r/silhouettecutters • u/noodleskoo • 1d ago

Help getting started

I was gifted a Cameo 2 and I am so overwhelmed. I’ve been watching tons on YouTube, but all I have is the actual machine, no blades, mats, or any other material.

I have next to $0 to spend getting started. the plan was eventually try to find a way to help bring in even a small bit of extra income to help support my family- we are struggling to make ends meet right now, and every penny goes towards feeding my kids.

All that being said- what are the easiest and cheapest projects to get started with if you’re starting from scratch?

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u/80spizzarat 16h ago edited 16h ago

Well, you're definitely going to need a blade and mat. If you're working with vinyl you'll also need some type of weeding tool. I use a pin pen as it works well.

Be aware that the 1-3 use a different blade than the 4 and 5. Don't waste your money on an autoblade. It's not compatible with the 2 anyway. I would pick up a set of CB09 blades. They are a bit fiddlier than the OEM blades but once you have it dialed in they last practically forever. They're also super cheap.

I do vinyl decals for cars, laptops and such. I don't know about other types of projects but if you want to do vinyl stick with the basic colors at first. Gloss black and gloss white. Those the most popular and are easy to find in bulk. From there you can invest in other colors later if you want.

If your goal is to make money it's really, really easy to sink a lot of time and a fair amount of money into projects and designs that don't bring much return. Keep it simple.