, along with the snowman. I love my Viking but I'm sure there are machines out there that have additional features that I'd love to have one; like the ones I just mentioned but wouldn't give up the other features my machine has for it. I've never heard of Silhouette or inkscape so I'll check them out. I think its great when a new gizmo comes out that can possibly improve what we are doing or faster and allows us to do more.

my daughter has the cricut and it does not do a good job on fabric at all.with die cutters you can cut up to 8 pieces/layers at a time.So while this is a cool new tool it is very slow compared to a die cutter-I think it is best for applique and unique shapes without a die.For squares,rectangles,etc a die cutter is better-imho

I don't use the Cricut or the Sizzix for anything but paper. If I want to applique, I trace on steam a seam paper and cut with scissors. I'd like an exacto knife that cut fabric.

I usually do my own greeting cards around needlework of some kind.

Interesting machine. I have not seen it up close and personal.

Yea!! Another gadget!! I'm the Queen of gadgets and a computer person so this is potentially dangerous for me! If I did more appliqué I might consider. If I need something now I don't have for the Go,, freezer paper works just fine!!

I saw one at the Hershey show and it really was amazing. They cut a quite intricate bird shape out of fabric with a fusible backing. It really was amazing. And with the computer application, you can change the sizes of shapes, and need not new - or ANY - dies, and cut really intricate things. I'm not in the market for something like that, but it really did tempt me!

I'm curious what the cost of the replacement blades and sticky sheets (assuming they are used) will be and how widely available. I don't see this machine replacing my AccuQuilt Studio though.

Not sure on the cost of the blades but on the one mat it does use sticky sheets and they are 14.95 for 4 but they last a long time before changing. Its not the same as the Accuquilt, I have the Go and the two machines aren't in competition with each other because they both bring different great things to the table.

I like the idea of it, but if it can only cut one layer of fabric at a time, it won't work for me. That would take way too long...

I have a Silhouette Cameo, and I am not too sure about the fabric cutting. Maybe I should just get brave one day and see if it works.

My DM just placed her order. It arrives end of this month. I am anxious to try it. Mom is beyond excited.

I have the Silhouette Cameo, too, and have used it for cutting fabric. It cuts great. I scanned in all the pieces for a McKenna Ryan Christmas quilt, and it really worked like a charm. I also have the GO, and there is no way I could have done the quilt on the GO. And, I would never give up my GO for the Cameo, or give up my Cameo for the GO. I have no experience with the Brother Scan and Cut, but after watching all the videos I am not even interested because with my Cameo I can do everything the Brother will do, and in some instances it is easier on the Cameo. The Cameo is quite a bit cheaper than the Brother, and all the accessories are about the same price. I have had some problems with my Cameo, but 99% of them were "operator error". I got superior customer support from Silhouette America and also belong to a Cameo Yahoo Group. Between the 2 of them I have become best friends with my Cameo, and of course I have always loved my GO. QUOTE=Donnasue;6338390]I have a Silhouette Cameo, and I am not too sure about the fabric cutting. Maybe I should just get brave one day and see if it works.[/QUOTE]

Yes, I have seen and bought this machine today! It is $499 at my sewing store. I love the scanning feature most. You can scan a picture, a drawing, or just the background of the cardstock or fabric. Then position your design or letter to be cut out. For the quilting feature, you can get the best alignment of the pieces you are cutting out with the click of a button! You can scan and cut a complete quilt block from a picture of the block! You can make stencils of letters or pictures or just cut out a picture itself even if it has irregular edges! You can scan a photo in to the machine or a USB stick and bring it back up later to use in another project. There is just SO MUCH more that you can do with this machine than the silohuette or ACCQUILT GO machines it is UNBELIEVABLE! You cut out one of your dies and scan it in and enlarge it or decrease it and then save and cut it out! The top of the line one (I bought) has 600 designs and 5 fonts in the machine. The lower model ($100 less has 500 designs). There is a rounded pocket shape that can be resized to almost 12 inches and make a small purse out of it! If you use the autoset to use the most fabric saving cutting, what is left is so little compared to the Accquilt dies and if you are using squares for instance, you could use the piece left over for a scrapebook project! This cutter does NOT need a computer to make it work like the silohuette cuter does. When you add seam allowance to your quilt blocks, it draws the line that you will use for stitiching the blocks together! This is ONE AWESOME MACHINE!! I can't get mine home til Monday as my store didn't have it at the store close to my house and I didn't want to drive to their other store, however now I wish I had of made the drive! Go to the Bro website and there are numerous videos on what you can do with it and you will want to buy it, too! Best wishes to everyone and I will post more as I learn the machine!
Shelia

It is a good selling point for me. I can't see purchasing a $30 dye for something I might only make once or twice. I would LOVE to have both but can only budget one.

One of the things people have said about these cutters (the Cameo and now the Brother) is that the blades dull pretty quickly so that corners don't go well. Also, the Cameo at least seemed to have some reliability problems, but Brother puts out some of the best printers (which this essentially is) and so I'd trust it more than I do the Cameo for that reason.

But I have my doubts that it will replace the Accu-cutters. It will just be another tool in the arsenal, as they say.