Manufacturer · USA (parent company Graphtec, originally Japan)

Silhouette: all devices

Silhouette is a brand of cutting plotters for home and small-business use, best known for the Cameo series, plus Portrait, Curio, the CloChé heat press and the Mint stamp maker. The brand belongs to the sphere of the plotter manufacturer Graphtec and relies on its own software, Silhouette Studio, which can also be used without a subscription. Silhouette is interesting for plotter beginners and advanced users who want to cut vinyl, flex film, paper or fabric and are looking for an alternative to the Cricut system.

In the wiki: 1 Device in 1 Category.

Pros and cons of Silhouette

Facts

History

According to the British distributor Graphtec GB, the Silhouette plotters go back to Graphtec's Craft Robo devices; the brands later joined forces to build Silhouette as a global brand. According to an industry portal, Silhouette America was founded in October 2009 as a subsidiary of Graphtec America, originally based in Orem, now in Lindon, Utah. According to Make:, the Cameo series appeared in 2011 and is now in its fifth generation (Cameo 5α), and is also available as the larger Cameo Pro MK-II. According to the trade magazine Graphics Pro, Neil Zdunkawicz, later head of Graphtec America, built up a European office for Silhouette America in the Netherlands; today Silhouette Europe B.V. (also Graphtec Europe B.V. in the legal notice section) operates there. A company called "Silhouette Research & Technology" could not be verified in the sources consulted. Silhouette does not publish figures on revenue or employees.

Customer support and warranty

According to the manufacturer, support is by email (support@silhouetteamerica.com) and via a ticket system with an FAQ library; a phone number or support hours are not given on the contact page. For Europe there is the site silhouetteeurope.eu from Silhouette Europe B.V. (Netherlands) with a German version, dealer finder and its own page on returns and warranty; in Germany the devices are sold mainly through specialist and electronics retailers, and no German direct shop from Silhouette could be verified. For the United Kingdom and Ireland, Graphtec GB as official importer provides warranty and technical support. The warranty period could not be verified with the manufacturer: a US retailer cites one year through Silhouette America, and MediaMarkt shows a "2 years warranty" badge for the Cameo Pro MK-II; the statutory warranty with the retailer applies regardless. On Trustpilot, silhouetteamerica.com has 1.5 out of 5 stars from only 36 reviews (as of October 2026), 89% of them 1 star, mainly about hard-to-reach support, software and firmware problems and subscription cancellations; according to Trustpilot the company does not respond to negative reviews.

Environment and commitment

The sources consulted name no specific environmental or social commitment.

Criticism and problems

No major documented problems found. We are not aware of any recalls or authority notices for Silhouette plotters (checked: CPSC and GOV.UK, as of 10/2026). Trustpilot reviews repeatedly contain complaints about poor support availability, missing spare parts for older devices such as the Cameo 4, Silhouette Studio software crashes and unclear minimum terms for subscriptions; the number of reviews is small, however. The manufacturer's information does not make clear which company is the warranty provider for German buyers.

Research as of 10/2026. Information on support and reviews changes; please report errors via the Contact form.

Silhouette does not sell these devices directly in Germany, but through retailers.

Official help and wiki: Silhouette Support