The Silhouette Cameo Cutting Machine is one of the best tools that a crafter or artisan can have in their arsenal. Like a Cricut or similar crafting machines, the Silhouette Cameo takes some practice to use properly. Additionally, you’ll need to make sure that you really know how to use it to avoid any safety issues, as the Silhouette Cameo 4 blades are capable of cutting through thick materials like cotton, felt, leather, and — you guessed it — cardstock.
But getting accustomed to your Silhouette Cameo machine will take time. You have to learn how to program the machine to cut through different materials and make the final products match your desired image. Fortunately, the Silhouette Cameo comes with various built-in templates and settings to make most arts and crafts projects a breeze.
But what exactly can you do with a Silhouette Cameo 4? What is the correct Silhouette blade for cardstock? What are the right Silhouette cardstock settings? How can you ensure that your Silhouette machine will cut cardstock cleanly? Finally, what is the best cardstock paper for Silhouette Cameo machines? In today’s guide, we will answer all of these questions and more. Plus, we will teach you how to cut different types of cardstock with your Silhouette Cameo, including glitter cardstock and thick cardstock. So, let’s get started!
Cutting Cardstock With Silhouette Cameo
The Silhouette Design Store offers even more templates if you are not satisfied with the options available on your machine from the outset. To access these templates, you can simply purchase and import them to your Silhouette Cameo. Then, all you have to do is double-check the size and cut settings. This will ensure that your machine is prepared to cut cardstock to your specifications.
However, you will still need to get things prepared before you can actually start the cutting process. First and foremost, you should make sure that you’re using high-quality cardstock. While your Silhouette Cameo can still cut low-quality cardstock, it will only hurt your project to use subpar materials. Moreover, low-quality cardstock fibers have a tendency to tear, which can prevent you from making clean cuts with your machine. If you repeatedly use bad cardstock, it could even clog up your machine and damage the blades. So, always opt for the good stuff!
Next, run a practice cut on your cardstock to see if the settings are working well. If not, you may need to adjust certain variables like the speed and pressure. There’s no one-size-fits-all formula when it comes to cutting cardstock, but you can generally set the speed between 6 and 10 in the Cut Settings window. Then, you can set your thickness somewhere between 20 and 25.
Once you’ve done a practice cut, check to make sure that you’re getting clean cuts. If not, you can set your machine to double-cut the cardstock by default. Alternatively, you can just keep the mat in the machine and select “Send to Silhouette” a second time. This will all but guarantee that your Silhouette Cameo will fully cut through your cardstock and leave a very clean cut.
Cutting Glitter Cardstock With Silhouette Cameo
Cutting glitter cardstock works much the same as cutting regular cardstock. However, the pieces of glitter can make it harder to cut with the preset cut settings. Instead, you may need to ensure that the machine is set to double-cut the cardstock. You may also want to increase the thickness and reduce the speed. However, these factors will also depend on the intricacy of the design. It is often best to stick to the standard settings for very intricate cutting templates.
That said, using double-cut is often the best way to avoid any issues with glitter cardstock. Once the machine has cut the cardstock two times, do not remove the mat until you have manually checked the cardstock yourself. You’ll just need to use one finger to lift a part of the cardstock upward. This will show you if the blade was able to cut through the cardstock cleanly. This method also works well for thick cardstock.
If you make the mistake of removing the mat before the machine has been able to make a clean cut, you’ll likely have to start your entire project from scratch with new cardstock. Why? Because you won’t be able to put the mat back in the right position. You will almost certainly put it in a slightly different position. This will cause the machine to make cuts in the wrong places. Therefore, it is always best to test your cuts first, even when using the double-cut setting.
Cutting Thick Cardstock With Silhouette Cameo
When cutting thick cardstock, you’ll want to make sure that your Silhouette Cameo is prepared to make clean cuts. This can be difficult, as thick fibers are more difficult to cut in general. Fortunately, a Silhouette Cameo is still fully capable of cutting thicker cardstock.
In general, you’ll want to follow the same guidelines as you would use for glitter cardstock. This means that you may need to increase the thickness setting and reduce the speed setting. For both thick and textured cardstock, consider reducing your speed to 4 and turning double-cut on. Just make sure that you keep a close eye on your machine and the results. If you repeatedly try to cut thick cardstock using the wrong settings, you could dull your blades and ruin your cardstock paper.
Which Blade To Use When Cutting Cardstock
The AutoBlade is great for most materials, but if you’re trying to cut thicker cardstock, you might need something a little more heavy-duty. Most experts recommend using the 2mm Silhouette blade for cardstock. This is double the thickness of the AutoBlade (1mm) and provides a better cutting experience with most kinds of cardstock. If you want to change blades frequently, you should also consider getting a CB09 blade holder, as it makes it much easier to switch between different blades as needed.
However, you shouldn’t need a blade any larger than 2mm to cut cardstock. For example, the 3mm blade is almost exclusively used for specialty materials like leather. Using a blade that is too thick for cardstock will quickly wear the blade down. More than anything else, you want to make sure that you’re blade is sharp and clean, especially if you’re cutting intricate designs.
To clean your blade, first remove it from the machine. Then, set the blade depth to 10. From here, you can use a cloth to wipe down the blade and blade housing area, or simply blow air through it to remove any remaining pieces of paper or dust. You shouldn’t need to clean your blade very often, but try to clean it at least once every few cuts to avoid excessive dulling of the blade or blockage in the machine.
It is also important to consider the blade settings. You’ll need to set the depth of your blade before you start cutting. This can be done manually by removing the blade or through the settings window. In either case, it is usually recommended to keep your blade depth at 5 or 6 to get clean cuts with cardstock.
Ready to start your next project? Check out our high-quality cardstock today, and let us know how you put our cardstock to good use!