Balzer Designs

ScanNCut DX Mat Loading Issue

The ScanNCut DX Mats and the mat loading issue have been discussed quite a bit.  Last week Brother released an official statement about it:

A Notice to Our Consumers Regarding the ScanNCut DX Mat Loading Issues

02 May 2019

 

At Brother we work hard to provide customers with the highest quality items. So we thank our customers who contacted us about the difficulties with ScanNCut DX mat feeding process. You helped us identify and fix the root cause. Please accept our humble apology for any inconvenience or frustration this may have caused you.

The Brother team took this to heart because we work to provide unique features and improve product functionality based on what customers want. We are at your side as you use our products to transform your vision into creative crafts and projects.

Need a new mat? If your ScanNCut DX mats were purchased between August 1, 2018 and October 31, 2018, Brother is offering you a new mat free of charge. Customers may contact the Brother Customer Service Department at 877-BROTHER (1-877-276-8437) or visit Brother at https://www.brother-usa.com/brother-support for additional contact details.

After you get your new mat, please tag our social handles @BrothercraftsUSA and share your latest project! The Brother team would love to see them. Please also visit https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sX-xl2Fkxtg for proper mat feeding instructions.

Regards,
The Brother Crafts Team

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I hope that this will help solve your mat feeding issues!  I'll leave you with a project I made this weekend with my ScanNCut DX:

It's a clutch made from cork fabric (the silver, leather-like material) and batik fabric (the red and white fabric in the rose).  I love how it turned out and I love how easy the AutoBlade on my ScanNCut DX makes all of my cutting projects!  (And don't worry, instructions for this project will be available on the upcoming season of Make It Artsy.)

Thanks for stopping by!

P.S. I am a paid spokesperson for the Brother ScanNCut.  It is a machine that I love and use.  All projects and opinions are my own.

Product Registration: https://www.brother-usa.com/registermybrother/
Brother Customer Support: https://www.brother-usa.com/support/

Wine Bottle Flower

Here's a super quick and fun crafty idea for you.  I made a paper flower with a wired stem:

I wrapped it around a bottle of wine that we brought a friend's house.  A fun and easy way to "wrap" the gift.

The hostess was mightily impressed.  And I never admitted that it took me just a few minutes to whip up this wired flower!  If you don't drink, you could bring a nice bottle of balsamic vinegar wrapped the same way.

I do have a tutorial on making paper flowers, if you'd like it.  Otherwise, the internet is packed with ideas!

Thanks for stopping by!

ScanNCut Technique Videos

Today I've got some really useful ScanNCut technique videos for you.

First up, how to create stencils where the inside parts don't fall out.  The secret is creating "bridges." 

Watch the video for more:

The ScanNCut is a beast when it comes to making your own art tools like stamps and stencils.  You just have to know the tricks for making your vision come to life!

This next video is an answer to a question I've gotten a few times.  How do you add a colon in CanvasWorkspace?!  Well, there are two methods, depending on which version of CanvasWorkspace you're using.

• CanvasWorkspace Online -- this is the web-based version of the program that you open in your internet browser.
• CanvasWorkspace for PC or CanvasWorkspace for Mac -- this is the downloadable version of the program that lives on your PC or Mac.

Watch the video for more:

One of the things that I love about the ScanNCut is that there's always a way to get the result you want, you just have to experiment with different methods of getting there!

You may have noticed a new button on the ScanNCut (highlighted in yellow below). 

It's the smoothing tool!  Learn all about it here:

And here you can see the difference between low and high smoothing -- it's in the points!

Finally, here's a trick that I use all the time: taping items to the mat. 

In my experience there are two reasons you want to tape your items to the mat:

1. The mat is no longer sticky and you need to use the tape to keep the item on the mat.  This method only works with a rigid material, like paper, and only when the cut is simple and doesn't have any inside cut outs!  If you're half-cutting vinyl or htv, it also works.
2. You're cutting a thicker material like foam, felt, or chipboard.

Watch the video for best practices on this technique:

If you have any ScanNCut questions, let me know. I try to answer as many as I can in video format.

Thanks for stopping by!

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P.S. I am a paid spokesperson for the Brother ScanNCut.  It is a machine that I love and use.  All projects and opinions are my own.

Product Registration: https://www.brother-usa.com/registermybrother/
Brother Customer Support: https://www.brother-usa.com/support/

World Art Day: ScanNCut + Frisket Film

Today (April 15, 2019) is World Art Day!  In honor of World Art Day, I put together a quick tutorial that demonstrates one of the many ways the ScanNCut can be used in fine art applications.  Today we are using frisket film and watercolor.

What is frisket film?

Frisket film is kind of like a sticky-backed stencil film.  It is used primarily by airbrush artists to block out certain parts of their painting that they wish to remain white (aka the color of the paper).  Watercolor artists use liquid frisket (less roll under), but do sometimes use frisket film as I do in the video.

Watch the video for the how-to:

And here are the basics:

Trace the portions of your drawing that you wish to remain white (the color of the paper).

Cut the shapes out of the Frisket Film with your ScanNCut. 

You will need to get rid of the extra (double line) around each shape.

Be sure to use Half Cut if you have a DX machine.

Place the cut Frisket Film (now a big sticker) onto your drawing and paint!

And now remove the Frisket Film and look back and admire your work!

I hope you enjoyed this idea.  A few other ways that ScanNCut can be useful to fine artists:

• Clay artists can use the ScanNCut to cut stencils and texture plates.
• Printmakers can use the ScanNCut to cut stamps and cut screens for screenprinting.
• Metalsmiths can use the ScanNCut to cut templates.

I love testing how far I can push my ScanNCut and seeing all the wonderful things it can do.

Happy World Art Day!  And be sure to tune into HSN today.  I'm demonstrating a sewing machine and serger package all day long as well as the ScanNCut DX and the PTouch Embellish.

Thanks for stopping by!

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P.S. I am a paid spokesperson for the Brother ScanNCut.  It is a machine that I love and use.  All projects and opinions are my own.

Product Registration: https://www.brother-usa.com/registermybrother/
Brother Customer Support: https://www.brother-usa.com/support/

Paper Flower Place Cards with ScanNCut

I recently made these gorgeous paper flower place cards with my ScanNCut:

The flower, the leaves, and the "twigs" are all built-in designs from the ScanNCut DX225.  I used one of the basic shapes in CanvasWorkspace to create the flag.  I even used the ScanNCut to write the names on the tags!

If you're interested in making a similar project, here are some resources:

Two Videos on Making Flowers with ScanNCut:

Two Videos on Drawing with ScanNCut:

Thanks for stopping by!

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P.S. I am a paid spokesperson for the Brother ScanNCut.  It is a machine that I love and use.  All projects and opinions are my own.

Product Registration: https://www.brother-usa.com/registermybrother/
Brother Customer Support: https://www.brother-usa.com/support/