SCAL vs MCT

I've put a lot of time in to trying out the "Sure Cuts A Lot" (SCAL), “Make the Cut" (MCT), and Cricut's "Design Studio" (DS) software over the past few days since I ordered my Cricut Expression. I think I've finally reached a decision, and the Cricut hasn't even arrived yet.

Cricut Design Studio Software
Cricut Design Studio was the big loser in my book, even though it is a handy tool to use with the Cricut cartridges. You can manipulate the shapes and fonts in the cartridges, and create some good designs; however, there just isn't enough freedom. I think this is a good call for someone that isn't very good at designing in other software programs, or just wants something simple, but more flexible than working straight from the machine. The good thing about DS is that you have access to all of the shapes and fonts in the Cricut library. However, to actually cut the shapes you need to have the cartridge in your machine.

Make the Cut (MTC) Software



Make the Cut (MTC) is a very impressive program. It is great for converting images into SVG files. I love the way that it shows the entire image, so you can tell what areas are being left out of the current selection. I also like the way that you can distort the shapes, changing the perspective. The Bezier warp was also nice. Over all I really like this program, and it almost won me over. I may have to purchase it at some point, especially since updates are included free, and the creator updates the program often. It hasn't been around nearly as long as SCAL, but is pretty much neck and neck with the development. MTC has a few features SCAL doesn't, and vice versa. I won't be surprised if MTC comes out ahead in the end.



Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL) Sotware



That said, at this point I'm going to have to go with SCAL. Two features won me over, the dashed lines, and the ability to change the font after it is typed. The font isn't necessarily a big deal, because I could use a graphic program to select the font. However, if I'm going to do that, I can also mimic the features of MTC in a graphics program. The dashed lines however, can't be used in MTC at this time, and I would really like to use them for pen outlines.

I also like the library files in SCAL. It seems that it will be easier to organize my custom shapes in SCAL, than in MTC. However MTC has a really nice feature that allows you to search SVGs that have been added to their database by other users. I do like that feature quite a bit, but it can wait until I have more money to spend.

So there it is, unless I change my mind before I purchase the software on Monday, I'll be buying Sure Cuts a Lot to create custom shapes with my Cricut. I can hardly wait.




Where to find:
Sure Cuts a Lot can be found on Craftedge.com and Make-The-Cut.com. Cricut Design Studio can be found in stores and online all over the place, but can also be downloaded at the Cricut website.