Whichever machine you select, the basic procedure for making a standard cut with a die is fairly similar. Follow the machine’s instructions for creating a cutting “sandwich” of cutting pads, material, and your die for whatever die type you are cutting with. It's conveniently called a sandwich becauseit has layers. The outside plastic cutting plates are the bread, the die is the deli meat, the cutting material is the cheese, and any shims are the condiments or fixins. The most obvious materials are paper and card, and these are what you would usually find on the front of most papercraft projects. But there are actually a whole host of other materials that you can cut, including: GET CREATIVE RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX ★ This bundle kit also comes with everything needed for you to start your creations right out of the box. It includes the electronic die-cutting and embossing machine, 5 x plates, 2 x transparent plates (150 x 210 x 3,5mm), 1 x die release tool, 1 x PP plate (150 x 210 x 14mm), 1 x magnetic sheet (150 x 208 x 0,8mm), 1 x metal shim plate (150 x 208 x 0,3mm), 1 x cutting die, and 1 x embossing folder (100 x 150mm).

Even though dies are mainly designed to cut shapes out from your chosen material, you can also use some dies for embossing! This is the technique of creating a raised impression in your material instead of cutting all the way through and this can achieved by using an embossing mat in your die-cutting sandwich. Steel rule dies are stronger and have more cutting force than a thin metal die, so they can cut through more difficult materials (such as mat board or leather) or more layers of material at once (such as multiple layers of fabric for creating quilt pieces). However, it is possible to create much more detailed designs with thin metal dies, and thin metal dies are much more affordable. Thin metal dies are also lightweight and take up less room to store.Different manufacturers have licenses with different designers to produce content for their machines. Although metal and steel rule dies from most brands can be used with any of the manual machines, this is not the case with digital cutters that use proprietary files. So if you are a Tim Holtz super fan, you may want to consider the Sizzix eclips 2 over the Cricut Explorer Air. Have a kid that is all Disney all the time? Then the Cricut Explore Air is probably your machine. Each machine has its own licenses and its own aesthetic. Warranties for Die Cutting Machines

An embossing mat provides much less pressure on the die and material, and gives it a softer base the press against, preventing the die from cutting through. What to do if you can’t remove the die-cuts While we've done a couple of more focused beginner's guides, like the beginner's guide to Edge'able dies and the beginner's guide to multi media die-cutting for our needlecraft friends, so we thought it would be great to do a more papercraft-focused die-cutting guide. Even if you're a bit of a pro in die-cutting, it's definitely worth looking through this post to see if you can learn anything new! What is die-cutting? Plastic shims – this is a durable plate that adds an extra layer to your die-cutting sandwich, creating a better fit in the machine and a level surface. With digital die cutters, extremely large designs can be sectioned into smaller parts and then pieced together to create huge designs – perfect for creating large signs and wall art. This cannot be accomplished in the same way with a manual cutter. There are some manual cutters like the Big Shot Pro and Big Shot Plus that do create quite large shapes and are worth a second look if you prefer manual cutters. Ease of UseFor a machine that will do a little bit of everything, you may consider buying a digital die cut machine. These machines will do most die cutting tasks (except emboss or cut super heavy duty materials), and although not the best machines for the task, they can be portable or cut large volumes of duplicates if needed. Portability Metal cutting plates – this is a type of shim that’s perfect for more intricate dies. Imagine a pair of scissors and the two metal blades coming together for a crisp cut – that’s how this shim works with metal dies! You’ll see a much more defined cut with this plate included in your sandwich. When it comes to lifespan, manual machines tend to win this race. On a well-built model, the lever and rollers are unlikely to stop working. Otherwise, the only components to worry about breaking are the dies, and those are replaceable. Yes, this is completely normal! It might sound like your die-cutting plates are snapping or the machine is breaking, but we promise, everything will be perfectly fine. You definitely haven't done anything wrong if this happens! How to care for your die-cutting machine If you want a machine that is easily portable, you'll likely want a manual cutter. Try the Sizzix Big Shot, Spellbinders Platinum 6 or the We R Memory Keepers Evolution. These manual machines weigh between 6 and 7 pounds and fold for easy portability. Digital die cutters are not very portable and some of them need to be connected to a computer. Size of Output