Givemehelp.com was asked to review the sign cutting program called Easy Cut Studio. Here are our comments.
You can download a full working version here. The demo copy is fully functional, with watermarks added until you register.
We've downloaded a demo copy of Easy Cut Studio and it was small enough to take just a few moments. Installing was easy and error free on Windows 10. According to the website, Easy Cut Studio requires Windows 11 / 10 / 8.1 / 8 / 7 / Vista / XP. There is also a macOS version!
Opinion: Easy Cut Studio should be easy to download and install for any level user.
For such an inexpensive software ($59), Easy Cut Studio supports a large number of cutter manufacturers and models, including popular one such as Graphtec, US Cutter, Roland, Vinyl Express.
A bit of reading on their support page seems to show that if a certain cutter is not on the list, they would consider adding it.
The design page is limited to 72 inches, but again the support page indicates that the “Pro” version supports unlimited size.
Opinion: If you are looking for a simple design and cut program at a bargain price, consider Easy Cut Studio.
When you first start Easy Cut Studio, the first thing you’ll notice is a set of design elements in a library. You can drag and drop, then resize these elements when needed. Lots of elements here including basics such as arrows, shapes, and even specialty items. This make getting started quick and easy.
The program is very intuitive. In the example below I added two lines of text and then the arrow in just a few strokes. It appears Easy Cut Studio uses all the windows fonts you have loaded. Also, as with many other design programs you can right click on an element to make certain property changes. These is also a simple layering system on the right side keeping track of each design element.
Opinion: Sign Designing couldn’t get any easier!
For the boat, I downloaded an image in GIF format and vectorized it using the built-in tracking feature.
The trace was quick and as you can see accurate.
Opinion: Should be easy to get new design elements into Easy Cut Studio with the fast tracing capabilities.
If you need to import files, you can use some of the common formats. Placing bitmaps into Easy Cut Studio will cover all the basic bitmap formats.
In this example, all is the same except I added a print for the boat as well as a cut line using the tracing features.
When you choose the “Add Image Layer (Print & Cut) simple manipulation of the options will allow you to see a contour cut line being added around parts of the image below. The review makes it easy to adjust until you get the desired cut line around the image, in my case the boat.
Opinion: Adding contour cut lines to images is a breeze.
I am using a Graphtec FC cutter in my example, but it’s simple to set the print registration marks and the preview features will let you check everything out to make sure you have it just right.
In the Settings option for your cutter, you will be able to set the type, size, thickness and even the offset margin for the registration marks used in print and cut jobs.
Opinion: User control over registration size, thickness and offset will help the cutter find the contour cut marks easily.
There are lots of other options in this little powerhouse of a sign design program including effects such as Rhinestone and all the other distortions you might find needed.
Opinion: Easy Cut Studio is a little design powerhouse for vinyl cutting.
I wish I had time to cover every features, but just go to www.easycutstudio.com for more details and get your demo copy to see if you’ll like it like I did!
You might also want to check out their YouTube channels for learning or just seeing some of the other features of this little dynamo!
Disclaimer: This article was written to show some of the many features of Easy Cut Studio and is not intended to be used for any other purpose. It is the opinion of the author, Mark Rugen, President of Givemehelp.com. Your personal experience with Easy Cut Studio may differ, but I doubt it.