Cad-Cut vinyl printing - more versatile than meets the eye.

Cad-Cut vinyl printing is a basic and simple method of machine-cut shapes which can then be applied to textile using a heat-press.

The artwork must be in vector format, i.e. Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw or Freehand, as the Vinyl Cutter or "Plotter" uses the vector lines to cut the vinyl with a blade. The excess material must then be pealed or “weeded” by hand so that only the cut shapes remain.

For basic, one colour, designs the process is quick and economical. However, for more complicated designs it can become very labour intensive.

Now for the fun part:

If you have a spot colour design in vector format, the colours can be separated and the whole design can be done using different colour vinyl!

The idea is to layer the colours one on top of the other until you have the completed design.

Given the huge range of colours and textures available for vinyl cutting, the results can be quite inspiring and unique. Especially by adding 3D material to accentuate parts of the design.

A great example of how versatile the process is can be seen in the following video

Handsum Designs