Dez The Boss Lady
The Silhouette Cameo 4 is a popular cutting machine for crafters and small businesses, it is my favorite!! If you've recently purchased or received a Cameo 4 (Thank Goodness for Christmas), you're probably excited to unbox it and start using it. Please don't let yourself be intimidated and let it sit in the box for a year.... you have things to create.
Here's what you can expect to find when you unpack your new machine:
1. The Silhouette Cameo 4 itself: The cutting machine is the main attraction, of course. It will be snug as a bug in that box, lets get it out!!
2. Power cord and USB cord: These cords allow you to connect the Cameo 4 to your computer and power it on.
3. 12-inch cutting mat: The cutting mat is used to hold your materials in place while the Cameo 4 cuts. It has a sticky surface to keep your materials from shifting during the cutting process. You will quickly find that you need a 24-in mat for things like HTV that typically come larger than 12-inch
4. Blade and some adapters: The blade holder holds on the machine holds the cutting blade in place and allows it to move back and forth as it cuts through your materials, the adapter was introduced with the Silhouette Cameo 4 because you now have auto detection. Thats right, this baby can tell which blade you have in based on that adapter for older blades or that shiny metal bit on the back of you new auto blade. Don't throw away any good blade you had from your previous versions as those adapters will make them useful in your new machine.
Once you have everything unpacked and set up, you'll be ready to start creating with your new Silhouette Cameo 4. Don't be afraid, the hard part is over! I know it seems like there are a billion different directions you can be headed so check out the next blog, Making Your First Cut!
You would be amazed at how long some of these bad boys stay in the box. YOU DID IT!!!
This printer I am about to tell you about is going to change your life! Doesn't that sound super dramatic? Yea well that's me but seriously this printer is AMAZE. That's short for amazing!
Where do I begin? Is it just me or is there an endless sea of choices for printers out there? I have had a $300 printer and a $600 printer. I have tried laser and eco tank and unicorn magic lol. This little bitty HP 3755 inkjet that I happened to stumble upon on a trip to best buy is by far my absolute favorite printer of all time. I have never had a printer (even Canon) print this well.
Tired of seeing lines or lower quality prints, I was too. I was tired of cleaning the print head and aligning the print blah blah blah. Who has time for that? Never fear, this HP 3755 little workhorse has some insane print quality! And I know I mentioned it but shoot dang it's on sale for $50. From picture paper to printable vinyl both adhesive and HTV, you will not be disappointed!
Ever been ready to print the most important document of your life only to realize you now have to run to Walmart to buy $50 worth of ink?
Here's the deal, for the HP 3755 it costs $30 to purchase a round of ink which is approx. 100 pages of full color. Or you can now pay $2.99 - $9.99 a month and your ink will come based on printing needs.
I pay $4.99 a month for Instant INK which is for 100 pages per month. Thats $59.98 a year and I get cartridges every-time my ink runs low (based off 100 pages per month). The point here is that I could potentially get $360 woth of ink for just $59.98! WINNING!!
This bad boy is on sale for $50 for a limited time, Click here and choose the one with the instant ink card to get started!
Want to try the Printable adhesive or HTV we always brag about? Click Here
Dezaray Hernandez
This Crazy Crafty Person You dare to read. Oh and the Owner of CUTZ Vinyl!
Which Heat Press Should I Buy?
Not really sure where to begin? Check out this article! Let us help, we provide a little info and the links to get you started.
Click HERE to enter several ways for your chance to win this backpack jammed full of all kinds of Siser Materials. There is even a color chart, a weeding tool and a USB drive!!]]>
The great patterned HTV in all of its glory, if printed like some of ours is, NEEDS transfer tape. This is no regular transfer tape so please don’t use the scraps you have lying around! For the patterned HTV you will need Easy Mask or the equivalent. We carry the Easy Mask and we give you one sheet for every three patterned sheets you buy!
You’ll want you to think of the adhesive vinyl process rather than HTV process up until you add the heat.
Let's walk through it all together.
I'm using the Buffalo Plaid Pattern, which we have in the store and is printed on Siser Material!
Pick HTV Smooth from the Material list on a Silhouette or use Iron on with your Cricut in the Cut Settings. Note this may need to be adjusted according to your machine. Basically you want to cut this material like EasyWeed.
Place the patterned HTV on the mat with pattern side up to cut, yes I know I always say the side you want to see on the shirt goes down on the mat but not in this case. Now before you cut from your pattern you can adjust where you want your image on the mat in case you want a specific part of the pattern. For the plaid we just cut in the top corner!
Send your design to cut. When it's finished cutting, you will need to weed away the excess vinyl just like you do for adhesive.
The HTV will be on a clear backing, but the adhesive is actually on the BACK of the patterned HTV so you need to use your Easy Mask to pick up the design before applying to your shirt.
Cut a piece of Easy Mask just larger than your design, remove the clear transfer sheet from its backing and place it directly over the design you cut. Use a squeegee to ensure it has adhered to the entire design and pick it up by peeling the Easy Mask up. You have now exposed the heat-activated adhesive on the back of your pattern.
Place the design on the surface of your garment and apply with medium pressure at 295 for 15-20 seconds. This will change based on the material that the pattern is printed on so be make sure you follow the heat instructions that come with your vinyl.
Remove the Easy Mask; you can peel this material Hot or Cold. I like to finish by placing the Teflon sheet over the unmasked design and pressing for a few more seconds to seal in the design but this is completely optional.
And Voila, you’ve completed you Patterned HTV transfer!
]]>Welcome to this little vinyl world I have created around my family and myself. I am the owner of Cutz Vinyl! I have been asked to start really dedicating some time to our blog here on the site and I am very excited and nervous at the same time because I am no professional writer and by no means the absolute expert in Vinyl but this should be a fun and exciting journey for all of us!
We decided to start by answering a newbie question! People are always quick to laugh and judge in the large groups but this is a great question for beginners. We all started somewhere so lets help each other!
What in the world is the difference between 651 and HTV?
Let’s start with the basic difference. 651 is adhesive and HTV stands for heat transfer vinyl!
Adhesives are sticker vinyl for mugs and key chains and basically anything you can stick it to. Heat transfer is for shirts and fabrics and can be ironed but the preferred route is to press it!
Adhesives come from many different manufacturers, ORACAL, FDC, EnduraGloss, EnduraPatterns, Avery, 3M and many more.
ORAFOL produces ORACAL, which is one of the most well known names in the industry for sign and car vinyl. This is why you see it everywhere; it's a wonderful product!
There are two types that are very popular in the Craft Industry; yes we are all part of an industry that started only 9 years ago, Welcome!
ORACAL 651, which is considered permanent or outdoor, and ORACAL 631 which is indoor or removable.
631 - INDOOR/Removable. Used for wall decals and anything that you want to be able to remove and not peel the paint off.
651 - OUTDOOR/Permanent. Used for mugs, plates, decals, wine glasses, sometimes as stencil vinyl for wooden signs. This will not come off as easy and if there is paint on your item it will probably come off with it.
This is also called Sticky Vinyl or Sticker Vinyl!
You will need transfer tape or application tape to apply this product. Some people use contact paper.
Heat Transfer also comes from many different manufacturers like Siser, FDC, Specialty Materials to name a few.
All three of these companies have been around for a long time! Siser invests the most money in marketing and that is why you hear their name everywhere! Don’t get me wrong they carry absolutely wonderful products I’m just saying they are everywhere including my dreams! Siser makes EasyWeed, I know you have all seen that name!
Side note, if you haven’t noticed by now I love the exclamation point. I am super excited to be talking about this stuff!!!!
Back to the HTV.
OK here is where it gets crazy there are what seems like a bazillion types of HTV.
Basic HTV or EasyWeed. This is the standard type of HTV, this is where most people start, here or glitter that is!
Glitter, Sparkles, do I need to say more?
Stretch, this is like EasyWeed except it is supposed to stretch more so it is good for Women’s shirts, and anything that you think will be stretched a little more than normal.
Metallic, Holographic, Patterned, these are all just colors essentially.
Flock is like velvet, it is thicker and gives great contrast!
ALWAYS lay this material upside down on your mat, the side you want to see when you look at the shirt should be facing the mat. And DO NOT forget to mirror this stuff! Remember you are applying the side you see up on the mat.
Unless you are using Patterned HTV which we now have a TON of because we print it ourselves!
For Patterned HTV, we actually print on the front and it has a backing. Sounds crazy but its basically the same steps as adhesive until you press.
1. Place design side up on mat.
2. Do not mirror, cut regular and weed away excess.
3. Apply TTD Mask, squeegee down.
4. Flip over and peel backing away from mask, this helps stop wrinkling.
5. Flip back over and press! VOILA!
Keep an eye for the temperatures, times and the hot or cold peel for all of the different materials.
Hot peel means peel the carrier sheet away while it is still hot and cold peel means let it cool!
You might want to invest in a Teflon sheet! This covers the product while you press or iron.
OK I think that’s the basics. Ask me some questions so I know what I did right wrong, what you hated, liked you know just anything! I’m going to go try to sleep while my minnis are in bed! Night
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