Files for this group
salley schwartz
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Julie Flanagan
If you cannot recover your MTC registration number, you do not necessarily need a new machine. You can use different software to use your years of saved files. MTC files now import into Sure Cuts A Lot. From there you can export as SVG or cut to most machines directly from there. Check it out here: http://www.craftedge.com/purchase/craftedge/purchase_scal5.php?rfid=9429558&ref=88ddf004059dbbdaf791d26ee1777eb3
Julie
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salley schwartz
I have a very old Crichton Explorer. It appears SCAL will not work with that.
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Where can I find your wonderful machine comparisons?
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Julie Flanagan
SCAL5 plus the free libcutter software allows users to cut directly to the original Cricut Expression machine. This is not commonly known, but it does work.
You can get this software here: http://www.craftedge.com/purchase/craftedge/purchase_scal5.php?rfid=9429558&ref=88ddf004059dbbdaf791d26ee1777eb3
Julie
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Julie Flanagan
If you have the Cricut Explore, you can only cut to it via Cricut Design Space. However you can use 3rd party software to create cutting files, and export to SVG. Then you can import the SVG files into Cricut Design Space to cut to your Cricut Explore. See this post to learn more about 3rd party software: https://cuttercrafter.com/best-design-software-creating-svg/
Julie
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Liz Ackerman
Just know that there are bugs associated with that plugin.
On Wed., Dec. 9, 2020, 4:20 p.m. Julie Flanagan, <craftymusician@...> wrote:
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Graham Toal
It seems that since I can't recover my MTC registration number I will need to buy a new machine to use my years of saved files. How do I find Julie's reviews of cutting machines and other files on this group. I'm sure you must have already exhausted all the ways of recovering your MTC registration, so I won't ask about that; instead may I ask why you need a new machine? If you have a lot of files that are in .mtc format only, then you need another copy of MTC (or at least a licence key - I'm sure someone who no longer uses their MTC could resell their key to transfer ownership, no?) to read those old files, and a new machine won't help; however if your files are in some other format than mtc (eg svg) then why do you need a new machine? There are alternative ways of driving many machines that don't involve using MTC (or SCAL). For example https://codelv.com/projects/inkcut/ Graham
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salley schwartz
Graham
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Thank you for your interest. I'm not that tech savvy and there are probably many things I haven't thought of. One was opening MTC files. I was just thinking about using my SVG files. But a lot of my files are MTC. The only machine I have is a very old Cricut explorer which I have been expecting to bite the dust but it keeps going. It never occurred to me that I could buy someone's registration key. Do you have any suggestions about how I could do that? How to find someone who wants to sell? Thanks for any help you can give.
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Julie Flanagan
You can open MTC files using Make The Cut or using Sure Cuts A Lot 5. You can import SVG files into Sure Cuts A Lot5. Sure Cuts A Lot 5 will also cut to your Cricut Expression. Cricut Explore is a different machine. You can export SVG files from SCAL5 as SVG and import those to Cricut Design Space if you are using a Cricut Explore.
So if you have a Cricut Expression, and it keeps hanging on, you can purchase Sure Cuts A Lot 5 and cut to your Expression using that software. If you machine quits working, then you can make a decision as to which machine and software you want to use. If you do purchase SCAL5, you can keep using it to create SVG files for whichever machine you get. SCAL5 is much less expensive than a new machine. And it will cut directly to many different machines.
Julie
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Liz Ackerman
Selling a registration key is actually illegal, and contravenes the EULA. The registration key is registered to one person only, and under the terms of EULA is NOT transferable. Just sayin'. If you purchased Make The Cut! through KNKUSA.com you may be able to recover the registration key, as they received copies of the emails sent to their customers with registration keys that purchased MTC through them.
On 12/10/2020 7:44 PM, salley schwartz
via groups.io wrote:
Graham -- Liz A.
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Jstfrmnita
I have been able to open the gallery in MTC, but when I try to download an image, I get a blank. How do you get it into your project? Thanks
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salley schwartz
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salley schwartz
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Liz Ackerman
Yes it is! However SCAL5 does not cut to any Cricut by itself. You need to find and install a plugin call libcutter. That enables the communication between SCAL and Cricut, which is what MTC and SCAL had to remove from their programs when the lawsuits were settled. The addition of the libcutter is a direct violation of Cricut copyright - so assume that if you install it you are in contravention of copyright, but SCAL can claim they didn't author it (although there is consensus they did or they assisted) nor are they selling it, so nothing at this point has been done by ProvoCraft to stop it. The libcutter plugin only works with legacy Cricut cutters and if it cuts to newer ones, its just basic cutting, doesn't do anything with AutoBlade, or two headed cutters, etc. I do believe that ProvoCraft kind of learned a lesson...do not
mess with people and their cutters or they will cut you off like a
diseased limb and move on to something else, and may never come
back. Most Cricut users today have never heard of MTC or SCAL or
the lawsuits, so they buy oblivious to the past history. On 12/11/2020 9:33 AM, salley schwartz
via groups.io wrote:
Julie, -- Liz A.
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Julie Flanagan
The current CEO of Cricut issued an apology for his predecessor's actions against companies who produced 3rd party software that works with the older Cricut machines. His focus is on producing newer machines which cannot be used with 3rd party software.
Since Cricut no longer provides any software support for their legacy machines, owners of those machines that want to use software must resort to the available alternates. Cricut is no longer pursuing legal action against those software companies.
Please note that the lawsuit never went to court, because the deep pockets of Bank of America were behind the lawsuit, and the small developers were not able to finance a defense. Had the lawsuit actually gone to court, Cricut would have lost the suit based on previous court decisions that allow "jailbreaking". For example, a car manufacturer cannot force car owners to purchase their brand of tires. As it was, the small developers were forced to remove the plugins in their programs that allowed them to work with the Cricut machines, merely by the legal threat.
That said, a new free plugin, not affiliated with any cutter software company, has been produced. It is called Libcutter, and it can be used with Sure Cuts A Lot 5. The combination of Libcutter and SCAL5 enables most people to cut from SCAL5 directly to their Legacy Cricut machines.
The trial version of MTC 4.1.0 that works with Legacy Cricut machines (registration key required for activation), the PCCplugin.dll, and a trial version of the old Cricut Design Studio (used to update legacy Cricut firmware, if needed) are all included in the bulk download of archived files of this group. This archive is available for a donation of any amount in support of the expenses of this group, via PayPal to julieflanagan1@...
If you have lost your MTC registration key, and have been unable to retrieve it, then the MTC option to cut to legacy Cricut machines is not available to you. Another option is to purchase and install Sure Cuts A Lot 5 (available here: http://www.craftedge.com/purchase/craftedge/purchase_scal5.php?rfid=9429558&ref=88ddf004059dbbdaf791d26ee1777eb3) and download and install Libcutter (free download for windows: https://ufile.io/j58oi or free download for Mac: https://ufile.io/f19iz )
Or simply continue to use what Cricut cartridges that you have available with your legacy Cricut machine. Please note that Expression 2 and Imagine, cannot be used with any software.
Many have elected to simply purchase other machines. If this is your choice, make sure that your purchase does not lock you into using a specific software with your new cutter.
Julie
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Graham Toal
Graham I would think just asking here would be a good start! Or maybe better to ask on the SCAL group since some of those people might have already given up MTC in favor of SCAL whereas most of the people here are likely to still be using it. Graham
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Graham Toal
On Fri, Dec 11, 2020 at 9:39 AM Liz Ackerman <ackerliz@...> wrote:
I was tempted not to follow up because I didn't want my innocent suggestion to turn into a flame war which can easily happen with these sort of discussions, so I'm not saying this to start an argument, only to clarify my understanding of the situation: it is definitely *not* illegal. Illegal means a criminal offence that is against the law such as theft; licensing is a civil matter. Transfer of licence may be against the EULA - I wasn't aware of the EULA having that provision - but there's two issues here. It may not be valid in the first place for a vendor to have terms that prohibit resale of something you bought (the whole 'first sale' doctrine and 'shrink-wrap licence' debates that have been going on for years and remain mostly untested and unsettled, mainly because companies don't want to take the risk of going to court and then being found to be in the wrong), but more to the point, a dispute over the use of an end-user licence can only come about if initiated by the licenser, i.e. the author of MTC would have to sue the licensee, and my understanding of the current state of MTC is that MTC is out of business and abandoned. (Apologies if that is incorrect, and it would certainly make a difference if they are still trading). But if there is no MTC company to complain then there is no harm in transferring a licence. Note that I am specifically talking about the case where the seller no longer uses the software after transferring the licence to the purchaser. But if it makes Salley uncomfortable to take the risk, then obviously she shouldn't do so, and it may be academic if no-one has an unused copy anyway. Graham
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Julie Flanagan
You may see a thumbnail of a design in the Gallery, but it may not work if it was added before 2013. There were over 15,000 files in the Gallery, but some were lost from the server for unknown reasons. I think that there are only half of those that are usable in the Gallery right now. However the lost files and more have been restored, and made available by Sandy McCauley on a Google Drive.
Julie
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Sandy
Yes, it is business practices like that which prevent me from buying provocraft machines. This is not the only sort of dirty thing they have done, so I don’t buy from them. It’s the only way to send a message.
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On Dec 11, 2020, at 11:44 AM, Liz Ackerman <ackerliz@...> wrote:
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salley schwartz
Thank you again Liz for that detailed explanation. It sounds like that is probably what I need because even if I buy a new machine I won't be able to open my old MTC files with out SCAL. With SCAL can I convert my MTC to SVG? Sorry if this has already been addressed. When it comes to tech I'm not the brightest crayon in the box.
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I am one of those people who has a prejudice against Cricut. I hope this will be my last question. Do I need the professional version of SCAL. I can't find a description of the difference on the website. So grateful to you and Julie Salley
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