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As a Cricut crafter, you may have attempted to cut teeny, tiny letters and then given up because it is just too frustrating. I have been there too. I will share some of my favorite tips to cut, weed, and transfer your vinyl… you will need patience, but you can do it!
If at any point during this tutorial you get lost or confused, click the image and it’ll take you to that exact moment in a full how-to video tutorial. The video will show you everything you need to know about cutting vinyl super teeny, tiny!
Just want to check out the video? Watch it below!
Cutting Your StarCraft HD Vinyl
I had been hearing about this StarCraft HD vinyl all over the internet and was so excited to try it out so I could give you an honest review. I feel like all too often people blindly stand behind products without ever trying them. Well, rest assured, I need to do my due diligence before drawing any conclusions or making any claims. I did my research and right off the bat I was pretty impressed. StarCraft HD Vinyl is made in America and the company states that it is rated up to 5-6 years durability. HD stands for High Durability and is available in both matte and gloss finishes.
When it arrived, I already had a project in my mind that I knew would put it to the test. I have a small little chalkboard in my laundry room that desperately needed some vinyl icons. I wasn’t sure if the Cricut would even be able to cut as small as I wanted. I pulled up the recommended settings for the HD vinyl and did a small test cut! I was surprised with the results and went ahead and cut the entire design using the recommendations provided by 651Vinyl.
If you are new to Cricut or new to vinyl, check out this blog post to learn more about working with vinyl!
How to Weed Your Intricate Cuts
Once your design is finished cutting, trim it down, and weed it. I found adding some weeding lines really helps! Hindsight, I probably should have added those to the cut file so that my Cricut could have cut them perfectly straight. In the file below, I added an option with weeding lines for you. Since I didn’t add mine to the file, I used a ruler and a knife to cut through the vinyl to make weeding a little easier.
With the added cut lines, it makes the vinyl more manageable to weed. The worst part about weeding vinyl is that it has a tendency to stick to itself. Weeding in smaller portions helps reduce the risk of unwanted sticking. Make sure to go super slowly and keep a close eye on all of the small letters. In the video, I mention that I cut this a lot smaller than Cricut would recommend cutting… but if you know me… you know I like testing the limits. I was very impressed to see how well the Cricut cut the StarCraft vinyl, but you do have to weed it super slowly so that your tiny letters don’t shift.
Transfer Using the Hinge Method
I am going to say this until I am blue in the face– use the hinge method to transfer your vinyl!!! Don’t know about the hinge method? Here is a blog post that will show you all about it!
Since this was my first time using the 651Vinyl Transfer Tape, I wish I would have checked to see if the little letters transferred before starting the hinge method. So do what I say and not as I do! Cover your entire image with transfer tape and after you burnish your transfer tape over your design, peel off the entire piece of tape to make sure all of the letters transfer and then place it back on the liner! I had to fight the vinyl a little bit to get it to adhere to the tape. Next time I will get it off the liner first, then lightly place it back down on the liner, and then line it up for the hinge method. Hopefully that makes sense, but if not, leave me a comment below and I will get you the help you need!
Peel off the transfer tape
I made this its own step because I was so impressed with how easily the transfer tape released from the vinyl and chalkboard! I only had to use my tweezers to push down two or three little areas. The tape wasn’t too sticky and left absolutely no residue on my project. I think it helped that the vinyl has a permanent adhesive so when it came in contact with my chalkboard, it held tight! Clearly I am impressed so far with this StarCraft HD Vinyl!
This vinyl does have a curing period for about 24- 72 hours. So make sure that you don’t expose it to the elements for those first few days if you want it to hold up!
Looking for the SVG mentioned in the video?
If you are looking for the SVG used in the tutorial– here it is! Simply agree to the “Terms & Conditions” and subscribe to my email list to download! Your support means the world to me!
*Don’t forget to select everything and “attach” it before you cut it on your Cricut machine :)! The “attach” function will hold all of the icons and weeding lines in place.
Need help downloading the SVG and uploading it to Cricut Design Space?
Not a problem– check out the video below! And while you’re there, I’d love if you subscribe to my channel!
Are you excited to get started?! Here is the list of supplies to get your teeny, tiny vinyl project underway!
Here’s what we need to get this craft party started:
Have Questions or want to connect!?
Karley
Where did you get the little chalkboard sign?
It is from Target (from a few years back)! It’s by the brand Threshold and was actually wood that I ended up painting white!
Hi Karley
Great video, thank you… Can I ask, how small can you cut text on the Cricut? And do you recommend a font that works well when cutting tiny text please?
I personally don’t like cutting vinyl smaller than 0.5″ tall. I like to choose fonts that aren’t super skinny since you want there to be enough surface area for the adhesive to show enough to stick to the surface you are applying it to! In this project, the letters are only 0.19″ tall and that is pushing it a little. You can cut that small with iron-on, but with vinyl, it’s a little trickier!