Vinyl Cutter

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The library currently has three Silhouette Cameo vinyl cutters—two may be checked out after brief training on use. They have a cutting capacity of 8 x 12".

Things it can cut

  • Paper/cardstock up to 350 gsm thick
  • Vinyl (stickers! car decals!)
  • Iron-on transfer t-shirts!
  • Craft foam
  • Light weight fabric

How to make something

  1. Create an image or text in vector (specifically, .dxf) format. Suggested resources are here, and an explanation of vector images is here
  2. Install Silhouette Studio, plug the cutter into your computer, and load your .dxf file into the program
    1. If making a t-shirt, mirror your image so everything appears backwards
  3. Cut a piece of your material to the correct size and press it onto the sticky plastic that comes with your machine. This holds your material in place while cutting
  4. Click the Send tab and choose your material from the list on the right side
  5. Follow the instruction manual that came with the cutter to adjust the knife to the depth indicated by the material you chose
  6. Place the sticky plastic with material on top into the machine according to the instruction manual
  7. Press Send


Stickers

Once cut, carefully remove the extra material with a knife, then press a piece of transfer paper onto the top of your design. This will allow you to remove the design from its backing without distorting it.

T-shirts

See DIY T-shirts for further instructions.

It draws, too!

Replace the knife with a pen for drawing capabilities. See Vector Resources for tools and inspiration.

Things we've made

See Also