In digital textile printing industry, one of the main factors that determine the appropriate machine is material. It is important to consider the type of material you will be cutting. Digital cutters might go through vinyl like butter, but die cutters have an advantage even over CNC routers when it comes to materials such as hard aluminum and other tough, rigid materials—their speed will remain the same, no matter how tough the substrate. Traditional cutting machines are not suitable for materials such as extremely thick acrylics, after about one inch of thickness, these machines have a tendency to snap and strain the materials they’re cutting because of their punching design. For these thick materials, a digital cutter is usually more useful because it can saw through the thick material without damaging it. Digital laser cutting machines in the printing and sign industry are on the rise. These machines use ultra-sharp durable blades and laser-cutting techniques to cut a variety of materials at high speeds and with a huge amount of versatility and customizability. This has led many in the industry to wonder if the days of the traditional cutting machine, after all, given the speed and versatility of digital cutters and their decreasing price, won’t they naturally squeeze out their ancient analog predecessors? Well, the truth isn’t that simple. While digital cutting machines are likely to continue to grow in popularity, industry experts don’t see the traditional cutting machine going anywhere—for several reasons.