Hi Impact

Hi Impact

Print Then Cut - Tips and Tricks

**This post contains affiliate links.  By clicking on these links I make a small commission and you help to support my blog.  Thanks**

Have you ever had a print then cut project that cut out the words inside of your design, instead of cutting the overall shape of your design?  If so, then this is the tutorial for you!  I am going to show you a few things to look for and check BEFORE you send your project to the printer to make sure that you have everything set up correctly.

For this example, we are going to pretend that we want to make a label for a container in the kitchen.  We want the label to be white with the word sage on it.  We want to print the word sage in a nice thick bold font on the printer, and then have the Cricut just cut the label shape around the word.

In many of the Cricut message groups, I see people struggling with a project just like this.  They design things and have it looking how they want it in Design Space, and it prints out fine, but when they cut it on the Cricut it will cut both the shape of the label and the words sage that is inside of the label.  So let's look at why this is happening.

In our example, when we start off with two images from Cricut Design Space, they both come in as a cutting image.  We can tell that by looking at the layers panel to the right.  There are two items shown there, and they both say cut after them.  Also, if we look at the label shape, we can see the grid lines from the Cricut Design Space canvas through the shape.  This tells us that the shape is not solid.  Let's start by changing that, since we are going to want the Cricut to cut a solid label piece.

Click on the label shape, and in the lower right corner you will see the Contour button.

Click on that so that you can turn and that will allow you to turn parts of the cut on and off.  (watch the video at the end of this tutorial and it will show you)  This will change your label to a solid piece like what I have shown in the next image.

Now, since we do not want to print out a colored label, we want the shape of the label to be the white paper, we need to click on the label and at the top of the screen change the color to white.  Just click on the box that I circled in blue in the image below to change the color.

Now we are going to start to change these from cutting images to print then cut images.  First, right next to where you changed the color of the label to white, click on the Fill and change that from No Fill to Print.

Once you do that, look at the layers panel on the right hand side.  See how it now says Cut | Print next the image?  That tells you that it has changed over from a cutting image to a print then cut image.

Now click on the word sage, and go back to the Fill and change it from a No Fill to Print.  Now your screen should look like this

Now let's move the word sage over the label and position it where we want it on the label, and then after I have it positioned I am going to select both the label and the word sage and click on the Attach button in the lower right corner.  I circled it in the image below to help you find it.

This will hold the position of the word sage on the label and tell the Cricut where we want it placed within the label.  Now, this is the point where most people would stop and think they can send it to the printer and then cut it on their Cricut.  I can tell you that if you did that, the Cricut would still cut the label and the word sage out.  How do I know that?  Let's look at the layers panel on the right hand side after we have attached the word sage to the label . . .

It tells us that the two images are attached to each other, but you can see that it still lists each one separately as a different layer, with both of them saying Cut | Print after them.



This means it is still going to Cut both of them out.  Two lines on the layer panel means two layer to cut out.


We do not want that.  We want it to just cut the label.





So let's click on both items at the same time and select the Flatten button in the lower right corner and see what happens.  I circled the Flatten button in the image below to help you find it.

After you select Flatten, look at the layers panel on the right hand side.  You can see that everything is now all one image.  There is only one layer for everything!

So now if you send it to the printer, it will print the word sage and there will be a large black registration box around the word sage.  Then when you put this on the Cricut cutting mat, the Cricut will read the registration box and then know where to cut the label shape.

And if you prefer video tutorials, you can watch this . . .

I hope this helped you to learn something new about how to check your Print then Cut projects before sending them to the printer so that you are not frustrated with the end results not being what you wanted.

Keep following me and join my Teach Me Cricut Design Space group on Facebook!

Thanks!
Shawn's Teach me Cricut Design Space Group
Crafty Chic's Blog on Facebook // YouTube  //  Instagram  //  Crafting Pixie

Cricut Infusible Ink System

**This post contains affiliate links. By clicking on these links I make a small commission and you help to support my blog. Thanks** Cricut has been posting on their page for a while now that there will be a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT coming June 4th.  Well this morning I got up and checked the Cricut website and saw this . . .

The Cricut Infusible Ink System!  This will allow you to do multi colored high quality transfers for your projects, and from the look of the preview you can do them in a 12 x 12 format!

It also looks like Cricut will start to sell the blank items that you can decorate and customize with this system.

Here is a video that shows it in action



Now that the announcement is official on the Cricut site I am adding some more information.  These Infusible Ink transfer sheets can be purchased either pre-printed with pattern on them that you can cut on your existing Cricut cutting machine, or you can buy plain white laser ink paper and then use the Cricut Infusible Ink pens to draw images and then transfer those.

This will make image and colors infused into the item that you press it on to, instead of the image/color sitting on top of vinyl that you put onto a shirt.

No need to seal items like coasters.  For this to work, you do have to use the Cricut brand blanks to transfer images on to.  They only come in white right now.

It will be available June 16th online and June 21st at stores.
Infusible Ink Prices

Transfer sheets (4 pack)- $17.99
Transfer sheets (2 pack)- $12.99
All pen packs (5 pens)- $14.99
Heat Resistant tape- $6.99
Large Tote- $11.99
Med Tote- $9.99
Baby Body Suits- $6.99
Youth Shirts- $7.99
Adult Shirts- $9.99
Coasters (both round and square, 4 in each pack)- $12.99

 Keep following me and join my Teach Me Cricut Design Space group on Facebook!

Thanks!
Shawn's Teach me Cricut Design Space Group
Crafty Chic's Blog on Facebook //  YouTube  // Instagram  //  Crafting Pixie

Finding the Font Name after Welding Letters

Have you ever been working on a project and welded a word together but then later want to know what font you used so that you can edit or update something on the project?  If so, I have a couple of tips for you!

I was helping a lady that was working on a project she fount in Cricut Design Space in the Community section.  This is a project that was created by another Cricut user, and all that needed to be updated was the date to fit the new users needs.  Since the letters for the date had been welded together, she could not simply click on the text to edit it so I showed her how to determine what the font was so that she could make hers look exactly the same.

When you go to open a project, there is a screen that will show you what elements are used in that project.  You can see in this screenshot that the font used for the date is Sweet Pea.  So if you purchase that font you will be able to insert a new line of text for your date, but have it in the same font as this project so that the look is the same.

The other way to do it is once you are in the project in Design Space, if you right click on the welding date text on the right panel, you can go down to the bottom and you will be able to see the name of the font.  I show how to do this in a little video here . . . 

                              

Keep following me and join my Teach Me Cricut Design Space group on Facebook!

Thanks!
Shawn's Teach me Cricut Design Space Group
Crafty Chic's Blog on Facebook //  YouTube  // Instagram  //  Crafting Pixie

Welcome Garden Flag

I have been wanting to make a new garden flag for outside our home for a while, but I had to find the perfect products for it.  I had this idea in my head that I wanted to make into a reality.  From the first time I went to Walt Disney World, I always love how they would shine lights onto the castle and make it look like it was changing colors.  I wanted a flag that had that look to it.  

It was not until I saw this weathered wood background garden flag from 651 Vinyl and their ombre blue vinyl that I knew I found the perfect products for what I wanted to make.  I also used a holographic purple for the accent on the word Welcome for the sign.

First, I designed everything in Cricut Design Space.  I was able to bring the image of the weathered wood garden flag into Design Space which helped me to visualize what the finished project would look like and determine how large I should make the cut images for the flag.  

Since I knew the flag was 12" x 18", after I inserted the flag image into Design Space I inserted a square from the shapes button, unlocked that so I could turn it into a 12" x 18" rectangle and then resized the flag image to fill that 12"x 18" rectangle.

Now I could see how large I could make the castle and still have it fit inside the dimensions of the flag.  Since the height of the flag was going to be taller than 12", and I did not have the extra long cutting mat, I taped to mats together on the back so that I could pretend I had one long mat for cutting.  

If you do this, make sure to change your mat size to 12" x 24" in the cut screen in Design Space.  I pointed out the space to change the mat size in the image below.

After I cut the castle, I figured out the placement of it on the flag.  I peeled back and cut off just a corner of the backing sheet so that I could place that and smooth it out.  

Then as a peeled off the backing I could keep smoothing the vinyl as I worked up the piece.  I suggest doing this on a hard flat surface and working slowly in sections so that you have a nice smooth image with no bubbles.

I did each tower one at a time since I did not want the little flags to go off in a weird direction.  Getting those little flags to go on straight took a steady hand.  In the end, it came our really nice and I love how the colors change through the castle. 

The next step was to place the word Welcome.  I cut the word Welcome from a font from DaFont.com called Words.  Instead of letters, it is all words you can use on projects.  Click HERE to set the whole font.

I peeled off the backing for part of the W to figure out where I wanted the whole word placed.  Once I did this, I was able to peel back the rest of the backing from the W and smooth it down.  Then I covered the rest of the word with transfer paper to move that into place.

I am not sure why I didn't do the whole word with transfer paper all at once.  I think I was so excited at how good the sign was turning out that just went for it with the W before thinking about the rest of the word.  In the end, it all worked out, and here is how the flag looked.

                  

And now I have it hanging outside of my house.  Since this one turned out so good, I might make a holiday or winter themed flag too, and have this one out in the spring/summer months and a different one for the fall/winter months.

                 

If you liked this project, make sure to head over to 651 Vinyl to check out all of their blank garden flags and patterned vinyl so that you can create your own custom flag too!

Keep following me and join my Teach Me Cricut Design Space group on Facebook!

Thanks!
Shawn's Teach me Cricut Design Space Group
Crafty Chic's Blog on Facebook //  YouTube  // Instagram  //  Crafting Pixie

Print then Cut Shirts

I just recently got a new heat press from Planet Flame (click HERE to see the details on that press) and my daughter came up with a few ideas for some shirts she wanted to make.  She does photography and is going to go to school for Video Production (check our her site at Mosch Media)  and I love it when she uses her creativity in a way that means her and I will be spending time together in my craft room!

We purchased a package of Jolee's Boutique printable iron on for dark fabrics to create these projects.  The images that she was using had a lot of detail in them and we did not want to have to layer all of those colors.

Then we uploaded her logo into Design Space and saved it as a print then cut image.  She had created this logo in Photoshop, so it already had a transparent background and was all set up to cut just the outline shape of the logo image.  If she had not done that, I would have had to use the magic wand in Design Space to remove the background, which is shown in light blue in the image below.

After we printed this image on the printer, we then loaded into the Cricut machine and it cut around the outline of the image, and then cut out the details from between the flowers and letters.  We did end up not being able to use two leaves since the stem that the leaves were on cut out so thin.  This video will show you the cutting process for this logo.

Now that it is cut, we just have to press this on to the black shirt that we have.  My daughter used some of her other shirts that have a small logo on the front to determine the placement she wanted for this logo.  Once we figured out the placement, I put a small dot with a piece of chalk where the center of the logo would go.  This helped us to place the logo when we had things on the heat press, which you will see in this next video.

I was really impressed with how nice this pressed on to the shirt.  I had done iron on heat transfers a LONG time ago (back when I was young) and I felt like they always came out looking cheap and tacky.  Not this one!  This looks professional between the high quality image, the beautiful colors of the image, the perfect cuts around the image and how well it pressed on to this shirt.  The entire print and cut heat transfer process has come a long way and I am very impressed with the end results!

On the back of this shirt, my daughter wanted to combine a phrase with some rose images.  I decided that the best way to do this was to cut the phrase from white iron on vinyl, and the roses from the print then cut and layer them together.  Once everything is cut, I layered them on to the back of the shirt like this so that I could press them all at once.

(insert image of the back of shirt)

This shirt turned out great!  Now when my daughter goes to work on a project for her photography business she can have this very personalized and professional looking shirt.

She also designed a Donald Duck shirt, and I shared that in another post that you can read HERE!

Keep following me and join my Teach Me Cricut Design Space group on Facebook!

Thanks!
Shawn's Teach me Cricut Design Space Group
Crafty Chic's Blog on Facebook // YouTube  //  Instagram  //  Crafting Pixie

Attach or Flatten

How do you know if you should attach something or flatten it in Design Space?  The answer to that question depends on what you want the finished project to look like.  For this video I am going to make a bookmark, and in the first one I will attach the circle and the second one I will flatten it so you can see the difference in the end results.

The person asking the question wanted a shape cut out of a print then cut image.  They asked me if they should attach that shape or flatten it.  I answered Attach, and her is why.

In the example below I am making a bookmark.  I want to have a circle cut out of the top that I can hang a tassel through.  The one on the left with the dark circle I attached the circle to the bookmark.  For the one on the right with the bright yellow circle I flattened the circle.  This will show you exactly what will happen differently between these two images.

If you watch the video, you will also see how I add a pattern to the bookmarks, align the circles so that they are centered on the bookmark and then attach the circle for the one on the left and flatten the circle for the one on the right.

Below is how these images printed out on the printer.  So even though on the screen you see the dark circle on the bookmark on the left, you can see by the photo below that this circle did not print out.  Why didn't the dark circle print?  Because it was only attached to the bookmark, and it would need to be flattened to print.

When I cut it, you can see that the one on the left actually cut the circle out like I wanted, while the one on the right did not cut out and separate the circle from the bookmark . . . because the circle was flattened.

So remember to attach a shape when you want it to cut out, but flatten it if you want it to print out.

Keep following me and join my Teach Me Cricut Design Space group on Facebook!

Thanks!
Shawn's Teach me Cricut Design Space Group
Crafty Chic's Blog on Facebook // YouTube  //  Instagram  //  Crafting Pixie