This was on Scrapbook Update this morning. I wish this detailed the concessions SCAL had to make with PC, but it doesn't. They are going to lose some customers, for sure. I use my Gypsy more than anything, but some people like to use things to create that are not on cartridges.

http://www.scrapbookupda...ng-copyright-violations/

http://www.scrapbookupda...awsuit-with-provo-craft/

You are absoulty correct about losing customers. It's stupid all people want to do is be able to be creative. As for me its on to a new cutter.

I don't have these programs but I did like the idea they were out there. I like choices, especially when I have a lot of money invested in my cricut. This kind of really makes me step back and think, cartridges are now suppose to be going up, maybe time to look around at other options, I hate to feel limited.

Well, I guess I have bought my LAST cart! I will be moving on to a cutter that CAN cut with the other software out there. I have one of the other softwares and still bought carts to use also. Since they don't want to play nice, I'll be spend my money elsewhere!-epecially since their expensive machine die around 3 or 4 years after you buy them!

I love SCAL....I sure hope that this doesn't affect my ability to use it...otherwise, I will just not do any more updates on my expression.

I too have loved my Cricut since I first bought it, I upgraded to the expression within 6 months of buying the Create. I buy cartridges if they have something I want, but that is not always the case. I want the option to be able to create and cut my own creations. I am now having to sell my Expression and cartridges to fund a new machine that I will be able to use to its full potential. I think I will not be the only one to do this.

I have one more thing to add to this topic. PC's thought that this is costing them money is ridiculous. I've had SCAL for a long time now...since 2008. Since then, I've purchased so many Cricut things that it is ridiculous. So, I don't really believe it has too much effect on their business. I got my first Cricut in Nov. of 2006, which was the original one. Since then, I've bought more than 100 cartridges, a create, expression, gypsy, cricut cake, imagine, 2 copies of DS and on and on. I think it is sad that they want to limit our options when clearly people continue to buy their products even when they have SCAL or MTC or both. If all else fails, I also own a Pazzles machine that does svgs ttfs, etc. It is ridiculous that I cannot use my Cricut for such a simple function. For those who are looking to actually dump their Cricuts, which I am not going to do, I suggest the Pazzles machine. It is far superior to Cricut anyhow, but I personally do like the ease of the Cricut and carts. But, again, the Pazzles is a far superior machine with tons of options, cutting power, etc. Pazzles sells CDs which contain images, which work like carts, I suppose you could say. Also, you can buy individual cutting files from many online vendors. One of my favs is myscrapchick. Treasureboxdesigns.com also has some lovely cutting files.

I also have bought my last PC item. For them to be able to tell me which programs that I can use on MY computer and cutter is absurd. I
will be looking for a new cutter and it WON'T be PC.

So long, PC...you messed up BIG time!!

Provo makes a craft cutting machine that the user does not have to go on the computer to use. "No computer needed" was part of their advertisement. I liked that. They made their own cartridges to use with the machine and you got one or two when you bought the machine. How nice, blades and a mat too. All ready to use. I loved it.
I paid $400 and got etching cream, vinyl, deep cutting blade and pens! And tools! Now all I have to do is put in carts and cut away at any size I want, I can flip, make multi cuts, center cuts etc on my Exprssion plus many more things. Provo invented this machine. They make carts all the time and you can buy what you want.
Then they made Design Studio so you could go on a computer and do more and even design something yourself! Then they invented the Gypsy!
But people want to use Provo's invention and break into their Design Studio and get the images for free. And this is what they were doing. I was on the MTC MB when they were doing it. They were getting the images off DS. I read about it while they were doing this.
Who are the greedy ones?
If you want to use a machine to cut any image you can find then buy a cutter that let's you do that. Now you are mad and you are going to buy different cutters! Why didn't you do that to start with? Because they cost more?
Cricut machines were made to use Provo's own copyrighted carts. They invented and copyrighted all of it.
Their copyrighted images were hacked into and ended up all over the internet for anyone to grab. What would you do to protect your invention? What would you do to protect the investment of all your loyal customers? And this is called greedy!

I think you are making an unfairly broad characterization about users of said software. I for one never even saw images on the interenet, let alone partook of this behavior, so apparently this was going on before I even got a Cricut or knew of the other software. I'm sure these actions of which you speak were committed by a small handful of users, so it's not a very just statement to make, implicating all users. Just sayin'.

ETA: I totally agree that those who were copying and illegally distributing the images were wrong in their actions!! I in no way condone copyright violations.

I had no idea that people were actually able to steal images. That is just downright wrong for someone to do. However, I love SCAL b/c it gives me the ability to do some very simple things that we asked PC to do....such as automatic shadowing. Anyone who is acually "stealing" images without owning the cart should reevaluate what they are doing. It is wrong, and it is theft. I still believe that PC should just let us use scal and work out an agreement with scal...otherwise, perhaps they should spend their time inventing a product that works as well. I have tested out ccr, and guess what? It appears there is not an automatic shadow feature.

I agree - I think the number of people who are copying and illegally distributing are a VERY small portion of the total users of the "other" software. I have both programs and don't do that.

AND TO PC.......

If you would have taken care of all your customers and given them what they asked for in the first place this wouldn't be an issue.

Your DS software was a good thought, but you never did anything with it to improve it so people had to go elsewhere to increase their creative abilities.

The new Craftroom, IMO, so far, is a joke. So full of bugs, and still would have a long way to go in being able to do the things the "other" software s do. I also am not tied to the web all the time so, for me, it's fairly useless.

People are asking all the time for more "grown up" cartridges and yet you continue to put out mostly the "whimsical" crap that is mostly suited for kid stuff. Enough already....not all of us paper crafters have young kids.

You know, with the proper software you could have had the best of both worlds.... still sold bazillions of cartridges to customers who want to be cartridge based only and/or like the ease of cartridges, and sold great numbers of a great software like the "others" to those of us who "need/want a little more". I have been using the "other" software for a few years now, but I still have purchased over 100 cartridges and know many others who have too. I think you probably have lost very little business do to the "other" software. More than likely, IF your business is truly suffering, it is probably due to your lack of customer support for the products you already have.

I am going to take a few days to consider my options, but I have a feeling I will be using my Expression machine and a cartridge along with one of the "other" software to decorate a jar to sit on my crafting table. That jar will be used to save money for a different brand of machine...not to put into the pockets of a company who wants to live in their own little world. Sorry PC, but I believe you have finally served up that straw that has broken this camels back.

Step away from the kool-aid. Like the others have stated, you can't just assume everyone is doing this. There are gazillions of cutting files, free and otherwise, out there. That's what the vast majority of the software users are using. THEY are the ones that PC has wronged. It's obvious by now that PC wants only to sell their overpriced cartridges. I will be getting rid of my cricuts (one of which cuts funky anyway) and giving my $$ to other companies.

CCR is currently very buggy and only partly successful. I crash it anytime I make a text box. It still only cuts cricut cartridge images only, and there's no auto-shadowing or TTF cutting. That's a pity, because I always shadow my fonts, so if a cartridge doesn't include a shadow, I usually don't buy it.

In the very near future I will have 2 Expressions a cuttle bug and bout 20 cartridges for sale