The 9″ Portrait is great for using regular 8.5×11 sized paper (it’s perfect for Print & Cut which is one of my favorite features of the Silhouette), vinyl decals up to 9×36″, and anyone who may be crafting in a small space. I also think that this is a better machine to travel with, so if you do scrapbooking sessions away from home this would be great.
Now that you’ve picked your machine here are a few basic items that won’t come with your machine that you’re going to want straight out the gate when you machine arrives.
First up, paper crafting –
Adhesives are a bit of a personal preference but you’ll want something to help you attach small letters and cuts to your projects. Your basic adhesive runner will work for the larger pieces but you will drive yourself crazy trying to attach small letters without one of these handy “sticker machine” from Xyron. You can find them at the craft store where you can use you coupon. Now, if you want my opinion on adhesive runners I only use the big pink gun (Scotch ATG – Advanced Tape Glider) these days, make sure you use your best coupon on that one!
Now on to my recent favorite – vinyl decal making!
Once you’ve got the feel for the machine and you’ve made all the banners, birthday cards, and party supplies that you can handle it’s time to move on to Vinyl! With the right vinyl you can personalize just about ANYTHING you’d ever want to personalize.
My favorite, go-to vinyl is Oracal 651. It is a glossy finish with permanent adhesive. It’s great for anything that may get wet but not great if you’re going to want to remove it, like from your walls. It does come in matte finishes but only for black and white. There are MANY sources that will sell you Oracal 651 vinyl. From Amazon to Etsy and Ebay, a quick Google search will find you what you need. If you want to make personalized t-shirt and apparel you are going to need Heat Transfer Vinyl, also sometimes called T-Shirt Vinyl. The best brand is Siser Easyweed. Again, it’s pretty simple to find.
Awesome. Thanks for the offer to answer more questions later, and for being so thorough. Bookmarking your site!!
Thank you! This is exactly what I needed. I can’t wait to get started, and once I do- the questions might never stop!
Hello,
I make stained glass pieces as a hobby and would like an easy way to put words and pictures on the glass. Do you recommend a silhouette for that? I am very new to a cutting machine world so I know very little. I like that you can make stuff for shirts too. I am very interested in asking for a machine for Christmas!
Yes! I would definitely recommend a Silhouette for that very task!!