TABLE OF CONTENTS
Vinyl
There are many different types of vinyl that you can cut with Silhouette Cutting Machines.
Click here to view all Vinyl offered by Silhouette.
Click here to watch some videos introducing you to these materials.
Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV)
Click here for our HTV products
Click here to view our printable HTV
Printable HTV
Silhouette Printable Heat Transfer products allow you to create custom printed projects, cut around the contour (using the Silhouette cutting machine's Print & Cut feature), and apply them onto shirts or other fabric surfaces.
All Printable Heat Transfer products from Silhouette are compatible with inkjet printers.
Note: We do not recommend using a laser jet printer with this product
In order to determine which Printable Heat Transfer type is best for your project, you'll need to decide:
- The color or shade of the material
- The type of surface texture and appearance you'd like
Printable Heat Transfer for Light Fabrics
Printable Heat Transfer for Light Fabrics can be used on light-color fabrics.
Unprinted areas of this material type will turn translucent when heated by a heat press or hand iron. Since the resulting translucent effect has a white, milky tone, it is not recommended for use with dark fabrics since the effect may not blend visually with dark colors.
This product has a smooth surface texture.
Designs must be mirrored prior to cutting so that when applied, the design is oriented properly.
Printable Heat Transfer for Dark Fabrics
Printable Heat Transfer for Dark Fabrics can be used on any color fabric but is recommended for use primarily with dark color fabrics.
Unprinted areas of this material type are white and will remain white when heated by a heat press or hand iron. Since the remaining unprinted portions of this material remain white, it can be used with any fabric color.
This product has a smooth surface texture.
Designs should not be mirrored prior to cutting. This material is applied onto the project surface exactly as seen printed.
Printable Heat Transfer - Fabric
Printable Heat Transfer - Fabric can be used on any color fabric.
Unprinted areas of this material type are white and will remain white when heated by a heat press or hand iron. Since the remaining unprinted portions of this material remain white, it can be used with any fabric color.
This product has a fabric surface texture giving the project a natural fabric surface feel.
Designs should not be mirrored prior to cutting. This material is applied onto the project surface exactly as seen printed.
HTV Application Information
Heat Press
Hand Iron
Teflon Sheet / Peel Type Recommendations
Care Instructions
The following recommendations can help to better maintain applied heat transfer projects.
- Do not wash apparel until 24 hours after application
- Wash and dry apparel inside-out
- Wash and dry apparel on low temperatures (hang dry for printed projects)
- Use mild detergents only
- Do not use bleach or fabric softeners
- Do not wear apparel until after at least 24 hours
Fabric
Silhouette cutting machines can cut fabric materials in one of two ways.
- The fabric has a stabilizer applied to the back
- The Rotary Blade is being used
Fabric Stabilizer
Silhouette offers an easy-to-use, no-hassle wash-away Fabric Stabilizer.
To use this product:
- Press the Fabric Stabilizer onto the back of your fabric material by hand
- Place the fabric material with the stabilizer applied onto your cutting mat -- with the stabilizer face down onto the mat
- Proceed to cut your fabric with a regular blade using your Silhouette cutting machine
- Remove your project from the cutting mat
- Wash your project to dissolve the fabric stabilizer, if desired
NOTE: The stabilizer will stay in place until it is washed away. You do not need to wash it if it is not necessary for the project. Silhouette Fabric Stabilizer can be sewn.
Rotary Blade
Click here for information on using the Rotary Blade to cut fabric material.
Felt
Some felt materials can be cut with most Silhouette cutting models if the felt material is stiffened.
Many general felt materials, including non-stiffened felts, can be cut successfully with the Cameo 4 model series when using a Rotary Blade.
Not all felt materials can be cut well with Silhouette cutting machines. The ability to successfully cut felt will depend on the thickness, density, and flexibility of the felt material, as well as the level of stickiness of the cutting mat in use.
Sticker Paper
Paper
Card Stock
Copy Paper
Tissue Paper
Wood
Balsa
Silhouette machines can cut some semi-soft balsa wood sheets that are at 1.5 mm or less. We recommend using a 2mm Manual Blade on the Cameo 4 or Portrait 3 model for this material type.
To find the proper blade setting, hold the blade next to the material and continue to expose the blade to a higher level until the amount of exposed blade matches the material thickness.
You may find better success with removing the resulting cut when backing down the necessary force and performing a double pass on this material type. Always perform a small test cut prior to cutting a full job. Due to the nature of this material type, if you find the Test Cut feature itself problematic, you can alternately draw a small circle as your own test cut shape.
We recommend using a cutting mat with balsa wood material. When removing the cut-out design, we recommend placing the balsa wood face down onto a hard tabletop surface and then peeling the mat from one corner to the opposing corner while bending the mat almost back down on itself. This generally helps the balsa wood pop off the mat rather than trying to manually peel it away from the mat. You may need to press down on the wood from the mat side to ensure the wood is not flexing and remains as flat as possible during this process.
Stencil Materials
Silhouette offers several stencil material options to ensure you have the right material type for the right kind of stencil project.
Click here to view our Stencil Products
In order to determine which material you need for your project, you'll need to decide which feature is more important to you:
- You want to create a reusable stencil that can be used more than once (see Stencil Material or Stencil Sheets below)
- You want to use a more detailed design (see Stencil Vinyl below)
Stencil Material (Rolled)
Stencil Material can be used to create larger format (up to 12 x 24 inches) reusable stencils, generally intended for walls or other similar surfaces.
The adhesive backing on this product allows you to place your stencil onto the project surface and have it stay in place while you apply paint onto the cut-out areas of the stencil. The adhesive can continue to be used multiple times as you move it from one project surface to the next.
Pros:
- Large format for larger projects
- Creates a reusable stencil
- Adhesive backing for easy application
Cons:
- Designs cut out of this material are limited to 'stencil' type designs only. This means that inner parts of designs (islands) must be connected by a space (bridge) to the outside of the design.
Stencil Sheets
Stencil Sheets can be used to create smaller format (up to 8.5 x 11 inches) reusable stencils, also intended for walls or other similar surfaces.
Stencil Sheets are offered in the following varieties:
- Adhesive-back for when you want to have the material held in place onto the project surface
- Non-adhesive back for when you do not want an adhesive backing due to the project surface properties
Pros:
- Small format for smaller projects
- Creates a reusable stencil
- Adhesive backing option for easy application, or non-adhesive backing option for special project surfaces
Cons:
- Designs cut out of this material are limited to 'stencil' type designs only. This means that inner parts of designs (islands) must be connected by a space (bridge) to the outside of the design.
Stencil Vinyl (Rolled)
Stencil Vinyl can be used to create stencils intended for using fabric ink on fabric surfaces, or to create single-use detailed stencils for use with paint or etching cream on other surface types.
Stencil vinyl is cut just like regular vinyl. However, after cutting out your project, you will weed out the positive design parts (instead of the excess material from around the material).
Transfer Tape is required to transfer Stencil Vinyl onto the intended project surface. This action allows you to create more detailed designs that don't need to be 'stencil' designs.
Pros:
- Can use any design for more detailed stencils (not just 'stencil' designs)
- Vinyl is more flexible allowing for better application onto fabric surfaces
- Adhesive backing for detailed placement
Cons:
- Stencil is only one-time single use. The stencil cannot be reused after it's removed from the original project surface.