I’m offering special accessories pricing and discounted shipping this coming weekend for those who own SOLO cutters.
The PDF catalog is available here: SOLO Accessories Catalog
If you wish to order anything, please contact me either by
email: smccauley45@cox.net
or on Facebook
So much for a Top 10 list. I couldn’t omit any of my favorite new SCAL6 features and it was challenging enough to select just 13 from the 30+ new changes from SCAL5 to SCAL6. So, off we go for my personal countdown:
No longer are you restricted to only using the right and bottom areas outside of the page. Scroll out and utilize much more room for designing your projects:
The new Monogram Effect allows you to design a monogram of up to 3 letters using any font you have installed. Other features include:
For those who routinely trace imported clipart, followed by adding either an inset cutline or an outer contour, this will save you a few extra steps:
If you’re in the market for a new cutter, be sure to check out the Siser 12” Juliet and 24” Romeo models. They have the same amazing camera technology found in the Skycut and StarCraft SOLO, high-definition cutting, and terrific support. While SCAL6 is an additional 3rd Party software, you will find plenty of SCAL6 experts already using Siser cutters and eager to help you with your questions.
These allow you to fill shapes with customizable geometric patterns. Variations of these pattern fill are offered in the following functions:
Speaking of rhinestones, SCAL6 has a new effect called Rhinestone Scatter which adds a random but customizable spray of rhinestones based on 3 optional outline shapes surrounding a design:
Round Corners will round off sharp corners on a selected shape. The most common situation is when a design has right angle corners and the user would prefer those corners to be rounded:
An added benefit is when tearing occurs while cutting shapes with extra sharp points, such as 7+ pointed stars or blades of grass. Applying even the smallest amount of rounding can provide greatly improved cutting.
Data Source Copies is a powerful new feature which generates duplicates of your original design but customizes each one by changing selected elements in that design. Some typical applications include:
You provide the replacement data with imported CSV files. You can also set up dates and/or numbers to automatically increment.
At long last, you can now select all shapes with a particular Fill color or a particular Stroke color. This provides a much easier method for owners of the regular SCAL version to do cut-by-color applications, as well as nest shapes of the same color to save on material usage.
(but not the Cricut type)
A new Flatten function is essentially identical to the Back Minus Front function, but with two advantages: 1. It can be used with multiple shapes at once. 2. The shape(s) on top are retained. Thus, the Flatten function’s purpose is to remove the overlap from any shape beneath any other shape or shapes. This will be of great use to those doing HTV applications.
For those making stickers where you want to kiss cut an inner path, followed by fully cutting an outside path, the Score option on the Style Panel now allows you to assign layers to Score and, in the Cut Settings window, assign a different force from the one used for full cutting. This feature can also be used when cutting difficult materials, like chipboard, in which better results are achieved if the first pass or two are made at a lower force and a final pass or two are made at the higher one.
And these are certainly not the only additions to SCAL6. There are over 30 changes in total shown in this document:
How Does SCAL6 Differ from SCAL5?
What are ALL the extra functions in SCAL6 Pro?
SCAL6 Pro versus Regular SCAL6
Download SCAL6:
Purchase options:
Already own a version of SCAL? Check out the upgrade pricing options:
Upgrade to SCAL6 Regular
Upgrade to SCAL6Pro
And for those supporting SkatKatz, the very best company in Australia:
A retreat for small business owners and hobbyists who use popular cutting machines but find they are restricted by cutting size limitations or lack of software functionality. Learn how to use the StarCraft SOLO™ cutter and CREATE™ software in a small group environment led by an instructor with 16 years’ experience using electronic digital die cutters, and a variety of design and cutting software. The StarCraft SOLO™ cutter combined with the CREATE™ software gives the user the ultimate in cutting design & flexibility with software support for 140+ cutters and cutter brands (does not include Cricut™ or SNC™ brand cutters). In three days, we will take you from the introduction and unboxing of your NEW SOLO™ cutter, to cutting file design, with hands on training on both cutter and software, and tips and tricks for your paper crafting, sticker making, HTV vinyl t-shirt business or whatever it is you do or want to do with an electronic digital die cutter.
August 26, 27, 28 2022
Christina Lake BC C A N A D A
Email: Info@craftingwithcutters.com
Scrappy Dew is offering an excellent deal on Sure Cuts A Lot 5 Training which can be purchased with or without the software: Special Offer!
If you’ve not yet bought Sure Cuts A Lot, this is a great opportunity to get the program, along with access to over 135 videos/over 8 hours of training, covering the major functions and features.
If you’re not familiar with SCAL5, here are a few of the most common questions I get from KNK owners, along with my responses:
You bet it does!
Yes! And they are true versions, not emulated versions.
Yes! You can select inches, mm, or cm for the units of measurement throughout and the virtual onscreen mat will also be updated.
Yes and yes!
Yes, I have. Here’s the link: SCAL5 Support Page
Have your own questions about this amazing program? Post them here or you can email me at smccauley45@cox.net. Hope to hear from you! Again, Scrappy Dew’s promotion can be found here: Special Offer!
*** UPDATE: If you’ve already read this post, check out the FAQ’s I’m adding at the bottom as I receive private emails. Your questions may have already been asked. 🙂
On April 16, 2018, KNK USA was informed by CADlink that they will no longer assist owners of KNK Studio 7 or 8 or ACS Studio with recovering registration files. This applies to both those with dongled versions and dongle-less versions. CADlink has also stated that those customers who suddenly have registraton problems, but wish to continue using KNK Studio for designing and/or cutting, will need to upgrade to Signlab 10 Cut Pro at a cost of $200 USD for the software plus shipping for the software CD and a dongle. The shipping cost to those in the USA is $30. It will vary in other countries.
Since that date, I’ve been working on a document called Surving Post-CADlink Support to help ALL of you… including those who are currently successfully using these older versions. Some basic things you need to know:
The document is a bit detailed but I needed to cover all scenarios for owners of both dongled and non-dongled versions. I regret the hassles that this change is going to cause users of KNK Studio. However, note that I also can see CADLink’s side of this situation. This is not unlike other software companies needing to abandon support of older versions at some point. I personally went ahead and paid the $230 to upgrade and I’m glad I did because there are features, such as node editing, that I want to continue using. Thus, I will still be happy to answer questions about this newer version.
Please feel free to post any questions here or you can email me at smccauley45@cox.net.
FAQ’S
Q: Do I really need to upgrade to use my KNK Studio?
As long as KNK Studio is working, you’re good to go. This is just a warning that if you buy a new computer or you have certain Windows updates get installed or you have to reformat your hard drive, then your dongle-less registration files will become invalidated and you will no longer be able to use KNK Studio. That’s when you’ll need to make a decision. But it’s very important to also read the Surviving CADlink Support document to fully understand ALL of the options you have. For example, you MIGHT still be able to register your original Activation Pin and keep using KNK Studio.
Q: Is the upgrade really worth the cost?
That’s a personal decision for you to make after you read my document, understand your options, and then ask me additional questions, as needed.
Q: Does this mean I can no longer use KNK Studio to copy and paste to MTC?
As long as your KNK Studio remains registered, you’ll be fine. Once that registration is wiped out with a Windows 10 update (or you buy a new computer or you have to reformat your current computer), then you can still open a KNK file and copy/paste into MTC once or twice before KNK Studio will shut down. But then you can again reopen KNK Studio, open your file, and do it once or twice more before KNK shuts down. Obviously, it would make sense to select all shapes in a file and copy/paste just once but then you’ll have to reorganize shapes by color or whatever. If this is too tedious and you still want to be able to open your existing KNK files or use the same functions you like in KNK Studio, then you’ll need to upgrade to Signlab 10.
Note also that you can copy/paste into Inkscape instead and it has the ability to select by color and assign to a new layer which would make large files easier to reorganize.
And finally note that SignLab 10 opens KNK files so if you upgrade, you still have that option to use your original .knk files.
Q: Is there a way to batch convert .knk files into a different format, such as SVG or PDF?
No. I’m not aware of a batch converter. But also consider just converting on an as-needed basis. Even if your registration no longer allows you to cut or design using KNK Studio, you can still open a KNK file and copy/paste the contents over to Inkscape or MTC.
Q: Is Windows 7 safe from this?
Yes and no. It should be as long as you don’t have any updates get installed AND you don’t do a reformat of your hard drive or reinstall KNK Studio. Sometimes doing a Restore can also invalidate the registration files, so be cautious.
Q: Is the Signlab 10 cut pro similar to Studio? I know Studio so well and I’m worried I won’t have time to relearn a new program.
Yes, Signlab 10 is essentially KNK Studio with some additional features. It will open any existing KNK files and you can do all the same things. There are some noticeable changes such as an improved Layer panel. But otherwise, I’ve not seen anything missing. For example, I immediately checked node editing and all the same tools were there plus a new one! With time, I’ll be checking these things out but transitioning should be fairly easy for people, if people choose that route over MTC or SCAL.
Q: I’m very interested in SignLab 10 if it opens more design files.
I’ve not yet done a side-by-side comparison but I did check and it can now open SVG files.
Q: Does SignLab 10 only have a dongled version?
Yes. There is no longer a non-dongled version. That being said, dongles are VERY precious… if you lose it, you have to pay full price ($500) for a new one. So you should treat it like a piece of jewelry! And, if you plan to pull it out of your computer frequently, then it’s best to use a USB hub or extender instead so that you’re not frequently tugging on the dongle.
Q: I have only ever used SCAL (or MTC) with my cutter. Does this change affect me?
No, it doesn’t. KNK Studio and ACS Studio are separate programs from SCAL and MTC.
