We all love sharing things with friends whether it’s the latest projects we’ve created, a great coupon in the paper, an idea, or even a secret. It’s nice when you have someone to fall back on and even better when that friend shares in the excitement of something you love too, like crafting! When it comes to friends with an Inspiration it’s nice to know that we can give them a call and ask questions on different materials they may have cut, and what settings worked best for them. Regardless of your level of experience there are still new things to learn since there are new products that come out all the time. I have a bit of an advantage here at work, because my friends are co workers and of course Inspiration users. They constantly offer guidance and assistance when I need it. It’s nice to be able to ask if they have experience cutting certain products, or if they’ve ever heard of a new idea using different materials or paper and what settings they used to get the perfect cut.
There can be many factors that can make a difference in the settings you use and the ones other Inspiration users are using. They can range from how new your blade is, what kinds of materials you’ve previously been cutting, and also the general difference in our machines. If I find I have a blade that I’ve been using for a while (like I recently have) I’ve noticed that I start to use a higher pressure setting. That’s because I’m trying to extend the life of my blade as much as possible before I absolutely need to change it out. Typically when I change to a new blade I’ll be able to use a lower pressure setting depending on the kind of paper that I’m cutting. The thicker, and more dense the paper I’m working with is the higher settings I’ll need to use. Don’t forget the factor that the blade length plays also. I will keep my blade length at about 2 ½ pretty consistently. However, I have Craft Room friends that like using a lower blade length like a 2 and opt to use a higher pressure. The best part about the Inspiration is the ability to choose! Even if you have friends that are using settings that sway from what you use, stick to a combination of pressure and blade length that you know works well for the kind of papers you typically cut. After all, we all cut different materials and use different blade lengths. It’s all about finding that perfect combination that works best for you and your Inspiration.
Funny that you picked this topic because I had to make a banner for the friend of a relative. We have had unusually dry weather here in Florida. I found that after using my new mat and new blade for a shorter period of time….I had to use a longer blade length than usual to get the cuts that I needed. Well…that was the first day. On the second day, it rained and I opened the windows and doors to let in some fresh air…it was cool and balmy out. I went to use my machine and grabbed my mat that I was going to retire to paper instead of cardstock…and my hand stuck to it like glue. Now the day before, I had decided to open a new mat. The humidity made it really sticky again. I also noticed that the blade that I was going to retire suddenly started cutting nicely again…like butter…and I had to shorten the length as well. But, as the day went on…the humidity began to get sticky and I closed up the house, and put on the AC…and the blade and mat were like they had been the day before. So go figure. I am not sure if it is because of the AC or because they finally DID wear out. I got a lot of cuts out of them. It was a huge banner. We will see. I will try them again out of curiosity when the weather is rainy again.