Portrait 3 Print and Cut Gift Labels

Hi Everyone! Only a few more days until Christmas and I’ve still got quite a bit of gift wrapping to do! I always seem to run out of the little sticker gift tags very quickly. So this week I’m going to share a quick way to make your own using my Portrait 3 and the Print and Cut feature.

To do this project you will need the following: (links below may be affiliate links)

Some clip art (you can download my snowflake here for free)

Printable Sticker Paper (I’m using this one from Online labels)

Inkjet or laser printer

Silhouette Portrait 3

Autoblade

I’m going to open Silhouette Studio and create a new file. I’m using the business version, yours may look slightly different if you do not have the business version.

I turn on the registration marks so I know where to place my artwork and these will also be printed to the machine knows where to cut.

I’m going to do these matless (I love being able to cut stickers matless!) So under the Design area menu my Cutting Mat will be set to None. My Media size is Letter 8.5 x 11.

I load my snowflake PNG file (it’s pretty big when I first bring it in) and I scale it down to about 2 inches. You can scale it to whatever size you wish. I’m also going to change the red lines around the snowflake to transparent so they don’t print later.

Then I’m going to create an offset around the outside of the snowflake, this will be my cut line. I make my offset 0.125 inches from the edge of the snowflake.

Next, I’m going to make a rounded rectangle so I can add a To and From area onto my label. I make my rectangle approximately 2 inches wide by 0.75 inches tall.

The I’m going to Weld my rectangle and the offset cutline together so I have one continuous shape to cut.

I add the To and From text in the rectangle area. I’m using the Lucida Grande font at 10pt. You can use whatever font you prefer.

I’m going to group everything together and now my label is ready to be duplicated. I can fit 9 of these labels within the print and cut area. Make sure your artwork is NOT falling into the grey mesh areas too much, it can mess with the machine when it’s trying to scan the registration lines.

Now it’s time to print my labels! First, I tried printing directly from Silhouette Studio and I got some glitchy lines in the To and From letters. So instead of printing directly from Silhouette Studio, I’m going to save my design as a PDF and print from Photoshop.

To save your file as a PDF from Silhouette Studio, click on the printer icon. Then in the bottom left corner, click on the dropdown menu and select Save as PDF. Name your file and save it to where ever you want on your computer.

Open the PDF that you just saved in Photoshop, or other application the can print PDFs if your don’t have Photoshop. Make sure you DO NOT scale the file when you print it. Now everything looks like it’s supposed to!

Back in Silhouette Studio, I’m going to the Send tab and I always like to cut my files by Line color. My cut lines are red, so I make sure the box is checked next to the red square. I want my stickers to be kiss cut so my setting are as follows - Material is Sticker Paper, White; Blade depth: 2; Force: 14; Speed: 3.

I load my printed sticker paper with out the mat and press Send in Silhouette Studio.

My machine scans the registration marks and starts cutting. Once it’s finished I have a set of little snowflake gift labels to help me finish my gift wrapping!

Cutting Full Sticker Sheets with Your Cricut - Part 3 - Final Cutting

Hi Everyone!

This week we’re going to take everything we’ve practiced so far and cut our final sticker sheets!

I’m using matte sticker paper from Online Labels. I’m printing them on the same Epson SureColor P600 printer that I used for my test prints.

I’m going to print one sheet initially to compare with one of my test prints from last week. I’m checking to make sure my stickers are printed in the same place on my sticker paper as the plain paper.

I am printing directly from Illustrator, but this time I’m hiding the cut lines layer, so the grey offset will not print on my actual stickers.

Remember, make sure your print dialog box says DO NOT SCALE the artwork.

My sticker paper is just a hair longer than my plain paper, the excess length is at the bottom of my print. So I have to keep that in mind when I’m placing the sticker sheet on the mat.

I’m going to carefully place my sticker sheet within the black lines on my mat, the longer bottom edge will slightly overlap the bottom black line.

I’m using the same cut lines that I already uploaded to Design Space for my test cut.

For this sticker sheet I’m going to do a Kiss Cut. So far I have found the Washi Sheet material setting works best for kiss cuts for this particular brand of sticker paper. I have to click on Browse All Materials to find the Washi Sheet material, unfortunately I keep getting an error when I try to save it to my favorites, so I have to search for it every time.

I load my mat like we practiced in Part 1 and press the Go button.

I check my cuts, everything looks good. So now I’m going to print and cut a few more! If you want die-cut stickers, try the regular sticker paper setting or the light cardstock setting. You may need to do 2 passes to cut all the way through the backing paper.

This process is very tedious when you’re first starting, so don’t expect perfect results right away. But once you learn all the little nuances of your Cricut machine and your printer you won’t need to rely on the Print & Cut feature and you can cut full sheets of stickers!

Cutting Full Sticker Sheets with Your Cricut - Part 2 - Test Printing

Hi Everyone!

This week is another important step when creating full sticker sheets to cut on your Cricut Machine.

I always print a few test sheets on plain paper before I cut the actual sticker paper. Once you learn all the little nuances of your machine, you will probably be able to skip this step. But when you are just beginning to using this method, it’s best to practice, practice, practice before jumping into using your expensive sticker paper.

I already set up my artwork in Adobe Illustrator with my offset cutlines. If you need some guidance on creating offsets in Illustrator, you can check out my previous posts here and here.

When I set up my art files in Illustrator I have 2 separate layers. First, the ARTWORK layer that we will use to print our stickers directly from Illustrator. Second, the CUTLINE layer that we will export as an SVG and import into Cricut Design Space.

Very Important: My cut layer contains a bracket in each corner of the 8.5” x 11” artboard. This is going to help us line up the cut lines in Design Space. Make sure you include these brackets when you set up your file!

For my test print, I’m actually going to print the grey cutlines with the artwork so I can really see how far off my machine cuts and make the appropriate adjustments.

I’m using an Epson SureColor P600 printer, but you can use any inkjet printer for this method. I do not recommend using a laser printer for this method. Since laser printers use heat, you will run into shrinkage issues with your paper and your cuts will be off unless you calculate the proper shrinkage. The shrinkage is very minimal, but it is noticeable.

I’m going to print 3 copies of my artwork on plain paper so I have a couple of extra to practice.

Your print dialog box will probably look different , but make sure the image is NOT SCALED when printing.

Check your printouts carefully to make sure they are straight and the artwork is is the same position on all 3 printouts. If the artwork is shifted, at all, in any of the printouts you will need to test and/ or adjust your printer to make sure you are getting the same print placement everytime.

After checking your print outs, carefully place one of the printouts inside the rectangle on the mat that we prepped in last weeks post. Take your time when doing this to make sure your paper is properly aligned within the rectangle.

Now we’re going to open our cut lines only in Design Space. I exported that layer as a separate SVG from Illustrator and imported it into Design Space.

Check that the dimension of the imported artwork are 8.5” x 11” like our file in Illustrator. Those very important brackets that you put in the corners on the artboard in Illustrator help ensure that the dimensions remain 8.5” x 11.

ATTACH all of your elements, and the press MAKE IT.

Those very important corner brackets are also going to help keep your artwork in the proper place in the upper left corner of the mat, but not beyond those red border lines in Design Space.

I select Copy Paper and Default pressure for my material settings.

Now I carefully load my mat into the machine like we practiced last week, and press GO!!

After the machine is done cutting, load your mat and let’s check the results!

So on my first attempt, my paper is placed just a hair too high up on the mat. So for my next try I’m going to try to do a better job aligning the bottom edge of my paper to the bottom line that’s drawn on the mat.

My 2nd attempt is much better! Remember it’s never going to be absolutely perfect, there are so many variables that go into this process and there will always be some level of human error. But it’s up to you how much time and effort you want to spend trying to perfect your cuts. Also, the more you do it, the better you’re going to become.

Since the offset on my actual stickers will be white, I’m ok with my second attempt. I’m really going to focus on lining up my paper along the bottom line on my mat for my future cuts.

If you are doing a colored offset, make sure you add some bleed around the edges so if it cuts slightly off there won’t be any white showing. Also, a wider offset will make a slightly off cut less noticeable.

Next week we’ll print on the actual sticker paper and cut some stickers!

Spellbinders Glimmer Foil with the WRMK Foil Quill

Links in the article below may be affiliate links.

Hi Everyone! Last week I tried out the Spellbinders Glimmer foils with the Cricut Foil Transfer tool and my Cricut Maker, and I got some pretty decent results. This week I want to try the foils with my WRMK Foil Quills since they are actually intended to be hot foils. So here we go!

I am most excited to try the holographic foils. They transferred okay with the Cricut Foil Transfer tool, but the holographic effects were kind of lost.

I started out with the gold glittery foil on my heavy white cardstock with the medium foil quill. There are some little spots where the foil didn't transfer completely, especially in my filled shapes. But you can see the glittery effect much more that you could with the foil transfer tool.

I tried it out again on black cardstock with some different single line drawings. Again, some spots where it didn’t completely. The holographic effect was also not as noticeable on the black cardstock. So overall, the gold holographic glitter didn’t do great on cardstock.

Next I tried the silver holographic foil on black cardstock. Also, some spots where it didn’t transfer completely, especially in the filled shapes. But you can see the iridescent effect, especially when you hold the card at an angle. It’s really difficult to capture in a photo, but the iridescence is there!

Then I tried the regular metallics. First, the copper on black cardstock, still with the medium tip. It transferred BEAUTIFULLY!!

After that I tried the gold on my heavy white cardstock. It also worked beautifully!

I decided to give the holographic foils one last shot on some glossy clear sticker paper. First, I tried the gold holographic glitter with the medium tip. It transferred REALLY well to the sticker paper, and you can see sparkly holgraphic effect. (again, super difficult to photograph, but it looks really good in person).

Finally, my personal favorite, the silver holographic foil on the clear sticker paper. It is so pretty and transferred perfectly.

Overall, the holographic foils didn’t work great on cardstock, but they are gorgeous on my clear sticker paper. The regular metallics worked really well on cardstock, I didn’t test them on the sticker paper, but I imagine they would work great on that as well.

I’m really excited to try these foils with my Silhouette Portrait 3 machine where I can actually adjust the speed and pressure for the foil quill. I will post about that next week!

Creating an Offset for Stickers in Adobe Illustrator - Method 1

Hi Everyone! This week I want to share one of the methods I use to create offsets for my stickers. This is just one of the methods you can use. I like it because you can get a clean and simple cut line. I’ll be sharing some other methods in future posts.

For this method I will be using the Blob Brush tool in Adobe Illustrator.

Let’s get started!

Supplies: (Links below may be affiliate links)

• Sticker artwork (I’m using artwork I created in Adobe Fresco, you can use your own artwork)

• Adobe Illustrator CC

• Inkjet printer

• Sticker Paper (I’m using this waterproof vinyl paper)

• Cricut Maker or other Cricut machine

• Light Grip Mat (the blue one)

• Fine Point Blade

My artwork is a PNG file. I created it in Adobe Fresco and then exported it as a PNG so there is no background. I’m placing my artwork in Adobe Illustrator.

After I place my artwork, I create a new layer below my artwork layer. This is where we will be making the offset.

Lock the layer with the artwork so you don’t accidentally select it.

I’m picking a bright contrasting color so I can easily see my offset that I’m creating.

Select the Blob Brush tool (Shift + B)

I start “painting” around the edges of my artwork. I’m just going around the outer edge and making a small border around my artwork.

Once you are finished going around the edge, I turn off my artwork layer (click the eyeball in the layers panel). Now I’m only seeing the outline that I just painted.

Using my direct selection tool (white arrow, keyboard short cut “A”) I’m going to select the just the inside path and press DELETE.

Now you have a solid filled shape. If I want to refine my shape even more, I will go around the edges with the eraser tool (Shift + E) and the Smooth Tool.

I’m going to add a few more stickers, resize, and layout my artwork on my page.

Then add crop marks to the corners.

Next, I’m printing a test page directly from Illustrator to check the scale of my stickers. I’m keeping the offset showing on my test print so I can determine how far off my machine alignment is since I’m not using the Cricut Print and Cut function.

Once I’m happy with the scale of my stickers, I’m going to place my test print onto my blue cutting mat in the upper left corner. (My white border is the area that Design Space will not allow you to place your artwork beyond.)

I’m going to save my artwork file with the stickers and cut files as an AI (Illustrator file). Then I’m going to delete the sticker artwork, leaving only the cut lines and crop marks, and save this as and SVG file that we will upload into Cricut Design Space.

Upload the SVG file to Design Space and press INSERT IMAGES.

Select the very top layer and click ATTACH so all the cut lines and crop marks stay together.

Then press MAKE IT.

Make sure your top left crop mark is as far to the top left as Design Space will allow and press CONTINUE.

I am using the Printable Sticker Paper (white) material setting. I load my mat into the machine and press GO.

My machine alignment looks pretty good. I’m not going to get too fussy since it will be a white border.

Since my alignment is good, I’m going to print my designs from Illustrator on the actual sticker paper, without the cut lines showing.

Load my mat with the sticker paper this time. Select the Printable Sticker Paper material setting again. Load my mat and press GO.

Once the machine is done cutting, DO NOT REMOVE the mat. Check to make sure it cut all the way through the material. It took about 4 passes to get all the way through the sticker paper, I might try another material setting next time.

Now we have some cute kitty stickers! These are vinyl and waterproof so you can stick them on a water bottle, phone case, laptop, notebook, etc.

Kiss Cut Stickers on My Cricut Maker

Hello again! This week I’m going to to share the materials and settings I use to make my kiss cut stickers with my Cricut Maker.

Note: I’m cutting full 8.5 x11 sheets of sticker paper. I’m NOT using Cricut’s Print then Cut setting.

If you want me to go more in depth into any of the steps, let me know in the comments below!

Let’s get started!

Supplies: (Links below may be affiliate links)

• Color Inkjet or laser printer

• Cricut Maker

• Fine Point Blade

• Light Grip Mat (the blue one)

• Printable Sticker Paper (I’m using this one from Online Labels)

• Artwork for your stickers (I’m using my Valentine’s Day Clip Art)

I resized and laid out some of the elements from my clip art onto an 8.5 x 11 art board in Adobe Illustrator. (I originally drew my clip art in Procreate on my iPad and brought it into Photoshop to clean it up and make individual PNGs.)

I create a new layer below the sticker artwork. Then I used the Blob Brush (Shift + B) In Illustrator to make my cut lines around my stickers. (There are many other ways to do this, you may have a different method that you prefer).

I made my cut lines with a bright blue fill so they’re easier to see, you can make them any color you like.

I used the pen tool (P) to make registration marks in the 4 corners of the art board.

Save the file as and AI (Illustrator) file.

Then delete the actual sticker images so you only have the cut lines and registration marks. Save that as an SVG file (you will be uploading this to Design Space).

Re-open the AI file, and hide the layer with the cut lines and registration marks.

Now lets print our sticker artwork! Make sure your are printing your artwork at 100% scale, DO NOT select fit to page.

My printer takes forever, so while it’s printing I’m going to set up my cut file in Design Space. Upload the SVG the you saved of just the cutlines & registration marks. Select INSERT IMAGE.

Select the top layer so everything in the cut file is selected - cut lines & registration marks. Check the size of your artwork and make sure it’s 8.5 x 11.

Everything is 8.5 x 11 so with all the layers still selected, I’m going to click ATTACH then SAVE then MAKE IT.

I want the top left corner registration mark as far to the left and top of the mat as Design Space will allow me to go.

I’ve already done some alignment tests with my machine. (If you would like to see a post about my alignment process, leave a note in the comments section below). I’m going to place my printed sticker paper on my mat, right up against the white paper border I have in the corner.

The paper border in the corner represents the area of the mat that the machine will not cut, it’s the same as the area in Design Space where I cannot move my artwork beyond.

Then I’m going to press CONTINUE in Design Space.

For my material I’m going to select WASHI SHEET. So far, this is the best setting I have found for this particular paper and making kiss cut stickers.

(I was going to make a post on how to make your own custom material setting in Design Space, but it’s very glitchy. I’ve reported it and I’m waiting to hear back from the Cricut Team)

Load my Fine Point blade, load my mat into my machine and press GO!

Once it’s done cutting, unload your mat and CAREFULLY remove the sticker sheet from the mat.

Now you have a sheet of cute custom stickers!