One of the nicest features of the Silhouette^R cutting machine is the in-program Silhouette America online store, which you can use to download cutting files directly to the Silhouette Studio (and SSDE) software. Let’s go shopping.

There are two ways to shop the store, with and without the subscription. If you purchase a lot of cut files, it’s cost effective to subscribe. As a subscriber, you get monthly credits that you can use to download any cut file.

Now that we have the details out of the way, we can take a look around. From the welcome screen, select Store. In the upper left corner of the store, you will see a Free Shape of the Week box. Silhouette America gives away a free cut file each week.

The store is divided into categories and there is also a search box.

Flourishes & Shapes

• Flourishes
• Straight Line Shapes
• Curved Line Shapes
• Combo Shapes
• Symbols

Border & Backgrounds

• Borders
• Frames
• Backgrounds
• Doilies
• Printable Backgrounds

Cards & Gifts

• Cards
• Envelopes
• Journaling Cards
• Boxes
• Bags
• Tags
• Mini Albums
• Tabs
• Labels
• Other

Fonts & Phrases

• Fonts
• Letters
• Numbers
• Words
• Phrases

Family & Friends

• Parents
• Children
• Spouse
• Grandparents
• Siblings
• Grandchildren
• Relatives
• Friends
• Other

Plants & Animals

• Flowers
• Trees, Branches, Leaves
• Garden
• Pets
• Farm Animals
• Wild Animals
• Birds
• Bugs
• Underwater Animals

Work & School

• School & Education
• Work & Occupation
• Military

Holidays

• New Years
• Valentine’s Day
• St. Patrick’s Day
• Easter
• Mother’s Day
• Father’s Day
• Independence Day
• Halloween
• Thanksgiving
• Hanukkah
• Christmas
• Other

Celebrations

• Birthday
• Graduation
• Engagement
• Wedding
• Newborn Baby
• Party & Event
• Other

Travel& Seasons

• Transportation
• Maps & Globes
• Camping
• Vacation
• Beach
• Landmarks
• Spring
• Summer
• Autumn
• Winter
• Other

Fun & Games

• Sports
• Music
• Dance & Drama
• Games
• Hobbies
• Fashion & Shopping
• Other

Kid Stuff

• Pirates
• Fairytales
• Dinosaurs
• Toys
• Monsters & Aliens
• Toons
• Coloring Pages
• Other

Around the House

• Kitchen & Cooking
• Food & Dining
• Clocks & Calendars
• Entry
• Laundry
• Bedroom
• Bathroom
• Wall Art
• Other

As a fan of paper engineering, I love the 3D cut files. Some of them are useful, such as the 3D Dauber Holder and 3D Desk Organizer by Jamie Cripps. Some are for decoration, such as the 3D Ledge Village by Marji Roy. Of course, you are only limited to your own imagination.

One thing I would suggest would be to include a small thumbnail of a finished project on the product page. At this time, Silhouette only shows a vector sample of the cut file, which is good enough to get an idea of the shape. If they also included an image of how the cut file could be used in a craft project, they would probably increase their sales. However, some of the cut file artists do include a link back to their blog or website to a sample project.

Silhouette, Silhouette Studio, Silhouette Connect, PixScan, Silhouette CAMEOR and Silhouette Portrait are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Silhouette America, Inc. Product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Silhouette America, Inc.