Will a plotter work in school? Hit or miss?

What plotter will work in school?

Most often, as the first device for the institution, we propose hobby plotters from our offer. There are several advantages that devices from this shelf offer. These include, among others, great possibilities, because in addition to cutting, hobby plotters can make sketches, cut prints or gild. Additionally, operating these machines is definitely easier than in the case of professional plotters, and each device comes with a free, intuitive program for its operation and sending patterns for cutting. In addition, we offer craft plotters at very attractive prices, which will not significantly strain the institution's budget.

Sample models

Cameo 4 or Cameo 5

These are the most popular plotters among teachers and other customers of the store. If cutting in paper and foil is your priority, they will work perfectly. Both the Cameo 4 and the latest Cameo 5 model can cut in A3 format and directly from a roll. They can also sketch and gilt, and the new Cameo 5 model can also emboss and works with an electrostatic platform. Both plotters will cut prints made on any laser or inkjet printer. Additional tools and accessories are also available, such as a rotary blade (for fabrics and felt), Kraft (for thicker, softer materials), or a rich set of tools. The free Polish-language software has many options for designing and creating inscriptions, and allows you to use patterns obtained from the manufacturer's Silhouette Design Store.

Cricut Maker 3

It will cut sheets in A3 format and various types of foil. You can also sketch, gilt and emboss it. It is good for cutting thin felt and fabrics, although patterns made in this way should have simple shapes, and their minimum dimensions are about 4cm. The plotter is set to work with materials from the manufacturer, which makes it harder to make mistakes when selecting settings, but at the same time it causes some limitations, for example the inability to cut out films without a mat, which are not Cricut films. Cutting out prints is done similarly to Silhouette plotters, but the print area in the case of Maker 3 is slightly smaller. This is a mid-priced machine.

Brother plotters

Available in our store in several versions, in fact they offer very similar functions. They cut in paper and foil. Among our devices they cope best with felt, which they cut using a rotary blade. They have a display from which you can operate the plotter with a stylus. As the only craft plotters in our store, Brother plotters are equipped with a scanner that allows you to select in real time the graphics you want to cut from the sheet on the mat. Operating the machines is easy, but at the same time they are the most expensive devices both in terms of initial price and operation. Mats and blades require more frequent replacements compared to other models.

If you have any additional questions about plotters from individual manufacturers, we will be happy to help you via our email, hotline and chat on our website. Additional information can be found in the CONTACT tab.

What can you do with a plotter?

Cutting paper

Thanks to the possibility of cutting in A3 format, it is possible to make beautiful window decorations or many smaller elements at the same time. You can also cut out single, large letters, ideal for academies or other celebrations. This is a great solution, especially if similar projects have been made by hand so far.

Cutting foil

Plotters cut both self-adhesive foils, ideal for creating single-color stickers, and foils for iron-on transfers. Thanks to this, you can make stickers with students' names for chairs, self-adhesive descriptions of lockers or other items. With foil for iron-on transfers, you can create, for example, personalized items of clothing, iron on the school number and logo, make holiday decorations and much more!

Sketching

By purchasing additional accessories, it is possible to sketch with the manufacturer's markers, or if there is such an option, with any markers from your own collection. Thanks to this, you can make works resembling a hand-drawn sketch, while achieving repeatability of the design. Sketching will also allow you to create decorative inscriptions.

Cutting prints

This function allows you to create your own stickers, as well as educational cards, newspaper elements, bookmarks and many other original projects. Thanks to inkjet printing sheets with many beautiful finishes available in our store, it is possible to make glitter or holographic stickers as well as transparent labels.

Cutting fabric and felt

The capabilities of our plotters in this respect differ from each other, so if cutting this type of material is to be a priority, we recommend contacting our advisors. Cutting in fabric and felt is an interesting solution that will allow you to make your own patterns, elements of carnival costumes or costumes for performances held in kindergarten and school.

Cutting creative foam

Blades for thicker, softer materials for a given plotter can be found in our store. They will allow you to make simpler elements from creative foam and foamiran. This is a useful function that allows you to cut out shapes, from which you can then make various types of art work.

Manufacturer's creative materials

Each manufacturer offers various types of creative materials. The Silhouette manufacturer in particular has a wide range of such products. These include sheets for tattoos, scratch cards, magnets or stickers, most often in several color variants. We recommend using the manufacturer's materials in combination with their devices, but of course you can experiment, although in such a situation we cannot guarantee that the effects will meet expectations.

Summary

Considering the multitude of possibilities offered by cutting plotters from the hobby shelf, it is easy to come to the conclusion that this type of device will certainly find its place in an educational institution. A plotter can significantly speed up work, and additionally increase the aesthetics of projects. Of course, like any device, it requires a bit of effort when learning how to use individual functions and software. Thanks to the possibility of using training available in our store, this process can be significantly shortened, and choosing an additional recording option will allow you to return to the recording from the meeting with a specialist and refresh the information at any time. Training is available in-store at our store in Katowice and online.

To sum up, a cutting plotter is a great tool not only for craftsmen and companies, but also for various types of institutions. It saves a lot of time and gives a lot of new possibilities, so it is worth investing in it!