How to best use heat transfer vinyl scraps so you're not wasting vinyl!

Makers Gonna Learn

Top 10 Silhouette School Blog posts in 2017

One of the great features of Silhouette Studio Designer Edition is the ability to import SVG files. A SVG file, short for scalable vector graphic, can be resized large or small without losing quality. I love SVG files because they can be used with almost every cutting software. Many designers (including me) will often give away free SVG files. … Read more...

How to Update Silhouette Cameo Firmware - Tips & Troubleshooting for Getting It Done!

Learn how each type of heat transfer vinyl (iron on) needs to be layered for lasting results! Get my tips and tricks and best practices!

Vinyl Wet Method Application tutorial for Silhouette users.

Silhouette Layering Vinyl Tutorial (The No-Fail Method)

Did you know that you can apply vinyl to cardstock - giving you even more creative possibilities for your SVG designs?!! Here are some special tips on how to apply adhesive vinyl to cardstock. We're using a mandala design from the Big Mandala Design Bundle - it's one of 121 mandala designs in the bundle! Tip #1 - Type of cardstock Use a super smooth, heavyweight cardstock - 110 lb worked great for our project. Avoid paper and cardstock that is thin or textured. Tip #2 - Type of transfer tape To transfer the vinyl onto the cardstock, use a low or medium tack transfer tape. When transferring separate vinyl pieces, reuse the same transfer tape multiple times. This will reduce its stickiness (and reduce the chance of tearing the cardstock!) Tip # 3 - How to apply the vinyl The vinyl adhesive is super sticky. Apply gentle pressure over the cardstock - only over the vinyl areas under the transfer tape, not over the entire piece of transfer tape. Avoid burnishing the transfer tape to the cardstock. Tip # 4 - How to remove transfer tape Slowly and carefully roll the transfer tape back - don't peel it straight up off the cardstock. Work slowly! While one hand rolls back the transfer tape, use the other to hold the cardstock onto your work surface. In this project, we transferred 9 sections of a mandala to 9 different pieces of cardstock - WITHOUT a single rip or tear. And we used the same piece of transfer tape for almost every single one. Find this mandala design (plus lots more!) in the Big Mandala Design Bundle! Please note that you will find this mandala design intact in the bundle - we used software to cut it into sections for different frames. Watch this timelapse video to see how we created this framed mandala wall decor: Love it?! Pin it for later:

Silhouette beginners guide to importing images and how to use the trace tool

Silhouette tutorial for easier weeding and better cutting.

Are you ready to take your crafting to the next level? Learn how easy it is to print and cut using your Silhouette Cutting Machine in this step by step tutorial.

You don't need to shy away from distressed designs just because you don't want to weed them. I have few tricks my sleeve for avoiding weeding distressed and grunge designs and today I'm going to share them with you! I've shared the heat transfer vinyl self-weeding hack with you - which is my go to for hard to weed HTV designs. It's perfect for distressed designs. There are also a few other ways to use distressed designs that also avoid cutting and weeding all those tiny parts. Inkjet printable heat transfer material such as Starcraft for lights is a super fast and no-cut option. When you print a distressed design or font onto inkjet printable material, the distressed areas are left unprinted. When they are applied to the surface - those areas will be left as open distressed areas as well. Sublimation is a similar option, just with a sublimation printer! With sublimation you literally print the design out using special sublimation paper and sublimation ink. Only the areas where there is ink - which would NOT be the distressed areas - are transferred onto the surface when you apply heat and pressure. Distressed designs are far easier to work with when you print them onto printable adhesive vinyl like Oracal 1917. This is especially true on multi colored designs. If you have a distressed design that you have to cut and then attempt to line up on multiple layers of vinyl there's a good chance it may be off a smidge. But with a print and cut on printable adhesive vinyl there's risk of the distressed areas not lining up since you're printing them as a single layer. Finally, stickers! When it comes to distressed designs and fonts, stickers work the same way as all the other printable materials mentioned above. Just print the designs on the sticker paper and set the cut line to cut edge. Now that you know you can use distressed designs and fonts without having to worry about cutting and weeding all those little 'innards', you don't need to shy away from them! Pick up the Distressed and Grunge Starter Bundle from So Fontsy while it's 90% off for a limited time!! It includes 71 distressed designs and 5 distressed fonts for $21.99 til January 6, 2020. Note: This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing products through my links, I receive a small commission. That's what helps fund Silhouette School so I can keep buying new Silhouette-related products to show you how to get the most out of your machine! Get Silhouette School lessons delivered to your email inbox! Select Once Daily or Weekly. Subscribe Here!

Silhouette Studio V4 tutorial on how to replicate a design, shape, or text.

How to remove Heat Transfer Vinyl Mistakes.

Trick to save heat transfer vinyl when you're making multi-color HTV designs.

Download over 200 free SVG cut files with commercial use. Includes Valentine's Day, Wedding, Home, Christmas, Halloween, Fall, and more!

How to Fix Silhouette CAMEO 4 Calibration Problems.

Tutorial on how to use Edit Points in Silhouette Studio

Need a quick and easy way to know the time, temperature, and pressure settings for popular sublimation blanks? These sublimation cheat sheets give you the answers, plus offer tips and tricks for getting your sublimation transfer right the first time.

Keen on making your first vinyl decal, but not sure where to start? We share expert top tips on how to weed and transfer vinyl easily.

Learn how to quickly and easily print a catalog of the fonts installed on your computer.

Problems Detecting Registration Marks on Silhouette...and How to Fix It!

This Silhouette CAMEO tutorial for beginners will walk you through step by step how to print and cut with Silhouette Studio V4. This beginner tutorial focuses on the new version of Silhouette Studio (V4) to help anyone who’s new to Silhouette or transitioning to V4 from an older version of the Silhouette Studio software.

I know everyone is always looking for the “perfect cut settings”.Well, let’s just start with That is a myth! What you will see is many “suggested settings”.Even in the Silhouette software, there are “preset settings“.These are just a starting point. Why? Well, the first reason is Not all materials are created the same.You may have… Continue reading Perfect Cut Settings in Silhouette

Love thin fonts in Silhouette Studio but don't love the hassle of cutting them? Learn two ways to thicken a thin font for better cutting on your Cameo.

The one product guaranteed to make vinyl stick to wood!

Silhouette CAMEO tutorial for beginners on how to cut vinyl with Silhouette. Blog post will walk you through step by step on setting up Silhouette Studio to cut vinyl and then actually cutting your first vinyl decal.

Tips on how best to cut construction paper on the Silhouette.

Learn everything you need to know about how to use transfer tape! Whether you are using a Cricut, Silhouette, or other cutting machine, I will walk you through the process of using transfer tape (or transfer paper) with your adhesive vinyl decals and vinyl lettering in this written tutorial and video!

How to Find Best Silhouette CAMEO 4 Cut Settings for Any Material! Stop wasting sheets of material on bad Silhouette cuts. Use this proven process!

​Sometimes you encounter small problems opening svg files in Silhouette Studio. You want to know how to open svg files? Here is the easy way.

Learn how to cut by color with your Silhouette and make this cute multi-colored DIY mermaid bag even easier to make! I guarantee this will be your new go-to technique for cutting and layering multiple colors of vinyl with your Silhouette, and the video tutorial will walk you through each step.

Makers Gonna Learn

*Updated March 7, 2012 to include this tip from Diane I got the impression that you should never use your cameo with the blade set higher than 3. If you lo ...

If you are not using Templates in Cricut Design Space, you are missing out on something very cool! This is a feature that can cut your designing time when used correctly, and today I am going to show you how to use it.

Makers Gonna Learn