Customer Reviews

Pazzles Creative Cutter Inspiration Cc04 12-Inch Computerized Die Cut Machine

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The Inspiration cuts almost any shape imaginable...and you never need to buy a cartridge. You can draw your own, clip an image from the internet or cut just about any digital image you already own. As an example, I was able to clip a 3 color college logo from the internet. I used the Inspriation software to break the logo into its respective parts, sized the logo and then cut each piece out in the appropriate color. The result was a 3D logo in the size I needed for my project. Couldn't do that with a Cricut!

It was easy to install and set up the machine and took very little time to get to know the software. The software has all the functions I was looking for to cut out images but still needs a bit of work to make it even better. Sometimes I wind up manipulating images in PSP and then moving them into Inspiration to size and cut.

As for type, it comes with many fonts and also works with all true types fonts you have loaded on your PC so your imagination is the only limit. It's so easy to meld type into groups so you don't need to deal with indivdual letters.

While the accessories (mats, blades etc) are available only from online retailers such as Amazon or Pazzles.com right now, the Cricut mats work just fine and the new Cricut deep cut blade seems to be the same as you'd purchase from Pazzles. As I understand it, Pazzles makes the Cricut's for Provo Craft.

So, far, I've only used my cutting blade but I have recently purchased the embosser tool and mat and am looking for a project to try it out on.

This is a terrfic product for any scrapbooker or paper crafter and worth the money!

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS MACHINE!!!

My friend and I purchased the Cricut and MANY cartridges. I was sick of shelling out money for the things. I ran across the Pazzle on their web site and fell in love. My friend and I purchased it at a scrapbooking convention and then sold the Cricut on eBay (I DON'T miss it). I was intimidated by it a bit and it took about a year for me to really start using it to it's full potential. I wanted to take a class at the convention but it never worked out. I would cut images but never imported them and fixed my own. I was amazed at how easy it was. The Pazzle web site has instructional videos that walk you through it. Now I'm an expert!! I cut an 3-D Christmas tree design out on another die cut machine, scanned it into my computer, imported it into my Pazzle software, converted it and cut it out. The whole process took me less than 15 minutes. I then resized it from a ~4 inch tree to and 11 in tree so I could make it into a centerpiece. It was beautiful! I gave it to the lady that had the original die cut. She was amazed.

One major suggestion: I am frugal and refuse to pay $20+ for the image Cds. If you join one or more of the MANY yahoo groups you can get the WPC files for images you may want to cut. There are hundreds!! You can even learn to download and convert GSD files to WPC. You can also get tons of help and very creative ideas. Very creative people out there.

The software is easy to use and so is the machine. It can get a little quirky but usually it works out in the end. Make sure to update the software and the machine from the web site.

The mats last a long time if you store them with the protective sheet on, flat and upside down. Also rotate the mat so that every edge gets used equally. I've used the same mat for the better part of the year. If I get paper that doesn't want to stick then I put tape on the edges of the paper so that it will stick to the mat. The blades last quite a while too.

I bought this product a few months ago and so far I have to say it's a great investment if you do scrapbook, greeting cards, invitations etc.. If your thinking that about getting a die cutter machine but think this one cost way to much money your wrong. The cricut is going to end up costing you so much more money. You have to always buy cartridges and those cartridges cost about $90 a piece. so in the end your paying way more money. With the pazzles machine you don't need any cartridges at all. You can use pictures from clip art, or create your own. The machine can take any of the following format jpeg, eps, and ai. It also uses any true type fonts so you can download them from the internet. Most of them are free. The machine cuts very fast and is not that noisey at all.

The machine is only pc compatible for mac user like me. I bought a program called vmware fusion or parallels which lets you use windows on your mac. Just keep in mind that you still have to purchase windows vista but it saves you from buying a new computer. If you have a newer macs you don't have to vmware fusion or parallels at all you can use bootcamp which comes on the macs now.

The software I received will not allow more than 5 SAVES unless you are hooked up to the Pazzles and the machine is turned ON.

I bought this because it would allow me to create my own projects for cut outs. I create projects that require lots of steps and so I need to save what I have done as I go step by step as many at 25-100 steps. I must turn the Pazzles on to save my work after 5 SAVES. If I'm going to work in the dinning room I have to drag the Pazzles into the dinning room from my craft room plug it into the power outlet and into my laptop to save the 25-100 steps in just one project, I may do 1-3 projects a sitting.

We travel a lot. On flights lasting 6-12 hours it would be nice to work on creating Pazzle projects on my laptop. NO CAN DO takes more than 5 SAVES. If I wanted to work on projects once I arrived at destination I would have had to pack up the Pazzles in it's shipping box, paid the airline $60.00 round trip to check it in as baggage (it's too big for under the seat in front of me, too big for the baggage area over head). Who want's to drag this machine all over the world just to SAVE invested time and created projects using their (paid for) Pazzles software on the computer?

This is bizarre, what are these people thinking? What are they afraid of? I pay a big price for the machine it comes with software. I'd like to be able to use that software without the Pazzles machine in my hip pocket.

Now, I'm told Pazzles has developed new software that for another $100.00 will allow me to make numerous saves without the machine hooked up to my computer and turned on. Of course that's on top of the $400.00+ I already paid for the Pazzles, software in the box, manual, mat, (1) cutter blade and blade holder.

I ordered a perfectly NEW machine. However, bits of red vinyl on the dull blade, holder and machine indicated to me that the machine had been USED before. I couldn't return it at the time I found this red vinyl on the bottom of the blade holder and on the cutter because, when it was finally delivered to my home I had departed on a lengthy trip. Once I returned and had time to open the box and set up the Pazzles the allowed time had passed for returning the machine.

I gave them benefit of the doubt....maybe they test these machine before boxing them. On their Pazzles site I asked this question, "Do you test the machines?" and explained what I had found. . . . NEVER RECEIVED AN ANSWER!

I've had occasion to talk with customer service at Pazzles. I received unwarranted abrupt, curt answers. Not a pleasant experience.

If you plan to do your own designs and you wish to save your work as you go without the Pazzles in your hip pocket you will have to pay another $100.00 for that expected and necessary capability. If you intend to make your own designs and they are intricate I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND that you buy this machine. It's good at cutting big round curves (it gets 2 stars for that) and .........forget about clean angles.

If you go with the machine I suggest you order two extra blades and a extra mat when you place the order for the Pazzles! You're going to need them after running through the projects in their manual and trying different media to get an understanding of how the Pazzles works with the media you intend to use.

Sedonartist

I have had this machine for over a year and a half now. I admit that it is not for those who are squeamish about learning new computer programs, and yes, it has quite a learning curve. I use Illustrator a lot for making my original designs and then import them into the Pazzles program. FYI -- there is just as much cleaning up of files in Illustrator if you use Live Trace as there is in the Pazzles tracing program.

I have put the Pazzles through its paces and stretched its limits (and mine). I just made 20 vellum luminary boxes complete with intertwined heart cutouts in two of the sides for my grand-niece's wedding. Vellum is a fickle beast, so I admit I was glad when I finished the last box, but they were beautiful and my grand-niece was thrilled to have something that no one else had. I have been able to cut some pretty intricate designs with this machine, and I am very pleased with it. I make sure to keep any thin strips to no less than 1/16".

If one follows the directions and watches the tutorials, and as another reviewer posted, watch what you can on YouTube, this item will allow you to be as creative as you want. It is a thrill to bring something to fruition that no one else has thought of yet. This is why I give it 5 stars.

Now for some pros and cons:
Pros
1. I can make whatever my little heart desires (within reason).
2. I can cut any font that can keep to my 1/16" rule. Pazzles can even modify fonts. VERY cool.
3. I can scan items into the program and go from there.
4. I can import files from Illustrator.
5. I never will have to buy a cartridge to get a shape; however, the CDs are available should I need them.
6. There are several tools available for different techniques.
7. It comes with a couple of hundred shapes ready to go or to be modified and manipulated to your desires.

Cons
1. One must be computer savvy to avoid throwing the machine across the room and ruining your investment.
2. It is quite an investment. However, after purchasing the machine, you will only need to buy a few supplies occasionally. (So this is a pro/con.) In the long run, you save cubic cash over systems that use cartridges or dies.
3. One must have a PC to hook up to it; it is not Mac compatible. Thankfully, I have a little netbook that is just perfect to use with the Pazzles.
4. That learning curve. But, if you want to design your own items from the ground up, you pay a price.
5. The mat is very sticky, but so are mats for other systems. It has to be sticky to hold paper in place so it won't tear while being cut. I actually use my brown scraper/cleaner that came with my Pampered Chef pizza stone to remove items from the mat. Patience is a virtue here -- you will have to take your time and hold your tongue just right to get certain items off the mat after cutting. Think of it as character-building.
6. It is true that you can only save 5 times before you must plug into the Pazzles and turn it on in order to save. I haven't yet had the desire to pony up the $100 for the upgrade to their new software. I plan to limp along with things the way they are.
7. It is noisy. However, I live with 2 dogs who haven't complained, so I'm living with it.
8. It does take up space. Mine has taken up residence in my guest bedroom.

I did have quite a time getting Illustrator files to work properly. First of all, the Import button didn't work for me. I have to go to File and Import in order to get my files into the program. I also found that I have to put a bounding box around the item in Illustrator, so now I just add a rectangle to enclose the item, but don't cut it in the Pazzles. Oh, and when you save a file do NOT put any decimals in the file name. Pazzles gets really miffed and refuses to play when you do that.

This machine can't do everything for everybody -- no machine could. But if you are somewhat computer literate and are looking for a machine that can cut original items that you want to create, you can have a lot of fun with a Pazzles. Do your homework. Weigh cost vs. how much you think you will really use it. Weigh the fact that it is computerized, not a crank machine.

Hope this helps. I'm gonna go cut something.

I purchased this item a few weeks ago and spent about 20 hours with it before giving up and sending it back.

Before you hit the buy button here please do go to their website and look at the tutorial videos available. There are a few you can watch prior to purchasing the machine and 20 or so you can watch after registering your product. I have used Photoshop and Illustrator for nearly 10 years and none of my experience with drawing or editing programs left me prepared for their software. Words simply cannot describe how terribly bad this software is. And unfortunately there is no workaround. You may THINK there is a work around because it says you can import other file types but trust me getting your average bitmap file into .svg then into their proprietary extension is not a straightforward process. Also please note that only after spending an additional 99$ for the upgraded software can you then import .svg. The option shows up on the standard software but does not function.

Their official forums are full of helpful people that will tells you all the workarounds for getting your machine to actually work and the customer service is amazingly good. For instance the pen adapter ships with a plastic screw that 9 times out of 10 does not work. All I had to do was email the customer server rep once and they posted me a replacement metal screw. Great customer service but really I'd rather not NEED customer service at all especially if they know they are shipping a faulty product. Oh and yes, about the pen adapter if you are thinking of using this to draw, the Pazzels version does not hold anything thicker than a ball point pen so no sharpies allowed even the fine tip ones, or for that matter any other of the 10 or so brands of markers I tried.

I could go on and on. Watch the tutorial videos, read some reviews by some people that did not drink the pazzel cool-aid. The product does not function as advertized, the library of images is a joke, and the software is so bad that even simply typing words requires an instructional video.

Buyers beware. After all is said and done you will have spent 500$+ on an item that has cheaper better alternatives.

Like most people who are looking for an affordable desktop compact machine that cuts their own artwork I thought that this was the right machine for me, I'm not an avid arts and crafts person I just wanted something to experiment with and mass produce eventually and I thought that the $500 or so machine would be a good idea to start up with, but in the user's manual p. 14 #5. "The Inspiration is not a production machine. Using the Inspiration for business purposes will void your warranty" an indirect warning an added jinx or guilt, depends on how you see it, if ever you choose to use it for business.

I return the machine for the second time and for good:

The first time the blade holder went through the motion but did not cut, that is the blade holder did not land for cutting, so I called the company and they replaced the machine, which I had to wait 2 weeks for back order.

When I got it for the second time it malfunctioned, it cut all right but it went through some of them in a sharp up-down left-right zigzag motion adding pointy spears and slicing through dividing them in halves and sometimes 3rds and that using a file saved in illustrator8 as required, before that it cut a simple circle, using the Inspiration software, half way, I had to run cut again to finish cutting the other half of the circle, mind you I had a full circle on screen.

Before I use the machine I ran upgrade downloaded form their website for the machine and the software.

The Mat

That thing is so sticky I could hardly pull the paper off of it, causing the paper to rip and leave paper bits on the mat, even when using their own spatula in a gentle rocking motion which left glue residue from the mat on the paper and the spatula itself, so you'll spend 75% of your time trying to pick paper bits or wipe glue residues, and it change the paper structure curling and sometimes creasing it.

The Cutting Quality

I used a stock paper medium weight, input the variables in for the blade and pressure, and yet it did what I consider a low quality cut, sometimes it chewed or snips the edges as I go faster or even slower depends on if you have really intricate sharp angular edges. Regular crafting paper 12"x12" cut a circle perfectly but struggled when tried to get it off the mat, and that's when it rips.

After all that I knew where this was going and didn't want to waste my time with it anymore.

(cons and/or pros)
You have to dedicate at least a 3X2 Sq Ft work space for the machine if not more
USB cable about 6 feet long
User Manual has adequate information to familiarize you with the software, a piece of cake for advances users
Software is good
The Machine is noisy during cutting, and it hums or winnnnns when idle

I don't think that this is an industry standard machine, which might explain the warranty clause on p.14 in their user's manual. Unless you're a crafter who's looking for an alternative to die cutters, stamps, etc... and have the space or money for it, don't buy this machine.

Purchased it from the Pazzles site. I loved the idea behind the Cricut but hated the limitations and how generic all the images were, not to mention the investment price of the cartridges on top of the machine, blades and mats. I hated the idea that I would have to spend 30.00 to 90.00 bucks for a cartride when maybe I would only use one or two of the images from it.

I like how you can chat directly with Pazzles Customer Service Rep. if you need help with your machine. There customer service is awesome, they are friendly and quick. I also like all of the resources available on the site to help you get the most out of your machine, software and tools. THEY HAVE LIVE CLASSES on Tuesdays and Sundays with Klo and the other pazzles' users in the forums are always glad to help with tips, tricks, templates and cutting files. You can purchase premade image cds if you desire and with some patience and conversion any premade image you find can be made into a cut file.

So glad I held out and didn't buy a Cricut. I am sure it would be an awesome machine if I was solely a scrapbooker, but I like making my 3D objects, and love the ability to create whatever I can think of from scratch and know that nobody has the same thing.

If you get this machine have patience, use ALL of the resources including YOUTUBE (they have great videos for many similar software programs like the Pazzles, as well as some individuals who have pazzles who show you great tricks and tips). Do the tutorials, even those beginning boring ones. You will be surprised at how quickly you understand and get a handle on the software. I think I have learned just as much on YOUTUBE from non pazzles users with similar software as the pazzles site. Forums outside of the pazzles site are great too.

Here is a product I really really really wanted to work - something that would finally transform years of ideas into reality. Sadly, this is not the machine.

After spending over two weeks of time and money on materials, trying to cut a thin 2 ply cardboard (remember, this is the machine that claims it can cut thru chipboard) I spent alot of time trying to find the right settings (speed, pressure, blade length), discussing the problem with customer service, testing out three different machines (one pre-tested(?))... but after much patience and methodical attempts - I give up - I believe the product is simply unreliable.

Machine 1 - Would only make cuts in certain directions - some cuts are fine, while others, including straight lines would not go thru the material after many re-cuts and increasing blade length. Same thing would happen on thin paper. I walked thru all the settings with customer service and even upped pressure setting via the machine itself. Nothing works. Pazzles sends out a 2nd machine.

Machine 2 - Machine cuts better (doesn't seem to have the same problems), but now mats keeps sliding around in or out (a problem people post on the Pazzles bulletin board). Rollers will not hold the mats. Again try various settings and suggestions with customer service and nothing will correct. Pazzles sends out a 3rd machine pre-tested.

Machine 3 - Problem with mat movement right away. Customer service recommends different settings that reverse their recommendations with Machine 1. Also told me there are many old mats out there (those from Amazon) that are poorly sized and do not fit the tray properly. (Every mat I've had from Pazzle or Amazon so far has been the same size). On top of that, problems such as those in Machine 1 start cropping up again with new machine and it will not make cuts all the way through material - sometimes only grazing the surface in certain directions. A brand new blade and settings will not correct the issues. In the meantime, customer service sends out mats but these are the same. I decide at that point we're working around a machine that really just doesn't work. Although I feel customer service is trying to be helpful - I don't believe they can do much given the machine inadequacies.

There are other irritations of the product. The fact that a design-minded machine will not work on a Mac is astounding, but also the Windows software is severely limited in what type of file formats it will accept which are only a handful, and those that it does accept (for example EPS) must be version 6 or it will not understand it - a real downer if the software you start in doesn't export to that EPS version, etc. It's been a long two weeks juggling between computers and file formats.

At this time the machine is awaiting for a return pick-up. I've been very kind and patient through all of this (because again, I really wanted this to work), but I don't sense much interest on the other end. I even offered to send the 2 ply cardboard I had bought to them to see if they could cut it and/or if they could provide me some information on their pricier $2600 machines (way out of my current price range). I asked too if I could be notified right away when/if the Pazzles machine is upgraded and issues corrected, and have heard nothing from any of the above questions.

I sadly recommend anyone looking at this machine to seek out other options.

UPDATE:

Since I made this review, I am on my third machine from Pazzles (3 machines since July 2011). Yes, customer service is good, but what good is customer service when you have to keep sending the machine back? I have spent more time without the machine than I've had it.

I figured out today why I heard rattling and found that 2 of 3 screws were missing from the blue cover next to the blade holder. If I had not had 2 extra 3mm metal screws (that I originally bought for my Pen tool), I would have had to wait even longer to find screws to fit to keep the blue cover from rattling.

I was led to believe my machine was being "repaired". They did not send me the original repaired machine back (which means new problems). They sent a whole different machine back that caused problems with the Pro 2010 software I bought. Somehow, the 2 registration numbers had been used and I was unable to use my software. You only get 3 times to register the upgraded software serial number. I thought I was getting back a repaired machine, but got a whole new one, which is why I could not use the expensive software I purchased. Each time a different machine is used, a serial number has to be registered. Imagine my surprise when I got a pop up box stating I had maxed out on serial numbers! Fortunately, Pazzles gave me another serial number so that I could use the software.

Just like another reviewer stated, this machine is not reliable. My main problem is that Pazzles obviously feels that Quality Control is not important. Getting a new machine is fine, but I want a new machine that works, not another machine with different problems.
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I purchased my Pazzles directly from Pazzles. I ordered it on 7/7 and didn't get it until 7/18. I used it for two days and had to return it on 7/21. I was really disappointed. Now I have to wait to get it back on 7/28 and hope it works. I am really afraid, but I'm trying to be positive. I can't understand why vendors don't fully test their machines before they send them to customers. I know they want to make money, but jeez, it would be a lot better to have happy customers who can recommend the product to others. At this point, I can't recommend the machine, at least not yet.