Do you want to cut adhesive vinyl with a Cricut machine, but you are not sure how to go about it 🤔? The good news is that it is actually very easy! This article will teach you the simple steps for cutting vinyl on your Cricut device and show you how to get beautiful results every time.
Cricut machines are amazing creative tools for all sorts of projects, from home decor to personalized gifts and more. But cutting vinyl with the Cricut can turn out to be tricky when you are just starting out.
Whether you are a Cricut beginner or a more experienced crafter, it is worth taking a minute to learn how to cut and apply adhesive craft vinyl so you get the best results on your surfaces!
What Is Adhesive Vinyl?
First of all, adhesive vinyl (or sticker vinyl) is made up of two different parts. The top layer is the vinyl itself, and it has an adhesive side. This is the material you are going to cut and apply to create your project. The second layer is a paper backing made of cardstock.
You can think of vinyl a bit like a sticker. On top you have the sticker, and on the back you have a paper liner that keeps it from sticking to objects by accident.
Vinyl can be applied to most flat surfaces. It works best on smooth, non-porous items like walls, glass and plastic. ✔️
❗ IMPORTANT: Do not confuse vinyl with heat-transfer flex. Heat-transfer flex is mainly used on clothing. You need to use an iron or a heat press to apply the design to the surface.
Whereas adhesive vinyl transfers onto surfaces thanks to its adhesive side, so it is not heat-applied. An easy way to tell the two apart is to look at the back of the product. Heat-transfer flex is covered with a clear plastic layer, while vinyl has a paper backing with a grid.
Cutting Vinyl with Cricut
To cut vinyl on a Cricut machine, you will need a few supplies and tools before you start your craft project.
Here they are!
1️⃣ - The supplies you need:
- A Cricut Machine, in this case we are going to use the Cricut Maker.
- A Cricut Mat (you need to use a Cricut mat when working with your vinyl).
- Some Transfer Tape (whether for glossy or matte vinyl, the tape is essential for transferring the design you have cut onto a smooth surface.)
- A Weeding Hook (it is used to remove the excess pieces of vinyl that do not belong to your design. If you do not like using a weeding tool, you can also use tweezers.)
- Some Adhesive Vinyl (this is the centerpiece of the project, without adhesive vinyl you will not have a design to transfer.)
Now let's go ahead and create a project in vinyl with the Cricut! 😀 We will walk you through every step and explain the whole process.
2️⃣ - Prepare Your Design in the Cricut Software
For those using an image from the Cricut Design Space image library, the project is probably ready to be cut. You do not need to take any extra steps and you should be ready to send the image to the machine.
If you do not have any preset projects or images, you may need to take a few different steps to get the project ready for cutting. Users often upload their files in SVG or JPEG format, which require you to make adjustments to the colors, groups and layers of the image in order to get a clean cut.
Once your logo has been uploaded into the software, you will land in the background removal tool, where you will need to remove the background from your design to make cutting easier. (If you have already done this step outside the software, click "apply and continue".)
To check that your image is ready to be cut, you can click the green "Make It" button 🟢 located in the top right corner once you have uploaded the image to the virtual mat.
If the software tells you the image is "incompatible", it means you need to reduce the size of the image.
When your image is ready to be cut, the Cricut software will take you to a new preparation page:
After pressing "Make It", you will notice that your image is split by color into different parts in the software. These different parts allow you to cut projects with several colors using your machine.
Once the design is split, you will be able to set the number of copies you want to make of your project.
Check that your design is correctly placed on the software's virtual mat. You do not need to cut your design in "mirror" mode to cut adhesive vinyl.
At this point, you are ready to send the image to the next step.
3️⃣ - Send the Finished Image to the Cricut Device for Cutting
You are now almost ready to cut your design. All you have to do is follow the on-screen instructions. Check that your Cricut device is turned on. After making sure the device is turned on and connected, you need to set your machine to the "vinyl" material.
You can also use glitter vinyl in your projects, and to do so you will need to set your Cricut machine to "Glitter Vinyl" ✨
Now that everything is ready in the program, you need to know how to place vinyl on a mat for Cricut cutting. Start by taking your piece of vinyl and placing it on your cutting mat. Make sure the cardstock backing is placed on the mat and that the vinyl material is on top. ✅
Take the cutting mat and the adhesive vinyl and load them into the Cricut machine. To load it correctly, press the button with the arrow on the Cricut machine. ⏫
Once the mat is loaded correctly, the program should give you the option to start the cutting process by pressing the Cricut logo button.
While the machine is cutting, you will be able to follow its progress with a progress bar on your screen. Once the machine has finished the cutting process, you press the arrow button to unload the cutting mat. ⏬
If your project only needs one color, you will be done.
For projects with several colors, peel the vinyl off the cutting mat. Then place a new sheet of vinyl in the required color on the mat. You repeat the previous steps to get as many colors as needed to complete the project.
Once all the vinyl sheets are cut, unload the cutting mat and click the "Finish" button. You have now finished cutting your vinyl with the Cricut device!
To finally get the design you have been waiting for, you need to move on to the weeding step. This step lets you remove the excess vinyl cut by the machine that does not belong to your design. It is practically impossible to weed vinyl by hand, which is why it is strongly recommended to use a weeding hook.
When this step is done, your vinyl design should appear in perfect condition. 😊
Transferring the Adhesive Vinyl Design
Transferring the vinyl needs to be done with transfer tape in order to move it onto the surface where you want to apply it. To transfer the adhesive vinyl correctly, you first need to attach the vinyl design to the transfer tape by following this process:
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Cut a piece of tape the size of your design and remove the tape's liner.
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Once the liner is removed, place your tape over the vinyl image you plan to transfer. The transfer tape should be placed on top of the design. To make the tape stick lightly to the design, press on it, starting from the center and then moving outward to avoid bubbles. You can use an application squeegee to apply the vinyl onto the tape correctly.
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Finally, lift the tape and the vinyl design should stick to the tape, separating from its cardstock paper backing.
You are now ready to apply the image to your surface and finish your project. 😎
To apply the vinyl properly, you need to follow these steps:
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Make sure the project surface has been cleaned and that there is no small dust that could harm the durability of the vinyl or spoil its appearance. Also make sure the surface is dry. Once the surface is clean and dry, you can place the tape paper holding the design onto the desired surface.
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After placing the tape and the vinyl on the surface and positioning them correctly, you need to go over the tape several times with an application squeegee so that the design sticks to the surface. Start by rubbing in the center and then move outward to avoid creases or bubbles in the vinyl.
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Once the adhesive vinyl image is fixed in place, peel off your transfer tape.
If the tape paper does not separate from the vinyl, you need to go over the vinyl more with the application squeegee so the design can stick to the surface.
Once you have gone through all these steps, your vinyl should be correctly applied to the surface of your project! You have now successfully cut and applied adhesive vinyl with the Cricut machine. 😉
To order quality adhesive vinyl, feel free to take a look at our Adhesive Vinyl Shop compatible with all Cricut machines and tools!
