CRICUT VS SILHOUETTE ✿ which sticker machine is best for making stickers? full comparison video

After just over two years of using the cricut explore air 2 for all of my sticker making needs, I recently made the switch to a silhouette portrait 3. Watch this comparison video to find out why I changed, and how the two machines compare when making the same sticker sheet! 🌸 ✨

Thank you so much for clicking on this video, I really hope you found it useful.Be sure to subscribe to this channel to see more behind the scenes of running my small business on etsy and shopify! 🌸

Love you all,
Milly x

✩ Prints by Milly Links ✩

✩ Sticker machines ✩

✩ Filming setup ✩
✨ Editing software - FCPX

AFFILIATE LINKS: Product links used in this description may be affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase an item through one of those links, I'll get a little percentage of the cost. You don't pay any extra but it helps me out so much, so thank you! ⭐️

#stickershop #silhottevscricut #makingstickers #studiovlog #artistvlog #smallbusiness #stationeryshop #smallbusinessowner #stationery #comparison #stationeryshop #cricut #silhouette

[justthethreeofus]

I have the portrait 3 after owning a Cricut explore air 2 and a Cricuit Maker. It is night and day when it comes to making stickers. I do use my Cricuts quite often for other projects but my portrait is dedicated to stickers. I have tips for everyone for the portrait that have helped me tremendously. I calibrated my portrait (only once since I’ve owned it in the last 7 months versus the cricut almost weekly). Get the test cuts dead center on the calibration lines. Don’t just say “eh it’s ok looks good enough”. It’s not a Cricut. Your calibration will define your later cuts. Also before I cut, I have a little makeup brush that I use to dust off the sensor as sticker paper creates a lot of dust. Last tip is to have a light shine directly onto the portrait. Natural daylight changes depending on where the sun is and I have found that this can cast different lighting/shadows onto my portrait, affecting the scanning/cutting. So I solved that by shining a light right over my machine so that lighting is the same every time. My script stickers have always been in the center of the cut lines since implementing these tips.

[sydneym]

TO USE THE ENTIRE A4 PAGE:

There is an icon of a white square in the Silhouette software and when you click it there will be a bar you can drag right and left to select how big you want the sticker sheet to be. The YouTube tutorial you linked shows this at 11:30. It doesn’t allow you to use the entire page, so you need to calculate how much paper it doesn’t use and then make that your paper size in the Silhouette settings. So for example, say it cuts 15mm away from the edge of the A4 paper when you want it to use the entire A4 paper. Tell the software you’re using a dimension that’s 15mm bigger than A4 paper (add 15mm to each 4 sides). You can place a scrap piece of paper behind the actual sticker paper if using a smaller paper will confuse the machine. But this way, your machine will think it”s cutting out an A4 rectangle out of a bigger paper when it’s really just letting you use the entire A4 paper with some scrap paper behind it so it looks bigger than A4. Hope this makes sense!

[HoppityDesignsUK]

I have a silhouette and I always thought about whether a cricut would be better, but you’ve saved me from an expensive wonder! 😂💗

I’ve been doing research into a machine for making stickers, and OOOOH GURL. You saved me so much money, time, and stress. Thank you so much for showing the process and the breakdown! This was SO HELPFUL.

[WisestMoose]

When you rotate it you can select it then choose the icon with the 3 bars on the right. There is a little circle with an arrow icon. Let’s you snap it to right angles for rotation. I spent so long trying to rotate things perfectly manually and it was the bane of my existence. Now it’s super easy.

[upperroomprints]

When I opened my stationary shop last year I was debating on if I wanted to get a Cricut (which one of my siblings had and loved) or if I wanted to get a Silhouette. After about 100 videos comparing the two I went with the Silhouette. After watching your video I'm SO happy I did. All that fiddling sounds like a nightmare! Welcome to the Silhouette Family :)

[kimberlycarney]

I do t have a machine yet researching 4 years now waiting to save money for machine printer and laptop. Very few videos w the portrait. Very good it sounds. And u speak very clear and slow which helps me learn and remember, thank you!

[danpaling]

Thank you, my wife tasked me with finding her the right machine to start doing stickers. I just spent 2 hrs in the reddit sub and still didn't have an answer. Thanks for explaining the software differences and limitations, that was very helpful.

[anitamalhiot]

Moving to the Silhoutte! thank you so much! This video was beyond Really touched upon all the pain points I have with the Cricut!

[lilnicole]

i also have my portrait 3 on a wide mouse mat to help with the noise so its not just bouncing off a loud solid surface

[ashkoreations]

I had a cricut for years to make my own tshirts and for cutting vinyl I love my cricut. But when I started my shop and began making stickers I soon realized the absolute mess that is cricut print and cut feature does not work well at all. With some research saw the silhouette fit the print and cut feature better and invested in a portrait and loved the results after getting through the learning curve of using silhouette program. I now have a silhouette cameo as well and love it. Overall after a few years with both machines I can honestly say investing in a silhouette to begin with is better for those who have not yet invested in either machine if you are making stickers or anything that requires print and cut. But if your cutting vinyl then cricut is still a great machine. But never would I ever recommend for a person who wants to run a sticker shop. Too much time and money wasted for the problem to never be able to be fixed and many of us have reached out to cricut about this issue over the past few years and nothing has been done.

[craftyorigins]

This was a great comparison video. I was convinced to convert to a silhouette and my cricut actually works just fine (knock on wood), hahaha. I do have to calibrate once in a while but definitely not everyday, so I think I just got lucky. My cricut is only a year old so maybe those issues have yet to come (again knock on wood). I do agree that creating workarounds for sticker sheets are annoying and wow, I didn't realize how long the cricut takes to cut. You save significant time with the silhouette. For me, worst case scenario, I do have a silhouette I've inherited in a new box, so I can whip that out if needed.

[stephanielightfoot]

I have the explore air 2 and cameo, this has been sat in its box for the past 3 months it’s the difference in the software that has put me off using it. But the difference in the sticker cuts is so much better! Think I need to get watching tutorials and try it out. Still love my cricut for cutting vinyl with though!

Thank you for this video. I find myself in a similar situation to where you once were. I have been using a Cricut Maker for my stationery business for the past 2 years. However, I've been facing numerous issues with the cutting precision recently. As a result, I am contemplating making the switch to a Silhouette.

[dianaviera]

Just a suggestion: What about putting a cushioned placemat or shelf liner underneath the Silhouette to muffle the noise a little? I do that with one of my sewing machines and it does help.

[kantigua]

to solve your registration msrk issue cutting off at the bottom, ehen ypur on the create tab, in the file menu, go to page set up and set the peint size to borderless (like you would if you were just printing). hope that helps

[annspires]

Thank you for doing this comparison. I've been doing some research on this as I will be in the market for one of these machines soon. I want it to be able to cut fabric as well.

[cozycafecito]

I am In this same dilemma, love my Cricut but it is seeming after all of the research I've done Silhouette has the consensus for sticker making! thank you for this!!

[vanillarice]

Thanks for the review kid! Definitely helping me with my decision. Good luck on your biz!

[larsmercury]

You just saved my life. I’m just starting out and I was cutting my stickers by hand. I didn’t even know about the silhouette I was just looking for reviews on the cricuit explore air 2. I think I’ll be going with the silhouette portrait! Thank you so much for making this video!!