This is part 3 of a multipart blog post. If you missed part 1, check it out if you need help downloading and opening a zip file. If you have a Cricut cutting machine, check out part 2 for assistance with uploading an SVG and cutting it in Cricut Design Space.
In part 3, I’ll walk through getting your SVG into the Silhouette Studio software and getting the design cut on permanent vinyl. Do note, that if you just have the free version of Silhouette Studio, then you will not be able to upload an SVG. You can upload a DXF instead. A DXF is not as high quality as an SVG, so I would recommend upgrading to Designer Edition or higher of Silhouette Studio so you can upload an SVG.
Let’s jump right into uploading an SVG into Silhouette Studio.
Step 1. Open Silhouette Studio. Click the folder icon in the upper left of Silhouette Studio. Go to your downloads folder and open the SVG version of the cut file. Note, Designer Edition or higher is preferred so you can open the SVG version. If you have the free version you will need to use the DXF version instead.
Step 2. When the SVG file first opens in Silhouette Studio, it may be very large so we’ll want to resize based on the project we’re working on.
For this finished product, the ceramic mug, I want an image that is 3 (three) inches tall. In the upper middle of the screenshot you can see the box with the W (width) and H (height) of the design you loaded. Before adjusting the dimensions, make sure that the icon with the padlock is closed. This will ensure we resize the image in the correct proportion. Once you confirm the padlock icon is closed, type in “3” in the H (height) box and the image will resize. (Note, this is the size I wanted the image to be for my final project – of course your sizing may be different depending on the final project you are doing).
Step 4. Next you want to ungroup the SVG so each color is a separate image for cutting. The words will be one group and the hearts will be a second group.
Note, you can ungroup before resizing, but I recommend resizing first as it’s easier to ensure each piece is resized proportionately.
Step 5. Now our design is ready to be cut! In the upper right corner, click on the “send” icon. We’re going to cut the words group first, so make sure just the words are selected (a red outline will only show on the words). I am cutting Oracal 651, so I have chosen that as my material. Action is cut. Tool is AutoBlade. Next, prep the vinyl on your mat and click on the “send” button to cut the vinyl. The video at the end of this blog post will show my machine cutting and me unloading my mat.
Step 6. Now we want to cut the hearts, so click on the words to deselect the words and click on the hearts to select the hearts. This should make your image look like my screenshot on the left where the hearts have the red outline and the words do not. I am cutting Teckwrap Holographic vinyl for the hearts, but use the same settings as Oracal 651, so nothing to change there. Just prep your mats and click on the “send” button to cut out your hearts.
Below you can watch a quick (sped up) video of me cutting out both Oracal 651 and Teckwrap holographic vinyl on my Silhouette Portrait cutting machine.
One trick I want to share, if you look closely, you can see when I am removing the black Oracal 651 vinyl from the mat that it curls up. This is because I removed the vinyl by placing the mat flat on the table and just pulled the vinyl up. Don’t make the same mistake as me!
A better way to remove vinyl from the mat is how I removed the Teckwrap holographic vinyl from the mat. Flip the mat and vinyl over and basically remove the vinyl from the mat. This will keep your vinyl from curling!
I hope this helped you open an SVG in Silhouette Studio and get the image cut out in vinyl. Now all we have left is Part 4 where we will weed the vinyl and put it on our finished product, a ceramic mug!