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| My die cutting machine |
I decided to get the Gemini Junior for its size; its plates are A5 in size so with me having limited storage space it’s perfect, it’s probably also less heavy and so more portable that the original Gemini die cutting machine. It still is a weight for me but I can still store it and get it out when I want to use it.
Electric die cutting machines are more expensive, the Gemini Junior at RRP costs about £140/£150. I decided to get a refurbished model at £100 which still included all extras that comes with a brand new machine. As a bonus my machine wasn’t the usual white machine but turquoise which I liked better.
It comes with lots of different cutting plates and with this new machine I can die cut additional materials such as fabric. The main downside I would say is replacing the plates can be expensive and some of the plates can be hard to find. I like the magnetic plate for fixing down my metal dies but the magnetic plate and top plastic plate soon wore out in less than a year of having the machine. I was able to easily find the magnetic plate or shim as they’re also called but I struggled to find the plastic top plate. Eventually I found that Gemini had remade them into solid white plates. The problem I had with the solid white plate was I couldn’t see if the paper underneath had shifted off the metal die so sometimes I cut dies that were no use. Eventually I found some third party clear plastic top plates that I find easier to use than the solid white ones. The only solution with the white plates would be to use use low tack tape I think?
It doesn’t take up much more room storage space wise than my old manual die cutting machine and it’s still just as heavy.
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| My craft set-up for die cutting |
Sometimes I craft with my die cutting machine on the floor other times I sit it on a lap table on the floor. As it’s so easy and fairly effortless to use if I’m going through a crafty stage I leave my die cutting machine out and plugged in and then I can just switch it on when needed. I often make die cut packs out of my die cut sets so at another time I can sit and assemble the pieces onto a card with some glue. If I’m making a card it’s really easy to go to my die cutter and simply cut a single die cut such as a sentiment or if there is a piece missing from a die cut set. It’s very simple and effortless to use the vast majority of the time. However sometimes you do have to push the plates through but once pushed in they do go through the machine okay.
Things to consider when purchasing a die cutting machine
If you’re looking to buy a die cutting machine I would highly recommend investing in an electric one as opposed to a manual one. If you’re unsure how often you’ll use it maybe go for a refurbished or good quality second hand machine to bring the price down so you’re not wasting your money if you don’t end up using it a lot. Especially if you have a chronic illness like an energy limiting illness electric die cutting machines are much much better and easier to use as well as being more practical.
Do your research, compare different makes and models to see which one meets your requirements and shop around to find the best price including refurbished and good quality second hand products.
Think about what you want to do with your machine. Do you just want to cut paper or do want it for other projects like quilting so therefore you need a machine that will cut fabric too.
Think about storage; where will you store it? On your desk, or in a cupboard etc? What size machine should you get, will a smaller machine be enough for you or do you need a bigger A4 size machine - do you have room for a bigger machine, can you afford a bigger machine?
Think about the cost of replacing the cutting plates as well as buying die cuts, tools and accessories and storing these too.
Recommended die cut brands and accessories
I love the Sizzix Thinlets dies cuts and also Lawn Fawn die cuts and their stamp and die cut sets - you can easily buy both brands on Amazon and most online craft stores including their official stores
I’d also recommend the Sizzix Magnetic Craft Stand for putting metal dies on so they don’t get lost as your die cutting and craftingIt’s also helpful to have a poky tool for picking out bits of paper on die cuts
A good stash card or paper of is needed too Sizzix do a great range of card packs of both plain and special effects
I store my stamp and die cut sets in an organiser box - it has different sections in each section there is a folder with a magnetic sheet for die cuts then in the rest of the section you store your co-ordinating stamps that go with the die cuts
The rest of my die cuts I store in A5 ring binders and inside I have A5 plastic wallets attached to the ring binder and inside each folder I have two magnetic sheets back-to-back and on each sheet I store my die cuts organised by their collection or I’ll have all of my hello wording die cuts or my nesting dies etc. Alternately you can buy special die cut folders for organising and storing your die cuts.
