What Is a Die Cutter?

If you’ve ever spent time in a teacher work room, you may have seen one of these sets. The device in the lower left with the handle is a die cutter. Teachers load a piece of cardstock into the die cutter, then select a die–maybe a letter or a basic shape–from the rack. They would then load the die into the machine, pull the lever, and end up with a cutout of the shape they selected.

These machines were/are quite popular, but they are expensive (the list price of set in the photo above is over $2,000!). Moreover, the shapes they can produce are limited to whichever dies the user owns.

A digital die cutter is the same concept, but instead of being limited to pre-selected shapes, they can cut out any shape the user designs, using a piece of software. Moreover, digital die cutters can also perforate paper, which can facilitate the creation of 3D shapes. Watch the following video to learn more about exactly how the Silhouette works:

Now, have a look at this Pinterest board, which contains a bunch of ideas of what can be made with a die cutter.