When it comes to cutting machines for fabric, you have a lot of options.
There are various types of fabric cutters and various brands who make fabric cutting machines. As the owner of a fabric store, these machines are valuable to you. You use them to cut your fabric to sell to your customers. You may sell these machines at your store, and you might even use cutting machines for personal sewing and quilting projects.
If one or all of these are true for you, you need to become an expert at cutting machines for fabric. Not only will it make cutting fabric easier for you, you’ll also gain credibility that will allow you to better serve your customers.
In this blog, we’ll explore your top seven options, so you can find the best cutting machines for your fabric store and your customers.
Related Read: 7 Best Wholesale Fabric Suppliers [Pricing & Reviews]
4 Fabric Cutting Machine Types
There are several different types of cutting machines for fabric, and each has strengths and weaknesses. Let’s take a look at each type.
Manual Cutters
The most basic option for cutting fabric is to use manual tools, with which every quilter is familiar. These include rotary cutters, a mat, and rulers. This is the most labor intensive option, but is also your cheapest option. You can buy a bundle of all of these tools for about $30–$50.
Die Cutters
A die cutter is an automatic cutting machine that uses precut shapes called dies to cut pieces of fabric or other materials into shapes. This kind of cutter is ideal for quilters, who tend to cut pieces of fabric into fairly standard geometric shapes. With a die cutter, there’s no need to connect to a computer or learn software.
The lack of shape variety is considered a drawback of the die cutter. Some die-cutter machines are electric, while others are powered by a manual crank. You’re also limited by the length of the cutting bed — you’ll need to make sure it’s large enough to accommodate the fabric you want to cut.
Vinyl Cutters
Vinyl cutters use a small blade to precisely cut the outline of a figure in vinyl or in other materials like fabric. They can be used to create stickers, vinyl decals, decorative paper projects, and more.
These machines are well-suited for the home user. Most personal vinyl cutters have a proprietary software that must be used with them, while some commercial-use vinyl cutters are compatible with external softwares in addition to their own software.
A vinyl cutter uses either a servo or stepper motor. A servo motor runs on a closed loop system, where a computer sends signals to the cutter’s drive and receives them back, so the motor can make adjustments to make more precise cuts. Stepper motors typically run on open loop systems, where a signal only travels from a computer to the cutter’s drive.
Servo motors are faster than stepper motors, but are also more expensive. However, they’re generally better to use with fabric than stepper motors.
These cutters tend to be small and compact. They come at a low upfront cost, but blades on vinyl cutters must be replaced regularly, which is an expense that can add up over time.
Laser Cutters
Laser cutters are heavy-duty machines that are more commonly purchased for businesses than for home use. These large machines cost thousands of dollars, and while they can be used for cutting fabric and other materials, they are more commonly used for engraving.
The 7 Best Cutting Machines for Fabric
Let’s take a closer look at the seven most popular fabric cutting machines on the market.
Die Cutters
Accuquilt GO! Fabric Cutter – $329.99
This fabric cutter was specifically designed for quilters. This portable, lightweight machine uses dies and cutting mats to make clean, precise cuts in up to six layers of fabric. This set comes with several dies, a cutting mat, and a book of quilt blocks.
Accuquilt Ready. Set. Go! Ultimate Fabric Cutting System – $529.99
Like the “go” fabric cutter, the “ready set go” cutting system is also specifically designed for quilters. The “ready set go” cutting system is a more complete version of the “go” cutter. This premium option comes with everything included in the “go” set, along with a complete set of eight dies, an additional quilt block book and a strip cutter.
The additional dies greatly expand the amount of cuts that can be made and the quilts that the user can create. Both the “ready set go” set and the “go” set are manually operated.
Sizzix Big Shot Plus – $229.99
This machine from Sizzix is similar to the items from Accuquilt. It has a 9” cutting opening and a manual hand crank. While it has a cheaper base price, this price only includes the machine. Cutting mats, cutting pads, and dies must be purchased separately, bringing the total cost of all of these items to an amount that’s comparable with the “go” cutter.
Vinyl Cutters
Cricut Joy Xtra – $149
The Cricut Joy Xtra is a compact, affordable vinyl cutter that’s ideal for the home user. At about the size of a loaf of bread, this machine can cut through a variety of materials, including fabric. However, unlike the die-cut machines, you can only cut one layer of material at a time.
Like all vinyl cutters, this machine can cut intricate patterns and shapes. To use the machine, you must learn to use Cricut’s proprietary software.
Cricut Maker 3 – $379
The Cricut Maker 3 is a more heavy-duty version of the “joy xtra” machine. A larger and more capable machine, the Maker 3 can cut through more materials and make larger cuts.
Brother ScanNCut SDX125E – $399.99
This premium cutter’s blade automatically detects the thickness of a material and adjusts. With 682 built-in designs, it excels at custom cutting. It’s designed for personal use, and can cut many materials, including fabric.
Silhouette Cameo 5 – $309.99
This machine makes high-precision cuts in paper and can also cut a variety of other materials, including fabric.
Related Read: What Is the Best Fabric Store POS? 4 Top Providers
Finding the Best Cutting Machines for Fabric
As the owner of a fabric store, a die cutter can probably take care of most of the fabric cutting you need. However, vinyl cutters can take care of custom cuts in many shapes that die cutters cannot. Laser cutters are typically used to engrave materials, but can also make cuts through thick materials.
For more simple fabric cutting, our recommendation is to go with a die cutter. If you need custom cuts for an intricate quilt or sewing design, a vinyl cutter can accomplish these tasks. Determine which fabric cutting tasks you need to do at your fabric store and make your decision accordingly.
To keep your fabric store running smoothly, you also need a point of sale (POS) system. Like Sew is an all-in-one system specifically designed for quilt and fabric store owners.
Like Sew offers general features like payment processing, inventory management, and e-commerce, plus industry-specific features like class scheduling, fractional yards, and access to the best fabric suppliers in the business.
Schedule a demo today to see what Like Sew can do for your business!
