I am cutting letters out from the Storybook cart on Bazzill cardstock at 1 1/4 inch. I have it set at med pressure and med speed. It is sort of tearing the layers of the paper in the detailed areas. Does this make sense? What am I doing wrong or what do I need to change? Thanks!
When this happens in the small detailed areas, I see if I can make the letters/shape a little larger (if it works for your LO). If not, then I lessen the pressure slightly. Also, see if it's your blade..does it need replacing? Or, it could also mean you might need to use a new matt (I've found this to make a difference sometimes). I tend to have more issues with cardstock for some reason...sometimes making all the suggested adjustments doesn't always work.
It may be your don't have a super sharp blade. That will tear the paper. Also, Bazzill does have layers that makes it harder to cut. Bazzill has a paper called Smoothies...its cuts beautifully in the Cricut.
Do you have Design Studio? If so, you can flip the letters and put the paper face down on the mat....that way its cutting through the smoother side of the paper rather than the textured side.
If you don't have DS, and you have the Expression, I you can flip the characters that way too.
I cut my Bazzill with the highest speed and pressure and never have a problem, unless it's a dull blade or the mat has lost it's stickiness. When you have thinner paper, turn the speed and pressure down. Hope this helps!
If your paper is textured, GOOD LUCK!!!!!! I have a TERRIBLE time with the DCWV textured cardstock and my cricut,,,
mind you I can do the highly glittered lumpy bumpy stuff,,,,,but the textured on both sides cardstock,,,,nope,,,,
it is a PITA!!!!!!!! And nothing I do seems to solve the problem,,,,I have tried EVERYTHING!!!! It doesn't like to stick to the page, I've tried new blades, different pressures, different speeds,,,,
Well, I'm a newby with the Cricut, but I know that my blade is sharp and my mat is still sticky since I haven't really cut too many things yet. I tried a few things and finally just cut a thicker letter. I guess I still need to play around with it.
the mat,,,depends on how much you cut,,,,you can WASH the mat with soap and water (no creme in the soap) to get some of the paper fibers off and re-sticky it some,,,,
but usually mine last about 2-3 weeks,,,,,then I need to buy a new one, and no washing in the world helps,,,,,
they SAY you can resticky the mat with ZIG glue, but it DOES void the warranty,,,,
I have no warranty on mine so I tried it,,,,and I wont' bother with it again,,,
TOO STICKY!!!!!!!!! It tore half my stuff trying to get it OFF the mat after cutting!!!! Might be OK for very heavy cardstock and thick stuff,,,but I was trying to cut flourishes,,,,
just really hard, and ruined the paper that was LEFT on the mat,,,,just not worth it if you ask me,,,,
I've heard of people doing that. I've never tried that. I have tried using the spray adhesive and I wasn't impressed with it either. I normally pick up a pack or two of mats when I have the extra money or when I catch them on sale.
I have the Expression now. I sold my baby bug back in February. I went ahead and bought an extra pack of mats when I bought the machine. I haven't really used it much though. I tend to scrap late at night and don't want to disturb my son who is in the room next to my scrappy room.
Walmart sells 2 of the 6X12 mats for 8.00,,,,it just doesn't seem worth it to re-sticky them with the ZIG pen to me,,,,,like I said, I tried it, and it was just TOOOOOO sticky!
The smaller the image the harder it is to get a good cut. That is my finding anyway. But when I use card stock pp, I set it on high, or even max pressure and low speed.
Very detailed cuts, like Storybook, need a slower speed to avoid ripping the cs or paper. I've cut very lightweight paper (like copy paper) with Storybook. I set the speed at the slowest, the pressure at low, and the blade depth at 1 or 2.
And, and a very sharp blade helps A LOT!!!
(Sorry, blades and mats are a consumeable expense to me. I replace both on a fairly regular basis)
I have read that alot of the images on Storybook just cant be cut real small. And its not just on that one but alot of them that have very detailed images. I would suggest putting the speed low and pressure high and see if that works.
Holly, how long did you let the glue dry before you put the paper on the mat? I was told by someone that you should wait atleast an hour. I have no clue because I have never tried it, but it also seems like after an hour it wouldnt be sticky at all anymore.
I cut my Bazzill with the highest speed and pressure and never have a problem, unless it's a dull blade or the mat has lost it's stickiness. When you have thinner paper, turn the speed and pressure down. Hope this helps!
OK YOU are brilliant!!!!! Thankyou! It was high speed I was missing!!! I tried this and it works like a charm,,,,
Not perfect,,,sometimes I have to flip the image and then use the side NOT cut on, but MUCH MUCH better!!!
Walmart sells 2 of the 6X12 mats for 8.00,,,,it just doesn't seem worth it to re-sticky them with the ZIG pen to me,,,,,like I said, I tried it, and it was just TOOOOOO sticky!
My 12x12 mat lost it's tackiness and I used a repositionable adhesive tape, and then I would put my hand on it to help the mat not stay too sticky! It worked fine and my paper didn't get stuck. I hope this helps you CommaHolly!
Good luck!
Just recently aquired the Cricut along with the Storybook cartridge. It says in the booklets to set the speed and pressure on high if yer cutting thru thicker materials. So thats what I do and I dont have a problem with the Bazzill textured cardstock. I only use Bazzill and DCWV cardstocks cause of the textures. I have found out tho however that the finer the works, the rougher it is to cut.
