Welcome to the wonderful world of crafting!
Are you just getting started and not sure what all of these new crafty terms mean or how to tell the difference between your materials, and how to use them? Don’t worry, we have you covered!
We have compiled this blog to help provide you with all of the information you need to get started! There is a lot of information here and it might be a little overwhelming or confusing with all of the different terms and materials, feel free to reference it anytime you need to or come back to it if it gets to be a bit too much at once.
What are the different decorating techniques?
Adhesive Vinyl is pressure sensitive and for use on solid surfaces. It is tacky and will have a paper backing. It is used on solid, smooth, non-porous blanks, such as mugs, tumblers and glass.
Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV) is for use on fabrics and some hard surfaces. It is applied with heat by using a heat press, hand press or home iron. It most often comes with a clear or frosted carrier sheet. The HTV itself will not be tacky. It may also be referred to as iron on vinyl.
DTF Transfers are heat applied, full color, ready to press transfers. They do not require weeding.
UV DTF Transfers (Coming to 143Vinyl in Spring of 2024) are pressure sensitive, full color, ready to apply transfers. They do not require weeding, they come with “transfer tape” already on them as they are printed directly on to film.
Sublimation Transfers are heat applied to polyester blanks or those with a high polyester content. This printing process does not include white. Any white in the design is provided by the blank being used.
Printable Vinyl can be used with your inkjet printer to create stickers that can be applied to solid, non-porous surfaces such as mugs, tumblers, and wood.
Printable Transfers can be used with your inkjet printer, and applied to fabric, and other non-porous substrates such as fabric, shirts and tote bags.
What is Adhesive Vinyl, how do I use it, and what can I put it on?
Adhesive Vinyl can be used on many hard surfaces such as glass, plastic, wood, stainless steel, ceramic and so much more. While you can apply vinyl to a multitude of surfaces, the perfect surface is something solid, shiny and smooth. Glass is the most ideal surface as it meets all of these. The farther away you get from this ideal surface, there is more probability that you will see issues of vinyl not adhering properly or not lasting as long.
Adhesive vinyl will feel tacky and have a paper backing. The backing might be white, or it could be printed with the manufacturer's name and/or logo.
There are two types of Adhesive Vinyl, permanent vinyl and removable vinyl.
Permanent Vinyl, such as StarCraft HD, generally has a life-span of 5 or more years and can be used for outdoor projects such as car decals, yard signs or holiday decorations and signs. You can also use it on stainless steel tumblers, ceramic coffee mugs and glassware.
In most cases, vinyl is not dishwasher safe. The heat from the water/dry cycles on dishwashers can cause the vinyl to peel off. The only dishwasher safe vinyl at this time is the Siser EasyPSV Starling, which you can purchase by clicking here.
Removable Vinyl, such as StarCraft SD, has a water-based adhesive and is intended to be temporarily used outdoors, but most commonly on indoor projects like wall decals, seasonal window displays and other home decor. When used indoors, removable vinyl has a life-span of 3 or more years and has a greater chance of being removed from painted walls without damage. When using it for indoor wall decals, it is best if the paint is water based, to prevent damage when taking the vinyl off.
When sending your adhesive vinyl to be cut, you will place the paper backing on your mat with the color or pattern facing upwards. Once your design is cut, you will weed away the negative areas (the areas that are not part of the design such as the inside of letters).
After you weed your design, place transfer tape over the design and burnish with a squeegee gently over the design, flip it over and burnish gently on the paper backing and then slowly remove the paper backing. The sticky side is applied to your surface and burnished firmly with a squeegee or vinyl ball.
Adhesive vinyl is not forgiving, meaning, once it is down, you can’t peel it back up and place it back down. You would have to cut and weed your design again. You can use different tricks, such as using parchment paper or the hinge method to help you place your design without it sticking to your surface prematurely.
Once your design is in place and it has been burnished to the surface well, you will slowly and gently remove your transfer tape and voilà, your project is done!
The cut settings for Adhesive vinyl may vary between different types, brands and the life of the blade on your machine. It is always recommended to do a test cut before committing to your full project to eliminate waste. (If your machine does not already come with a test cut option, you can use a 1” star design).
You can always refer to the product description or the printable Cutter Settings Document located by clicking here.
What do I need to cut adhesive or removable vinyl?
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Your cutting machine (Cricut, Silhouette, StarCraft Solo, Siser, Brother)
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Cutting mat (Optional on some machines)
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Adhesive vinyl
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Transfer tape
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Weeding tool
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Squeegee
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Scissors
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Paper slicer (optional)
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SVG file
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Blanks to decorate (also called substrates), such as a coffee mug or tumbler
