I am so in love with vinyl. I know a lot of people are now using the Silhouette, but I still love my Cricut. I like being able to carry it around with me and not need a computer to use it. I DID use Craigslist to "upgrade" to the 12 inch Cricut, so I am excited about learning the new tricks to that. Yes, I am a slow technological advancer when it comes to money. I don't even have a smartphone yet. I call mine a dumb phone, but.... it can text. :-)
As for vinyl plus plates, I am in love, as well. See some of my Plate Collection here. Today, I want to show a simple tutorial based on transfer paper with vinyl and not necessary the actual project you are choosing to do. Vinyl attaches to almost about anything. My awesome, crafty friend Robin has not entered the world of vinyl yet, so I am hoping this will help a little to convince her that it is really not that hard.
Wedding Plate Gifts
CONTACT PAPER AS TRANSFER PAPER TUTORIAL
Instead of purchasing "original" transfer paper, I like to save money and use contact paper. You do have to tweak it a little, but it is so worth it.
1. Cut a piece of contact paper that will cover your design or words. Peel it off the backing and press sticky side against your shirt/pants to rid itself of "too much sticky."
2. Then stick it on your vinyl design, rub the design through the contact paper and lift design off.
3. Place it on your project where you want to line it up. (Sorry, no picture.)
4. Rub the vinyl design onto the project, so that it sticks to your project and not the contact paper anymore. This is why it is important for the contact paper to not be too sticky. Sometimes the vinyl will lift with the contact paper like below.
6. Continue to peel the contact paper back to reveal a well positioned design on your project.
I hope this tutorial makes sense and can help some people. Robin, how did I do? If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. I answer all my post questions.
Google "vinyl projects" and have fun!
~hurley
Thank you so much for this. I wasted vinyl trying to use contact paper as transfer tape. After reading your post I took my contact paper and rubbed it all over a sweater first. Worked like a charm!! You saved me tons of money.. Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteRobyn,
DeleteI am so glad the tip helped. I am always looking to save money. ~hurley
True it does work, but in over all transfer tape does not have to be unstickied, and can be used over again multiple times. So is that few pennies in total really a savings?
DeleteAnonymous,
DeleteTransfer tape definitely works for many people, but for those who don't use it a lot, contact paper can be easier to find. Thank you for helping clarify.
Thanks for your post! I am new to the vinyl world and enjoy reading others tips and tricks to help!!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to vinyl! It is fab!
DeleteThank you soo very much for the advice on the contact paper! I just started using vinyl on my silhouette and your tip sure helped alleviate a lot of stress!
ReplyDeleteI am glad my instructions were easy. Have fun!
DeleteThank you for your tutorial. I am going to try this! My only suggestion is that you use a bigger font for the instructions---I had a very hard time reading it on my computer screen and I'm sure I would not have been able to read it on my iPad.
ReplyDeleteI hope it works well for you. I wonder if the font is small on my end or yours. It seems fine to me. :-) Apologies, if it is too small. Good luck.
DeleteFont size is handled on user end. Hit CTRL and the plus key (or minus key to downsize). Works on any webpage.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this tute! I have tried contact paper several times, resulting in wasted vinyl. Lightbulb moment! :)
Laurie,
DeleteThank you for the font tip. ;-) I am glad my contact paper tip is helping you.
Where do you get contact paper and what brand?
ReplyDeleteHi! As far as the brand of contact paper, any will work, as long as you ensure that it is not super sticky by using the shirt/sweatshirt tip above. The main thing to look for is a CLEAR contact paper. It is a kitchen supply and can be found at Target, Wal Mart and some grocery stores. Good luck.
DeleteCan I use this same process on clothing?? Great idea!'
ReplyDeleteLinda,
DeleteI am actually not sure about that. I have not delved into the iron on vinyl yet. Good luck. Let me know if it works for you. ;-)
What if the ccontact paper is not stinky enough? I got one ttoday at Walmart and I'd not stinky enough that the glitter vinyl won't stink to it.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure what all you did. If the glitter vinyl is pretty think, you might not need to "un-stick" the contact paper at all. If you did not "un-stick" it and it was still not sticky enough, you can either return it for another roll/brand, OR the glitter vinyl might just be too think for it. I have not tried it. Good luck!
DeleteI've had the same issue. I've never done the "de-sticking". Generally contact paper is perfectly sticky for me, but my biz partner sent out a batch of decals and the customer swears the contact paper was not pulling the vinyl off the sticker backing. I'm pretty new to this myself. My biz partner purchased her contact paper from walmart -drastically cheaper than what I purchase from Michaels - so idk if it's the same brand?? Or if it was just not pressed on well enough before she mailed them out?? We've been seriously puzzled by it and the customer was seriously unhappy :( On the other hand, a long time ago I bought transfer paper - Cricut brand - and it was so difficult to use I tossed it in the corner of my office never to be seen again. If I remember correctly it was way too sticky and kept peeling the decal off my surface and then left sticky stuff on the vinyl??
DeleteDo I get permanent or removable contact paper?
ReplyDelete