Scrapbooking is a wonderful therapeutic hobby, that many have taken to a new level, so that each of their pages, becomes a project and challenge to make into a form of artwork, demonstrating their skill and craftiness.  One of the best ways to achieve the best quality and unique pages is by cutting titles using a Scrapbooking die cutting machines. They have been a revolution in the scrapbooking world, enabling their uses to cut titles and die cuts from various materials and in every font and shape imaginable.

There are two general types of die cut machines including the electronic version and the manual versions. The Cricut range of cutting machines from Provo Craft, are the most popular and well known in the electronic cutting machine range.  Cricut innovated a lot of the electronic machines market by introducing a machine that could cut automatically and also not needing to be attached to a computer.

Of  Provocrafts Cricut range, the Cricut Expression is the top of the range of scrapbooking die cutters. With the original Cricut Personal Cutter, you were only able to cut a sheet half of 12x12inches. For scrapbookers with lots to do, this was somewhat of a pain always having to cut or having half sheets of paper around. So to meet the needs of the ever growing market for demanding scrapbookers, Provo Craft introduced the new Expression Die Cutting machine, which can now cut both 12x12 and 12x24 inch sheets.

Do to this new increase in mat size and cutting ability, the Cricut Expression Die Cutting Machine, is also a lot larger than the Cricut Personal or Cricut Create machines. So it loses some of its portability. It was really designed to be left in the home office, scrapbooking room or for Cricuts new market, the school media room.

Just like the first Cricut Machine, the Expression has all the same loved features. It cuts shapes from cartridges, which means no computer connection required. All of the Cricut cartridge range, also works across the whole Cricut Machine range, so there are no worries with compatibility and there are sooo many designs to choose from. And of course its main feature is that it can cut varying sizes automatically of any of the shapes and fonts on the cartridges.

Given that the Expression has the same basic design and functionality as the original, it also has its annoying sticky mat. However after having reviewed some of the other die cutting machines, like the Making Memories SLICE, I see that this is a slight advantage, as the Making Memories SLICE has to be babysat while cutting, as it doesn't have this sticky sheet.

One day, we are all hoping that the makers of Cricut, or perhaps a competitor!! Will design a machine that has the ability to cut sheets without a sticky mat and without having to babysat. It is a real shame that some of the most delicate papers, which would make wonderful cut outs, arent able to be used with the sticky mat, as they will just get destroyed.

So if you are a die hard scrapper with money to burn!!! or you have just been frugle with your scrapbooking so you could save up for the Expression (well done!) then it is truely one of the best on the market at the moment.