A cutting motorcar is a fun tool for arts and crafts-makers interested in pursuing their passion and creating fun projects for friends and family at parties. However, it'south indispensable for true artisans who are trying to brand a living out of it.

The market is filled with a wide range of cutting machines, each promising more features than its rivals. So it can be difficult to find the correct product, and it pretty much depends on what yous plan to do with information technology.

Brother scan and cut vs silhouette cameo

For case, Brother Scan and Cut and Silhouette Cameo are a couple of sought-after cutting machines, and yous will probable find many raving reviews about them.

Created by different brands, Scan and Cut and Cameo are dedicated to artisans, amateurs, and pocket-size business concern owners who desire to make a turn a profit out of their craftsmanship.

If you're on the debate when information technology comes to these 2 cutting machines, we're here to set the record straight and assist you make up one's mind which one is better for you: Brother Scan and Cut or Silhouette Cameo.

What Is the Brother Scan and Cut Machine?

Brother scan and cut machine

Brother Browse and Cut is an electronic cutting machine that tin can mainly cut through paper-based materials, such as cardstock, tracing, and affiche board. However, information technology also works with plastic sheets, foam sheets, and some fabric.

Scan and Cut includes some awesome features that you won't notice in other like products, including an LCD touchscreen display that provides on-screen editing, predefined designs so that yous can print and cut without having to use software, also as use self-scale mode to accurately adapt blade settings.

What Is Silhouette Cameo?

What Is Silhouette Cameo

Silhouette Cameo is an incredibly powerful automobile that can cut through more than than 100 materials. It comes with Silhouette Studio, the sectional design software app made by all Silhouette cutting machines.

Cameo supports multiple tools and a system that automatically identifies which tool you're using and tweaks software settings accordingly to leave no room for human error.

How to Compare Brother Browse and Cut and Silhouette Cameo

There are many technical aspects behind Brother Browse and Cut and Silhouette Cameo, which we are taking into account when comparing the two cutting machines. Here they are:

  • Speed and power. The cutting machine should cut materials quickly and by applying enough force, depending on the type of material. Otherwise, your arts and crafts-making production will slow down, and yous will not be able to sustain your business.
  • Ease of use. Having a feature-rich cut machine is great, but it won't practise y'all any adept if yous don't know how to operate information technology. Instead of spending countless watching YouTube tutorials or talking to customer back up, you lot should be able to swiftly learn the ins and outs of your cutting machine.
  • Durability. Sure, yous tin can find a lot of inexpensive vinyl cutters, just this won't matter if the machines soon intermission down. And so it'due south worth investing in quality cut machines made from long-lasting materials.
  • Commercial employ. Having a craft-making hobby is great, simply why not turn your passion into a business to make some coin out of it? To do this, the cutting machine should be optimized for commercial usage.
  • Accuracy. Owning a cutting motorcar with multiple blades and which can cut various types of materials means that you have to calibrate settings every time yous want to change something. But the best machines out there can tweak the pressure, speed, and thickness settings automatically.
  • Noise. If you're a work-from-home mom or dad, you need a placidity machine that won't wake up your kids equally soon as you lot plow it on. There are no 100% noiseless cutting machines, merely some of them are pretty placidity.
  • Price. The most expensive cutting machine is non necessarily the all-time one. Besides, y'all also have to take into account the amount of money that you will invest in actress tools, mats, materials, and other accessories.

Not Plenty Time for a Full Read? Here'due south a Comparison Chart

Keep in mind that in that location are multiple models available for these ii cutting machines. For the purpose of this commodity, we took into business relationship Silhouette Cameo 4 and Blood brother Browse and Cut 2 CM650W since they are currently the most powerful machines from the Silhouette and Brother families.

Blood brother Scan and Cut Silhouette Cameo
Machine Dimensions 10.25 x 23 x x.5 in (26 x 58 ten 27 cm) 22.44 10 7.68 x half-dozen.69 in (57 x 19.5 x 17 cm)
Automobile Weight 8.6 lbs (3.9 kg) x lbs six.iv oz (iv.7 kg)
Max. Cutting Area 11.68 10 11.76 in (30 x 30 cm) with a cutting mat
xi.68 x 23.76 in (30 x 60 cm) without a cut mat		 12 ten 24 in (xxx.5 x 61 cm) with a cutting mat
12 in 10 10 ft (30.5 cm 10 3 m) without a cutting mat
Dual-Carriage? No Yes
Max. Cutting Force 0.77 lbs (350 g) Carriage 1: 0.46 lbs (210 g)
Carriage 2: 11 lbs (5 kg)
Max. Cloth Thickness 0.08 in (ii mm) 0.12 in (three mm)
Materials Fewer than twenty (printer paper, cardstock, vellum, flannel, others) More than than 100 (vinyl, heat transfer, cardstock, chipboard, textile, others)
Connectivity USB, Wi-Fi USB, Bluetooth
LCD Touchscreen Display Yes No
Integrated Scanner? Aye (600 DPI) Aye (PixScan)
Out-of-the-Box Designs Aye (without software) Yes (with software)
Can Cutting? Yes Yes
Can Draw? Yes Yes
Auto-Bract? Aye Yes
Noise Level Depression High
Maintenance Costs High Low
Cost Check price on Amazon. Check price on Amazon.

A Side-past-Side Comparison: Blood brother Scan and Cut vs. Silhouette Cameo

Now, allow'due south take a closer expect and figure out what this data really means.

Size and Weight

Silhouette cameo 4

Cameo is much larger than Scan and Cut, just the difference isn't that pregnant when it comes to the weight – but 1.73 lbs (800 thou). However, this ways that you will need a larger workspace dedicated to Cameo, without including the infinite necessary to perform cuts, store accessories, or use the software.

Neither machine is portable, though, so it would exist slightly awkward to pack up the motorcar and acquit information technology in a bag whenever you're on the motion, whether you lot proceed with the Brother cutting machine or Silhouette Cameo.

Silhouette Cameo wins.

Cutting Size

Both machines cutting materials using a mat. Even so, they also come up with an integrated roll feeder that allows you to perform matless cuts. In plow, this extends the cutting length. For example, you tin use this technique to create long vinyl stickers or decals.

When it comes to the maximum cut length, Cameo surpasses Scan and Cut in both cases: with and without a mat. While Brother Scan and Cutting is limited to a length of 11.76 in (30 cm) with a mat and 23.76 in (sixty cm) without a mat, Cameo goes further to 24 in (61 cm) with a mat and 10 ft (3 m) without a mat.

Silhouette Cameo wins.

Cutting, Drawing, and Dual-Carriage

Brother scan and cut 2

Dual-Carriage is a system that allows a auto to simultaneously apply two tools at the same fourth dimension. For example, it makes it possible to cut cloth and draw on it at the same time. It'due south an awesome price-saving solution because you lot won't waste time having to manually change the blade with a pen. And, yous can conveniently go out the machine unattended while it'south decorated with the cutting and drawing job.

Both Brother Scan and Cut two and Silhouette Cameo are equipped with cutting and cartoon abilities. Yet, only Cameo comes equipped with a Dual-Wagon to perform both jobs at the same time. Then, if you were to go with Scan and Cut two, you would accept to gear up a multi-step functioning that involves manually installing the blade, waiting until the cut is done, then replacing the blade with a pen and waiting until information technology finishes writing or drawing the blueprint.

Silhouette Cameo wins.

Cutting Force, Clearance, and Materials

Brother Browse and Cut has a maximum cutting forcefulness of 0.77 lbs (350 g), which is more enough to cutting softer materials that are upwards to 0.08 in (2 mm) thick. On the other hand, Silhouette Cameo is one of the most powerful cutting machines in the market, with a downward forcefulness of 11 lbs (five kg), making information technology capable of gliding and rolling through materials that are upwardly to 0.12 in (3 mm) thick.

What does this mean for you? If you take a niche business organization that'southward focused on softer materials, like paper, vinyl, and everything in between, you will have no problems by choosing Brother Scan and Cut. However, if you ever desire to expand your business and explore thicker materials similar foam or woods newspaper sheets, you must choose Silhouette Cameo.

Speaking of materials, Brother Scan and Cut isn't that versatile since it supports fewer than xx materials, such as paper (printer, scrapbook, cardstock, vellum, tracing, affiche board), fabric (thin cotton, flannel, felt), and magnetic sticker or seal. But Silhouette Cameo is uniform with more than 100 materials, such as glass-carving foam rut transfer (glitter, metallic, reflective, etc.), vinyl (glossy, matte, whiteboard, printable, etc.), wood paper sheets, cork, and cotton fiber canvas or fabric.

Silhouette Cameo wins.

Car-Blade, Crosscutter, and Deep Cut Blade

The two cutting machines include an Auto-Bract feature, which ways that yous don't have to manually tweak the pressure and speed every time y'all alter the blade or fabric since this will be handled automatically. You just have to make a unproblematic software tweak.

Additionally, Silhouette Cameo has a Crosscutter, which makes it possible to cut vinyl or heat transfer without a mat, as well every bit to cutting finished products so that you don't have to do information technology manually past using a scissors.

Meanwhile, Blood brother Scan and Cut comes with a Deep Cut Blade that allows you to cut thicker materials like cloth, leather, difficult paper, foam, and balsa wood.

Integrated Scanner

Both cutting machines have an integrated scanner you tin use to browse any photo and use it in your cutting designs.

When it comes to Blood brother Browse and Cutting, you can employ the LCD touchscreen display and its on-screen editing features in order to rotate, resize, combine and use more prototype manipulation options.

It has a high resolution of 600 DPI, scans designs up to 11.7 in (30 cm) broad, and supports both monochrome and colored photos. You can likewise adjust the number of colors. Unfortunately, it seems that Brother has trouble scanning preserving the abrupt colors of images scanned with low contrast.

Silhouette Cameo uses PixScan applied science and border detection to replicate images that you scan or photograph using your smartphone. The designs must be placed on a special PixScan cutting mat.

Exclusive Design Software Apps

Silhouette studio

When opting for Brother Scan and Cut, you can use Blood brother CanvasWorkspace, a proprietary design app use by all Brother cutting machines, in society to blueprint and prepare projects for printing and cutting. It simply works with Windows and Mac, though, so you tin't use it on smartphones or tablets running Android or iOS.

Silhouette Cameo also has an exclusive design application, which is called Silhouette Studio, and is used by all Silhouette cutting machines. It works with Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS (y'all can find information technology as Silhouette Keep the Play Shop and App Store).

Yet, when purchasing Cameo, you lot volition also receive 100 exclusive designs available for download, forth with a 30-twenty-four hour period free trial to the Silhouette Design Store, where you lot can explore, download and use fifty-fifty more templates.

Silhouette Cameo wins.

Printing Designs without Software

There is ane key aspect when Brother Scan and Cut overcomes Silhouette Cameo. It comes with more than 1100 built-in designs, 140 quilt patterns, and 15 fonts that you tin can use in your projects without having to resort to a calculator and software application. It's because it has an internal memory module, which tin as well retrieve your designs in example you lot want to reuse them later.

Thanks to the LCD touchscreen brandish with on-screen editing options, you can make simple tweaks to the templates before starting the cutting performance. On pinnacle of that, Scan and Cut lets you upload designs from a USB flash bulldoze.

Brother Scan and Cut wins.

Connectivity and Noise Level

Y'all shouldn't take whatever problems connecting your estimator to the cutting machine since both Brother Scan and Cut and Silhouette Cameo support USB and wireless connectivity. The only difference is that you demand to join the same Wi-Fi network on your computer and Brother machine, while Cameo supports Bluetooth connectivity. The blazon of wireless connection doesn't actually matter since you still need to be in the range of the cutting machine – you lot can't run jobs remotely.

As far as dissonance is concerned, Brother Scan and Cut is quieter than Silhouette Cameo. All Silhouette cutting machines are loud, so you can't use them to pull late-dark shifts or work on the weekends without disturbing your kids or neighbors.

Machine price and maintenance costs

Both cutting machines come up in various sizes, models, and prices. The virtually pregnant difference is when it comes to the maintenance costs, withal. If you want to buy extra blades, mats, and accessories later, you lot will discover them at affordable prices for Silhouette Cameo. Withal, the accompaniment prices are outrageous for Brother Browse and Cut.

The pros and cons

The Pros and Cons

The Pros of Brother Scan and Cut

Brother Browse and Cut is a great cutting auto for beginners who don't want to waste time learning a blueprint software application. It makes it possible to upload images directly from a USB flash drive for printing and cutting.

Plus, you can explore predefined designs on the LCD touchscreen display without having to resort to a computer and a slice of software. There are more than 1100 built-in designs, 140 quilt patterns, and fifteen fonts put at your disposal. On-screen editing options are available, too, so that you tin can rotate, resize or weld images together.

You can utilize this cutting motorcar for hobbies or small businesses that handle paper, vinyl, and everything in between. However, you tin can too purchase the Deep Cut Blade to cut thicker textile like foam or wood sheets. The blade has 5 adjustable levels and gets calibrated on its own by tinkering with the software settings.

Speaking of software, Brother CanvasWorkspace is pretty intuitive and allows you to rapidly create designs for printing and cut. You become a free re-create of this tool once you buy a Blood brother cutting machine.

Every bit far as connectivity is concerned, y'all can link your computer to the cutting machine by joining the same Wi-Fi network or past using a USB cablevision. And then, you can create a tangle-free zone that's also space for any critters that might exist running around your firm.

Brother Scan and Cutting is actually tranquillity, which means that you can afford to have a flexible crafting schedule and safely work during resting hours without becoming a nuisance for neighbors, family members, or housemates.

The Cons of Brother Browse and Cut

Brother Browse and Cutting isn't that versatile when information technology comes to the type of materials information technology tin can cutting (fewer than 20), which is express by the 0.12 in (three mm) textile clearance. So, if yous ever program on expanding your niche business organization, you lot might take to upgrade to a more than powerful cutting machine.

Although the Brother machine can cut and draw on materials, it can't do both tasks at the same time since information technology doesn't have a Dual-Carriage organisation. It will get in harder to exercise business when y'all take numerous client orders on standby that require both cutting and writing.

When it comes to the built-in scanner, we take discovered some areas where it can be improved. For instance, Scan and Cut has no sort of issues with scanning monochrome images, just results may vary when it comes to colored designs, specifically when the dissimilarity is not right. In this example, you might have to repeat the operation several times until you go information technology correct, which means wasting materials and time.

On height of that, the LCD touchscreen display doesn't take a corking response time, whether you're using your finger or the stylus to perform a uncomplicated command like clicking a button or opening a menu.

Brother CanvasWorkspace is not available for Android or iOS. Although the software application is easy to use, it doesn't contain advanced image editing features. And then, if you're an experienced designer, you tin't give up your subscription to Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Corel Describe, or whatever graphic processing app you might be using.

The machine itself is not that expensive, but the costs of extra tools, mats, and accessories are inexplicably high. It as well doesn't help that mats lose their stickiness pretty fast, which ways they must be replaced often.

The Pros of Silhouette Cameo

Silhouette Cameo is 1 of the most powerful cut machines in the industry, thanks to the xi lbs (5 kg) cutting force and 0.12 in (iii mm) textile clearance. And its speed has been greatly improved since Cameo 3.

Yous can use it to cut a wide range of materials (more than 100), which opens numerous possibilities for not only starting simply as well sustaining a crafting business organization.

It has an Auto Blade that adjusts settings automatically, along with a Crosscutter feature that makes it possible to cut designs that are already finished (instead of using scissors). At that place'southward also an integrated scanner that uses PixScan technology and border detection.

Thanks to a Dual-Carriage system, Cameo can cut materials and describe or write on them at the aforementioned fourth dimension, greatly improving your business organisation' production time. It surpasses Blood brother Scan and Cut when it comes to the material's cutting area – upwardly to 10 ft (3 m) long without a cutting mat.

Silhouette Studio is really easy to use and comes with 100 sectional designs that you can download from the Cyberspace and utilise in your projects. It works not just with Windows and Mac but also with Android and iOS. There'due south as well a xxx-twenty-four hour period free trial to Silhouette Blueprint Store included in the buy.

You lot tin can connect your desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone to the Cameo by attaching a USB cable or by enabling Bluetooth.

Not only the machine just besides any extra accessories are affordable, so you won't spend a fortune investing in your craft-making business organisation or hobby.

The Cons of Silhouette Cameo

Silhouette Cameo is quite large, so information technology can be tricky to find room for it. Unlike Brother Scan and Cut, information technology's not built to perform tasks without its defended software. Subsequently, you can't use its USB slot to direct upload images from a USB pen drive.

The auto is pretty loud, like all Silhouette cutting machines. You won't exist able to utilize it while others are sleeping or resting in your home, so yous have to come up up with a fixed schedule or invest in an office space if you want to brand your crafting business truly profitable.

Why Is Silhouette Cameo Better?

After weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each cutting machine, we can confidently say that Silhouette Cameo is amend than Brother Scan and Cutting 2. Here's why:

  • Ideal for vinyl stickers and decals
  • Comes equipped with an intuitive design software solution (Silhouette Studio) that helps you lot speedily create and upload designs for printing and cutting
  • Explore more than 100,000 templates and employ any of them in your business instead of designing projects from the footing up
  • One of the almost versatile vinyl cutters since it tin can glide and scroll through more than than 100 materials, including chipboard, unmarried-sided adhesive cardstock, wash-away fabric stabilizer, vellum, and textile ink
  • Make matless cuts by using an integrated roller feeder, which allows you to cutting upwards to 10 ft (iii m) long
  • Sleek and elegant car design that volition make yous an instant hit at parties
  • Upkeep-friendly cutting plotter with affordable accessories

FAQ: Learn MoreAbout Brother Browse and Cut and Silhouette Cameo

What does the Blood brother Scan and Cut do?

Brother Browse and Cut tin can cut materials for do-it-yourself projects and arts and crafts-making businesses. Information technology works with paper (printer, scrapbook, cardstock, vellum, tracing, affiche board), fabric (thin cotton, flannel, felt, as well as magnet sticker or seal.

What software does the Blood brother cutter use?

Brother Scan and Cut and all Brother cutting machines use Brother CanvasSpace. It's a web software awarding bachelor for Windows and Mac only, which includes simple editing tools to help yous create, pattern and prepare images for printing and cutting. It'south not compatible with Android or iOS.

What is the best vinyl cutter?

At the moment, the best vinyl cutter in the market is Cricut Maker three. It'due south followed by Silhouette Cameo 4, Cricut Explore Air 2, USCutter 28-Inch Titan 3, Brother Scan and Cut, Silhouette Portrait 3, and Cricut Joy.

What's amend betwixt Cricut and Brother?

Although Brother Browse and Cut has some unique features, like cutting designs direct from a USB wink bulldoze and without using a software application, we think that Cricut Maker iii is better. It supports a wide range of tools, can cut through over 300 materials, and its accessories are really affordable.

Tin you use an iPad with Silhouette Cameo 4?

Yes, you can connect an iPad to Silhouette Cameo iv likewise as download, install and use Silhouette Go from the App Store to create, set and ship designs for cutting.

Can you cut wood with Silhouette Cameo 4?

Yes, you tin can utilize Silhouette Cameo 4 to cut balsa wood.

Final Thoughts: What to Option Betwixt Brother Scan and Cut and Silhouette Cameo?

The lesser line is that Silhouette Cameo is better than Blood brother Browse and Cut in virtually all aspects. Its cutting force is unmatched, even improve than Cricut Maker 3. You lot tin use it to cut over 100 materials, including thick ones like foam or balsa woods.

Cameo tweaks blade settings almost completely automatic and can cut designs that have been already processed. You lot can as well employ it to scan images, cut and depict simultaneously, and create matless cuts up to x ft (3 m) long.

Furthermore, Silhouette Studio is super intuitive and doesn't require any kind of graphic editing experience. Finally, Cameo is significantly cheaper than Scan and Cutting when taking into account the price of maintenance (tools, mats, materials, etc.).

However, this doesn't mean that Brother Scan and Cut is a poor cut machine. On the contrary, it remains i of the most performant vinyl cutters in the market, and it is especially aimed at beginners.

Whether you lot decide to purchase Silhouette Cameo or Brother Scan and Cut, make certain to return to this page after taking the machine for a spin and leave u.s. your feedback in the annotate department below.