Don’t have a great vinyl cutting software to help you send your projects to your machine for cutting? Don’t want to spend cash on the premium software?
If yes, you can get your way around it by using a FREE cutting software. Most of the free models will meet all your cutting needs, just like the paid ones.
In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the most popular free vinyl cutting software available today.
Completely FREE To use Software:
Inkscape
Inkscape is the most popular free vinyl cutting software among crafters all over.
The free software offers you a suite of flexible drawing tools and a powerful text tool to enable you to work on just any craft from start to finish. Moreover, it presents you with the broad file format and compatibility, as well as the Bezier & Spiro curves, to extend your boundaries on the types of projects you can work on with it.
Just like the paid software, Inkscape also supports SVG (Scalable Vector graphics). This simply means that it’ll work with your specific vinyl cutter even if it comes programmed to work with its native software only.
One area where this cutting software outdoes most of the paid software is its super-user friendly user interface. Whether you’re an absolute beginner or pro designer, you’ll easily figure things out when using this software.
They even have a detailed FAQs page where you can get all the answers you have in your mind regarding the software!
Premium Software with FREE TRIAL:
Hey! Sometimes you need to take advantage of the free trials of the paid software and use these apps for your machine cutting needs.
Some of these top-rated software will offer you an extended free trial of up to 30 days and will grant you access to all its features and functions, including the advanced ones.
Let’s look at some of these software below…
SignGo
SignGo is one perfect example of paid software with a pretty long free trial period. It lets you use it for up to 30 days (equivalent to one month) without paying a cent.
If you only have a few cutting projects to work on with your machine, this is a pretty long period of time to complete them.
You can use this software to work a wide range of cutting projects, including creating t-shirt designs, vinyl lettering, paint stencils, sandblast stencils, promo items, decorative glass, stickers, decals, among others.
Some of the premium features you’ll enjoy using from this software include the text editor, welding, node editor, distortions, direct scanning, gradient fills, shadows, to name but a few. However, you might not enjoy its full list of premium features until you subscribe to their pro version.
And the best part? This software supports over 500 cutting machines, so there’s a high chance your vinyl cutter will work with it.
Easy Cut Studio
Here’s another premium vinyl cutting software with an extended free demo of up to 30 days, just like SignGo.
Though this software is relatively new to the game, it has quickly gained popularity in the vinyl cutting world. The fact that it’s compatible with both Windows and Mac operation software makes translates to increased user scope.
Easy Cut Studio supports importing/exporting the SVG type files—enabling you to easily upload, save, and even send the designs you create. It also means you can hassle-freely transfer your files from this software to other software of your choice…something not many software can do.
Because the software supports vectorization of files, turning normal image file into cutting files becomes easier than ever before!
Oh! Don’t forget that this software also presents you with a 100% user-friendly, intuitive interface to make it as easy to use as possible.
Sure Cuts A Lot
Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL) is one of the simplest vinyl cutting software ever made. It comes with an incredibly intuitive, user-friendly interface, which makes it the perfect option for absolute beginners.
Though this is a paid software, it offers you a FREE trial, which lasts for up to 15 days.
During the free trial period, you’ll enjoy using this app to cut pretty much any font or shape you can think of. You can choose to draw your own design from scratch, use pre-made designs, or cut your OpenType and TrueType fonts.
The software also has the ability to import designs from other programs. And thanks to its auto-tracing feature, it does a great job converting any shape into a cut image.
Similar to other top-rated premium software, SCAL also works with both Windows and Mac.
Quit note: Cricut machine owners have reported issues using this software’s latest version (SCAL 5).
Verdict
If you’re looking for a reliable vinyl cutting software to use with your vinyl cutter but don’t have the cash to purchase the premium models, consider getting Inkscape software. This is 100% free to use software and presents you with great features and functions, just like the paid software.
If you want to have a piece of the cake for the premium software without paying a dime, consider taking advantage of their free trials. These will be more suitable if you don’t have a lot of cutting projects. Some of these paid apps have a free demo that goes for as long as 30 days—more than enough time for small projects!
