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This post has been moved. See 100+ commercial cut files on Cutting for Business at this link.

 

Hey everyone – I’m just in from the All Things Silhouette Conference in Peachtree City, Georgia! Today, I’ll give you a look around the conference and the dates for the next TWO conferences!

The conference was organized by mastermind Terri Johnson from Terri Johnson Creates. The event featured classes by an awesome collection of instructors, which included:

• Melissa Viscount from Silhouette School Blog
• Amy Robison of Amy Robison blog
• Lori Whitlock of Lori Whitlock blog
• Kendall Ehat from Silhouette America
• Mandy Beyeler of Sugar Bee Crafts
• Jeana Goodwin of Felicity Jane
• Lisa Potts of The Rhinestone World
• Richard Bloedow, Representative from sewingmachine.com
• Cindy Eckhoff former Silhouette America technical support mastermind
• Michael Wade from Chemica USA
• and of course, me!

Some of the classes included:

• Designing in Silhouette Studio
• Rhinestone Workshops
• Designer & Business Edition Software
• Tips and Tricks for Silhouette Studio
• Scrapbooking with the Silhouette
• Txtile Decorating
• Adhesive and Heat Transfer Vinyl
• Machine Embroidery
• Point Editing
• Glass Etching
• Small Business Tips
• …and many more!

The vendors included:

• Siser North America
• The Rhinestone World
• JCC Blanks
• Sewingmachine.com
• Punch Place Plus
• All About Blanks
• Silhouette America

Included in the conference was buffet style breakfasts, lunches, and snacks, class sessions, admission to the vendor hall with make and take projects and plenty of shopping, admission into the Silhouette Hospitality Suite, plus lots of fun door prizes (including Cameos, Curios, and Mints) and more! I snapped a lot of photos throughout the event:

I’ve heard fantastic feedback from everyone about the conference and I enjoyed sharing my business knowledge, answering tons of business questions, and pre-releasing and autographing my book! If you’d love to join in the fun next year, the conference dates are April 2-3, 2016 AND November 4-5, 2016. Watch Terri Johnson Creates for registration details and act early – this first conference sold out quickly. See you next year!

Don’t forget to pin it and spread the word:

Did you know that if you are selling something with a military logo, military name, or military insignia you must get a license to do so? Today, we are going to look at the trademark concerns and licensing requirements for each of the five US military branches.

What Does the Military Have Trademarked?

The military branches collectively hold over 500 different trademarks on their logos, slogans, and names. It is safe for all Silhouette and Cricut crafters to assume that any product they are selling with the name of a military branch or logo should be licensed. This includes phrases such as U.S. Army, U.S. Army, Semper Fidelis, A Few Good Men, Blue Angels, and many more. To find out if a specific phrase or mark is trademarked, head to U.S. Patent and Trademark Office TESS Search Engine online. This allows you to type in your phrase or mark to see if it is trademarked. If you locate a trademarked term you’d like to use, click on it and see what the trademark details are. It is possible that a phrase is trademarked on certain items (for example a phrase may be trademarked for use on cups but not shirts).

A special note on insignias: If you are interested in obtaining a license on an official seal, you should know that official military seals cannot be used for any commercial purpose.

Branch Specific Information

Each branch of the military has different licensing requirements and contact information. The specifics of each branch make it difficult to provide comprehensive information, so the remainder of this post will summarize the processes and give you links for more information.

U.S. Navy

• Offers a thorough application available online through this link. The application asks for company information, banking information, business financials, and suggests proposed sample products. If your application is approved, you will then be sent the licensing application packet.
• FAQ regarding the U.S. Navy licensing program are located here.

U.S. Marine Corps

• The USMC is the friendliest military branch in terms of licensing for crafters. They offer three different licensing programs: one for large businesses, one for small businesses, and one for hobbyists. This means that if your business makes less than $5,000 per year, sells directly to your customers, and does not use an outside manufacturer, you do not have to file an application. Instead, you should fill out the Hobbyist License Agreement, pay a small fee ($25 or $50 depending on sales), and submit royalty information annually. After joining their program, you’ll receive a Hobbyist number which should be included in all of your listings. The Hobbyist number will actually make your listings more compelling, as it shows customers that you are official with the Marines and they approve your product!
• If your sales are $5000.01 or more per year, you’ll need to fill out the licensing application for small business located here.
• FAQ regarding the USMS licensing program are located at this link.

U.S. Air Force

• The U.S. Air Force offers a lengthy application online which asks for company information, banking information, a business plan, and requires product samples.
• The U.S. Air Force maintains a list of license holders on their website. If you are interested in U.S. Air Force images, read through the list to see if similar requests have been honored in the past.
• FAQ regarding the U.S. Air Force licensing program can be found at this link.

U.S. Coast Guard

• The U.S. Coast Guard offers an application online that asks basic business information, your product plans and ideas, and ask for specific samples including product samples and brochures from your business.
• The U.S. Coast Guard maintains a list of FAQ located at this link.

U.S. Army

• The U.S. Army has a brand portal, which requires you to register before accessing, located at this link. The registration took about 24 hours to be approved by the U.S. Army web team. Information from within the portal answers questions about licensing, as well as strict brand requirements including which fonts can be used.

What if You Don’t Want to Get a License?

It is important to get a license or other permission if you use a trademarked design or slogan, including those related to the US Military. Unfortunately, trademark holders can (and will!) seek legal actions against you and/or your business for infringement.

Note: This article previously appeared on Terri Johnson Creates, but was removed after a website redesign. It was updated April 15, 2021.

I recently talked about the differences between the four versions of Silhouette Studio. As a refresher, they are Basic, Designer, Designer Plus, and Business Edition.

Today, I’m am going to give an overview of the additional features found only in Business Edition.

Features Only Found in Silhouette Studio Business Edition

• Ability to Open AI, EPS, and CDR File Formats: If you prefer to create design files in Adobe, Corel, or other graphics program, you can open them directly in the Silhouette Business Edition. To open the additional file formats in Silhouette Studio Business Edition, click “File”, then “Open”.
• Weed Lines: This feature automatically inserts weeding lines for projects like vinyl.
• Multi Cutter Support: If you own two or more Silhouette machines, you can hook them up to the same computer and run them both using the Silhouette Business Edition. You can choose to cut either the same design or cut different designs on each machine at the same time.
• Matrix Copy Feature: This feature allows you to create a design in Silhouette Studio, then use the matrix copy feature to replicate the design without changing the original. This is helpful to cut down additional design time for designs you create over and over again with small changes.
• Media Layout View: Media Layout View offers a preview of exactly how your designs will cut on the material before cutting.
• Automatic Nesting: This feature allows you to nest a cut job to save materials. Nesting is available in the Designer Edition, but the program nests your original design. In the Business Edition, the design is nested “on the fly”, and the original is not changed.
• Tiling: This feature allows users to cut larger designs easier. The tiling function automatically breaks the cut job into smaller chunks. After cutting, you assemble the pieces together to make your larger design. For example, if I wanted to cut a 24″ by 24″ tree on my Silhouette Cameo in vinyl, I would use the tiling feature which automatically breaks the design into 4 equal pieces on my 12″ by 12″ mat, or 2 equal pieces on my 12″ by 24″ mat or rolled vinyl cutting without a mat. When using tiling, your original design is not altered.

Where to Buy Silhouette Studio Business Edition

You can download or purchase Silhouette Studio through Silhouette America, authorized resellers, or Amazon.

I’ve covered Silhouette Studio Business Edition in depth. First, I explained the different versions of Silhouette Studio. Then, I highlighted the unique features of Business Edition.

Today, I’m going to give my opinion on whether or not Silhouette Studio is worth it.

Is Silhouette Studio Business Edition Worth It?

In my opinion, Business Edition is only worth it in certain circumstances:

• Work in Adobe or Corel. If you regularly work in Adobe or Corel and want to open AI, EPS, or CDR file formats without having to convert them using a third party tool. The other option is to purchase Silhouette Connect, which is a plugin that allows you to send files directly from Adobe or Corel to your machine. Silhouette Connect is $39.99 from Silhouette America.
• Run More than One Machine. If you want to run two or more machines on the same computer, you’ll want to purchase the Business Edition version.
• Large Designs. If you regularly designs that are wider AND longer than 12″, the Business Edition tiling feature will speed up the process of cutting your designs – you won’t have to manually move the design around to cut each section.
• Personalized Designs. If you design something and cut multiple copies of the design as customers order them, the nesting and matrix copy functions will help speed up your process. (For example, if you have a number of stock car decals for sale in your store and cut them once a customer orders them, you will find the Business Edition time saving. If the customer orders 3 of Design A, 5 of Design B, and 2 of Design C – you would use the matrix copy (and nesting if desired) to multiply each design and send it to cut. After cutting, simply close the design and move to the next, rather than having to replicate each manually.)
• Cut Intricate Designs. If you routinely cut intricate designs and want to automatically add weeding lines, the Business Edition might work well for you. However, you can manually add weeding lines to any design without the Business Edition.
• Saving as SVG, PDF, or JPG. If you want to be able to save designs in SVG, PDF, or JPG format you will need Business Edition.

If you want to learn to design SVG cut files in Silhouette Studio Business Edition, check out my course How to Design SVGs.

Silhouette Studio is the name of the software design program that most crafters use to create designs with their Silhouette Portraits, Cameos, and Curios.

Silhouette Studio Versions

Silhouette Studio is available in four versions.

• Basic Edition: Free. Silhouette Studio Basic Edition is available to anyone who wants to download it.
• Designer Edition: $49. Silhouette Studio Designer Edition includes all the features of Basic Edition, plus additional
• Designer Plus Edition: $74. Silhouette Studio Plus Edition includes all the features of Basic and Designer Edition, Plus a few extras. Most importantly, it includes the ability to open embroidery files. If you sew/embroider you’ll want this edition.
• Business Edition: $99. Silhouette Studio Business Edition unlocks all features available in Silhouette Studio.

Silhouette Studio Version Comparison Chart

Silhouette America offers an awesome chart that lays out each feature of each edition. Silhouette Studio Version Comparison Chart.

What Silhouette Studio Version is the Best?

The best Silhouette Studio version depends what features you need. For example, if you need to be able to save as an SVG, you’ll need to purchase Business Edition. But, if you need to open embroidery files, you can purchase either Designer Plus Edition or Business Edition. And, if you are just getting started, feel free to stick to the Basic Edition until your outgrow it.

Personally, I use and love Business Edition. Also, if you are interested in learning to design SVGs in Silhouette Studio Business Edition. I offer an online class called How to Design SVGs.

Where to Buy Silhouette Studio

You can download or purchase Silhouette Studio through Silhouette America, authorized resellers, or Amazon.

Can I Use Silhouette Studio if I Don’t Have a Silhouette Machine?

Yes. Lots of Cricut and Glowforge users use Silhouette Studio to create designs for their machines as well. As long as you have Silhouette Studio Business Edition and your machine takes SVG files – you can use Silhouette Studio to create your designs.

Read more about the unique features of Silhouette Studio Business Edition and whether Business Edition is worth it.

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