I have a Cricut I purchased 4 years ago now, and I immediately load SCAL onto it, I have the use of over 5000 types of fonts and 1000's and 1000's of images, I also have software programs which allow me to make them into images and load them thru SCAL then cut.If you were to advertise on craigslist or even look on ebay for a Cricut machine that has SCAL 1 on it already, you should be able to use it for your cake stuff. I have seen numerous videos on youtube about how to convert a regular machine into a cake machine, just make sure you also clean it thuroughly and change out the blade. It will work.BTW, I absolutely LOVE my Cricut with SCAL.