Print and Cut with Heat Transfer Paper

*This post may contain Affiliate links.

For the June 2019 All Things Silhouette Conference, I taught a class called “Let’s Explore Print & Cut with Printable Heat Transfer”. I had so much fun creating this class and want to share that with all of you. While I cannot pass around all the demos I made like I did in class, I hope a photo blog post will do.

First, I set up the Print & Cut design using the Summer Flowers bundle by Echo Park – Design #186925 from the Silhouette Design Store.

When setting up a Print & Cut project, I follow the same steps each time. In this post – Print & Cut – Part 3 – Images, I go through every step I take to set up the file for the best success.
This is what I would also recommend for a beginner who is doing this for the first time or for anyone who is having issues with the Print and Cut not registering or not cutting accurately.
While you can adjust several things on a Print & Cut file, I find most users get the best results and have less headache if they first start with a baseline
For more troubleshooting tips, see this post – Print & Cut – Part 1.

This is exactly what I walked through in class step by step.

Now to the fun part, Show & Tell!

This class was sponsored by Specialty Materials and I used a product called Colorjet III Light and Dark Heat Transfer Paper. ColorJet III comes in packages of either 8-1/2″ x 11″ or 11″ x 17″ sheets. I loved the 11″ x 17″ sheets with my Canon TS9521C large format printer, then I could fit several print and cut projects on one page and do larger designs as well.
You can request a free sample on the website HERE.

First, I started with a few shirts.

As soon as this shirt came off the press, it was my 6 year old daughter’s favorite shirt.
I had to go searching for it in order to take it to the ATS Conference with me.
I used Colorject III Dark on this shirt with a design that is part of a print & cut sticker file called ML Unicorn Cute Stickers by MiniLou – Design #285420 from the Silhouette Design Store.

Now, if you read the directions on the Colorjet III it says “Care – Hand wash and air dry. Do not dry clean. No bleach or aggressive detergents” (Specialty Materials) but, I have 3 kids and “hand wash” does not really happen in my house. But, I am happy to report that it has been through the washer & dryer at least 3 times since I made it and it still looks great. And I brought it with me to Conference to show everyone how it held up.
What do I recommend? You have to test it yourself! The manufacturer gives you care instructions and for best results, I’d recommend those to get the most life out of it.
Me….. well, you guessed it. I throw everything in the washer & dryer with the thought that I can always remake it if I need to. That is probably not the best advice for everyone.

I used the Colorjet III Dark on this blue shirt with a design called Justice League by DC Justice League – Design #201137.
*This is an older design that is no longer in the Silhouette Design Store.

For this shirt, I used the Colorject III Light with designs Painted Purple Bouquet by Loni Harris – Design #139067 and the words are cut with Siser Easyweed HTV using the Live Life in Full Bloom by Silhouette – Design #129071.

And then I moved on to other objects and things I could find that wouldn’t necessarily need to be washed often.

This one is using the Colorjet III Light pressed onto a Canvas panel & framed. Created with Enjoy Today Painted Floral by Loni Harris – Design #134285 from the Silhouette Design Store.

Here is another one created with Colorjet III Light then pressed onto a Canvas panel & framed. Created with Floral Monogram K by Angie Makes – Design #173599 from the Silhouette Design Store.

This time, I used a framed canvas and the Colorject III Light. In order to get a good pressure on the framed canvas, I had a wood board cut to fit in the back side of the frame and placed it inside when I pressed the design. I’ve been eyeing these watercolor designs and love that I’ve found a way to use them. This was created with Multicolored Prism Heart by Rhonna Farrer – Design #248413 from the Silhouette Design Store.

This is using Colorjet III Light on a zippered cotton canvas bag from Craft Chameleon. It was created with Watercolor Heart by Rhonna Farrer – Design #248434 from the Silhouette Design Store.

I used Colorjet III Dark on this garden flag from Craft Chameleon for the American Flag of United States by Echo Park – Design #269732 (Silhouette Design Store). The words are cut with HTV and I used a design by BasicGrey called Home of the Free Because of the Brave – Design #204727.

And now some of my favorites – photos!

This one should be hung on my wall for many years to come, memorializing that I managed to get all 3 of them smiling together without some crazy face.

I used the Colorjet III Light printed through the Silhouette software on a canvas panel, which I then put in a 8″ x 10″ frame. While these are not UV treated like others you get at a professional photo shop, you can change the photo out each year or several times a year if you like for a lot less expense. I love having options!

Another photo on a canvas panel using Colorjet III Dark.

And what about a one of a kind gift?

I used Colorjet III Light to add my favorite photo to a canvas tote bag from Craft Chameleon.

Now, did all of my test projects turn out? No, they did not. And that is what comes when developing a class for an event. There will be things that work and things that don’t. But, even the things that don’t turn out are all learning experiences.

Here are a couple of projects that didn’t turn out quite as I expected them to. I always recommend reading the instructions for any brand of product you are using. In those instructions for the Colorjet III it states “Be advised that dye migration has occurred with low energy dyes in polyester and poly-blend fabrics.” What does this mean?
This means to test it and that not all fabrics may work as you want them to. Not because of the product but because you cannot always predict how the dye in a material is going to react. For instance, if you have white HTV and press it on a red shirt, the white HTV may look pink. This is dye migration.

In the case of the apron and the sleeping mask above, the color of the fabric came through the Colorjet III Dark, even though I used the correct material. I tried, it didn’t work. I moved on to another project.

The zippered canvas bag on the right side, is an example of using the Colorjet III Light on a dark fabric. Complete user error on this one as I just wasn’t thinking when I grabbed my blank to press it on to. My daughter still loves it and now it’s her “money bag” she says.

I hope this post has given you some new ideas to use in your creations with Heat Transfer paper. It’s not just for shirts anymore!

A big thank you to Specialty Materials for sponsoring my class at the June 2019 All Things Silhouette Conference! For more information on future check out Terri Johnson Creates blog and click on the Events tab.

I would love to see what you create – feel free to post on my Facebook group at
Silhouette Secrets+ with EllyMae.

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.

Today I am headed out to the June 2019 All Things Silhouette conference and I have to tell you while it may be a lot of work to prep and set up for the conference, I always come back knowing more than I did before & feeling inspired by all that I see at this conference.

So today, I’m going to share a few projects I’ve been working on and hope I can pass on some of this inspiration that I feel when I attend the conference.

First, here are a few acrylic etching projects that I’ve completed with my Silhouette Curio in preparation for the classes I’m teaching at the All Things Silhouette Conference & for display during classes.

This is an acrylic coaster from Craft Chameleon and I created a design and added text to it to be etched on the backside of the coaster. These come in a set of 4 coasters and it is the perfect gift to customize.

I love that Craft Chameleon has Curio templates that have been created to work specifically with their acrylic shapes. While the Curio is amazing in the fact that it can return to the exact spot & continue working even after the platform is unloaded (if the platform is loaded correctly), these templates are so helpful in being able to make sure the designs are in the same place the material is placed.

An Acrylic phone stand etched with the Silhouette Curio.

These are another great gift idea as pretty much everyone has a phone. And if any of you are like me, I will set my phone down on my desk and it is soon under some notebook or stack of papers. It even has a slot for the charging cord to keep your phone charging as it’s on the stand. And both pieces of the acrylic stand can be etched as the Curio template has a space to fit both pieces.

I love that there are so many possibilities and the ability to create custom items with the Silhouette machines.

This is a 5″ acrylic disc that is etched with a Beach Blessing by Deborah Stine – Design #62386 from the Silhouette Design Store.

Something to keep in mind when you are etching acrylic or any raised surface, is to keep the Silhouette tool away from the edges or any holes in the material. This 5″ disc has a hole in the top for adding a means to hang or attach it to an item. If the Silhouette tool comes near the hole or edge, it can hang up on it and cause the blade housing to move out of alignment, which can alter where the design etches. The more you design & work with the Curio, you will get a feel for what that safety zone is and how the tool housing moves.

Since I could not etch close to the edges and hole of the acrylic disc, I cut a Rope Frame from adhesive vinyl to add to the front of the disc. Once the vinyl was added, I took a little round file and poked out the hole so the disc could still be hung.

This is just another way you can mix and match different materials.

The Curio can accommodate thicker materials with it’s unique platform system. This means that not only can it etch on acrylic & metal but it can still cut paper, vinyl & HTV. The difference is in how you stack the platforms. For thin materials under 1 mm, all of the platforms must be stacked in order for the machine to cut properly. That means that a 2+2+1+cutting mat are all required to get a clean cut.

For more tips on getting started with the Silhouette Curio, check out this post HERE.

Here are a couple more items I created this week before packing my Curio up for the trip. It never fails that I want to get “just one more” project done before I have to pack.

These are 15/16” clear discs that work well as bracelet charms or wine charms, they are also from Craft Chameleon.

This is a Honu Turtle design by Suzanne Cannon from the Design Store.
The Honu turtle is a symbol of wisdom and good luck. Who doesn’t need more of that?

I found this design while trying to decide what to put on my beach tote bag for my recent trip to the Silhouette Summit. I love that you can use the designs in many ways and for more than 1 project.
Check out all the neat things I experienced at the 2019 Silhouette Summit HERE.

Here is another charm I created for my new bracelet. This one is a design that LeighBee Designs created specifically for my class attendees at the All Things Silhouette Conference.

Make sure to grab the Curio template for these discs too! It makes it so easy to line up the project.

There are so many fun things you can create. For anyone with a Silhouette Curio machine, I would suggest just getting it out and playing with it. It is the best way to learn.

Now while so far, most of the photos shown have all been created with the Curio, I love all my Silhouette machines equally (shhhhhh don’t tell them).

Another one of my favorite things to do is print and cut projects. I have had so much fun creating with Colorjet III printable Heat Transfer material by Specialty Materials in preparation for my class at the ATS conference.

This tote bag was created by using Colorjet III Heat Transfer paper for light materials and the Silhouette Cameo 3. I used the Summer Flower Bundle by Echo Park from the Silhouette Design Store and set the project up as a Print and Cut project. Check out these tips HERE on this Print and Cut Part 3 – Images post to see exactly how I set it up.

I’ll be sharing more projects I created with this Colorjet III Heat Transfer next week after my class at the June 2019 All Things Silhouette Conference.

I hope that this post has inspired you in some way and you get time to create with your Silhouette machines soon!

Feel free to post your comments and questions below or on my Facebook group at Silhouette Secrets with EllyMae.

Enjoy!