Fab-in-a-Box Stickers

Print optional handouts for each learner to help with brainstorming sticker ideas.

Pre-load vinyl into the vinyl cutter if desired; however, it is recommended to do this as a demonstration for the larger group to help familiarize learners with the mechanical operations of the vinyl cutter.

Welcome:

Greet the students and introduce the lesson topic: designing and fabricating custom stickers using CAD software and a vinyl cutter.

Briefly explain what CAD software is and its importance in design and manufacturing.

Show a few examples of custom stickers to spark interest and creativity.

Context:

Vinyl cutting can be used for projects small and large, ranging from custom decals on laptops and water bottles to whole-body car wraps or full-wall murals.

It is a type of subtractive fabrication, meaning we start with a full sheet or roll of vinyl and remove—or subtract—the parts we don’t need.

Vinyl cutting is popular for branding and decorative purposes, and can help make labels or stencils.

Key terms:

Weeding: Weeding refers to the process of removing excess vinyl from around your graphic once it has been cut. These areas represent the “negative space,” or empty spots in your design. Weeding involves carefully peeling away this excess vinyl using specialized tools like picks and tweezers, leaving behind only the desired design on the backing paper.

Islands: Islands are small, enclosed areas that would become detached from the rest of the design if not properly handled during the weeding process, like periods, commas, or the dots on a lower-case i. To prevent islands from being removed along with the excess vinyl during weeding, it’s can help to ensure that they remain connected to the main part of the design by small, thin sections of vinyl known as “bridges” or “tabs.”

Transferring: Transferring, also known as application or installation, is the process of transferring a cut vinyl design from its backing paper onto the desired surface. This is typically done using transfer tape or transfer paper, which acts as a carrier, allowing it to be accurately positioned and applied onto the surface. Once the vinyl design is firmly adhered to the surface, the transfer tape is carefully peeled away, leaving behind the vinyl design in its desired location.

Ideate: (optional printable worksheet)

Sketch some ideas for designs. Try to minimize tiny details that may not cut well, and islands that may be hard to weed around (meaning small bits with nothing else around them, which may shift easily out of place when you are removing excess vinyl during post-processing).

Design (general):

Using the CAD or graphic design software of your choice, translate your ideas into digital designs for your stickers. Experiment with different fonts, shapes, and images to bring your designs to life!

There are three ways to create a design:

Scan a hand-drawn image and clean it up in the software. (Cell phone photos of hand-drawn designs work for this, too.)

Use a pre-designed image sourced from the web. Make sure you have the proper permission to use it! Be mindful of copyright.

Design your image entirely digitally in a software like xDesign, InkScape, or Silhouette Studio.

xDesign Steps:

Click OPEN on the xDesign landing page

Click the “Minimize” icon in the upper right-hand corner of the Search results page

— the results will be repositioned to the right-hand side of your screen so you can see things alongside your xDesign session

[1] Type “Lesson1” in the Search field, [2] press Enter on the keyboard, then [3] click on the blue header bar (to dismiss the Search History panel)

— the Search results will update to show you the Sticker templates

[1] Drag one of the four sticker template shapes into your xDesign session and then [2] click “Cancel” in the lower right-hand corner of the Search results panel

Click SAVE AS… in the dialog that appears

[1] Type a new name for the component (perhaps add your initials) and then [2] click SAVE

Double-click the “Your Text” sketch in the Design Manager

Press “N” on the keyboard to look normal to (straight at) the sketch

Drag a box around the word “Hello” to select it

Press “Delete” on the keyboard.

Click the “Text” command on the keyboard

Type your initials into the Text box 

Move your mouse around the screen and notice how the text follows.

Experiment with the font type, size, and more, moving your mouse around the sticker to make sure it’ll fit the way you want.

Click the “OK” checkmark at the top of the dialog

— Notice that the text appears at the origin

Drag any point on the text to reposition it to where you want

Click the “Accept Sketch” button to update your sticker

Click “Save” on the Action Bar to save your sticker

BONUS

Edit the “Your Text” sketch again and add other shapes to it using the “Circle”, “Rectangle”, and other tools 

Prepare the machine: 

To turn the machine on, long-press the power button on its right side for 2-3 seconds.

Install autoblade (skip this step if already installed):

Open the machine’s hood.

On the tool carriage, pull the locking mechanism completely out.

Place the autoblade into the tool slot, and make sure it is fully inserted.

Push the locking mechanism back into place.

Prepare the vinyl:

Individual sheets:

Good news: there’s no need to use a cutting mat with vinyl! Just feed one end of the sheet into the

machine, and you’re good to go.

Working from a roll:

Set the vinyl holder in front of the machine, several inches away from it.

Load the vinyl roll onto the holder, with its loose end on top facing away from you and toward the machine.

Press the forward arrow button while feeding the end of the roll into the machine.

Run job:

Click “send.”

Safety Note: Never leave the vinyl cutter unattended while it is running. Keep hands and other body parts away from the cutting area during operation.

Remove from cutter:

Press the “remove” button while slowly pulling the vinyl out of the machine.

Note: Vinyl cutters only cut material; they don’t remove anything unneeded. That means the finished pieces may look like solid vinyl at first glance. if you’re using a dark or matte vinyl, it can be particularly difficult to tell whether it’s been cut. Hold it at an angle to a light to see the cut lines.

Cut individual stickers apart:

If multiple designs were printed together, cut them apart.

Weed:

Use picks, tweezers, or your fingernails to carefully remove all vinyl that is not a part of your finished design. It can help to gently hold pieces you want to keep in place as you remove elements beside them; sometimes, two or more sections will come off together. This is particularly true for tiny details, like punctuation marks.

Transfer:

Once your design has been weeded, it’s ready to be transferred to its new home! Cut a piece of transfer tape or paper to a size appropriate for your design. Peel the bottom (opaque) layer off of the tape and apply the sticky layer carefully over your design, avoiding any wrinkles or bubbles. It can help to gently scrape over it with a plastic card (like a hotel key or student ID) once the transfer tape is in place, to help it affix firmly to the vinyl beneath it.

Note: don’t remove the tape until you’re ready to stick your design to its final resting place! If you need to transport it, do so with the transfer tape still affixed to it.

Once you’re ready to apply your sticker to a surface, carefully remove the back layer from the vinyl. You will be left with just the vinyl itself, stuck to the transfer tape.

Line up your sticker where you want it, and gently press it into place. Like before, it can help to gently scrape over it with a plastic card to make sure adhesion is strong.

Gently peel off the transfer tape, and admire your new sticker!

Extensions:

Conductive copper vinyl can be used to cut flexible circuits to liven up pop-up cards and the like!

Discussion Questions:

What can you tell me about your sticker?

Why did you choose this design?

What difficulties did you have with CAD and the vinyl cutter?

What title would you give your sticker and why?

Optional Tie-ins:

Comic Book Art

Graphic Art in History

Postcards

Career Connections:

Learning to design and fabricate custom stickers using CAD software and a vinyl cutter opens up a variety of exciting career paths.

Artist: Mastering CAD software allows artists to create intricate and precise designs, expanding their creative toolkit and enabling them to produce unique, high-quality artwork.

Marketing: In marketing, the ability to design custom stickers can be a valuable skill for creating promotional materials, branding, and engaging visual content that captures the audience’s attention.

Comic Book Artist: For aspiring comic book artists, CAD software can be used to design characters, scenes, and layouts with precision, enhancing the overall quality and consistency of their work.

Mechanical Engineering: Understanding CAD software is crucial in mechanical engineering for designing and prototyping parts and systems. The skills learned in this lesson can serve as a foundation for more complex engineering projects.

By exploring these connections, students can see how the skills they develop in this lesson can be applied to various professional fields, inspiring them to pursue their interests and passions.