A vinyl cutter cuts custom designs out of vinyl sheets using a small blade. The Maker Hub has three vinyl cutters for use and two kinds of vinyl available:
- Heat-transfer vinyl which can be applied to clothing or pieces of fabric
- Adhesive-backed vinyl for creating custom, durable stickers and decals
How to Use a Vinyl Cutter
Everything you need to cut vinyl can be found in the Maker Hub, including the design and control softwares for the machines. As always, you can find a volunteer to help you get set up, but here are the general steps to follow:
- Create or find a design | If searching online, use keywords such as "silhouette", "black and white", and "svg" to filter for clean images that the software can easily trace. If creating a custom image, you can use Canva, Adobe Illustrator, or design directly in the control software. Remember that our vinyl cutters cannot print colors, but instead simply cut shapes out of colored vinyl.
- Import your model into the control software | Depending on what machine you use, you will need to open either Silhouette Studio or Cricut Design Space. Then trace the image to create a red cut path.
- Load the machine with vinyl | This is where you choose what vinyl you are using for your project. The Maker Hub has an assortment of vinyls to choose from.
- Send the job | After confirming the cut settings (always a good idea to have a volunteer check these as well) you can start the job!
- Weed out the extra vinyl | After the machine is finished, pull up any extra vinyl that is not part of your design. This process is called "weeding".
- You have a sticker! Depending on what vinyl you selected you can now stick that onto a surface, or use an iron or the t-shirt press to adhere it to fabric.