EDIT: I am leaving what I first posted below; but, I AM BACK TO BEING A HAPPY CAMPER!!!! I just CUT on my MINI very successfully some images that had small pieces to cut out inside. IT HELPS IF YOU READ THE MANUFACTURER'S SUGGESTIONS FIRST ON HOW TO GET THE SETTINGS RIGHT FOR VARIOUS PAPERS!! I'm going back to CUT my butterflies I tried to cut out yesterday. If anyone is interested and asks in the thread, I'll be glad to show what I cut today. I AM THINKING I'LL BE ABLE TO CUT OUT MY BUTTERFLIES TODAY!

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THIS POST IS FROM LAST NIGHT -

I now know everyone else's frustrations!!!

I have ALWAYS had good luck with my CUTS on my EXPRESSION. It has never given me much trouble at all in three years.

The very FIRST thing I cut with my MINI was last night after I got it set up. The little Christmas Tree I cut out of light paper CUT perfectly.

This afternoon, I have been trying to cut out three butterflies. THEY ARE NOT CUTTING OUT GOOD AT ALL. They are a little intricate; the tree was a straight cut around the tree. The three butterflies are 2", 1-1/2" and 1". I have tried to cut three sets of the three butterflies. NOT ONE HAS CUT OUT CLEAN.

This really is not good. I changed the settings on my blade and the pressure to see if that would help. Each FIRST cut of the three butterflies started out with bunched up cuts running around with the blade. Then, the paper proceeded to bunch up as the cuts went. The paper was not lifting. I think the blade might be defective. YES, I cleaned the blade after the first set of cuts because it had paper stuck to it. After the second try, same thing. I never let it CUT very far into the third set (three different MAT tries), because it started out cutting the very first CUT with bunches of paper running around the blade.

I also used several different papers.

I'm not a happy camper right now. I THINK MY MINI MIGHT GO BACK TOMORROW!!

Has anyone else had a lot of trouble getting clean cuts? I KNOW I DESERVE THIS, BECAUSE I KEPT TRYING TO HELP A LOT OF PEOPLE A YEAR OR SO AGO WHEN THEY WERE ALL HAVING TROUBLE WITH THEIR CUTS AND I WAS HAVING NO TROUBLE AT ALL ON MY EXPRESSION.

Today, I have come to the conclusion: I LOVE MY EXPRESSION!!!!!

Char

Edited by user Wednesday, November 30, 2011 11:42:29 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Thanks, Mercy. I got pretty frustrated today and just walked away. I'm going to try again in the morning. I was trying to get a card out in the mail today and I wanted to add the butterflies to it; card didn't go--because I don't like the card with the butterflies! LOL. It's not as if I couldn't have gone into the other room and used my EXPRESSION; I wanted my MINI to work! That's not good, is it?

Thanks so much for letting PC know. I know there was a little chart that came in our packets that showed blade depth/speed/etc. on various papers. I didn't consult it today; was running it kind of like my Expression, which I probably shouldn't have done. I will check that out in the morning.

Char

Mine did this at the start too. Check your blade housing and try another one if you have one. I must have had a bad one and they are sending me a new one....I should check on that as it hasn't arrived yet....

But mine was bad. I changed it and it worked great!

Kris

Mine is doing the same thing on the 3d ornaments, in the middle part it bunches 1 of the little centers. It also goes really slow over the middle part of my 2nd piece. I started on the pressure and cut setting they said but it didn't cut through, then I changed it and it seemed to cut until it started bunching. I want to make wall hangings with the trim a tree but am worried it will bunch and ruin my paper. I contacted provo but no response. So if you figure out what happened or how to fix it I also would like to know, as this is my first cricut I am no impressed, I always wanted one but am thinking I made a big mistake buying it.

I LOVE MY EXPRESSION, CCR AND MY MINI! I got off on the wrong foot, but after assessing what was happening, I was able to get it worked out. I HAD NEVER HAD A GYPSY OR CDS. So, it might be good that I haven't experienced those first. BUT, from what I've read for three years on the MB, CDS was never updated and CCR will do more than CDS ever has done. Maybe that is no longer true. I LOVE all the things you can do in CCR; however, I do think it helped that I have worked with PowerPoint and some PhotoShop programs in the past to know what to do with various commands. SO, it's what we all want/need/like.

My MINI is very lightweight. That bothers me a little, but I can find a place for it. I'm thinking seriously about getting some suction cups under it, because when you try to unscrew the blade and do other things, it moves quite easily. I can fix that!

I really like how it cut today. I think we have to find that "happy medium" of getting the settings right for the things we're cutting with it.

I DO KNOW ONE THING: It's better not to try to mix up the weight of papers you use; I have been able to do that on my Expression and get away with it plenty of times. BUT, I don't think it will work with the MINI. That's okay. I have plenty of other ideas up my sleeve for my MINI.

I didn't have to try another blade; mine seems to be working really good right now. THANKFULLY!!

Thanks for the suggestion, though.

Char

Mercy - I have never had to change my SPEED on the EXPRESSION in CCR. It stays on what it's on right now and I've barely had any problem with CUTS in CCR. I have never even noticed that SPEED menu at the left in CCR when I get ready to make my CUTS.

On my MINI this morning, when I was dilligently reading the various settings with the MINI, I took particular notice that the SPEED SETTING wasn't on the MINI itself, but it was in CCR. This morning is the first time I've used it.

I had to go out of the screen a couple of times, because I noticed something else I wanted to do with my project (I'm kind of bad that way--changing my mind at the last second after I'm sure I have everything the way I want it). Each time I hit CUT again, I looked over and the SPEED had reverted back to 6 when I needed it on 5. FUNNY, though, this afternoon when I came back down to CUT again, I noticed the SPEED was on the 5 I had set it on earlier. THAT's so crazy. Anyway, I think I'll just be "in tune" with my MINI to pay attention to that setting.

Char

All is GOOD, Mercy. Maybe I just needed to use that setting a time or two; it is now staying on the setting I put it on earlier. I have run five copies of a project tonight, with seven different cuts on it. It's working beautifully; setting is still where I set it earlier in the day for my CUT after I had the problem with a previous cut.

Thanks!

Char