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Thank you Eunice :-) Happy to send you the template if you have a Robo.

Carole - PM sent.

Debbie xx

Hi Jacqueline

Without over complicating things - the Craft Robo can only cut images in vector format. Most pictures / photographs / drawings / clipart are bitmap or raster format so the Robo can't cut them. You can however trace bitmap images (like clipart) so that the traced outline becomes a vector that the Robo can cut. So hold on to the discs of clipart that you've got

If you're buying a new Robo it will come with two programs capable of drawing vector images - Robomaster - fairly basic and you can't weld letters and shapes and Designmaster - more advanced than Robo master but still not as good as some of the industry standard vector drawing progams. The Robomaster software lets you trace clipart etc so you can cut them.

Corel Draw and Adobe Illustrator are the industry standard vector drawing programs used by graphic designers. They are a separate program and the range of features is reflected in the price (Illustrator is around £600 in the UK and Corel Draw around £150). I bought an older version of Corel Draw for under £40 and it does the trick for the Robo.

I would start off with Robo Master and Designmaster and understand the basic drawing techniques / methods. If you're comfortable using the programs and can understand the vector drawing techniques then it could be worth buying Corel Draw - I find Robomaster / Designmaster quite frustrating as lots of the tools I'm used to in Corel Draw are missing.

HTH

Debbie xx

Hi Jacqueline

I'm very glad - the problem is that it becomes addictive - I'm constantly playing with Corel Draw to see what I can design / cut next. There will soon be a disease called Roboitis - primary symptom being a crick in your neck as you lean over your Robo to see if its cutting your latest creation successfully :-)

There is a learning curve with it - I was lucky because I'd already drawn lots of vector images in Paint Shop Pro so I was up and cutting within 20 minutes. If you start with cutting basic shapes and letters you'll learn the tools and can then move on to designing your own templates. One of the biggest benefits of Corel Draw is that you can cut directly from it so no need to convert to the limiting GRA / GSD formats.

Debbie xx