Vinyl Bookmarks: Cambridge Public Library – SCOPES-DF
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Lesson Details

Subjects*
ELA
Age Ranges*
8-11, 11-14, 14-18
Fab Tools*
2D design software, Vinyl Cutter
Standards
Fab-Safety.1, Fab-Fabrication.1, Fab-Design.1, 9-10.RL.2, 6.RI.7, 6.RI.3, 1.RL.7, 1.RL.2
Author
Aidan Mullaney

Author

Aidan Mullaney
Aidan Mullaney
Other
Aidan Mullaney is the Instructional Manager for the GE/Celtics Brilliant Play Lab. His primary role with the Fab Foundation is developing and delivering curriculum for the middle school mobile lab. Aidan facilitates career-related activities with a focus on STEM in… Read More

Summary

This lesson is a guided introduction to a library workshop activity. Library patrons will create a vinyl sticker bookmark and library staff will assist in the design and fabrication of their bookmark. This workshop activity is intended for a virtual, or socially distanced, setting but can also be instructed in an in-person setting. The “GALLERY” of this lesson includes a step by step example of a patron project, while “The Instructions” section is a guide for staff to create patron’s bookmarks.

 

Library patrons will accomplish the following:

  • Identify and design key images from a piece of literature
  • Learn to design a bookmark sticker
  • Apply knowledge of vinyl cutter to sticker design

Library staff will accomplish the following:

  • Guide patron design of their bookmark
  • Edit and adjust any common design mistakes
  • Cut, weed, and apply stickers to final bookmarks

 

Safety Note: SHARP BLADE – The vinyl cutter blade can cause serious injury. Only trained individuals should operate the machine.

What You'll Need

– Google Drawing Bookmark Template (image below)

– Vinyl Cutter + materials (vinyl, scissors, weeding tools)

– Transfer Paper

– Vinyl Cutter vector software

– Cardstock (cut to bookmark size: 8″ x 2.5″)

 

The Instructions

Guide Participant Design on Google Drawings

Library staff will help patrons understand the criteria and constraints of a vinyl cutter. The artwork in this image will not produce a successful sticker for the vinyl cutter. See the "GALLERY" section for simple sticker ideas. Staff will work with patrons to identify key thematic "stencil" images they can search online or design themselves.

 

Import Patron Design into Cutter Vector Software

Patrons will share or send the .JPG file of their bookmark sticker to library staff. Import the .JPG file. Ensure the imported file is 10"x10" and that the red bookmark outline remains 8"x2.5".

Trace Image Outline

Create a trace of the sticker design. In Roland CutStudio, this is found under the "Object" tab as "Image Outline..." Extract the contour lines of the image.

Remove Bookmark Outline

Once the image is traced, delete the imported traced .JPG. Use the "Edit" nodes tool to remove the previously red outline if the image does not touch the border.

Clean Bookmark Stencil

Traced images, especially those with intricate details, will not always produced a clean image to cut. Edit the individual notes of these images to create a trace that closely resembles the patron's original design.

Prepare Design for Cutting

Move the image to the appropriate location on the canvas. Once the image is ready, send to the vinyl cutter. In Roland CutStudio, select "Cutting".

Cut, Weed, and Prepare

Cut the vector design on the vinyl cutter. (FOR VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS: Use video conferencing to give patrons the ability to watch the vinyl cutter fabricate their design). Use scissors and tweezers to weed the excess vinyl. Apply transfer paper to the vinyl to transport the sticker. From home or at a distance, allow patrons to apply the sticker to the cardstock bookmark and complete their product.

Standards

  • (Fab-Safety.1): I can safely conduct myself in a Fab Lab and observe operations under instructor guidance.
  • (Fab-Fabrication.1): I can follow instructor guided steps that link a software to a machine to produce a simple physical artifact.
  • (Fab-Design.1): I can be responsible for various activities throughout a design process within a group under instructor guidance.
  • (9-10.RL.2): Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
  • (6.RI.7): Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.
  • (6.RI.3): Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
  • (1.RL.7): Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
  • (1.RL.2): Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.

Common Core Standards

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