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What is SCAL?
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Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL) is a computer program that allows you to cut using any TrueType font and any design you want, onto a variety of materials, using a machine called a Cricut.
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How To Get Set Up
To get started, you install the program onto your computer running Windows or Mac, connect the Cricut to your computer with a USB cable (available here), design what you want to cut on the screen with this software, then press 'cut' - and like printing a document to a printer, this software will send the cut instructions to the Cricut and produce the design that you have created on the screen onto the material in the Cricut.
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Fonts
Sure Cuts A Lot has the ability to load any TrueType font (98% of the fonts available are TrueType). Your installed fonts will automatically be detected by Sure Cuts A Lot, but you will most likely want to have a larger set of fonts to choose from. You can download free ones from the internet or design your own fonts.
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You can also use dingbats. A dingbat is a type of font that works like a regular alphabetical font, but instead of letters A-Z and numbers 0-9, you get various shapes, designs, and images. Dingbats allow you to easily and quickly access a large collection of designs with the simplicity of a font. And as with regular fonts, you can select the dingbat within the program with it's intuitive on-screen character selector.
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Shapes, Artwork, Images, Logos, etc
The same idea goes for shapes/artwork/designs as well - Sure Cuts A Lot can use existing images on your computer, you can create your own from scratch, download available artwork from the internet available from several talented designers (many are free), convert any existing clip art you may already have, or even scan your designs from another medium (such as your company letterhead). The image format used is SVG, which is just another image type like JPG or GIF, but this SVG format allows you to resize/stretch/rotate the image without any loss of quality (also known as a vector image). If you already have a design in mind you'd like to use, and it's not in the SVG format, you can either convert it to SVG or use the built-in 'auto trace' feature within the program to easily trace your existing design! If you can get your image into a digital format onto your computer, Sure Cuts A Lot can use it!
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Why not just use Cricut Design Studio software?
The main benefit of Sure Cuts A Lot is that you can design and cut ANYTHING you want (unlike cartridges that are available for the Cricut which offer a limited selection of designs). Another benefit is that there are no additional costs down the road, as with the Cricut cartridges, if you want to cut something new, you have to buy a new cartridge which range from $40-$90 each and only have one type of font or about 100 designs. You literally will not have to spend a dollar on another cartridge because they become obsolete! For more Sure Cuts A Lot/Cricut Design Studio comparisons, click here.
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