In certain cases, less is more. Crafters who value simplicity look for a cutting machine that performs essential activities without complex features they'll never use (and don't want to pay for). If you only require a machine for mild to moderate use, Silhouette's trimmed-down machine will suffice.
The Silhouette America Portrait 2 delivers a diverse yet compact cutting experience for a wide range of materials up to 2 mm thick.
Silhouette America Portrait 2 Vinyl Cutting Machine
- Silhouette Portrait 2 with Bluetooth and Autoblade
- Cuts a variety of materials including: cardstock, fabric, heat...
- Mac and PC compatible software included
- 50 exclusive digital designs
- Note: Kindly refer user manual before use
General Features
The Silhouette America Portrait 2 is a personal cutting machine that can cut over 100 different materials, including cardstock, fabric, transparencies, vellum, heat transfer material, magnet paper, adhesive vinyl, and materials up to 2 mm thick.
If you've previously used a Cameo 3, you'll be relieved to know that the Portrait 2 can perform all of the same functions in a smaller package. It is compatible with both PCs and Macs and works with a USB cord and Bluetooth technology.
When you buy the Silhouette America Portrait 2, you have access to the design program and can import your own photos. It also supports PixScan, which allows you to import printed drawings for cutting.
Product Specifics
As described, your Silhouette America Portrait 2 cutting machine comes with:
- Silhouette Portrait® 2
- Power cable & USB cable
- 8-inch wide cutting mat
- AutoBlade
- Bluetooth adapter
- Silhouette Studio® software (download)
- 50 exclusive designs (download)
- 1-month Silhouette Design Store subscription (available with tool registration)
Material Size: cuts material up to 8 inches wide and 10 feet long
Machine Dimensions: 12 x 4 x 5 inches and weighs 6.6 pounds, making it very portable
Pricing: ranges from $135.99 – $199.99, making it more affordable for personal crafting
What Features Make the Silhouette Portrait 2 Stand Out?
1. Drawing Features
Another benefit of the Silhouette 2 is that you may use it to draw out what you want to work on. This allows you to make personalized invites and much more. Drawing is identical to cutting, with the exception that you use a pen instead of a blade.
To use these drawing tools, acquire Silhouette's amazing Sketch Pen Starter Kit and Pen Holder. This Sketch Pen Starter Kit includes 24 various colored pens for your convenience.
You will enjoy using your Silhouette 2 to sketch your drawings and seeing them come to life with the Silhouette Portrait.
2. PixScan Compatibility
Silhouette tools keep impressing, and the PixScan is no exception. PixScan, a Silhouette technology, converts your hand-drawn sketches into exact cuts. Imagine creating DIY crafts and seeing your hand-drawn designs come to life. Pretty impressive, right?
This Silhouette machine will allow you to create precise cut jobs from hand-drawn designs. This means that your creativity will be unrestricted. This applies whether you run your own business or do it as a pastime.
What materials are required to make these kind of DIY projects? Scanner or camera. Here are some simple actions you can take when using this technology.
- Place your artwork on your mat.
- Use your camera or smartphone camera to capture a clear image of your sketch.
- Import the image into Silhouette Studio and add your cut lines.
As simple as ABC.
3. Silhouette Portrait Built-In Software
Silhouette has its own Studio Designer program, which is one of its numerous advantages. And the best part? You can use the Studio Designer software even if you are not connected to the internet.
Although these Silhouette features are incredibly useful, the Studio Designer software requires some study. After some practice, you'll be able to sketch your own drawings and create personalized designs.
The ability to run without the internet provides the Silhouette Portrait an advantage over other cutting machines such as Circut Machines. You can either create your own sketches or use one of the ones that are already accessible.
It is important to note that if you want to use some of the sophisticated capabilities of this design program, you will need to upgrade. Knife features, SVG files, the sophisticated eraser, and layers are among the available features. You can either upgrade to the Designer Edition ($50) or the Business Edition ($100).
4. Cutting and Blade Options
This Silhouette Portrait can cut materials that are up to 10 feet long and 8 inches wide. Unfortunately, its size limits its ability to accomplish more. This is one of the constraints of the Silhouette Portrait.
Another downside is that the cutting force is on the low side at 210 grams. This implies that it can handle thicker materials such as craft foam and leather, but not balsa wood.
Nonetheless, it can handle a wide range of materials, including craft foam, vinyl, cereal box chipboard, tissue paper, cardstock, lightweight fabric, iron-on transfer, rhinestone template, and much more within this category.
Now, let's take a look at the various blade options included with this Silhouette Portrait.
a). Deep Cut Blade
The deep blade allows you to cut through 2mm thick materials. Therefore, if you're working on leather or craft foam, this is the blade you should use. In addition, this blade is great for creating custom stickers that need thick materials.
b). Auto Blade
This is a nice feature of the Silhouette Portrait. This blade automatically adjusts or calibrates itself to suit the material being sliced. This means it will adjust as you cut heavier materials and then again when you cut thinner ones.
This feature operates without requiring you to remove and adjust the blade. Fiddling with blade pressures and depths can be laborious, so you'll appreciate this option. You save time and work more efficiently.
c). Standard Blade
This is what came before the auto blade. The blade of this portable machine is often made from carbide.
d). Fabric Blade
This is similar to the standard blade, but it has a blue-colored housing. As the name suggests, this cool blade is made to cut fabric as you use this Silhouette Portrait machine.
5. Working with Thicker Materials
These Silhouette cutting machines allow you to cut through thick materials such as leather and craft foam. In addition to the Silhouette Design Store feature, this ability gives you extra convenience because it doesn't limit what you can cut with this Silhouette Portrait.
This Silhouette Portrait features a convenient 2mm clearance, allowing you to work with thick materials like these. This also distinguishes the Silhouette 2 from the Silhouette Portrait 1. As a result, if you've already utilized the Silhouette Portrait 1, you'll enjoy this upgrade.
In addition to being convenient, this Silhouette 2 feature provides superior value for money.
6. Bluetooth Compatibility
In today's world, what is a machine without Bluetooth compatibility? Nothing. If you've ever used a Silhouette Cameo, you'll understand how useful this function is. Fortunately, the Silhouette Portrait 2 now ranks alongside the Silhouette Cameo in this regard.
You can use Silhouette Design on your couch to create bespoke stickers and then send them to your Silhouette Portrait. Talk about wireless cutting. The Bluetooth range is approximately 100 feet, and you may sync up to five devices with your Silhouette account.
The benefit of this is that you may use this Silhouette Portrait at home, in classrooms, labs, and wherever else you choose without having to bother with cables. Check out the Silhouette website for instructions on how to configure your Bluetooth connectivity.
It's worth noting that the Silhouette Portrait Bluetooth capability isn't available on all Silhouette Portrait 2 devices. As a result, you should verify the product description to see if your preferred model includes Bluetooth.
Nonetheless, if you obtain one that does not support Bluetooth, you may always get a Bluetooth adaptor to make things easy.
7. Portability
This function will be very useful to you, particularly if you don't use a single workstation. Because of its size, you can move your Silhouette Portrait about with ease. After all, it's intended to be a basic desktop vinyl cutting machine.
They do not want you to struggle while working with it. It also weighs only about four pounds, making it quite portable. However, do not assume that it is less powerful than other larger devices. The features listed above prove otherwise.
Now that we know what characteristics we'll get with this nearly-perfect computer, let's look at some advantages and disadvantages.
Pros:
Cons:
Silhouette America Portrait 2 Verdict: Useful and Economical Purchase
When it comes to value, affordability, and ease of use, this small cutting machine is a fantastic purchase. It's simple to set up, quiet (relative to other machines), and comes with user-friendly software.
Some crafters will be unhappy to hear that downloading extra designs from the software costs money, but the typical price is under 50 cents per design, which could help. You'll also receive some free designs along with the Silhouette Studio program.
When it comes to performance, the Silhouette America Portrait 2 cuts most materials nicely, but you'll need to purchase the deep-cut blade for materials thinner than 2 mm.
If you wish to increase production and quantity, you might consider acquiring an updated model that is built for heavier use.
Crafters seeking a simple machine for mild to moderate personal use will be pleased with the Silhouette America Portrait 2.
Now that we've covered the Silhouette 2, let's take a look at the Silhouette Portrait 3, which has been hitting the market by storm.
Silhouette Portrait 2 vs. Silhouette Portrait 3
- Silhouette Portrait 3 with Bluetooth and autoblade
- Cuts a variety of materials including: cardstock, fabric, heat...
- Mac and PC compatible software included
- Automatic tool detection
- Note: Kindly refer user manual before use
A good alternative to the Silhouette 2 is the Silhouette Portrait 3, which has similar characteristics. One noticeable distinction is that the Silhouette Portrait 3 is slightly more expensive than its predecessor.
Another distinction is that this Portrait Silhouette 3 works just as advertised. So you may expect to obtain all of the listed features. This isn't always the case with the Silhouette 2, as several consumers have noted.
You will not have to worry about Bluetooth connectivity failing with this choice. One of the advantages you'll undoubtedly appreciate is matless cutting.
Matless Cutting Capabilities - A Unique Feature
You get clean cuts when you use the maximum cutting force. However, things are a little different when it comes to matless cutting. What exactly does this mean? Have you ever had a packet, package, or even stickers that weren't totally cut but had small holes around the edges that allowed you to pull them out?
This is the process of matless cutting. This, in addition to the extraordinary precision of Silhouette machines, is one of its best characteristics. The advantage of matless cutting is that you don't need a cutting mat.
This function, in addition to eliminating the need for a cutting mat, enables you to work with a variety of materials. You can also use this function on the Silhouette Portrait 3. Of course, you will not need a cutting mat with the Silhouette Portrait 3.
Another perk of this cut is how quickly it occurs. Because it does not cut through the entire material, it works more quickly.
Now, let's take a quick look at the advantages and disadvantages of the Silhouette Portrait 3.
Pros:
Cons:
Frequently Asked Questions About the Silhouette Portrait 2
1. How does Print and Cut work on the Silhouette Portrait 2?
You have the option of utilizing PixScan or the Silhouette software to print your image on paper. If you choose PixScan, set your photograph on the provided mat and use your smartphone to capture a clean image.
When you're finished with the image, upload it to the Silhouette Studio software. If you choose the second technique, use the Silhouette software to print the picture with registration marks. These registration marks enable the Silhouette Portrait to cut precisely.
2. How can I get the Silhouette Studio software for free?
The Silhouette Studio software's basic edition has incredible functionality and is available for free. You get this version for free when you buy a Silhouette Portrait. When you first start, you can easily download it from their website.
Feel free to download the program even before receiving the equipment to familiarize yourself with it.
3. Which is easier to use, Silhouette or Cricut?
It depends on what you want. The Cricut program is ideal for opening and cutting files. The Silhouette software, on the other hand, is more suited for creating your own art and DIY projects.
Another advantage of the Silhouette Studio program is that you get to retain any photos purchased from the site.
4. How does the Silhouette Cameo 4 Automatic Tool Detection work?
The Silhouette software uses the automatic tool detection tool to determine what sort of tool has been introduced into the machine. When this is detected, your Cameo 4 immediately populates the corresponding tool with action points.
You can fill out these action items in the Send panel. However, only this gadget offers this incredible option. When you receive the machine, look for Tool Holders 1 and 2 to acquaint yourself with the process.
These tool holders are where the tool is inserted. You can also insert a tool adapter in place of a tool. The metal strip in one of these tool holders is what informs this Silhouette family machine what has been inserted.
This information is then relayed to the Silhouette software. This feature gives this Silhouette machine an edge over other Silhouette products. Nonetheless, you'll always enjoy incredible precision when it comes to Silhouette products.
