If you want to make professional looking stickers, decals, or labels, you’ll want to learn how to double cut vinyl. Here’s a step by step guide on how to do it with your Cricut Maker.
Checkout this video:
Checkout this video: Prepping Your Design
When you’re ready to cut your design, open up Design Space and click “New Project.” Find your image, then select “Insert images.” When the menu appears, select “Upload,” then “Browse,” and find your file. It will now appear in the bottom left corner of the workspace.
Open your design in Design Space
The first step is to find or design the perfect image for your project. If you’re not sure where to start, check out Cricut Image Library for thousands of ready-to-make designs.
Once you have your design, open Cricut Design Space and click “+” to upload the image. For questions about using images with your Cricut machine, visit the Help Center.
After your image is uploaded, select it and click on the Attach button in the bottom right corner. This will “stick” your design elements together so they cut as one piece instead of individual pieces.
Select “mirror” so your design is reversed
When you’re weeding your design, you’ll want to make sure you’re removing the vinyl from the backing and not the design itself. If you’re having trouble tell which is which, hold your design up to a light source. The vinyl that you need to remove will be clear and the design will be opaque.
To make weeding easier, try using a weeding tool with a pointed tip. You can also use a craft knife or scissors to remove small pieces of vinyl.
Send your design to your Cricut
Before getting started, you need to send your design from Design Space to your Cricut machine. To do this:
1. Log in to Design Space.
2. Make sure the “Canvas” is selected in the upper left corner of the workspace.
3. In the upper right corner of the workspace, click “Make It” in the top menu bar.
4. In the next window, select your material type from the drop down menu under “Choose the material for your project.” If you are using Infusible Ink, select that option and then choose your transfer sheet size from the next drop-down menu. When you are finished making your selections, click “Continue.”
5. The next window will give you options for how you want your design cut out. Since we are cutting vinyl, we want to make sure that the “Mirror Images” box is NOT checked and that “Force Copies” is selected from the drop-down menu next to it before clicking “Continue.”
6. On the next screen, be sure that your material is loaded correctly into your Cricut machine (liner side up for Infusible Ink transfer sheets) and then click on the “C” in the lower right corner to send your design to your Cricut machine
Cutting Your Design
In this guide, we’ll show you how to double cut your vinyl design on Cricut Maker. This is a great way to make sure your design is extra precise and cut out perfectly.
Load your vinyl onto your mat
To start, you’ll need to gather your tools and materials. For this project you will need:
-A cutting machine (I used my Cricut Maker)
-Vinyl (I used pink and white for this project)
-A weeding tool
-Scissors
-Transfer tape (optional)
Once you have everything gathered, it’s time to load your vinyl onto your mat. If you are using a Cricut machine, I recommend using the strong grip mat. For this project, I am using 651 vinyl. Start by peeling the backing off of your vinyl. If you are using multiple colors, lay them out on your mat the way you want them to cut.
If you are using transfer tape, now is the time to apply it to your vinyl. Once the transfer tape is applied, use your weeding tool to remove any excess vinyl from around your design.
Select the “vinyl” setting on your Cricut
Be sure to mirror your design before cutting!
1. To do this, open up Design Space and click on “Edit” in the top toolbar. Select “Mirror” from the drop down menu. Your design will now be flipped horizontally.
2. Next, click on “Send to device” in the top toolbar.
3. A new window will pop up. Here, you will select the “vinyl” setting on your Cricut machine. If you are using a Cricut Maker, select the Material Type as “Vinyl – Light Grip” or “Vinyl – Medium Grip”. If you are using a Cricut Explore Air 2, select the Material Type as “Vinyl – Permanent Smooth”. Click “continue” when you are finished.
4. Another window will pop up with your design area surrounded by a white square box with red lined borders and arrows pointing in each direction. This is called the registration mark box and it helps your Cricut machine know where to start and stop cutting your design accurately
Cut your design
Now that you have your design ready to go, it’s time to cut it out! Here’s a quick overview of how to cut your design on the Cricut Maker.
1. First, make sure your design is flipped so that it will be mirrored when it’s cut. This is important for words and other text elements so that they’ll be readable after being cut out.
2. Next, select the material you’ll be cutting from the drop-down menu in Cricut Design Space. This will ensure that the machine knows what kind of blade and settings to use.
3. Then, load your cutting mat into the Cricut Maker and position your design on the mat. Make sure to use masking tape or other low-tack adhesive to keep your design in place while it’s being cut.
4. Finally, hit the “Cut” button in Cricut Design Space and watch as your machine brings your design to life!
Applying Your Design
When you’re ready to apply your design to your project, there are a few things you should do to prepare. First, make sure your design is the right size and shape for your project. You can use the “Canvas Size” tool in Cricut Design Space to resize your design. If you need to mirror your design, you can do that before you cut by clicking on the “Flip Horizontally” button.
Remove excess vinyl from your design
To remove excess vinyl from your design, first use a weeding tool to remove any small pieces of vinyl that are not part of your design. Next, use a craft knife to carefully cut away any larger pieces of vinyl that you do not want to use.
Apply transfer tape to your design
Before you apply transfer tape, be sure to weed your design. Next, cut a piece of transfer tape slightly bigger than your design. Place the transfer tape on top of your design at a slight angle so you can see if the entire design is making contact with the transfer tape. If necessary, lift the transfer tape and re-position it until the entire design is stuck to the tacky surface.
Place your design on your project surface
Before you can begin cutting your design, you’ll need to adhere it to your project surface. If you’re cutting vinyl, use transfer tape to move your design from the carrier sheet to your project surface. If you’re using Infusible Ink, place your design on an EasyPress mat or another protected surface before affixing it to your project with heat.
Rub over your design with a scraper
Make sure that your design is stuck to your transfer tape before you begin. If you find that parts of your design are not adhering to the transfer tape, simply rub over the entire design with a scraper. You can also use a hairdryer on a low heat setting to lightly heat up the surface and help the vinyl stick to the transfer tape.
Remove the transfer tape
To remove the transfer tape, start at one corner and peel it back at a steep angle. If the vinyl starts to come up with the tape, lay the tape back down and rub that area with your finger or a weeding tool. If you have trouble getting a corner started, you can use a razor blade held at a shallow angle to slice through the tape.