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Silhouette CAMEO 3 Review – A Best Wireless Cutting Machine

  • John Smith
  • August 6, 2020

Introduction of Silhouette CAMEO 3

Our next entrant into the cutting machine review comes from another giant in the DIY cutting machine manufacturers – SILHOUETTE. Firstly, much like a home printer, the Silhouette Cameo 3 cutting machine has the ability to connect to your Pc, laptop, iPod or iPad, even your android device, wirelessly through its accompanying Bluetooth technology or if you fancy sending prints the old school way, via the USB cable that comes with the machine.

Silhouette CAMEO 3 - Introduction

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The Silhouette Cameo 3 is dimensioned 22.5 x 8.5 x 6 inches and clocks a weight of 6 pounds before shipping. Its average shipping weight comes with 12.2 pounds. Now that we have that out of the way, let us settle into what this machine really does.

About Silhouette Cameo 3

The Silhouette CAMEO 3 is touted as being the apex predator in the DIY machine chain. By utilizing a well-sized small blade, it is able to slice through over 100 materials, including paper, vinyl, cardstock, and generally, any fabric up to 12 inches wide (Silhouette CAMEO 3 machine is also one of the best fabric cutting machines).


Introducing the Silhouette CAMEO® 3 Desktop Cutting System

The Silhouette Cameo 3 also has the ability to cut and register printed materials and is PixScan compatible. What this means is that it has quite a very large cutting space and is one of the most versatile cutting units with respect to materials that can be cut.

About Silhouette CAMEO 3

Upon opening the carton, you can easily notice that this cutting machine doesn’t come alone but comes inclusive of other parts, viz; Silhouette Studio software, 12 inch Cutting Mat, Power cable and USB cable, AutoBlade cutting blade, One month Basic Subscription to the Silhouette Design Store, Crosscutter and 100 digital designs to aid you to kick off your designing and creation career right off the bat.

The Silhouette CAMEO 3 uses Bluetooth but the problem with its Bluetooth feature is that it is designed to work with Silhouette Studio 4 which is a software that hasn’t been released yet. Users who buy the CAMEO 3 will have to wait to use a patched version of the previous Studio 3 software or use any of the 3.8 or higher version.


Silhouette Cameo 3 – Exclusive Tour of New Features

Once the Studio 4 software is out, it will be an automatic update for your software version. Most Silhouette software can use Studio 4 but some certain options made available for the CAMEO 4 won’t be available when you’re using other crafters.

SILHOUETTE CAMEO 3

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Out of the box, the Silhouette CAMEO 3 includes the cutting machine itself, the Studio software 3 (which will be upgraded to 4, once it’s released) a power cable and USB cable, a 12″ cutting mat, AutoBlade cutting blade (which can automatically adjust itself based on the material being cut), Crosscutter, 1-month Basic subscription to the Silhouette Design Store and 100 free digital designs.

When it comes to cutting ability, the Silhouette CAMEO is at the forefront. It has the ability to cut out 100 different materials, which is quite a lot. It’s known among cutters as the “ultimate DIY machine”. Check out our complete guide about the Silhouette Cameo 4 vs. Cameo 3.

 Let us proceed to reviewing some of the usefulness of the aforementioned parts so you understand the versatility and appreciate just what kind of cutting machine the Silhouette Cameo 3 is.  

CAMEO 3

i. Silhouette Auto Blade Compatible
The Silhouette CAMEO 3 has an inbuilt AutoBlade, so-called because it has the ability to automatically adjust itself, freeing you from that hassle of always having to adjust the blade anytime you need to cut material of variable thickness from the previous material you cut. Besides the AutoBlade, the machine works with a Deep-Cut Blade too.
ii. Extra Storage
The Silhouette Cameo 3 comes with a blade storage compartment and other storage compartments that provide a safe store for all the extra blades and accompanying Silhouette tools in such a way that it is easy to access.
iii. Dual-Carriage
The Silhouette Cameo 3 possesses a dual-carriage. This dual carriage is marked with a blue circle on the right and a red on the left. All you need do is first assigns which tool will be placed in which carriage in your ‘Cut settings’ in the Silhouette Studio software and then fix your tools e.g. an AutoBlade and a sketch pen into the assigned carriages and stand back to watch The Silhouette Cameo 3 perform two different tasks in one cut job.
iv. Increased clearance level
The Silhouette CAMEO 3 has a clearance level of 2 millimeters which is quite high, compared to previous versions of the CAMEO. This allows you to easily fit and consequently cut thicker materials using the Deep-cut Blade.

In addition to the above-mentioned functions, the Silhouette product comes with other benefits for its users. The only catch is that you have to be a registered member of the platform. For instance, when you get the Silhouette CAMEO 3, make sure you get your machine registered.

This is simply done by entering the serial number of your product online in the Silhouette site. Immediately you get your machine registered, you get an instantaneous download credit, sent to you via your registered email which is meant to be used in the Silhouette Design Store. But there’s a catch, this credit is designed in such a way that it is only valid for one month, meaning that it expires a month after you get it, so make sure you use it all up. If not, you’ll lose it.


What is the SILHOUETTE CAMEO 3? What Can I Do with It?

Please check the Silhouette Cameo bundle deals – Accessories & tools for beginners.

Other examples of the above mentioned value added services include:

a. The Silhouette Design Store: If you didn’t know already, it is a store with over 85,000 downloadable designs from a myriad of gifted artists. Once you buy a design it becomes your own. You can consequently build your own personal digital design library to use whenever you want. With the Silhouette Design Store, you only pay for the designs you really want—no need for expensive cartridges or access to shapes you’ll never use.

b. Silhouette Studio software: This software is pretty amazing design software for any cutting system in the market. It is surprisingly simple to use despite the plethora of functions it is capable of and comes absolutely free to Silhouette users. Countless ways for the customization of design projects are also available on the silhouette software.

Silhouette CAMEO 3 - Cutting

c. PixScan Technology: Last but not the list is the amazing new PixScan technology. This technology available to the Silhouette cutting system enables you to precisely cut around a printed design or to insert cut lines into specific locations on your material through the aid of a scanner or simple cameras like phone and tablet cameras. The PixScan algorithm allows the Silhouette CAMEO to recognize specially placed registration marks on the PixScan cutting mat. This technology is also very ideal for saving any photographed or scanned image into your personal digital library or transforming a hand-drawn sketch into a new custom cut file.

More: Check out other comparison of Cameo 3 vs Explore Air 2 and Cameo 3 vs 2 vs 1.

Main Features of Silhouette CAMEO 3:

Pros
  • 1. The availability of a dual carriage system that enables the Silhouette CAMEO 3 perform two tasks at the same time.
  • 2. The increased clearance level that allows the Silhouette CAMEO 3 cut thicker materials was also something we found particularly thrilling.
  • 3. It comes with a Bluetooth which helps minimize the cords connected to the unit. For those big about appearances, and who find the sight of cords snaking in and out of appliances infuriating, this one is definitely a plus for you.
  • 4. Compared to previous models of the Silhouette, the Silhouette CAMEO 3 comes with a distinctively new blade holder. Older models usually come with the clamp/key turny method of holding the blade (or pen), but the Silhouette CAMEO 3’s blade holder utilizes a slide mechanism that is amazingly less stressful.

Cons
  • 1. The Bluetooth has some issues that need to be sort out. Even when connected to a laptop, cut jobs refuse to wirelessly print and just stay cued and unresponsive.
  • 2. The AutoBlade doesn’t really function without assistance and that is unexpected. You still have to manually select the material type you want to cut from the preloaded list that comes with the machine and then the blade automatically adjusts to these selected settings, saving you time? yes. But the blade isn’t that fantastic.
  • 3. The Silhouette CAMEO 3 works quite loudly and we found this to be quite the nuisance.


Cameo 3 Setup Guide

Conclusion / Should you go for this machine or not?
If you’re going for ease of use, fantastic Bluetooth connectivity, and some silence while working, this machine is not particularly ideal for you. But if you got some ear muffs on or you are not big on silence and you need to just plain old cut or design without all the bells and whistles, then this machine is your perfect catch. On a scale of 1 – 10, where 1 is ‘Not fantastic’ and 10 is ‘amazing’, we gave this machine a 7.5.

* Check out the other reviews:
– Silhouette Curio cutting tool
– Silhouette Portrait electronic cutting tool
– Silhouette America Portrait 2 vinyl cutting machine.

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John Smith

Hi. My name is John Smith. I'm a young PR Specialist from Canada. I created this website to share everything I love about technology and all the latest gadgets. I enjoy reading, dancing, and helping other people. Read more.

2 comments
  1. Jessica Srinsays:
    December 1, 2017 at 10:29 am

    Hi 10techy, I really love the features of silhouette cameo 3 and wish to buy this one for a small cutting purpose at home. But I’m just want to double check with you that between Silhouette Cameo 3 vs Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore Air 2, which one is the best for cutting? thx.

    1. John Smithsays:
      December 2, 2017 at 7:01 am

      Silhouette Cameo 3 is good for larger designs by using an autoblade technology.

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