Beginners Cricut Tutorials: How To Make Vinyl Decals
For anyone who has decided to join the Cricut family recently, I thought I would do a post on the very basics of cutting vinyl for anyone who is new to using their machine. This is about adhesive vinyl that you can stick to glasses and signs, not heat transfer vinyl that you iron on to fabric.
For the video version, watch below…
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Or read on for the written details…
Types & Brand of Vinyl
Although it’s fine to practice with if your machine has come with a bundle, I tend to avoid Cricut vinyl unless there’s a speciality colour that they do and I can’t get it anywhere else. Otherwise, I always buy sign vinyl from sign making wholesalers or online craft stores as it is usually better quality and a lot cheaper.
Check out my Vinyl Suppliers list below…
There are a few different types - I mostly use Ritrama Ri-Mark series permanent matt vinyl, because that’s the best quality for the best price that I have found here in the UK. But Oracal is probably the most popular brand for crafters around the world, and a lot of people use gloss vinyl rather than matt. There’s not much difference, it is just a preference thing depending on what kind of look you want to go for.
This kind of vinyl is great for…
Frames
Glasses
Indoor signs etc.
However, if you want to make wall signs or something that you don’t want to last a long time then semi-permanent is better for that.
Then you can get lots of speciality vinyl like…
Glitter
Metallic
Patterned
Chalkboard
…and all sorts of others that are used for special purposes. Just look at the details next to the vinyl you want to order and it should give you a description of what it is for.
It is usually cheaper to buy rolls rather than A4 sheets but if you’re just starting out then maybe try a selection of a few different types and see which one you prefer.
You will also need transfer tape (which makes applying your transfer tape a lot easier). If you just want to test it out and don't want to buy any just yet, you can also use masking tape if you've got some of that in the house
Setting up and Cutting
To cut vinyl you will need to use the green standard grip mat - do save my video on how to restick a Cricut mat as it will eventually lose its stick and this will help rather than having to buy a new one.
Cut settings - the standard setting is good for the permanent but for speciality vinyl, you may need to set your machine to custom and pick one of the dropdowns. Either way, it’s always best to try a little test first before you cut your whole project.
Add a file or type in what you want to cut out… remember to save the image as a ‘cut’ image and remove any background, if it has any, before re-sizing to your required size.
Once you are happy with the size just press ‘Make’ and it will come up with the mat you need to use.
Look at how big your design is on Design Space and then add the vinyl to your mat. You may want to cut it down to size now or after the design is cut, I usually do it afterwards
Remember to remove any air bubbles with a Bray roller. You could also use a Cricut scraper if you don’t have a roller.
Just to note, if you have a speciality vinyl and have a custom cut setting there are many options to choose from by clicking ‘Browse Materials’ to find your vinyl type (scroll down to the bottom of the drop-down menu). In this case, I recommend a practice cut beforehand to test it out.
Insert it into the machine, make sure the setting is correct, press the arrow button and then the ‘C’ button and let it do it’s thing.
To remove, press the arrow button again, remove the mat and peel off the vinyl.
Preparing the Finished Design
Now you need to take away all of the excess vinyl, be sure to get the middle bits and take care not to punch a hole in the letters. You can use a specialist weeding tool, but a dentist pick or other sharp crafting tool will also work.
Once you've done that pop some transfer tape over the top. This makes it a lot easier to apply the decal as you can lift up all the letters in one go and stick them straight on.
Once you are ready to apply the decal, the easiest way to remove the backing paper is to first rub the back of the design with a squeegee, a scraper or even a plastic store card, to flatten it down. This makes it easier to peel away.
And that is how you make your first vinyl!
If you would like to learn how to apply decals, I have recorded a tutorial which can be accessed here.
I hope that was helpful! Please remember to like the video if you enjoyed it and ‘Follow’ and subscribe to my YouTube channel if you would like more videos like this one.