Since 1.0.21, I have released two updates, brought StixCut to a couple of new platforms, and added some tools that make it easier to go from artwork to a finished sheet. Here's the fun stuff.
StixCut comes to iPad
StixCut now has an iPad beta on TestFlight. It needs iPadOS 18 or later, and the iPad app also runs on Mac. It has the full StixCut feature set, with one limitation: Apple's app-store restrictions mean it can't connect to a printer over USB. The beta has the usual free limit of three print jobs per day. While the app is in beta, you can try the in-app purchase for a license that unlocks more prints; your card will not be charged. If you give it a try, I'd love to hear how it feels on your setup. I'm also working on getting StixCut into the Mac App Store.
Windows in the Microsoft Store
You can now get StixCut from the Microsoft Store. The Store edition updates automatically, though it may trail the latest release on stixcut.com. The direct Windows installer is now signed by Art Hax, LLC, but Windows Defender or another antivirus may still show a warning. Either way, use the official download page or Microsoft Store listing.
Bulk Print can start with a folder
Bulk Print already handled stacks of saved StixCut designs. It can now start with a folder of images, too. Folder + Template fills a template's image slots from your files, and Folder + Auto-layout traces and packs them onto as many sheets as needed. Files go in filename order, you can choose whether each image fills its slot or fits inside it, and you get a preview before anything is queued. It's a nice way to turn a pile of artwork into a print run without opening every file one at a time.
More ways to shape the artwork
The new Artwork alignment for Sticker Border grows a stroke outward from the shape of the art and puts it behind the image. For transparent artwork, that gives you a backing that follows the design instead of a plain rectangle. The stroke stays independent from the cut margin, so adjusting one doesn't change the other.
Bake Styling takes the look of a sticker - color adjustments, background fill, stroke, crop, and image transforms - and bakes it into a new image. It should look the same on the sheet, but the appearance is now part of the artwork itself. You can undo it if you want to go back.
Cleaner edges, new cut options
Edge Bleed extends the colors at the edge of your artwork just past the cut line. If a cut lands a little off, that extra color can help keep a thin white edge from showing. The Cut Path Editor also has a few more ways to work with nodes: open a path, split a closed path, join open ends, and shift-click to pick several individual nodes.
There is also a new Die-cut mode for cuts that go all the way through a sticker sheet, using the existing perf-cut pressure setting. Do not use it to cut holes or shapes loose from a sticker sheet. The cutouts will jam and damage the printer. Die-cut can be useful for score lines and other controlled cuts, but only if you understand exactly what you're doing. If you don't, don't use it. Test carefully on a sticker sheet before using it on anything important.
On iPad, the Library and Inspector remember their scroll positions, and finished or failed print jobs stay in the queue until you remove them. Small touches, but they make the beta feel much more at home during a real project.
For the full list of app changes, see the release notes. Thanks for trying the new features and telling me what works - and what would make them better.
A new cutting strip and blade kit
I also added a Cutting Strips + Blades Kit to the store. It includes three self-adhesive PTFE cutting strips, three carbide blades, and a printed blade-change tool. Perf-cutting sends the blade into the strip, and grooves can eventually make cuts less consistent, so it's handy to have replacements around.
-Dan
Download StixCut ->