UV DTF Laminator: The One You Already Have Will Probably Work

If you are getting into printing UV DTF stickers, you have probably seen that the desktop UV printers all have their own laminator you can buy. And they are not cheap.  

The question I keep getting is whether the laminator you already own will work. I put both my cheap Amazon laminator and a cold laminator I had to the test to see if we could save you some money! 

EufyMake E1 Slow? Two Tricks to Speed It Up (Video)

If the EufyMake E1 feels like everything takes forever — reinjecting ink, print head cleanings, test prints — you're not imagining it. 

It's a budget, entry-level UV printer, so some of that is expected, but two quick workflow changes can shave real time off nearly every print. 

Why Your xTool Test Grid Isn't Working

Did you run an xTool laser test grid on a piece of scrap, pulled it out, and every single square came out looking identical.

The numbers are scored along each side and the bottom but clearly nothing changed on each test in the grid. 

You're not imagining it and your laser engraver is not broken. But your test grid did not test anything - it ran the same settings across the whole grid. 

Let me explain what is going on so you can try to avoid it.

Bee Kind Freebie Friday Silhouette Cut File

It's Freebie Friday and I know that is everyone's favorite time of week here at Silhouette School!

This week I have the sweetest little design for you, Bee Kind!

Best Embroidery Machine For Beginners (After Testing Six of Them)

If you're shopping for your first embroidery machine, I'll save you the research: the one I'd point a beginner to is the Brother SE2000.

I've used five Brother embroidery machines and a multi-needle Bai, across everything from a first wobbly monogram to running designs for the shop. Brother has provided several of these machines for review (same with Bai), which I'll always tell you - and it hasn't changed what I say about them. The SE2000 is the one still on my table.

Can't Find Your designs in the Silhouette Studio Library? Here's Why

You know you own the file. You bought it, or you made it yourself, and now you need it. You type what you are pretty sure it was called into the search bar, and you get zero search results. 

Here's the issue - and it's not that you have too many files or that the search is broken. It's that files you created or imported, specifically, are simply missing the information that would let a search find them. 

Roland BN2-20A White Ink: Why You Probably Don't Need It (Video)

The Roland BN2-20A is a CMYK-only printer with no white ink cartridge, but you can still get the look of white in your prints. 

Here's the simple trick that made every "white" element in a full set of graduation banners possible - no special settings required.

Blurry UV Prints? It's Probably Not Your Design or Your Settings

If your UV prints are blurry - there's almost always one main reason why: the print head height is wrong. 

This doesn't actually mean there's a problem with your UV printer or that it measured wrong.  But it does mean you need to make some changes to get better quality prints.

It Takes A Lot Of Sparkle To Be A Teacher Freebie Friday Silhouette Cut File

That time of week has already rolled around again here at Silhouette School! That's right...Freebie Friday!

And this week's design is for all of the amazing teachers out there!

How to Separate Layers in xTool Creative Space (XCS) | Tracing PNG Files

If you're trying to convert a PNG file to a laser engraving file in xTool Creative Space it's easier than you may think. 

This is my FREE Video of the Month for August!

The full step-by-step video walking through everything below is free to watch all month long, no membership needed. In September it moves into the members-only library, so grab it now while it's free.

Watch the FREE Video of the Month here

Since PNG files are flat without vectorizing and separating the layers it's not possible to assign different processing types (cut, engrave, score) to different parts of the designs. 

That's why separating layers is important so you can apply different processes to individual layers. Read on to learn about separate a PNG file in XCS using the tracing tool. 

DTF Transfer Pricing: How to Know What Your Transfers Actually Cost to Print

Knowing how to price your DTF transfers is the difference between losing money and actually making a profit. 

DTF transfer pricing feels like a guessing game wondering how much ink did a specific design actually use? How much film? When you have no real idea you just kind of guess and hope it covers it...because that's what your competitors are charging, anyway. 

I'm here to tell you - you do not have to guess and you should KNOW your costs. A lot of DTF rip softwares will even tell you exactly what a single transfer costs in supplies before you even hit print. 

Let me show you how to find that number and turn it into a real price.