Are you looking for the best vinyl for Cricut projects? Then you are at the right place. The fact that vinyl is one of the most popular crafting materials for Cricut projects makes it a topic of interest. Normally speaking, it is an adhesive crafting material used for decoration, stencils, decals, and designing.
The vinyl for Cricut is available in the market in two different applications, that is, removable and permanent. The most common vinyl for Cricut is Iron-on, also known as Heat Transfer Vinyl. If you want to find out the best vinyl for your Cricut, you must first know what all types are existing currently and then choose the best one according to the requirements of your Cricut projects. Keep reading to find out everything about vinyl for Cricut.
In general, and just the vinyl for Cricut is not a natural substance. Rather it is a man-made synthetic material generally used for crafting. Basically, it is a type of plastic that is made from ethylene and chlorine. Ethylene is extracted from the crude oil responsible for vinyl’s flexible texture. Chlorine, on the other hand, is found in regular salt that we consume. Both these substances are processed with PVC resin to give them a finer texture, and that is the exact same end product we receive in the name of vinyl for crafting.
Vinyl for Cricut is highly resistant to moisture and humidity, making it perfect for crafting projects. The reason for its popularity is its strength and durability. It is manufactured in many colors, so we can get many types of vinyl in the market.
Broadly speaking, there are two basic vinyl for Cricut. One is the regular adhesive-backed vinyl, and the other one is the heat transfer vinyl. The second one is mostly used for fabric materials because it is adhered by ironing it onto the surface, for instance, on tote bags, hats, t-shirts, and so on. You will get a wide range of colors, finishes, and patterns on these types of vinyl. Keep reading to find out about the various types of vinyl for Cricut:
Holographic vinyl is a type of basic adhesive-backed vinyl. In crafting, it is used to give fun effects to the project. It is mostly preferred by hobby crafters as it is as easy to use as the other standard types are. While using it for cutting on your Cricut machine, you have to choose the specific holographic vinyl setting on your Design Space application. These changes are necessary to adjust the pressure and speed accordingly.
The Iron-on or Heat transfer Vinyl (HTV) is the most popular vinyl used by crafters. You might have purchased customized t-shirts that have smooth surfaced designs; that exact same material is iron-on. This vinyl comes in many colors and patterns to choose from. To transfer it to any fabric material, you will need to transfer it using a heating device. The heating device ensures that it has firmly adhered to the surface.
The everyday iron-on vinyl for Cricut works on almost all kinds of projects because it is the most basic all-around heat transfer vinyl. Although it is incompatible with stretchy materials, you can put it to best use while working with cotton and poly-cotton blends. Many people have tried it on wood material too, and the end result has been flawless.
The premium removable vinyl for Cricut has a strong adhesive backing that can be peeled off. It is the perfect choice for you if you are crafting door and wall decals. You can also use it for seasonal crafting that you might wish to change from time to time, for instance, festive sign boards. Since it is removable in nature, it will not give you long-lasting results. It won’t hold up as firmly as your permanent vinyl would, although it is a great choice for temporary projects. The reason is that it will not leave any residue behind when you remove it.
As the name suggests, the permanent vinyl for Cricut is just the opposite of the one we discussed previously. It is designed in such a way that it will hold onto much longer than the traditional or removable vinyl would. In case you decide to remove it, it will most likely leave a residue behind. So, use them wisely for the projects that you are sure of; you won’t be planning to change any time sooner.
Regular Vinyl for Cricut is generally labeled as just “Vinyl.” The difference between the two we discussed just before this and the regular vinyl is the level of stickiness. To be precise, the weakest amount of adhesion is in the removable vinyl, the medium adhesion is achieved through the regular vinyl, and lastly, the permanent vinyl has the most long-lasting amount of adhesion.
The regular vinyl is your average everyday vinyl; trust me; you will end up using the most than any other kind. When you use the technique of burnishing in your die-cutting projects, you will get flawless results. Before weeding, you can burnish your regular vinyl from front and back by applying transfer tape between the vinyl and the surface.
The glitter vinyl for Cricut will add so much fun and cutesy look to your craft projects. This vinyl is neither permanent nor removable. The way you changed the setting for holographic vinyl earlier, you will also have to change the settings while working on this. The changed setting will ensure flawless results. The glitter vinyl from Cricut is gorgeous and flake-proof. While using it in your cutting machine, ensure that you use strong grip transfer tape.
The specialty vinyl for Cricut actually includes many different unpopular yet extremely useful vinyl materials. Here we are going to discuss only three, but honestly, the sky is the limit when it comes to fun specialty vinyl options. Some are discussed below:
Dry Erase Vinyl-
You can use this for making menu cards, chore cheats, and meal plan pamphlets.
Window Cling Vinyl-
This vinyl is used for decorating windows and glass doors for any special occasion and holiday.
Chalkboard Vinyl –
This can be used in place of the dry erase vinyl, as they are equally good material for menu cards, chore charts, etc. One important thing that you should keep in your mind is that after you cut them, you must always use a piece of chalk and rub it all over the vinyl piece. This cleans the chalkboard and makes it very easy to write on it.
To answer this question about which is the best vinyl for Cricut, I went on the official website of Cricut to check it by myself. The website of Cricut has a reference guide to common Cricut crafting terms, so naturally, they have vinyl explained over there. According to most frequent users and Cricut itself, the best vinyl for Cricut is Iron-on, also known as Heat Transfer Vinyl. Iron-on vinyl is a type of vinyl material that can be transferred, ironed, or pressed to any heat tolerant base or substrate. The base that can tolerate the heat is generally clothing items like the fabric materials of T-shirts, tote bags, cosmetic pouches, cardstock, wood, make-up bags, and much more.
The heating element used for firmly sticking (adhering) iron on the base can be applied using a regular household iron or Cricut Easy Press machine. The heat is used to transfer the iron-on designs, graphics, images, or cut-outs on the clothing materials. The firm adhesion and durability of the iron-on vinyl majorly depend on two factors. The first one is the quality of the iron-on vinyl you are using and the heating device. I would highly recommend buying the Heat transfer vinyl made by Cricut, which is exclusively sold on their website.
Visit: cricut.com/setup
Source: https://cricutdesignmaker.com/everything-about-the-best-vinyl-for-cricut/