The Xyron Creatopia is a great new product from one of the leaders in the crafting and laminating industries. This device brings lamination, cutting, embossing, and more into one complete package that will appeal to crafting enthusiasts and anyone else who feels like getting creative. So here are the strengths and weaknesses of this machine.
Strengths
* This machine has a number of different functions. It is a cold laminator that can laminate one or both sides of a document, as well as apply adhesive to a lot of materials including paper, fabric, and ribbon. You can emboss and cut paper, as well, using special accessories. (More on this in a moment.)
* This machine has a generous 12 inch feed opening that can accommodate 12 x 12 scrapbook paper, legal and letter sized paper, and so on. Indeed, this machine can accept just about any item so long as it s 1/2 thick or less.
* To change functions when using this device, all you need to do is change the cartridge. There are a number of cartridges for lamination and applying adhesive (these are known as Refillz), and there are other ones that can do some pretty nifty crafty things. These are known as the Patternz, Cutz, and Shapez cartridges and depending on which one you use, you can emboss your paper, give it a straight or specialized cut (i.e. wavy or deckle), or even use dies to cut or emboss your project.
* As with all of Xyron s laminators, the Creatopia is a manual machine and is not powered by batteries or electricity. Heat lamination isn t possible with this unit, but that is okay because the cold lamination this machine produces is very nice.
* This product comes in a nice, neutral color: gray. This is a welcome change from the pinks and purples the company has used on devices such as the Create A Sticker 150 and the Wishblade. Since this machine comes in such a neutral color, it will be more likely to appeal to a variety of people since pinks and purples are stereotypically feminine colors.
* This device can do a lot, but one thing it won t do is take up a lot of room. It s about 10 inches long and 22 inches wide, so finding space for it shouldn t be an issue. Storing it won t be hard either, because the handle can be folded up.
Weaknesses
* This product has a lot of different accessories such as the laminate and adhesive cartridges, and all the accessories used to emboss, cut, etc. In fact, there are so many accessories available, it s a bit difficult to keep track of them all. While it is wonderful to have so many creative options, this is almost a case of too much of a good thing. Plus, all the accessories are sold separately, so while the Creatopia itself won t break the bank (it s priced at $149.99), your pocketbook will definitely take a hit once you start buying the accessories.
* This machine isn t a good choice if you need to do a high volume of laminating. Also, you should pick a different machine if you need a laminator that can work with paper that s wider than 12 inches.
* Although anyone can benefit from using this machine, it is more likely to be purchased by crafters, teachers, and artists rather than professional types because it s really more of a crafting tool than a straight up laminator.
As you can see, the Xyron Creatopia offers a lot to crafting aficionados even though those who just need a laminator might not take to the machine. Although there s almost too many accessories for this machine (and they re all sold separately), this is a great product for people who want an all in one crafting center.
Author Resource:-
Jeff McRitchie is the designer and Director of Marketing for http://www.mybinding.com .He has written over 500 articles on binding machines,binding covers,binders,laminators,binding supplies,laminating supplies,paper handling equipments,index tabs, and shredders.
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