After much speculation, I have gotten the official word from Craft Edge, the maker of Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL). They have settled the lawsuit that ProvoCraft brought on them and have announced that affliates must "stop selling, offering for sale or distributing these versions (SCAL 1.0 and 2.0) by no later than May 27, 2011".
What this means for Cricut users is that ProvoCraft has stopped people from BUYING this software after May 27th. If you already HAVE SCAL, this will not affect you. YOU CAN STILL USE SCAL. People in the know have recommended not updating your Cricut firmware as ProvoCraft may block the software some time in the near future.
So....bottom line...keep on using your Sure Cuts A Lot (and Make the Cut) software with your Cricut if you already have it. If you have been on the fence about SCAL---GET IT NOW! Unfortunately it's too late to get MTC.
On the bright side, "Craft Edge will continue to provide quality software for our shared customers in Sure Cuts A Lot™ version 3.0
and beyond." If you are thinking about getting a new cutter or replacing the Cricut, these machines WILL WORK WITH SCAL 3.0: Craftwell eCraft™, Black Cat Cougar/Lynx™, Boss Kut Gazelle™, Pazzles Inspiration™, Silhouette SD™, USCutter™.
If you have MTC, it is compatible with: Klic-N-Kut™ models, Pazzles Inspiration™, BossKut Gazelle™, Black Cat Cougar/Lynx™ series, USCutter™ MH/LaserPoint series, CraftWell's eCraft™, HPGL machines with printer support (Craft ROBO™, Silhouette™, etc).
Personally, I will use my Cricut with SCAL until the Cricut dies. Then I will purchase another machine that will let me use SCAL 3. I can do so much with this software and SVG files that I will never purchase a cartridge-based only cutter. I think that ProvoCraft has alienated thousands and thousands of customers with their decision to go after these software designers. It's a shame. But luckily we have lots of other options for machines and maybe all this brouhaha has made more people aware of the awesomeness of SVGs!
Thanks for the update. I too love my SCAL and Cricut.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad I purchased my Silhouette. I never need to worry about using a separate program with it. The software is easy to use, I can cut anything I want, and the print & cut feature is fantastic. Every time I read about how Provocraft has sued and won I am doubly overjoyed that I made the choice not to get a Cricut!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info. I agree, Provocraft would have been much better off working jointly with the software designers versus suing them. Time will tell if that was a smart decision on their part. Glad I purchased SCAL when I did!
ReplyDeleteIf you have scal 1 or 2 make a copy of the drivers,either on usb stick or a cd so you don't lose them if your computer crashes.Then if you purchase scal 3 or update you should be able to upload the drivers and cut with your cricut.Mtc and scal have to remove the drivers from their software that enable you to use your cricut to cut out designs but other than updates nothing should be changed in the program.
ReplyDeleteI think your blog is being copied...
ReplyDeletehttp://buzzybeedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/05/fyi-on-sure-cuts-lot.html
Pat, you recommended making a copy of the driver for a back-up. I think that is a great idea. Do you know if you can still install it if it's been installed on 2 computers? I made the back-up and it worked. When I go to use it, it asks for the activation code. I haven't put it in just in case. Wouldn't they block us from activating the product after May 27, 2011?
ReplyDeletePat, I am looking for the driver files, but I'm not sure which ones those are. Can you help?
ReplyDelete