How to Test Cut with the ScanNCut SDX 125
Auto Blade and Manual Blade

Brother is back with a new machine and a very new look! The ScanNCut SDX 125 now features more storage, mat support, and accessories- like the roll feeder and Auto Blade. This Auto Blade is different than the Silhouette Cameo 3’s because it actually senses your material thickness and adjusts accordingly. Your standard blade can still be used in cases where the Auto is not fully accurate though. I’m going to cover both scenarios in this post, so don’t worry!

Place HTV Glossy Side Down and Matte Side Up

In addition to the new look, the ScanNCut SDX also has a new cutting mat. Mats for older machines like the DesignNCut or the ScanNCut CM650W are not compatible with the SDX.

Place the shiny side of heat transfer vinyl on the cutting mat.

Since I find the Brother mats to be less tacky, I like to use a brayer or rolling tool to press the HTV onto the mat.

One thing that’s remained the same with the new ScanNCut SDX is the use of CanvasWorkspace. You may remember the cloud based version if you’ve uses previous models, but last year CanvasWorkspace transitioned to a desktop software that you can design in without an internet connection. We’re not going to dive deep in the software in this post since most of the functions can also be accessed right on the touch screen! If you want to know more about CanvasWorkspace, read this post.

Align and Load Cutting Mat

Loading the mat into the ScanNCut is similar to before. The button looks a little different, but the mat still fits perfectly between the machine’s edges.

Use the Test Cut Function

If you noticed the “Test” setting at the bottom of the touch screen then you know where I’m headed next! However, I wanted to show that now you can reach the test cut function from the home screen (pictured above) and from your final cutting screen (pictured below.) I love this update since I usually get all the way to the point of cutting before remembering to test my settings. Now I don’t have back track to the home screen!

Another cool thing about the SDX is that it senses which blade you have in the machine. The picture above shows “Auto” for pressure, so it knows the Auto Blade is being used and will measure the material before cutting.

In the image below, you can see the Pressure number has been manually set to “2.” To change that number, select the wrench symbol.

The wrench will open up a window of settings where you can enable Half Cut. This is a new option, but if you’re a planner it may be familiar jargon. A Half Cut is like a Kiss Cut used for sticker making. It also works for HTV and PSV since it’s telling the machine to not cut all the way through the material. We want the blade to cut deep enough to slice the vinyl, but not puncture the carrier or backing.

Switch Auto Blade for Standard Blade

No matter which blade you use, you’ll want to enable Half Cut for all Siser products. The blade holder hasn’t change much with this machine. To exchange the Auto Blade for the Standard Blade, raise the lever up to remove it and lower the lever to lock the new tool in place.

Lever raised to remove Auto Blade from the blade carriage.

Lever lowered to lock Standard Blade into the blade carriage.

Weed and Inspect the Test Cut

For the most part I’ve had great success with the Auto Blade sensing and setting the pressure and blade depth, however there are a few products I’d suggest using manual settings for: Holographic, Brick® 600, StripFlock® Pro, and all EasyPSV®. These products tended to be cut too deep or not deep enough when the Auto Blade was used. No worries though! Recommended settings for each material can be found on our website.

A test cut is recommended for every color of every product! Sometimes a certain color will have a different setting or the same color from two different batches will have different cut settings. Taking a minute to do a test cut may seem like a hassle, but it will save you from hours of frustration!

Here’s what to look for when you test cut…

A bad test cut can be identified by a few things:

• Disconnected shape or wobbly cut lines
• No cut lines and difficult weeding (cut too shallow)
• Perforated or punctured carrier (cut too deep)

A good test cut will have the following:

• Visible cut lines that can NOT be felt on the glossy side
• Easy weeding
• Complete shapes with crisp corners and cut lines

Let’s wrap this up with a few of my favorite improvements to the ScanNCut:

• 600dpi scanner compared to the 300dpi of the past
• Adjustable pinch rollers and roller bar
• Less cutting noise

Did I mention the SDX 125 is whisper quiet?! For real- I had to get up and go watch it cut to make sure it was actually working because I couldn’t hear the tell tale sounds of the motor and pinch rollers. It’s the new fave of my office mates as well, that’s for sure!

Now that you’ve had a run down on the new Brother ScanNCut SDX 125, it’s time to get crafting! If you can’t answer the crafting call right now, that’s ok because you can easily return to this post and all it’s handy info when you pin the image below to Pinterest.

Did this post leave you with more questions than answers? Then it’s time to go over the beginner basics.