Having issues with mirroring HTV and it not cutting right?
Did you let the software mirror it for you and it still didn’t cut right?
Did it cut what was off the cutting mat in the holding area and not your design?

I’ve been seeing this pop up a lot and I originally posted this information at the bottom of an HTV troubleshooting post called
Cutting HTV with the Cameo 4, Plus, or Pro – Troubleshooting
However, it is at the end of the post and I am seeing many user’s post with questions on why it’s not mirroring it correctly.
Hopefully these details below will explain why and how to fix it for your project so you can get back to creating.

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I would suggest reading through this next section entirely so you understand how this one works and also how to “fix” it.

In 2016, there was a new “pop-up” message that was released into the software for Heat Transfer materials called the Mirror pop up.

For heat transfer materials you are generally placing the material face down on the cutting mat and then cutting through the backside of the material. This means that you have to “mirror” the design so it will cut properly.
How many times have you cut heat transfer material only to have that “head smack” moment after when you realized you forgot to mirror the image?
So the idea behind the “pop-up” message is great!

If you have never cut HTV before or are just getting started, then I would suggest this
Silhouette “Secrets” for HTV – Beginner Tips & Tricks
blog post to get started.

However, this “new” Mirror pop-up released in 2016, did not just mirror the design in the exact place that it was on the design mat. It flipped the entire mat when it mirrored the image, but it does not show that on the screen. So the design that shows on the screen on the left side of the mat/material, is really going to cut on the right side if you choose
“Send Mirrored” and let the software mirror it for you.

If you choose “Send As Is” it will send it to cut in the exact location and exactly as you see it on the screen.

Now, I know that may seem like “old news” since this “bug” has been in the software since 2016. Some users got used to it this way while other users would learn to flip the design themselves and just choose “send as is”.

Now, let’s move to the present.
A few months back, I started to notice users commenting that their HTV was not cutting as it should. They would tell the software to mirror it and it wasn’t cutting in the right spot. I reported the issue and found out that the old mirror “bug” was changed in February 2020 the software release.
Now, it would flip the design in the exact location you have it placed on the mat, but still does not show you that on the screen.
However, if you have anything else on the design file, it will mirror all of the objects. Whether they are in the “holding area” off the cutting mat or not.

If you choose “Send Mirrored“, it could mirror all of the designs on the file.
So when it flips it, this is how it would cut.

Now that would come as a complete surprise when you cut and it’s not what you thought it would be.
Note: the above screen shot is a representation of how it may cut, you do not see this change on the software screen at all.

This is present in the software versions from v4.4.247 until v4.4.438.

From v4.4.438 and higher, the software now is back to mirroring the design on the opposite side of the design mat than what shows on the screen.

How to work with this?

In the grand scheme of things, this is not a big deal, if you know about it and know how to work with it.

My suggestion to you is to mirror the design yourself.

The fastest way to do that is to right click on the design on the Design tab before you go to cut and choose Flip > Horizontal.

This will flip the image on the screen, in front of your eyes.

And it will then cut in that exact spot if you choose “Send As Is” on the Send tab.

If you do not have right click menus enabled on your computer, you can also find this in the top menus under Object > Mirror > Flip Horizontally too.

I use the Mirror Pop up as my final reminder and it has caught me several times when I forgot to mirror the design. Then I go back and mirror it myself before I’ve sent the design to cut.

Hopefully with those tips above, you will be well on your way to cutting HTV smoothly and being able to troubleshoot when you do have an issue.

We would love to see what you are working on!
Feel free post on the
Silhouette Secrets+ Facebook Group.

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Enjoy!

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