Photos of what the Scan N Cut Can Do:

For starters, it will cut out your stamped images amazingly well, as long as it has a good outline to scan and cut. Here is a rose leaf cluster by Heartfelt Creations. I love their stamps, and I am really into making 3D flowers for cards right now. I attended two Heartfelt Creations card classes this week, and I bought more of their flower stamps. However, I did not want to spend another $150 on the matching dies for the stamp sets. That $150 was half of what was needed to buy the Scan N Cut. Since I keep buying stamps, it just made sense to buy the machine rather than continue to buy matching dies.

Anyway, I played around with the machine yesterday and today to see how well it would cut. First, a leaf cluster with NO border, and the same leaf cluster with a small white border:

I was delightfully surprised at how close the cut was able to come. Today I did try to use a more advanced Scan N Cut technique to cut out the white from the curly vines, and it worked, but the vines were too fragile. The machine cut slightly into the design, not just around the design. I need to work on perfecting the technique, but for a brand new novice, I am pleased with what I have been able to cut with this machine. 

 Next, I cut Peony, Poppy, and Rose components (also Heartfelt Creations stamp designs). The machine cut these extremely well. I'm skilled with scissors, but the machine did a better job than I could. After cutting the various flower petals, I colored them, used the Heartfelt Creations molds to shape them, inked them, glued them, and glimmer misted them. By layering them, you end up with 3D flowers. Each of the flower petals has a solid outer line, which means it's the perfect kind of stamped image for the Scan N Cut.

This next sample shows that it is easier for the machine to cut close to the edge if it is black on white than a lighter color on white. The machine needed to include a border to cut the green inked image due to the extremely detailed design and lighter color ink. It was not able to cut on the line of the green inked corner. I have been able to get the machine to cut some colored ink images with no border, too, but the less contrast there is, and the more detail and segmented the design, the harder it is for the machine to recognize and cut without a border. Still, it did extremely well overall. Most dies you buy that match stamps will have a slight border, too. The poppy corners are another Heartfelt Creations stamp, but it has been discontinued.

  If you try to cut distressed stamp designs, or designs that do not have a clean outside edge, you may get parts cut that you don't want cut. For example, I have a very old dogwood stamp that had a gap that I did not notice, so part of a flower petal got a significant portion cut out of it. Someone online suggested that for images which do not have a good solid outer line, take a pencil and draw across any gaps. After cutting, you can erase the pencil lines.

Summary: this is a great machine for stampers! It has limitations, but with practice and experience, I think the limitations will be minor.

Scan N Cut is also easier to use than the Silhouette PixScan mat. The PixScan software gives you more control over your cutting lines, but it takes longer to get your stamped images ready to cut. For extremely detailed or distressed stamped images, I may use my PixScan mat and Cameo, but for most of my stamping, I will be cutting out stamped designs with my Scan N Cut.