The CAPD/CAM Cycle

There are two types of equipment that can be used. The Portrait print-and-cut machine uses a cutting mat that is 8-1/2" by 12". This is an appropriate size for developing quarter-scale designs. The Cameo Pro is a larger system with a cutting mat that is 24" by 24". This can be used to cut fabric for full size garments. For larger pattern pieces, two cutting mats can be tapped together to create a cutting area of 24" by 48". The cutting mats are important in the same way the cutting mats for rotary cutting by hand is used to hold fabric in place as it is cut.

8-1/2" Portrait Print-and-Cut
The Portrait equipment uses an Auto Blade to cut a variety of material including poster board, paper patterns, and fabric. This blade requires that fabric is stabilized. There are several products available to stabilize the fabric such as Terial Magic Fabric Spray. This product works like a starch. You spray it on the fabric, hang it up so it can soak into the fabric, then iron it dry. It changes the fabric to a paper like consistency. The stabilized fabric can then be placed on a cutting mat.

24" Cameo Pro Print-and-Cut
In addition to the Auto Blade for cutting poster board and paper patterns the Cameo Pro has a Rotary Blade for cutting fabric. This blade does not require the fabric to be stabilized. This is a major time saver when cutting fabric for full size garments.

With the Cameo Pro it is important to use the Auto Blade for working with paper and the Rotary Blade for cutting fabric in the same way different scissors should be used for cutting paper patterns than scissors used for cutting fabric.

Caveat The software that drives the Rotary Blade adds some additonal cuts to the fabric in order to position the blade accurately. Both the patterns and the pattern layout need to be adjusted to keep these extra cuts outside the pattern as shown in the video.

When you are working with smaller patterns, cutting them on a 24" by 24" mat is better than placing them on the 24" by 48" combination of mats to optimize layout. Doing this ensures a minimal travel time for the blade cutting the larger pattern shapes.

When you are using a combination of cutting mats, it is important that there is adequate room behind the equipment for the cutting mats to travel freely. While the Cameo Pro is rated to cut up to 10 feet the maximum length I have cut fabric is 4 feet using two 24" cutting mats tapped together. When doing this it is important to keep a close eye on the alignment of the left edge of the mats traveling into the machine and nudge the mats back in line if it goes out of alignment even in the slightest.

While this works for cutting fabric when printing patterns the speed is much faster and it is easy for the combined mats to go out of alignment. This does not happen if the larger patterns are cut in half and cut on just one 24" by 24" mat.

It may be possible to tape multiple 12" by 24" mats together so longer patterns could be cut. The taped together shorter mats may be more flexible than two 24" mats.