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Post by nana2callie on Sept 25, 2014 14:08:24 GMT
I'm ready to try some vinyl for some Christmas projects with my Cricut; so where is the best place and best kind of vinyl to purchase. Any tips for a newbie to vinyl cutting and placing. Thanks,
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Post by mommaho on Sept 25, 2014 14:26:51 GMT
Good question - marking my place so I can find out too!
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Post by htstepper on Sept 25, 2014 14:36:42 GMT
Here is some info on different types of vinyl and where to get it. I play with vinyl a lot. I love to personalize my kids' school supplies, use heat transfer vinyl for shirts, etc. |
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Post by pattyg on Sept 25, 2014 18:50:21 GMT
I just bought a set of 12x12 from Amazon.It goes in sale periodically and I happened to snatch it up. Will be my first attempt using it! I've also heard that H and H Vinyl Supply is good.w
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Post by deltakaren on Sept 25, 2014 21:33:43 GMT
I am no way an expert....cricut vinyl (oracal) is so much better than silhouette vinyl. Word to the wise...cricut variety pack has some really weird colors. expressionsvinyl.com has an unbelievable amount of different kinds of vinyl. I haven't ordered from their site, but from them on amazon because I needed some asap.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Sept 25, 2014 22:33:55 GMT
I've cut a lot of vinyl. The main thing to remember is not to cut too deep, you only want to go through the vinyl and not at all into the backing paper or it will be a huge pain to get it off! Once you get the settings down, it can be a lot of fun to play with because you can do so much with it.
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scrappinwithoutpeas
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,013 
Location: Northern Virginia
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Post by scrappinwithoutpeas on Sept 25, 2014 22:37:47 GMT
I haven't tried vinyl myself, but I've been quizzing my sister who does a lot of vinyl projects with her Cameo, and she recommended the site craftvinyl.com, which sells the Oracal in a wide variety of colors, grades/types, & sizes. I've heard from many others that Oracal is way better than the Silhouette vinyl. (Unfortunately, I didn't hear this from anyone until after I had already purchased some Sil vinyl -- which I still haven't used -- but at least I only got a small amount and it was on sale.)
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ladybug4233
New Member
Posts: 4
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Post by ladybug4233 on Sept 25, 2014 22:41:35 GMT
I am glad that you asked this. I need to cut out Beluga Trainer for my DD's halloween shirt. I need to learn how to do this. Any tips on where to start?
Thanks,
Candie
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bklyngal62
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,227
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Post by bklyngal62 on Sept 26, 2014 0:34:38 GMT
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scrappinwithoutpeas
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,013
Location: Northern Virginia
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Post by scrappinwithoutpeas on Sept 26, 2014 1:03:44 GMT
Also, there's a thread over on the NSBR board about making t-shirts with vinyl. Link is here. |
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Post by htstepper on Sept 26, 2014 1:45:47 GMT
I am glad that you asked this. I need to cut out Beluga Trainer for my DD's halloween shirt. I need to learn how to do this. Any tips on where to start? Thanks, Candie I linked this above, but this article explains where to get both adhesive vinyl and heat transfer vinyl and gives some tips on how to use them. |
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iowgirl
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,316
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Post by iowgirl on Sept 26, 2014 13:40:02 GMT
I like to order from Expressions Vinyl. They are great and have great customer service. I have also ordered from CraftVinyl.com. He has great prices and generally ships very fast - but can be kind of a different fella. If you ask when your order is shipped or some other question, sometimes he just up and cancels your order. Just read EVERYTHING in the rules on his website or NO VINYL FOR YOU! LOL I prefer Oracal vinyl. There are several kinds of Oracal vinyl, but basically two that you will use. Oracal 631 is a matte finish vinyl. This is the kind you would put on your walls. It is removable (but not re-positional). It is good for most uses. You can make signs, wall words, decorations, etc. To me, it is the easiest to work with. Oracal 651 is a gloss finish vinyl and you never want to put this on your walls. It is a more permanent adhesive. You can also make signs with this and it is good for personalizing those acrylic tumblers, etc. Things that will get washed. Remember - NO vinyl is food safe. So if you are making cookie plates, etc - never put the food right on the vinyl. Transfer tape - get some good medium tack clear transfer tape. I love the clear, because you can see where you are placing things. The paper tape is OK, but you can't see through it to position things. This sucks if you are layering colors! Some people use contact paper for transfer tape - but it can leave residue and is a pain to work with. You can re-use clear transfer tape over and over. Use the KISS cut - only cut the very top layer of vinyl. Watch some videos - Expressions Vinyl has some good basic videos on cutting and applying vinyl. These are great to watch to get the feel for it. Expressions Vinyl How to VideosI recommend making a small, very simple project first. Just a plain initial applied to a glass candle holder or something like that. If you start with a big complicated project and have a deadline looming - it never goes well... trust me... LOL! |
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blemon
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,575
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Post by blemon on Sept 26, 2014 16:01:15 GMT
My Michaels has some for the silhouette. I'm afraid to try it so thanks for this thread!
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iowgirl
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,316
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Post by iowgirl on Sept 26, 2014 16:23:12 GMT
Unless it says Oracal on the back - don't buy it.
Don't use the Hobby Lobby/Paper Studio brand either. Awful stuff.
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Post by OntarioScrapper on Sept 26, 2014 16:32:30 GMT
Never buy from Cricut themselves. They are over priced. The websites listed here are good. As a Canadian I found a sign shop online. My friend needed a lot of black for her window crafts. I got her 3x as much for the price if I had to buy Cricut. Michael's doesn't let you use coupons on Cricut products. It's the exact same stuff Oracal 631.
I have an Expression 2 and just use the vinyl setting which gives me a kiss cut. I use the Cricut Craft Room to put her sayings in and cut them out for her on 12x24 mats. I take the project off and it rolls nicely with all the letters still on and hand them to her. I have 4 mats so this make is easier for her to get her windows done. She can just lay out the 12x24 sheet and put some weight on all corners than use her tape to lift what she wants and apply to her windows. Vinyl is so easy to use once you figure it how.
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