How to Cut Vinyl on Cricut: A Complete Tutorial

 

Hey there! Hope you are doing well! For a few months, I have been getting huge requests from everyone to create a blog on the topic “How to cut vinyl on Cricut.” So, I am going to show you the whole process of this project in this blog.

Since I want to make it easier for you to understand the application of vinyl, I am using a simple project. Besides, I have chosen a heart-based design, which will be applied to a mug. And this mug is going to be a birthday gift for my girlfriend, which is coming next month. However, if you want to create the same design, then you can follow each step I provided in this blog. So, I will take you through each and every step. So don’t worry! Let’s delve into it!

Step 1: Collecting All the Cricut Supplies & Tools

Before I walk you through the steps of how to cut vinyl on Cricut, ensure you have the essential supplies. These items are necessary to work on this project. Here’s the list of required supplies that I will use to cut my vinyl:

●     Cricut Machine (I am using a Maker 3)

●     Cutting Mat (Choose from StandardGrip Mat (Green) or LightGrip Mat (blue)

●     Weeding Tool

●     Transfer Tape

Step 2: Creating a Mug Design

Now, I will show you the design I chose for this project. Before this, ensure you have downloaded and installed the Cricut Design Space. Since I did not have much time to create a design from scratch, I looked for the design from Design Space itself. If you don’t know, Cricut provides a range of free images, fonts, and pre-made projects that you can use anytime you want.

Here, I opened my Design Space and pressed the New Project tab.

Once I was inside it, I looked for the design from the library. Since I have a subscription to the Cricut Access library, I selected this one.

Besides, you can upload your file if you have any. So, after selecting my design, I just clicked on the Add to Canvas button. On the canvas, you will be able to edit or resize the design accordingly

Step 3: Placing Your Vinyl on the Cricut Mat

Once I was done with my design, I moved to prepare my vinyl. For this, I placed the vinyl on my Cricut mat. While placing the vinyl onto the mat, I always keep my mat on a flat surface and remove all the dirt. 

After cleaning the mat a little bit, I placed the vinyl. Note that you should not use full-size vinyl if your design is very small. In addition, you should place the paper liner backing downward on the mat and align the vinyl corner with the corner of the mat’s grid.

Step 4: Choosing Material Settings

Now, we have placed the vinyl on the mat. Let’s do the required settings on Design Space for materials. For these settings, I moved to my Design Space and clicked on a button - Make It located at the top right corner. By clicking on this button, you will be asked a few questions to get a suitable pressure cut for the vinyl.

Since I am using Cricut Maker (a Cricut that cuts vinyl), I am selecting a specific type of vinyl. After that, I chose the vinyl that I am using for my project. 

Step 5: Cutting & Weeding Out Excess Vinyl 

Okay! I am also done with my material settings. Now, here comes the exciting part, i.e., Cutting! I really love cutting different materials on my Maker 3. Hence, let me show you how to cut vinyl on Cricut. To cut the material, I have to press the Start button on Cricut Maker 3. Here, my machine started showing its cutting magic! After cutting, take your weeding tool and start weeding the excess vinyl. 

Step 6: Applying Vinyl on Your Mug

 Now, the last step was as follows:

1. First, I clean my project surface to remove the debris and oil.
2. After that, I took the transfer tape and cut it into the desired piece (keeping the same size as my design).
3. Before applying, peeling the paper liner from the transfer tape is essential.
4. Then, I place it on top of the cut vinyl design.
5. Next, I remove the design from a cutting mat and position it on my project. 
6. After placing it onto the project, I removed the transfer tape from the paper backing. 

Look, here is my final work! With this tutorial, you might have understood how to cut vinylon Cricut. So, do you have something special to make with this Cricut vinyl? If yes, this blog will be your complete guide.

FAQs

Question 1: How to apply Cricut vinyl to my project?

Answer: First of all, you will need to cut the design using your Cricut cutting machine. After that, follow the below steps:

1. Carefully place the transfer tape along with your vinyl designs onto the project surface.
2. Make sure the project surface is clean.
3. Now, burnish the transfer tape onto the project surface.
4. After applying the vinyl to the surface, you have to peel it off.
5. Finally, you have applied your vinyl to your project.

Question 2: Which tool is compatible with cutting vinyl on Cricut Maker?

Answer: The best and most compatible tool that can cut the vinyl on a Cricut Maker machine is Fine Point Blade. This tool is a standard blade for cutting a wide range of materials, like vinyl, iron-on, cardstock, and much more. Hence, you should always use the right tool or blade on your Cricut machine to ensure the best quality results.

Question 3: How can I cut my Cricut permanent vinyl?

Answer: First of all, you will need basic supplies such as transfer tape and weeding tools. To learn howto cut vinyl on Cricut, follow the simple steps below.  

1. First of all, I will cut my design on Cricut.
2. Then, I will weed the design using my weeding tool.
3. After that, cut the required size of transfer tape.
4. Now, peel off the backing from the transfer tape and place it onto your design.
5. Finally, you have to place it on the project surface.