Silhouette Cameo 4 Cutting Machines: 12″, 15″ Plus, and 24″ Pro

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The Cameo 4 models are the latest machines released by Silhouette. Beginning with the 12″ Cameo 4, then the 15″ Cameo Plus, and then the 24″ Cameo Pro.

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Cameo 4 Pro 24″ Cutting Machine

After much anticipation and after I had pretty much decided that I wasn’t going to get the Cameo 4 Pro, its pre-sale has begun and I have placed my order.

Here is my unboxing of the Cameo 4 Pro:

Why did I decide to get the Cameo 4 Pro?

24″.

When it was initially announced, the Cameo 4 Pro was going to be a 20″ wide vinyl cutting machine. I had decided that getting a 20″ wide cutting machine was not a good idea. 24″ is a standard size for vinyl so finding 20″ vinyl would mean I had to buy 24″ and cut it down, use smaller vinyl and not get the full use from the machine, or buy overpriced vinyl because someone had to cut it down before selling it.

When the Cameo 4 Pro was released for pre-sale, it was also announced that it has a 24″ wide cutting width, not 20″ as it was initially described as.

I am so excited! I had been researching cutting machines similar to the Silhouette Cameo that had a 24″ cutting width. There are several but the price range and capabilities varied and it would most likely require using a different software.

Now, there is no need to switch to a different brand of vinyl cutter because the Cameo 4 Pro cuts up to 24″ wide.

I am also blown away that they didn’t raise the price from what they initially said the 20″ Cameo Pro would be.

Here are a few different brands or 24″ cutters to compare:

Graphtec 24″ vinyl cutter with stand and software

Roland 24″ vinyl cutter with stand and software

GCC 24″ vinyl cutter machine only

What does the Cameo 4 Pro include?

When you buy from Swing Design you have options! You can purchase just the Cameo 4 Pro machine, or you can buy one of their many bundles. Depending on what you already have, or what you want to do in the future, a bundle may be the best way to go.

The Cameo 4 Pro box includes:

All these extras are why I recommend buying from Swing Design.

Should I buy a bundle?

If the Cameo 4 Pro is your first purchase of the Cameo 4 model, then yes and I definitely recommend at least the Cameo Pro with Advanced Blade pack, vinyl, HTV, and pens. This will give you the rotary blade, and a two pack of the 3 mm Kraft blade (both of which can be difficult to find individually) plus the updated pens for the Cameo 4 as well as other e-guides and goodies.
The vinyl that comes in that pack is 12″x12″ but you can still cut 12″ vinyl on the 4 Pro with or without the mat.

If you already have Cameo 4 cutting tools and are looking forward to cutting the 24″ wide vinyl, this Cameo Pro bundle comes with 12 rolls of vinyl (each 24″ wide roll is 6 feet long) plus transfer tape in addition to some weeding and application tools. The vinyl alone is at least a $72 value.

If you don’t have a heat press yet there are several Cameo Pro heat press bundles and you can get a colored heat press (teal, pink, white, orange or mint) with Heat Transfer Vinyl.

If you have been looking to start with sublimation, there are several Cameo 4 Pro bundles with Sublimation printers too starting with this Cameo 4 Pro and Sawgrass sublimation printer.

Swing Design also has payment plan options for those interested for business purchases over $1,000. If you select an item that qualifies, it will give the option to apply under the add to cart button.

How big can the Cameo 4 Pro cut?

The Cameo 4 Pro can cut up to 24″ wide and 24″ long when using the cutting mat.
When cutting without the mat, the Cameo Pro can cut up to 23.6″ inches wide and up to 60 feet.
It can cut media up to 3 mm thick (using the appropriate blade).

What can you cut with the Cameo 4 Pro?

You can cut just as many materials with the Cameo Pro as you can with any of the other Silhouette Cameo machines including: vinyl, heat transfer vinyl, card stock, glitter card stock, photo paper, copy paper, corrugated paper, chipboard, fabric, felt, crepe paper, wood veneer, balsa wood, acetate, stencil material, temporary tattoos, water slide paper, cork, faux leather, real leather, craft foam, rhinestone template material, sticker sheets, shrink plastic, stamp material, and more!
You can cut materials with a backing like vinyl, heat transfer vinyl, and sticker sheets without a mat, as well as paper, card stock and similar materials by using the pop out cut feature.

Where can I get 24″ vinyl for the Cameo 4 Pro?

If you don’t order a bundle that comes with some 24″ vinyl, don’t worry, there are places to buy 24″ rolls of vinyl.

Swing Design Has a bundles of 24″ Oracal 651 adhesive vinyl and 24″ Oracal 631 adhesive vinyl. You can order 24″ x 6 foot rolls, or 24″ x 150 foot rolls (make selection in checkout). They are currently pre-order but plan to ship in November.
Both bundles include a roll of reusable transfer tape AND a $100 card to use on So Fontsy card redemption portion of the site for buying SVGs and Jpg designs WITH commercial use.
Swing Design also carries individual rolls of vinyl like this roll of 24″ x 30 feet black Oracal 651 gloss vinyl. Just type 24″ vinyl into the search bar to find the individual colors.
Don’t forget, you don’t need 24″ material, you can just cut up to 24″ wide. The Cameo Pro is perfect for cutting 15″ and 20″ wide rolls of heat transfer (HTV) too!

US Cutter carries a variety materials you can cut with the Cameo Pro. I have purchased transfer tape and 24″ 813 Oramask stencil film from them in the past. They carry Oracal 651 and 631 in 24″, Siser EasyPSV in 24″ rolls, Green Star Vinyl, and more.
They also have rolls of 20″ HTV which now with a 24″ cutter, does not need to be cut down to size before cutting.

You can also get 24″ wide rolls of vinyl on Amazon. You will want to read the shop reviews because I have heard of people paying for Oracal and not getting Oracal. If it is an unauthorized Oracal seller, you also can’t guarantee that it has been stored and handled properly.
Oracal vinyl has a grid and printed logo and the number of the vinyl printed on the paper backing.

Large rolls of paper for cutting with the Cameo Pro

You are not limited to cutting just vinyl and heat transfer vinyl (HTV) with the Cameo Pro. You can also cut paper! This machine will allow you to cut up to 24″ wide paper 24″ long when using a mat and up to 23.6″ wide and up to 60 feet long without using a mat. Use the pop-out cut for cutting paper without a mat.
I used my Cameo 2 to cut letters out of paper to make signs for an event in the past. It took a bunch of time to cut down the paper so it would fit on my 12″x24″ mat and I could only cut about 10 letters at a time. If I had the Cameo Pro, I would have been done in a fraction of the time. I could have cut all the letters in one go using a 24″ roll of paper.
This is the paper I used to cut the letters and then they were glued to a roll of white paper cut down into about 6 foot lengths for the signs. This paper is lightweight, about the thickness of copy paper and is colored on one side and white on the other.

There is also colored kraft paper in 24″ rolls. This paper is colored throughout, not just on front. Great for making large quantities of paper flowers or other large format paper crafts.

How big is the Cameo 4 Pro cutting machine?

The machine itself is 34.5 inches wide x 7.68 inches deep x 6.69 inches tall. It is very close in size to the Cameo 4 and Cameo 4 Plus depth and height but is much wider. It is 13″ wider than the Cameo 4.

Stand for Cameo Pro

I bought this table to use as a stand for my Cameo 4 Pro.
I considered building one but I found one on Amazon that would suit the needs of the Cameo Pro and my craft room, and be able to hold the roll feeder, mat supports, cables, as well as some of my vinyl tools, and several 24″ rolls of vinyl. And, It arrived in less than a week.
I have a whole post with more info about buying, DIYing, or using something you already have as a stand for your Cameo Pro. You can read about the Cameo 4 Pro stand here. I include measurements you will probably need to consider when picking out a table or stand.

What are the shipping dimensions of the Cameo 4 Pro?

The Cameo Pro box measures 39″ wide, 12″ deep, 9.75″ tall. It weighs just over 26 pounds.
The shipping carton for the Cameo Pro was 39.5″ wide, 12.5″ deep, and 12.5″ tall. It weighed 29″

Do I need different software to operate the Cameo 4 Pro?

No. The Silhouette Cameo 4 Pro runs on Silhouette Studio which is the same Silhouette Software used for all of the Silhouette Cameo, Portrait, and Curio machines.
You will need to be on version 4.4 or above to run the Cameo 4 Pro.
You will still be able to use any software upgrades you have purchased and have installed on your computer, no changes required.
I always recommend upgrading to Business Edition of Silhouette Software so you can unlock all the features of the software (like save as SVG!).

What computer system do I need to use the Cameo 4 Pro

These are MINIMUM system requirements. Your software will run faster if you have higher.

Minimum System Requirements:
Windows 8.1 or higher or Mac OS X 10.10 or higher
2 GHz processor (processor base frequency, not including boost)
4 GB RAM (but really should be at lease 8 GB, 16 GB or higher is better)
2 GB available disk space
USB port or Bluetooth capability
High speed internet connection (recommended but not required after downloading software)

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Cameo 4 Plus 15″ Cutting Machine

The Cameo 4 PLUS, it is still available to order either just the machine alone, or as a bundle.
A benefit to purchasing the Cameo 4 Plus is the mid size. It has a wider cut area than the 12″ Cameo 4 but the machine doesn’t take up as much space as the Cameo 4 Pro.
If you don’t have space for a machine that is almost 35″ wide which the Cameo 4 Pro is, but want a larger cutting area than the 12″ Cameo, you may want to get the Cameo Plus.
It is pretty much the same machine as the Cameo 4 but it cuts up to 14.6″ wide (the 15″ is because it can use materials up to 15″ wide. Read more about the Cameo 4 Plus and order yours here.

Cameo 4 Has Arrived

Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to see the actual machine in person, so the only photo I have to share is the one on the order page from Swing Design where I ordered my machine.

I got my Cameo 4! I filmed an unboxing video to show what comes in the box when you buy yours from Swing Design, what packing materials are on the machine that need to be removed before you use it, and loading and unloading the mat (I was shocked at the speed).

What does the new Cameo 4 have that the Cameo 3 doesn’t?

I will start with the greatest improvement first. The Silhouette Cameo 4 has 5000 grams of cutting force. The Cameo 3 only has 250 grams and even the Curio only has 210 grams of force. This is also 1000 grams more than the Cricut Maker has (4000 grams) which can “cut wood”. It looks like this force is only available when using the #2 tool carrier, but I will take it!

The Cameo 4 can cut materials up to 3 mm thick vs. 2 mm with the Cameo 3.

The cutting speed of the Cameo 4 can be up to 3X as fast as the other machines. Recently, I was cutting full pages of flower stamens for paper flowers. Even on speed 10, each page took seven minutes to cut just a bunch of straight lines. Up until then, I had not realized how slow the machine was. I look forward to seeing how well it makes tiny cuts at a faster speed.

There is a built-in roll feeder on the Cameo 4 for holding rolls of heat transfer or adhesive vinyl while cutting without a mat.

The Cameo 4 has a rotary cutter! I was envious of the Cricut Maker because of this tool. It allows Cameo 4 users to be able to cut fabric (and other materials like felt and Crepe Paper) using a high tack cutting mat and not have to apply Heat N Bond. This will really improve fabric cutting possibilities for projects that you don’t want to have Heat N Bond adhered to.

These are just some of the main improvements on the Cameo 4 that I am most looking forward to. Some of them will need to be tested to get the hang of, I’m sure, and there is at least one thing that I am surprised didn’t make the cut 😉 and that is that the USB plug-in to cut from a thumb drive is gone. I have only used that feature one time in the five years of owning Silhouettes but when I needed it, I needed it. Fortunately, I can still run the machine plugged into my computer. If Silhouette ever goes full Bluetooth, I may not upgrade.

I am not usually an early adapter when it comes to technology but I have loved the Silhouette cutting machines I already have and am really looking forward to trying out this latest machine.

Where to buy a Silhouette Cameo 4

Swing Design is my preferred vendor for Silhouette Studio software upgrades as I have mentioned in the past, and I highly recommend getting your Cameo 4 from them as well. Not only do they offer free shipping (on all orders over $35), you also get seven e-guides by Silhouette School, a month free access to Club Silhouette, and 200+ bonus designs (beyond the 100 that come with the Silhouette already). They really want their customers to be happy and successful with their machine.

I ordered the white machine because all my other Silhouette Cameos are white, and because the white ones will be shipping first. They are due to ship by the end of September.

The black, and pink Cameo 4 machines are available for pre-order now too, but it is expected that they won’t be shipping until end of October.

The pre-orders will only be open until the quantity available is sold out.

Cameo 4 tools available now

The new tools for the Cameo 4 include the Cameo 4 Auto Blade (which is different from the Cameo 3 Auto Blade, High Pressure Rotary Blade, High Pressure Kraft Blade 3mm, and the High Pressure Punch Tool (for marking parts of vinyl designs that are supposed to be weeded out). They are available from Swing Design. If you ordered your Cameo 4 from them too, look for a 40% off coupon code in your email. They were sent out with machines that were pre-ordered and that offer may have been extended.

Silhouette software for the Cameo 4

Unfortunately, new technology can be buggy. The new Cameo 4 needs Silhouette Studio version 4.3 and above to operate. The first rollout of the software had problems with cutting, among other things. There has been another software update since then which works better.

I have updated to Silhouette Studio version 4.3.356 to use with my Cameo 4 and I have not had any problems with it. My Business edition rolled over to it without any problems either.

Silhouette Cameo 3 on sale

The benefit of new technology is that the older models go on sale. This is already happening with the Cameo 3. If you aren’t ready for the Cameo 4 yet, it can be a good time to buy the earlier model.

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Have you heard about the Silhouette Cameo 4? Which part are you most excited about? Have you already received and tried yours? Leave a comment and let me know.

Best,

Megan

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