Category: Tips for Silhouette Cameo or Cricut

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How to Cut Intricate SVG Files On Your Silhouette Cameo or Cricut Machine

Here I have compiled a few tips on how to cut intricate SVG files cleanly and easily.

Cutting Tips:

  1. Use a newer cutting blade if possible for intricate pieces.
  2. Cut the intricate pieces first to ensure blade is at its sharpest.
  3. Always check to see if there is any residue left on your mat, on the blade or inside the blade housing.
  4. Use a clean cutting mat that is less sticky or medium sticky for intricate design pieces. Can blot a newer mat with a clean t-shirt or tea towel until desired stickiness is achieved. The mat should be sticky enough to hold paper in place during intricate cuts but not too sticky that delicate pieces rip during removal. 
  5. Use a weeding tool to remove the open spaces and then use a spatula to carefully remove your cuts from the mat.
  6. To avoid curling on some pieces, turn the mat over and curl the mat away from the paper.
  7. Adjust your machine’s cut settings.  The standard card stock cut settings may not apply for detailed cuts. As well, your blade may have dulled over time and you will need to change the settings to accommodate.
  8. Choose a slow speed setting (a 1 or a 2)
  9. Use the overcut feature on your machine (.1 mm). The machine will cut very slightly beyond the file cut line at the corners. The blade will then lift at the corner, turn and then set back down. This will make a much cleaner cut but will take a little longer to complete. 
  10. Adjust the force/thickness setting on your machine up or down:Go up if not cutting through. Go down if cutting but still “dragging” or creating messy cuts.
  11. Go up a blade setting if not cutting through cardstock at a high force/thickness setting-Go up a blade setting and then reduce the force/thickness settings (to avoid dragging).
  12. Can try a second pass-the machine will cut the object twice to achieve a cleaner cut and get rid of the “fuzzies”.

Hope these tips help you get the perfect cut every time! Happy Crafting!

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How To Re-stick Your Silhouette Cameo or Cricut Cutting Mat

There comes a time when your cutting mat loses its tackiness. No doubt you will notice poor cuts, misalignment, the catching or skipping of the blade and sometimes odd noises emanating from your cutting machine. Instead of running to my nearest craft store to buy yet another pricey mat, I just re-sticky my old mat. Below are my favourite methods:

1. If a newer mat and still has quite a bit of glue residue left to work with, try running your mat under warm water and gently rub off any bits of paper or fluff. The key is not to rub too vigorously as you may unglue your mat. Once most of the residue is gone, just hang to dry. It should renew your mats stickiness if enough glue left on mat. If still not tacky enough, add a little bit of dishwashing liquid, rub gently, rinse and hang to dry. If still not tacky move to step 2.

2. If you tried the above and mat is still not sticky enough, it is time to thoroughly clean your mat and re-glue. Run your mat under warm water and apply dishwashing liquid. Use an old credit card or scraper to remove the most stubborn deposits. Rinse off and hang to dry.  Once dry, apply masking tape around the edges of your mat.  Make sure that only the mat grid is exposed (see pic).  Go outside as this is a messy and smelly process or spray inside a cardboard box. Using Krylon Easy Tack Repositional Adhesive, shake the can for 3 minutes. Position so that it is approximately 8 inches above mat surface. Begin spraying from side to side in a even continuous motion. Continue to the bottom. Then begin spraying up and down. This should suffice. You want a thin, even layer of adhesive. Let dry for 1 hour and then remove masking tape.  Do not be tempted to add more layers of adhesive until you attempt a cut, as too much glue can gum up your blade and can make it impossible to remove your cuts cleanly from the mat. Try a test cut on your machine. If too sticky,  just lightly dab your mat with a clean t-shirt or tea towel. If still not tacky enough, try applying 1 more thin layer of adhesive. 

Hopefully these tips work for you! Happy crafting!