Copyright Silhouette School 2016. Powered by Blogger.


7 No-Tear Tips to Cut Small Paper Pieces with Silhouette CAMEO 4

If your paper tears while cutting with Silhouette CAMEO, don't give up on it! 

silhouette 101, silhouette america blog, paper projects, cameo 4, silhouette cameo 4

Follow my 7 tips for how to cut small paper pieces with Silhouette CAMEO 4 without tearing...or tears! 

#1. Use the Best Paper for Silhouette CAMEO 4

It all starts with a good quality paper. I swear by American Crafts Precision Cardstock which I have used for years.  I wrote about it here on why I think it's the best paper to cut with Silhouette CAMEO along with the perfect cut settings! 

paper projects, cameo 4, silhouette cameo 4, paper, silhouette cameo project

#2. Sticky, But Not Overly Sticky Cutting Mat 

A mat with enough stick, but not too much is perfect for paper. You want the paper to be held secure on the mat so it's not moving while you're cutting, but you also don't want the adhesive to be too strong or the paper will curl and possibly tear while you're removing the cut pieces from the mat. 

paper projects, cameo 4, silhouette cameo 4, paper, silhouette cameo project

Make sure there is NOTHING on the mat. Bits of old paper or materials that are under paper you are trying to cut will cause you to get incomplete cuts. Use a scraper or spatula to clear off anything on the mat. 

#3 Secure the Paper with a Brayer

Always use a brayer to roll over the paper on your cutting mat. This will give you the best possible stick before you load that cutting mat. 

paper projects, cameo 4, silhouette cameo 4, paper, brayer


#4. Use a Manually Adjustable Silhouette Blade

Skip the Silhouette CAMEO 4 Autoblade and instead opt for the Silhouette CAMEO 4 1mm Manual blade which will give you more control...and isn't dependent on how or if the machine taps correctly to change the blade depth. 

paper projects, cameo 4, silhouette cameo 4, paper, 1mm Manual Blade

#5. Fine Tune the Silhouette Cut Settings for Paper 

The perfect Silhouette cut settings for small pieces of paper include 
  • Slowing the speed
  • Turning on Segment Line Overcut  This option will force the blade to slightly cut past a sharp corner in each direction as opposed to going to the corner and turning. Corners are often where paper tears occur. 
  • Increase the number of passes
I find the best cut settings for the American Crafts Precision Paper are: 

Blade Depth: 5
Force 33: 
Speed: 4
Passes: 2
Segment Line Overcut: On

A good paper cut should allow you to easily lift either the cut piece or the negative piece of paper away easily.  

paper projects, cameo 4, silhouette cameo 4, paper, cut settings


#6 Remove the Mat from the Paper 

To prevent curling of the paper, remove the mat from the paper instead of the other way around. 

paper projects, cameo 4, silhouette cameo 4, paper, silhouette cutting mat


paper projects, cameo 4, silhouette cameo 4, paper, silhouette cutting mat

#7 Roll Out, Don't Pick Out Little Bits 

And if you have little bits stuck in your paper pieces you can use a well loved lint roller to remove them easily without tearing or curling the paper. 

paper projects, cameo 4, silhouette cameo 4, paper, silhouette cameo project

Now that you know how to cut paper without tearing on your Silhouette CAMEO 4 you can make all kinds of Silhouette paper projects! This adorable foldable strawberry basket 3d paper card is from So Fontsy. 

paper projects, cameo 4, silhouette cameo 4, paper, silhouette cameo project


paper projects, cameo 4, silhouette cameo 4, paper, pop up paper card


Note: This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing products through my links, I receive a small commission. That's what helps fund Silhouette School so I can keep buying new Silhouette-related products to show you how to get the most out of your machine!


Get Silhouette School lessons delivered to your email inbox! Select Once Daily or Weekly.


www.silhouetteu.com

3 comments

  1. Thanks for these tips! I use the first six steps and will be giving the lint roller a try to remove those itty bitty pieces.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you so much for this great "how-to"....love the tips.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for the tips. I always recommend you to others.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for leaving a comment! We get several hundred comments a day. While we appreciate every single one of them it's nearly impossible to respond back to all of them, all the time. So... if you could help me by treating these comments like a forum where readers help readers.

In addition, don't forget to look for specific answers by using the Search Box on the blog. If you're still not having any luck, feel free to email me with your question.