The Cutline WordPress Theme remains as one of my personal favorite WprdPress Theme due to it robust coding and no frills design. One of the earlier free theme by Chris Pearson before he sold it to SplashPressMedia, this theme has never been neglected in terms of development and upgrades. The latest version of Cutline which is only for WordPress 2.7 comes in 4 flavors.
The more advanced version is Cutline 2.2 while there are 3 versions of Cutline 1.4. Version 1.4 is pretty standard and there are no major changes in looks whatsoever. Only the codes have been upgraded to accomadate all the new features found in WordPress 2.7. All the old features in Cutline are still present like the revolving headers and the bold underlines.
Cutline 2.2 on the other hand has some code changes as well as some cosmetic changes. The feel of Cutline however remains and anyone who is familiar with the Cutline theme will know just by the looks of it even though it looks a little bit different from the original.
Version 2.2 has an all black and white shade. You will either hate it or love it at first sight. Personally, I have learned to love the theme. Even the 5 famous header images that revolves among the pages has been edited to black and white. You will not find a speck of any other colors to it. Appreciation of the Cutline Theme is an aqquired taste and not something that you will like at first sight. The more you look at it, the more you will like it.
Code wise, Cutline 2.2 for WordPress 2.7 comes as a child theme. Within the parent folder of Cutline 2.2 is another folder holding the codes that are used. Many top theme designers have taken this route in WordPress Theme design and it is my prediction that themes by top class designers will be along this format in the near future. By doing so, it cuts down the chances of breaking the theme for users who likes to mod their themes. So when you upload the theme, make sure you upload the main or parent folder. Many have made the mistake of just uploading the “child” as the folder is also titled as Cutline 2.2. The theme will not work this way as it needs the “parent codes” to function.
If you are looking for a simple theme that is well coded, validates in every which way and very SEO friendly, the Cutline theme is the one for you. Even though this is a free theme, the owners have kept supporting this theme with regular updates on a blog dedicated specially for the Cutline Theme, right from the old original theme to the present Cutline 2.2 For WordPress 2.7
