A Beginner's Guide to Print & Cut with the Silhouette - focus on stickers

Over on the Silhouette UK Blog I have a Print & Cut project for the Silhouette using a sticker design from the Silhouette Design Store. It includes step-by-step instructions for manipulating the store bought design to get maximum value from these purchased studio sticker files. The instructions include: how to set up a Print & Cut sticker page, adding a trim line around sticker sets, re-sizing sets, and cutting sticker planner pages.

I have a second post with further ideas for getting more from sticker files from the Silhouette Design Store. These include mirroring the images, splitting the set of images, isolating individual images, and making co-ordinating functional stickers.

Here I have reproduced the general Print & Cut section as I'm sure you'll find it useful if you are new to Print & Cut, or if you haven't used the Silhouette Sticker Paper before.

This is the design I used. I think these birds are so pretty. The stickers can be used on SO many crafting projects.

Little Bird Stickers by Carina Gardner (#284076) 

Here are my Print & Cut Instructions - just four easy steps.

(a) Page Setup for Print & Cut

In the Page Setup panel, change the Page Size to match the sticker paper (Silhouette Printable Sticker Paper is U.S. Letter sized).  Also tick the Show Print Border and Show Cut Border boxes.

From the Registration Marks tab, select Type 1 in the Style dropdown box, I like to also increase the Thickness to .60 to make the marks easier for the sensor to detect. If you were to look at the virtual mat, you'd see that the registration marks are joined by the cut (red) line. Any item outside of this red box will not cut.

(b) Print Page Setup

In the Main Menu (top of the page), change the Print Page Setup to match the Page Setup (i.e. Letter size). If there is a borderless option for Letter size DO NOT select it. Leave the scale at one hundred percent.

The print (grey) line will now be visible within the page borders and outside the cut line. Any part of an item outside the grey box will not print. Where possible avoid overlapping the hashed area (dark printing in this area can cause the sensor to mis-read the design).

(c) Print the Design

Once your have placed your sticker design in the correct position, print the design on your printer (from the Main/Top menu chose File > Print). For most printers select 'Best' or 'Photo Quality' for the best result. You may notice that any line with the thickness set to zero will not be printed.

(d) Cut the Design

Press the printed sheet onto the cutting mat, aligning it with the top left-hand corner of the sticky area. Load it into your Silhouette and open up the Send tab. Select the cut setting for "Sticker Paper, White". Adjust the force to achieve a "kiss cut" (cutting through the sticker layer, but not the paper backing). I usually reduce the force to '12' and recommend you use a Test Cut to find your ideal setting. Highlight the Cut option and check that the correct lines on the design will be cut. If they are correct, Send the design to cut. The Silhouette will attempt to read the registration marks and then cut the design.

I hope you find this useful.

Make your own Shadow Die Cuts with Silhouette Studio

Hello, over on the Silhouette UK Blog I have a new step-by-step tutorial on designing shadow word die cuts in the Silhouette Studio® software. These are designed to resemble the large metal word dies with a matching shadow, or halo, which seem so popular at present. I designed a selection of die cuts made from Silhouette Adhesive Cardstock using the software's Print & Cut feature. The same technique could also be used to cut regular cardstock or vellum.

The post includes a step-by-step tutorial on designing the dies and includes a window card made with one of the shadowed die cuts.

The designs used from the Silhouette Design Store were:

Using Scratch-off Balloons on a Fun Raccoon Birthday Card

Hello, over on the Silhouette UK Blog I've been playing with Silhouette Scratch-Off Sticker Sheets and this week's free design, the Autumn Raccoon file (#271649).

The scratch-off sheets can be cut into just about any shape with Silhouette or scissors. Once peeled from the backing paper, it can be adhered over printed or hand-written text and later scratched off to reveal a hidden message. It's great for interactive greetings cards of all kinds and can be used to reveal a surprise gift, some special news, or just a fun personalised greeting.

I cut balloon outlines from the scratch-off sheets, to make balloon-shaped scratch off panels for this Paint & Cut card. Read more about this card on the Silhouette UK Blog.

Magnetic Bookmarks and Planner Page Markers

Hiya, Over of the Silhouette UK Blog today I've shared a tutorial for some cute retro bookmarks using the Silhouette Printable Magnetic Paper. These use a Print & Cut design called the 57 T Bird Car Print and Cut Set (#12253) by Samantha Walker.

The post includes details on how to adapt the design to print onto the magnetic sheets with an inkjet printer, and how to use a Silhouette Cameo to cutout and score the bookmarks too. Pop over to the Silhouette UK Blog to find out more.

Here are some other projects I have made using these printable magnetic sheets.

Magnetic Paper Dolls

Giant Magnetic Paper Clips

Print and Cut on dark cardstock with FREE card template

Hiya, today I'm sharing a card that I made a couple of weeks ago for my son's birthday. He's a Chemistry student and I thought that a card spelling out a word using some of the elements from the periodic table would be fun.

As ever, my go to designing tool is the Silhouette Studio software on my computer.  Now, it would have been possible to design the periodic element toppers using a stencil font and using the information from an image of the periodic table from the Internet as a reference.  However, as the posting date was somewhat close I opted to use the Periodic Table Genius design, to make dimensional toppers.  I arranged them onto a landscape card base with the remainder of the sentiment printed on the background using the Silhouette's Print & Cut technology.

I have posted the steps over on the Silhouette UK Blog today, with extra information on using the print and cut method.  I used 12-inch square cardstock in an intense colour, so the tutorial over there concentrates on how to adjust for a 12- inch print and cut, and a strategy to ensure that the registration marks still get picked up despite being printed on darker coloured card (it works for shiny or reflective printing surfaces too).  So head over there for details if you are a Silhouette user. Oh, and there is also a tip for making more economical use of your precious cardstock!

I ALSO have a treat for A4 card users here on Crafting Quine Blog - so don't dash away too soon! The finished card fits a DL, or business-size envelope and when folded is the size of a third of a piece of A4. I'm sharing my cutting file for the card template and you can download it here in SVG format (for Silhouette DE and above as well as other cutting software).

Download the FREE DL Card Template

I'd love to see what you make. Please tag me on social media if you use it @CraftingQuine (Facebook, Instagram, Google+).  Let me know if you find it useful and I'll endeavour to share more files in future.

Files Used:

Valentine Cards - Love U Two Pieces

Hiya, today I have a pair of cards over on the Silhouette UK Blog which feature one design idea, but which use very different techniques and methods.

My post includes information on using the Silhouette Scratch-Off Sticker paper.  Hop over to read about using this usual crafting medium with your Silhouette Cameo.

Make your own Lightbox Photo Panels

Hiya,  Today I have a post on the Silhouette UK blog using my Silhouette Cameo to customise a lightbox with a large photo, using Print & Cut to make perfectly sized panels.

I was so pleased to receive this lightbox as a Christmas gift as I've wanted on for ages.  I've seen that you can buy photo panels to go in the light boxes, but I wanted to make one featuring a photo of a local beauty spot. Because of the size of my lightbox (just a tad over A4 size) I used A3 paper and the larger cutting mat, the Silhouette 12" x 24" Cameo® Cutting Mat.  With it I did a giant Print & Cut and so made panels that were the perfect size for my lightbox. The instructions in my post will show how you can do it too (and maybe help with any large-scale Print & Cut projects you are thinking of undertaking). Of course, if you have a smaller lightbox, you could make the panels with the regular cutting mat.

I used:

A3 Printer Paper

Large Format Printer (A3 or bigger)

Silhouette® 12" x 24" Cameo Cutting Mat

Silhouette Cameo® 3

The photo is the view from our house (taken by my husband) and I think it shows that there are SOME advantages to living in the north east Scotland!  What photo would you put in your lightbox?

Bye for now,

Flip Top Calendar using Silhouette Studio's Move tool

Hello and Happy New Year.  I had a post on the Silhouette UK Blog a few days ago showing how to make this flip top calendar. It used Silhouette's Print & Cut and Move functions.  It was cheap to make (the frame I used cost just £1 from IKEA), and would look great on a desk, beside a telephone, or even as a small gift.

I used the 2018 Calendar set by Alaa' K (parts 1, 2, 3, 4), resizing them to fit a bought picture frame. I also adjusted the position of the holes using the Move function.

The bright coloured papers are from MFT Graphic Grid 6x6 paper pad. There are twelve different colours - perfect for this project!

Hope you have a happy and organised 2018!

Decorated Christmas Crackers with Silhouette Glitter Sticker Sheets

Hiya, today I have a post on the Silhouette UK Blog on the NEW Silhouette® Glitter Sticker Sheets.  It includes a festive project using glitter stickers to decorate some home-made Christmas crackers. I used the Oh Deer heads by Lettering Delights from the Silhouette Store. They are also available as a bundle from Lettering Delights.

The Glitter sticker sheets are new to the UK. There are 8 sheets in a pack, each sheet being 8.5in. x 11in., or 215 mm x 280 mm. The sheets are glittery with a slightly silvery colouration.  They can be printed with any pattern on a home printer. The sheets are adhesive-backed, so no additional adhesive is needed.

My post over on the Silhouette UK blog covers the cut settings for the Silhouette Cameo 3.  I didn't have immediate success with them so I've included lots of tips on using this media specifically.  These tips are useful for using Print & Cut media generally, especially useful for those who haven't let got to grips with this extremely useful function of the Silhouette family of machines.

There are also brief instructions on how to use the Oh Deer heads to make wrappers to decorate homemade Christmas crackers. They could be used for many other projects too; toppers, picks and even napkin holders.

Santa Express Box Card with Eclipse Lettering from the Train Box Card by Simply Crafty SVGs

Hello, Janet here with a new folding 3D Christmas card. I've used the SVG file for the Train Box Card from Simply Crafty SVGs to make a fun Santa Express card.

My inspiration came from the Santa Special at our local stretch of the restored Royal Deeside Railway (I live in the northeast of Scotland).  I was drawn towards the plaid (tartan) patterns in the Echo Park 'A Perfect Christmas' digital paper pack, and as the Santa in the matching elements pack reminded me of the one on the train, I used them to decorate a Santa Express Box card.

I've also been massively impressed by the lovely examples of eclipse lettering around at present, and so set out to use some eclipse lettering on the side of the box card.

These instructions are for the Silhouette Studio Designer Edition software, but can no doubt be replicated in other cutting software.


Materials Used:
American Crafts textured card in White, Black, Ladybird, and Grass
Pearl cardstock in Silver and Dark Grey
Silver glitter paper
Beacon Zip Dry Adhesive
Black adhesive foam pads
Silhouette Cameo
Colour printer
Black adhesive gems

Files Used:
Simply Crafty SVGs Train Box Card

Other Digital Files:
A Perfect Christmas Paper Pack #2 by Lori Whitlock for Echo Park
A Perfect Christmas Element Pack #2 by Lori Whitlock for Echo Park
LW Bubble Letter Font by Lori Whitlock


Preparing the Patterned Parts

Load the plaid pattern and chalkboard labels papers into the Silhouette Studio software (with the Designer edition the papers can simply be dragged into the patterns folder in the library). Fill the side and back panels with the plaid pattern.

Create a panel by subtracting small circles from the corners of a rectangle. Type the word 'Santa' in LW Bubble Font and centre it in the panel (a clear fill and a line thickness of zero ensures it will cut, but not print). The word 'express' was typed below and filled with cream and green to print, but not cut.

Trace the Tree Panel from the labels paper, and the Santa PNG from the elements pack.

Place all the patterned pieces onto a Print & Cut virtual mat and send to the printer, then cut with the Silhouette.

(Optional) Use markers to carefully add colour to the edges of the cut pieces.

Cutting the Other Pieces

Cut the remainder of the file pieces from coloured cardstock, with copies of the Santa word and a slightly enlarged copy of the new panel from green cardstock.

Card Assembly

Both written (PDF) and video instructions are available for this file and it is very straightforward to put together. Assemble the card base and then decorate the panels, leaving the wheels, lights and Santa eclipse panel until the other panels have been applied to the card base.


The Eclipse Santa Panel

Adhere the plaid Santa panel to the plain green panel together with the centre pieces from the letter 'A's. Stack the letters and adhere each layer using liquid glue. Adhere the stacked letters into the holes in the Santa panel and your eclipse lettering is complete!


Adding Santa

Stick the two Santas back-to-back. Trim off the upright post from all the window pieces. Trim off the lower part of Santa's body and push his head and arm through the window from the back and adhere him behind the window. Trim off the parts of the body which show on the left-hand side.

Bend the Santa's face, hat, and arm gently forward.

Finishing Touches

Add the lights and wheels, giving extra dimension using adhesive foam pads.

There are so many options for decorating this Train Box card, maybe I'll try out Thomas and friends for boy's birthday cards next year!


Bye for now,
Janet, DT Member Simply Crafty SVGS


Blog: Crafting Quine 
Instagram: @CraftingQuine



Simply Crafty SVG Files:
Train Box Card