Monoprice MakerCraft Mini Craft Cutter - Compact Vinyl Cutting Machine for DIY Projects

? Watch the setup video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBh-wB0ZVKg linked from the product page. The video has vital information given nowhere else. ? The SureCutsALot software installed on my Apple Silicon Mac running macOS Sequoia without problem, no need to install any additional USB driver, but my package did not include the activation code, so the software ran in demo mode, which means it slashed horizontal lines through my cut. ? Make sure the blade carrier is correctly seated. I got this wrong initially, so the spring-loaded plunger didn't quite clear the roof of the chassis. If the blade carrier is correctly seated you can slide the carriage to the center while the power is off. ? I used the red blade in the blade carrier with numbers. I set the blade carrier to 4, which was a mistake - it was too strong I should have tried 1 and ramped up from there. ? When I pressed the power button on the front of the cutter it sucked the carrier and the paper all the way through, and when it cut it slowly spit it out, cutting as it went. ? My first test print was 6 snowflakes. The cut was accurate, but I used ordinary copier paper. Using ordinary copier paper was a mistake - once cut it didn't have the strength for me to lift it off of the adhesive carrier without the paper fraying and becoming difficult to remove all of the fibers it left behind. ? It was a mistake to try a complex design as a first design. I should have followed the instructions from the setup video until I had everything dialed in. ? I thought I'd removed the protective cover from the adhesive sheet but I was wrong. ? Be careful to always line the adhesive sheet up correctly before letting the cutter grab it. If the sheet is at an angle it will bind up against the internal edge of the cutter. (Another of my mistakes - that's how I discovered the protective cover was still on.) ? In the photo you can see the too deep cut - into the backing sheet, and the fibers along the "7" edge I still must remove. ? I can't really use the cutter until I get the activation code for the software. The adhesive carrier is a necessary consumable. How do I buy more? The blades are a longer term consumable: How do I buy more? I'm eager to experiment with card stock and vinyl, once I can really use the cutter.

The cutting area is 10" x 6", which is smaller than the Cricut machines. But it is plenty area for what I need. The speed is faster, and quieter than the other cutters I've had. The software is very easy to use.

Cutting mat was destroyed within an hour of use. It got stuck in the automatic rollers and got cut almost in half. Even before that, regular paper got stuck to the mat so bad the stickiness was useless. This is my first cutting machine so I'm not sure if that's normal but I couldn't find a user manual anywhere online, only a basic video on how to start. The mat also is apparently like a 7 X 10 (I'm not sure exactly because it doesn't say anywhere what it is) but when you go into the software they don't even give you the option for that size you have to type it in as custom. Why would they start you off with a mat size that isn't even already in their software and then not even tell you the mat size you have. There are numbers on it but the cuts weren't anywhere close to being lined up when you type the custom size in. I knew it was for smaller projects, but it doesn't fit standard 8 X 10 sheets. I'm very disappointed in this product and will be returning it.

Cutting mat broke within an hour of use due to getting caught in the auto rollers. Also lost its stickiness immediately after using standard paper. Doesn't fit 8X10 paper. Couldn't figure out how to line up what I wanted to cut perfectly. It was way off center. Didn't come with a manual, couldn't find instructions online other than one video for how to start. I considered just buying a new mat, but they don't sell them individually. I'm returning since I can't use it without the cutting mat