Posted on November 7, 2021November 5, 2021 by silhouettesecretsplus — 1 Comment

HTV Sizing for T-shirts

Getting started with HTV can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.

One of the questions I see asked most often is,
“What size should I cut the design for my shirt?”

Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Basically, you can do any size you want since you can cut it on the Silhouette machine and adjust it as needed.

But there are a few things to keep in mind when you are doing it.
For instance, the design itself. Each design can vary in what might look good.
Another is, the size of the shirt you are adding the design too.
Larger is not always better.

Today I wanted to share a chart from Expressions Vinyl that can help in giving you an idea of what might look good.

Expressions Vinyl is an awesome company that offers a great selection of adhesive and HTV products.
I’ve worked with them in the past at the All Things Silhouette Conference and have had great success with my orders through them.

Today, I thought I’d share the HTV sizing chart that I am often referring to my students when they ask.
This will give you an idea of what to start with.

Now, a few things to keep in mind. This is a general idea to start with. The design itself can make a difference in what might look good or not. Every design can vary because it is made up of different aspects.

You may also notice that this sizing chart only goes up to a Large. What about bigger than that?

For shirts size of XL and up, I really do not go much larger.
The largest design I tend to use is just under 12″ x 12″, if it looks ok.
Why?
I was regularly making 3XL to 5XL shirts for my husband and most times I would ask him what he thought before I cut it. In our discussion he mentioned that for those larger size shirts, think of the person who is wearing it. He said he wanted the design to be front and center. He didn’t want people to have to walk around him to see the full design. When explained like this, it made complete sense.
The design should be completely visible when looking straight at the person who is wearing it.

Just something to keep in mind when making your own personal shirts.

Another thing to keep in mind when placing designs is busty women or in general a women’s bust area.
I’ve seen some designs popping up in the past year or two that are very specific to a bust area such as this
Hey Check Out My Pumpkins by Petra Studio Art – Design #384455.

In this design, the placement is very specific and on purpose.
However, what if that is not what you are going for.

I made this shirt with design Wine Tasting Team Captain by Megan Hardy Designs – Design #322093 but I was not thinking about the placement of the design aspects when I made it.

Now I just laugh about it when I wear it.

One other thing that I just purchased to hopefully help me get better placement of HTV is this T-shirt Ruler Placement guide.

*Note: you do not press this in the heat press, it is only used for lining things up.*

I was in the Craft Chameleon store for an event and thought it might be worth giving a try to see if it helps me get the design on straighter. It is a hard acrylic ruler and I’m hoping it helps me.
It never fails that I eyeball it and my design is just a little bit crooked, even if I press the center of the shirt. The ruler will hopefully give me that straight edge to line up the design with.
Or I’ll just continue standing a little bit off center so no one notices.
Things happen to us all!
Practice, practice, practice!
And have fun!

I hope those tips have helped in getting started with HTV cutting and your Silhouette!
Here are a few more posts with information and tips on cutting HTV:

Silhouette “Secrets” for HTV – Beginner Tips & Tricks

Cutting HTV on the Cameo 4, Plus, or Pro – Troubleshooting

Note: these tips will also work for all machine models, but the photos are very specific to the Cameo 4 model

Let’s Explore v4 – Mirrored HTV not Cutting Right

Want to get a little fancier in the design process?

Check out these 2 posts that feature layered HTV designs

Designing in Silhouette Studio

Subtracting Text for HTV in Silhouette v4

I’d love seeing what you are creating with your Silhouette machines or software.
Feel free to post photos or questions on my Facebook group at
Silhouette Secrets with EllyMae.

Save this for future reference by pinning the image below.

Enjoy!

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Or if you are looking for more in-depth, step-by-step classes, check out all of my online Silhouette classes on my Teachable site HERE.

Posted on February 28, 2021October 2, 2021 by silhouettesecretsplus — 5 Comments

Cutting HTV on the Cameo 4, Plus, or Pro – Troubleshooting

Cutting HTV on the Cameo 4, Cameo Plus, or Cameo Pro
Troubleshooting

Are you having issues with getting HTV to cut properly on the Cameo 4, Cameo Plus, or Cameo Pro? Or are you noticing issues with the HTV feeding properly through the machine?

Recently, I was cutting HTV with my Cameo Pro and was having feed issues. I see several times each week on Facebook where users are having cut issues with their machines. I kept loading and unloading the HTV and began to notice a pattern.

Note: these tips will work for all Silhouette machines, but you may find that you notice it more on a Cameo 4, Cameo 4 Plus, or Cameo Pro models

If you are having cutting or feed issues with your Cameo machine
is your HTV curled?

As I watched the machine load and feed through, I noticed that the HTV was curled.
If it is, this will affect your cutting and HTV feeding through the machine 100%!
If you lay your HTV flat and the edge curls up, this can cause issues.

Typically, HTV comes in a roll and is shipped that way, especially if you are buying it in longer sections. Depending on how it’s rolled, it can retain that shape and then it will not roll flat through the machine.

Why do you have cut or feed issues?

Since the HTV is curled, it will catch inside of the machine as it rolls through.
This is not a machine fault, this is due to the HTV being curled.

First, the number one thing that needs to be checked is that the blade is installed properly. I cannot even tell you how many posts I see daily on Facebook that the blade is not installed properly. This is one of the best things you can learn to do for yourself & to save yourself headache in the future. It doesn’t matter if you are an experienced user or a beginner. If the blade is not installed properly with no gap and adjusting properly, you WILL have cut issues.

This is how the blade should be installed on a
Cameo 4, Cameo Plus, Cameo Pro, or Portrait 3.

There should be absolutely no gap between the lip of the blade and the housing.
AND the lock on the front of the blade needs to be pushed in completely.

Then watch as the machine does it’s “tap dance” at the beginning of the cut. Does the red line inside the blade adjust properly and to the correct number?

If it does not, we can start troubleshooting it with a photo of the blade installed with the cutting mat or vinyl loaded if you post on the Silhouette Secrets+ Facebook group or check out this video by Silhouette America on Cutting Machine Maintenance and how to Reset the Motor at 4:38 in the video. This should reset the housing so that it is properly aligned to hit the adjustment holes correctly.

Once the blade is installed properly and adjusting properly, the next place to look is where this curled HTV can cause issues.

3 places to watch for curled HTV catching

1 – The Roller bar
Is the HTV loading properly and straight?
If the HTV is curled too much, it may not be securely under the rollers and the machine cannot grip it well. This means that it may be pulling it in at an angle.

Here is an example of what it might look like if the HTV is not securely caught between both the rollers. One side may pull in more than the other.

It can also catch on the bottom of the blade in the Tool 1 or Tool 2 housing.
If the HTV is curled and you do get it loaded straight, the curl on it can catch on the bottom of the blade(s) as it rolls back and forth.

Here is an example of what it might look like if it gets caught on the bottom of the Tool(s).

If the material does not load straight, unload and try again. If it loads crooked, you will most likely have an issue with it feeding properly. It is better to try again until it is loaded straight or try one of the other solutions below.

2 – The middle bar in the machine.

If you look at your machine, you will see there is a white piece that sort of has a curl up on the front that runs behind where the blade housing moves. The curl on the machine is designed so when a material is loaded and moves toward the back, it directs the material down and through the machine.

However, if the HTV (or other materials) is curled, when it gets to the white piece in the machine, it will go up instead of going down. This means the HTV is not moving freely through the machine and may get caught. This can cause both cut and feed issues.

Watch as the HTV is moving through the machine to see if it’s catching here.

3 – The back of the machine

If it makes it past the first 2 areas, then the last place it might catch is the back of the machine and you may or may not see this as the vinyl coming up behind the metal bar that runs the length of the Cameo 4 models. If you listen close, you will be able to hear this when it catches or you might actually see it come up behind that metal bar as well.

All of these areas can affect the cut or feed of the HTV. Since the HTV is curled, it cannot roll smoothly and flat through the machine. The machine is functioning properly, but since the material is curled, it will catch.

Now, I’m sure you may be wondering how I figured this out. When I noticed there was an issue, I tested. And I tested. And I tested. I watched how the machine was grabbing the materials. I watched how it was moving through. And I watched what parts of the machine were moving when everything was happening.
This is a great way to learn your machine and what it doing!

Now, how do you fix it?

Solutions to curled HTV

Tip 1 – Feed the material through the machine until the curl is out the backside.

To advance the material through the machine, press the down arrow on the right touch panel on the Cameo 4, Cameo Plus, or Cameo Pro machine.

Or you can advance the material by using the down arrow key next to the Test Cut button on the Send tab in the software. This would work for all machine models.

Now, this is not always the most ideal or conservative way to work with your HTV roll because you will be advancing it into the machine about 4″ or more to get past that curl.

However, if you are pressed for time, it may be the fastest way to work with it.

Tip 2 – Roll the HTV backwards when you get it.

Once you have identified this as a possible issue you may have, you can then re-roll the HTV rolls when you receive your order. This can help the curl “relax” a bit. And then store the vinyl this way.

If the HTV roll came with a piece of tape on it, tape it securely so it will start to retain the new shape. When you want to use it, the inside of this roll will hopefully be relaxed a bit and less curled.

If you do not have the tape from the original roll, grab a core from an old roll and then place the new roll inside so it will conform to the shape more and be held securely.

Tip 3 – Use a cutting mat to hold the vinyl down.

If the design will fit on the cutting mat and you cannot get it to feed properly, then I would suggest a good sticky cutting mat to help hold that vinyl down as flat as possible.

I do know some users who will even use painter’s tape and tape the HTV so it lays flat. My only caution here is to not place the painter’s tape on the left or right edges where the rollers may roll over it as it may lose it’s grip because of the difference in surface area and cause the mat to skew.

If you do place tape in the roller paths, just be aware if the mat skews or the cut is off, that this could be one reason why. If the left roller is gripping a different material, say the smooth surface of the mat, but the right roller is rolling on painters tape, it can cause it to roll at different rates. This can cause the mat to twist in the machine.

This can also be the case if the right roller is rolling across the adhesive on the cutting mat. It can not only cause your roller to get gummed up, but can affect the feeding of the mat as well since it is rolling on the adhesive and not on the smooth edge of the cutting mat.

Tip 4 – Slow the speed of the cut down.

On the Send tab in the Silhouette software, you can adjust the speed. Faster is not always better. If you continue to have an issue, slowing the speed of the cut down can help not only in the cut, but in also being able to identify the cause of an issue.

Wine Tasting Team Captain by Megan Hardy Designs – Design# 322093

Tip 5 – Test cut with a capital B you type out placed below the design area.

If you are not doing test cuts before you send the design to cut, I highly recommend getting in the habit of it. It only takes a few seconds, but can save you time, wasted materials, and big headaches!

This is my favorite way to do a test cut!
I use the Text Tool on the left side and type out a capital B. Move the B to a place that is below your design or towards the bottom in the negative space.

Why so far down?

By placing the capital B test cut at the bottom of the design, you will be able to see how the machine and HTV will track as it goes. It will have to roll all the way to the bottom of where the design will be and perform the cut. By doing this, any issues may show up before you’ve actually tried to cut the full design and it didn’t work properly.

One More Tip

This one actually has nothing to do with the machine itself, but it more on the software.

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.

For more tips on the Cameo Pro and troubleshooting check out this post
5 Steps to Setting Up the Cameo Pro & Troubleshooting
that also includes a free, downloadable PDF document for future reference.

I would love to hear if this helped you in identifying a problem or if you just learned something new in today’s post. Feel free to comment below or post on the
Silhouette Secrets+ Facebook Group.
We love to see what you are doing and creating with your Silhouette machines!

Save this for future reference by pinning the image below.

Enjoy!

THANK YOU for your support! How can you help? Click HERE & buy a coffee.
Every little bit helps with the cost of running the site.

Or if you are looking for more in-depth, step-by-step classes, check out all of my online Silhouette classes on my Teachable site HERE.

**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.

Posted on January 7, 2020January 3, 2021 by silhouettesecretsplus — 13 Comments

Silhouette “Secrets” for HTV – Beginner Tips & Tricks

HTV or Heat Transfer vinyl is vinyl that has a heat activated adhesive that can be applied to fabrics and other materials.

I always recommend starting with high quality products and in my experience, you will have less headache when creating your projects. Throughout the post I will share what brands I used on the shirts created, tips to cutting & applying, and share recommendations on where I buy those supplies.

Affiliate links my be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Basics of Cutting HTV with Silhouette

Step 1 – Create the design you want to cut.

Step 2 – Place the HTV correctly on the cutting mat in the same location on the grid as what shows on the Silhouette Studio software or load the vinyl directly into the machine to cut without a mat (click HERE for more tips on Cutting without a Mat).

For most HTV, you will place the shiny side down on the cutting mat. This is the carrier sheet and you are cutting through the backside of the vinyl. However this is not for ALL types of vinyl. For instance, some patterned vinyl it is laid pattern side up, cut through the front, and then a Heat Transfer carrier sheet is applied to transfer it to the shirt.

Step 3 – Mirror the design, if needed. This is for most HTV, but not all.

Step 4 – Choose the cut settings for the brand of HTV.

Step 5 – Send to the machine to cut.

Now, that we have the basics, let’s take a look at specific examples.

Ultimately, how you cut the design is going to be dependent and differ depending on the design you use. For instance, is it a one color design? Is it a multi-color design? Are parts of the colors overlapping? Is the design layered?
In this post, we will cover some basics and cut with 1 color.

My first tip for a beginner or for any of my students is that while you can cut without a mat with the Silhouette machines (except the Curio), I still recommend cutting with a mat until you get used to how the machine cuts. Then when you are feeling comfortable you can branch out and test the waters with cutting without a mat. This will help eliminate a few possible issues that can occur as a beginner because you are simplifying things.

Two resources I want to share here are:

Tips to Get The Most Out of Your Silhouette Mat
This will come in handy to make those mats last longer
Cutting Without A Mat
When you are feeling adventurous or a bit more comfortable with your machine you can test this out. While the tutorial is written with a Cameo 3, the tips will apply to all machines you can cut mat-less with.

Let’s start simple and work up from there.

Note: In the following photos, you will see me using a Cameo 4 machine to cut. While I used my Cameo 4, these tips will apply to all Silhouette machines. I am using software version v4.3.353 in this tutorial.

One color designs

Step 1 – Create or find the design you want and open it on the Silhouette Design mat and size it as needed.
I am using “I Tell Dad Jokes” by Honeybee SVG – Design #293250 from the Silhouette Design Store.

The first thing I like to do is to change the Transparency on the Page Setup Panel to 0%, so I can see the grid lines of my mat (in v4.2 & prior it is referred to as Reveal).
This is how I know how big of a piece of HTV that I will need. I will cut my HTV piece down to 12″ x 10″ and place it on my cutting mat shiny side down. I use a paper trimmer to cut down my 12″ vinyl to the size I need.

There are several reasons I do this, but the main one is that it helps make my cutting mats last longer. I am only placing my material on the mat where I am cutting and no peeling a full sheet of material off the mat each and every time.
Why use that adhesive where it is not going to cut?
For more tips on the cutting mat click HERE.

Step 2 – Flip the design (also called mirror) on the Silhouette Design screen. Right click on the image and choose Flip Horizontally or Object > Mirror > Flip Horizontal.

Why do we need to mirror? For most HTV, the carrier sheet is attached to the vinyl. This means that you place the HTV upside down (shiny side down) on your cutting mat and you cut through the backside of the HTV.

Now, there are exceptions to this and you will learn as you go and start working with different materials. One of these exceptions is some patterned vinyl, like Sparkleberry Ink HTV. It is amazing vinyl, but since it is printed with a pattern on it with a special printer, you will lay it pattern side up and cut through the top and then use a Heat Transfer Mask to transfer the vinyl to the shirt or other material.

Here is an example of Sparkleberry Ink printed vinyl found in this post using the Subtract feature with HTV. The patterned vinyl was cut pattern side up and a transfer mask applied and then the solid Siser Easyweed was cut the same as this tutorial.

The next thing to note is that there is a “HTV Mirror” pop up that you will get when you use a preset cut setting in the Silhouette software. I prefer to mirror (flip horizontal) the object myself so I know exactly where it is going to cut on the cutting mat. Since I have flipped my image, when I get to that pop up, I choose “Send As Is“.

While you can let the software “mirror” it for you, it flips the entire mat and does not reflect that visually on the screen. For example if I have a smaller design than what I’m cutting above, if I let the software mirror the design by using the Pop up when I send to cut, it will cut where the yellow square is. So if I have placed my HTV material on the left side of my mat as it shows on the design screen, it is not going to cut on my material.

NOTE: I’ve recently found there is a new bug in the v4.4 software – when letting the software mirror the image, it will also mirror the objects that are off the cutting mat as well.
I would highly recommend right clicking and choosing Flip > Horizontal and mirror the design yourself to avoid either of these issues.

Wine Bottled Up by Jillibean Soup – Design #242851

And also, it’s just habit because the Mirror pop up was not always around. However, it does save me on occasion when I have forgotten to mirror the design myself.

Step 3 – Cut the HTV to size and place on the cutting mat. I am using Siser Easyweed HTV in white for this project.

Now, something to note here is that when you order vinyl on a roll, it may not always be 12″ wide. This is pretty common as it is cut from a bigger roll originally.
Just like wood is not the exact size.
It is also the reason that I did not cut without a mat using this roll of Siser Easyweed HTV. It just barely fit under my rollers and I didn’t want to take the chance that it wasn’t securely in the machine. Plus it gave me a little more cut-able space by cutting it down and placing on the cutting mat.

Resize the design and make sure that the design on the screen shows in the same place as it is placed on the cutting mat.

Step 4 – Click on the Send tab in the top right corner to set up the cut settings.
Choose the material type in the Material drop down box.
I am using Siser Easyweed HTV and find that the Heat Transfer, Smooth option works well.To be honest, I find that the preset cut settings work well for almost all materials. But, keep in mind that blade sharpness, cutting mat stickiness, etc can all affect cut quality too!

Step 5 – Test cut – VERY IMPORTANT feature that can save you materials & time.
Any time I am cutting a new material, I will use the test cut to make sure that I will get a good cut.

There is nothing like cutting a full design on HTV, unloading the cutting mat, and finding out it didn’t cut well. It’s a great learning opportunity but let’s save some time & materials and get the habit of a test cut.
I promise it will help.

There are 2 ways I’ll share on how to do a test cut.

1. In the bottom right corner of the Send tab is a little button that says Test. This will cut a small square with a triangle out of it in the top left corner of the cutting grid.

If the first test cut doesn’t work, you can move it by using the directional arrows next to the Test cut button.

You can also change which Tool does the Test cut by choosing 1 or 2.
On software versions prior to v4.3, it will show as a red circle (Tool 1) or a blue circle (Tool 2). This is for the Cameo 3, Cameo 4, and Curio machines only.

2. Make your own Test Cut.
I use a capital ‘B’ as my test cut object often. The biggest thing you want is something that has both corners and curves to it. This will give you a good indication of how it’s going to cut.

Place the test cut object – the letter ‘B’ in a space on the HTV that will not be cut with the design, as shown by the bold red A above.

Next, select the design by clicking on it. This is very important. You will see a gray selection box appear around the object on the screen that is selected, as shown by the bold red B. If there is no object on the screen selected, it will not change the Action.
With the design selected, choose No Cut next the bold red C above. This will turn the cut lines OFF for the design and it will only cut the letter ‘B’ as the test cut.

If it cuts well the first time, you can either move the ‘B’ off the design mat or delete it. Then turn the cut lines back on for the design by selecting it again & choosing Cut.

If it doesn’t cut well, move the ‘B’ to a different free space on the HTV and adjust the cut settings to get a good cut.

Step 6 – Load the cutting mat. After double checking the settings, load the cutting mat in the machine. The left edge of the cutting mat should line up with the line on the left side that the 2 arrows on the machine point to.

When using a cutting mat, the rollers should roll on the left and right edges of the cutting mat as shown by the 2 top red arrows in the photo above.

Step 7 – Click on the Send button in the bottom right of the Send tab. When the cut lines are turned ON you will see bold red cut lines around the design, on this Simple cut option.

If the HTV Pop up appears, click ‘Send As Is’ if you have mirrored (flip horizontal) the design yourself.

Step 8 – Before you unload the mat check that it cut well.
This is another great habit to get into.

If for some reason that it did not cut well, you could send it back through again for a 2nd pass. However, if you remove the cutting mat, you will not get it lined up in the exact same place and it won’t cut in the same spot.

Step 9 – Unload the cutting mat.

Step 10 – Place the protective cover shiny side up on the table and flip the cutting mat upside down on top of it. Carefully peel the cutting mat away from the material. This is another way to help the material release and extend the life of the cutting mat – more tips HERE.

Why do I place the protective cover down on the table with the shiny side up? First, it protects the mat in any areas that have the adhesive exposed. By placing the shiny side (i.e. non-stick) side up, it will stick to my mat and debris won’t.

Why do I flip the mat over and peel the mat away from the material?
First, it helps to release the material from the adhesive with less force. Pulling up on the material from the mat, adds more force which can pull the adhesive off the mat. Second, it will help with the material not curling when it’s taken off the mat. This works especially well with cardstock and paper materials.

Step 11 – Weed away the excess vinyl from the design. I start with the outer edge of the design when I weed so that I know where my letters are and am not “picking” at the design.

As you do it, you will develop methods that work for you. Such as weeding tools. My personal favorite are the reverse tweezers from EK Tools. I love them so much that I have 3 pair, just in case one is put in a really “safe” place and I can’t find it when needed. I love the sharp tip for getting the vinyl started and then the tweezers to help peel it off.

Each brand, color, type of HTV will vary in how much you can see the cut lines. Some colors or glitter HTV are harder to see on. The more you do it the more comfortable you will get at what works.

Make sure to get all the little pieces like the insides of the A, D, P, etc. If I have a question as to what needs to be weeded out vs what stays, I look at the design on the screen to see what is filled with color and what is not.

And go slow, it’s not a band-aid you rip off. If you go slow and watch, if there is a spot that didn’t cut well, you can still salvage the design most times.

Step 12 – Press the HTV onto the shirt or other fabric object using the manufacturer recommendations.
I love that Siser has this on their site and also a handy app too!
Check out the full Siser site HERE.
On the Left side of the home page, move the mouse over the HTV header and it will expand. Choose your HTV type and then scroll down the page for the Cutter Settings and Application settings.

I set my heat press to 305 for 15 seconds for Siser Easyweed and it works every time.

And there you have a single color design, cut with the Silhouette, and pressed onto a shirt.

Q & A

Let’s talk about a few more things because I’m sure you have a question or two.

Do I recommend a heat press? Yes.
I recommend a heat press if you plan press a lot of HTV.
Especially if you plan to do a bunch of shirts or plan to make a business of this.
It will save you time & muscle power

Why do I recommend a heat press?
1. It is easier. Set the time. Set the temperature. Press for 15 seconds (or recommended time). And done!
2. Even pressure and more accurate heat.

What heat presses do I own?
I started with a use 15″ x 15″ Power Press that I received. It was great! These are often found on Amazon, however, be very careful in reading the reviews on the seller. I don’t think they are as good as they used to be and have seen them arrived damaged or non-functional. Just like anything else, check out the reviews.

I gave that heat press to a friend when I found a great deal on another 15″ x 15″ Craft Pro Press from Heat Press Nation. I LOVE that this has a slide out drawer on it and it was something I couldn’t pass up. The slide out drawer helps in getting the design placed on the shirt easier, so you are not reaching in under the hot top platen of the press.
Is it a necessity? No, but it sure is nice.

Personally, I need to have a 15″ x 15″ press. The shirt I pressed above is a 4XL shirt and I make those sizes often, so I feel it is well worth it.

But, if you don’t need that size, there is a Craft Pro 9″ x 13″ press with the slide out drawer as well. Find that HERE.

I also have this smaller press. I use this one when I am traveling for classes as it weighs only 35 lbs. The 15″ x 15″ press above is not 35 lbs.

This Pink Craft Press can be found here at Heat Press Nation or Swing Design.

What other products would I recommend when using HTV?
Pressing pads or pillows. What are these? These are items that you place inside a garment such as a tshirt or bodysuit to lift up the area you are pressing to keep the seams from interfering with the pressure you are applying. If you press a shirt and there is a seam in between the top & bottom of the press, the press hits that seam and doesn’t get full pressure down on the area of the shirt or garment that is needed. This can interfere with getting a good, solid adhesion with the HTV.

I have the Tee Pad It from Heat Press Nation and love them. It is cost effective as you get all 5 sizes for 1 low price.

Slide these in to the shirt under where the design will be placed, adjust the pressure on the heat press, and get that good pressure needed for the HTV to adhere.

Pressing pillows are another option, but I found they are a lot more expensive and condense a lot more when you press them, which if pressing multiple items can take longer.

Teflon sheets – I get mine on Amazon and they last a long time. This will help protect your top platen of the heat press or an iron.

EZ Off cleaner for when you have a boo-boo and accidentally melt HTV to the top platen of the press. Shhhhh…… it happens.
It can be found here are Heat Press Nation or on Amazon.

Do you have to have a heat press to use HTV? General answer – No.
However, you want a brand of vinyl that can be pressed with a home iron if you do not have a press. Siser is one of those brands. The 2 biggest factors with HTV is heat and pressure. You have to have both or the HTV will not adhere to the material and last. Some brands like ThermoFlex are designed to be used with a heat press.

If you only have a home iron or a Cricut Easy Press, I recommend checking out this video – How to Iron On Siser HTV by Joe at Siser for great tips on what to do and what not to do.

Can you over press HTV? Yes.
Again I’m going to refer you to the experts here in this video – lots of great tips!
Check out this video by Siser called Over Pressing HTV HERE.

Now, that is a lot of links and recommendations to throw at you.

Do you need them all right now? No. But, I want you to have the resources to go to on where to find the same products that I recommend.

For other product recommendations check out my Amazon store HERE or feel free to ask on my Facebook group at Silhouette Secrets with EllyMae.

I hope that this helps provide you with some “secrets” to getting started with HTV. Or even if you have already been using HTV, maybe you picked up a few tips. I would love to hear if you did!

If you want to dive deeper into HTV check out these 2 video courses I have available. They are step-by-step courses taught just as I teach an in-person class, but available at your convenience.
Cutting & Layering HTV in Silhouette Studio – 45 minute video class
Creating a Knockout Design with HTV & Bonus HTV & Subtract in Silhouette – 1 hr class

Did this information help? Don’t forget to Pin it for future use!

Enjoy!

**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.

Posted on May 24, 2018April 26, 2023 by silhouettesecretsplus — 10 Comments

Subtracting Text for HTV in Silhouette Studio v4

These designs have been a big hit for Mother’s Day and we will walk through how to created one.

First click on the Text Tool on the left side of the Silhouette Software. Click on the design mat & type out the words. Click off of the words to deselect it and then click back on the text once to select it. Fill the text with color to make it easier to see & work with. Click on the Text Style Panel on the right side.

Now, click on a Font Style Name, the text will change to that font style. You can then either click on each font, use the text search bar if you know what you are looking for or use the arrow keys to scroll through the text list and as you do the words will change to each font – this is my favorite method if I don’t know what font I want.

For Mom, I chose a font called Gulana – I chose this one by just scrolling through my font list and seeing what I liked best. Now, resize it how you like it.

Next using the same text tools, type out your second layer.

I used the font MF I Love Glitter by Misti Fonts in this example. The swirl hearts are called Glyphs and are special characters within the font that you can add. Check out this post for more on the Glyphs feature HERE.

Since this font overlaps make sure to weld the letters together before you cut.

Now position your name design over the top of the Mom design and align it how you want it.

We are going to Subtract the top layer (names) from the bottom layer (Mom).

First, I’d suggest creating an offset. When you are using HTV and pressing individual layers, the HTV can shrink as it’s applied with heat. To help with that we will create an offset, so we don’t have unwanted gaps in our design.

First, make a copy of your design and pull it off to the side in the holding area of the design space. Any time you are working with text, it’s a good idea to make a copy and pull the original off, just in case you need to go back. Once you edit text, it is no longer text and is now treated as a vector image – so the text is no longer editable.

Next, select your name text and click on the Offset Panel on the right side of Silhouette Studio v4.

Then next to the Distance highlight the numbers and type in 0.040, then click on Apply or hit Enter. The Distance of the offset will vary depending on the design you are using. Enter some larger or smaller offsets and see what you like – the Undo button will be your best friend.

The offset option gives you an outline around your text. It can also be used to make text thicker when you are using a very fine line font.

Once you Apply the offset, it will weld any parts that are overlapping. Parts of the design that are not overlapping (like dots of an i) will not be welded together, so you will need to group the offset before you move it, so it all moves as one.

Now move your original text off of the Mom design.

To create this design, we are going to use the Mom and the offset of our name text.

Select both Mom and the offset and under the Modify Panel, choose Subtract.

This will Subtract the top layer (offset) from the bottom layer (Mom) and any pieces that are not connected will now be individual. I would group these together before anything gets moved.

The Group option can be found in the QAT (Quick Access Toolbar) at the top of the software, right click and choose Group or under the Object menu at the top left of the software.

Now, we can move our original text back on top of our Mom design.

You can see when we zoom in that we have created a gap in our layering. This is done with the purpose of allowing for the shrinkage of the HTV and not getting unwanted gaps in our design.

Do you have to do an offset before you use the Subtract option? No, but it can save some frustration when the HTV does shrink.

Now, you are ready to set it up to cut out the material.

I used this awesome Sparkleberry Vaca HTV by Sparkleberry Ink on the Mom design. This is a patterned vinyl and you do not have to mirror or flip your image when you cut their patterned vinyl.

For the name text, I am using Siser Easyweed HTV in Hibiscus from Swing Design. Since this is regular HTV, I will flip (mirror) the text prior to cutting.

Next, prepare your materials. Cut them down to the size you need or place each one on the mat individually, however you like to cut.

Click on the Send tab in the top right corner. Select your Material. Heat Transfer – Smooth is what I used for both the pieces I cut.

Once your mat is loaded, I always suggest doing a Test Cut before cutting the full design. This can save you a lot of frustration in the long run.

Click on the Send button at the bottom and once it’s cut you can weed your designs.

Layer & press the designs on your t-shirt or tote bag and you have a custom made design.

What will you create with this technique today?

Enjoy !

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Looking for more in-depth, step-by-step classes, check out all of my online Silhouette classes on my Teachable site HERE.

Posted on April 28, 2018April 26, 2023 by silhouettesecretsplus — 27 Comments

Cutting without a mat on the Cameo

Did you know you could cut without a mat with the Cameo? Yes! You can! The Portrait and all the Cameo machines have the ability to cut certain materials without a mat.

I see this asked a lot so let’s take a look at how to set it up properly to get a good cut.

You can only cut materials that have a backing without a mat on the Silhouette machines. Materials that have a backing would include adhesive vinyl or Heat Transfer vinyl (HTV), these are the most common ones I see. Single layer materials such as cardstock or fabric need to be placed on a mat or you risk jamming your machine when it cuts.

First, you want to set up the software to tell the Cameo that you are cutting without a mat.

Change the Page Size to the size of material you are using.
Change the Cutting Mat to None. The arrow on the screen is indicating where the material will be loaded into the Cameo.
Check the box to “Show Cut Border”. This will bring up a red cut border and will show you the maximum cut-able area of your vinyl.

Next, something to keep in mind when cutting without a mat, you lose 1/4″ of cut-able space on your material on the left & right side and 1″ of cut-able space on the backside. This is so that your Cameo can hold the material securely in the machine while it cuts.

I have seen many times when someone tries to “trick” the machine to tell it the material is longer than it is, so they can get the design to cut in that last 1″ space, but most times, it will lose grip on the material and fall out the backside. Then you have wasted that cut of vinyl. So I don’t recommend that. Just know in advance that you have to work within those parameters on your material and checking the “Show Cut border” helps visualize that.

So now that we’ve told the software we are cutting without a mat, let’s set the machine up.

First, you need to make sure that your blade is installed correctly. The #1 issue I see is not having the blade installed in the machine with no gap. It should look like this with no gap at all between the blade and the housing. This is for all blades, not just the Autoblade, but it is especially important with the Autoblade as it cannot adjust correctly if it is not in properly.

Next, you want to move your right roller in to grab the edge of the vinyl. There are 4 positions that the right roller can be locked on the roller bar. These are all indicated by the blue arrows, which line up to grooves on the roller bar that the lock sits in.

These are the only places that the right roller can be locked in on the roller bar. If you do not have the roller securely set in the groove, it will not lock in place. It may look like it’s locked but it is not.

Now, to move your right roller. Flip the roller bar lock down to release it (unlock). This lifts the right side of the roller bar, so you can move the roller.

Next, turn the right side of the Roller lock to the unlocked position. It is very difficult to see but there is a definite lock and unlock and a notch that has to be securely in place.

Once it is in the unlock position, you can carefully slide it along the roller bar until it securely sits in the groove that you want it in. Then make sure to turn the roller lock back to the locked position and turn the roller bar lock so it is pointing up. The terminology can get confusing so here is a visual.

Now, once your roller is securely locked in place and your roller bar lock is pointed up in the locked position, we want to make sure we are loading our vinyl correctly.

Place your vinyl next to the blue line on the left side, just like you would load the mat and the top edge of the vinyl up against the rollers. Don’t push it in, just hold it up to the rollers, so when you push the load button it will pull the vinyl into the machine.

Now, see how the rollers are firmly gripping the edges of the vinyl.

Remember what I said earlier about losing 1/4″ of cut-able space on your left and right side of your vinyl? This is why. The rollers need that space to securely hold the vinyl in the machine.

Also, something to take note of is that your design will start cutting exactly at the top of your vinyl that is loaded in the machine. As you can see in this photo, the red cut border starts at the very top of the vinyl.

It does not have to account for the extra space of the mat, so it begins cutting immediately.

Once your vinyl is loaded, you may also choose to advance the vinyl through the machine in order to see how it will track. On the Cameo touchscreen, click on the directional arrow icon in the bottom right corner.

Then press on the down arrow to get it to feed through the machine.

This can help you identify any issues you may encounter with it feeding through the Cameo straight.

Now, that the software and the Cameo are set up correctly, we are ready to Send the design to Cut.

You want to keep the vinyl as straight as possible going into and coming out of the Cameo. If you are cutting something that is really long and have the vinyl hanging that can create an issue if the vinyl is pulling. Or if the vinyl doesn’t have room on the backside to pass through, then it can cause issues too.

It will depend on the length of the vinyl you are cutting, but I prefer to use my Silhouette roll feeder when cutting long length. I feel that I don’t have to babysit the cutting as much once I have the roll feeder set up, as long as the backside is clear.

Now, I know it doesn’t look like much but it will hold your 9″ and 12″ vinyl rolls in place. I will be completely honest and say that I didn’t think I would have any use for it. But, I was wrong! I use this every time I have a large vinyl decal to cut.

The Cameo machine sits securely on top of the Silhouette Roll Feeder and the vinyl is fed through so it goes into the machine straight.

Here is the video I watched by Silhouette to set up the roll feeder – The Silhouette Roll Feeder.

You can find the roll feeder here: Swing Design Silhouette America Amazon

I would highly suggest practicing this technique of not using a mat before you are under pressure to get a project done. And I still will always recommend that a beginner start by using a mat, so you can see how the machine works before you start changing too much of it.