MY VINYL DESIGNER has compiled a high-quality, pleasantly designed, printable PDF catalog for each mini, master, and specialty collection.  Although the pages can be housed in any type of binding system, we like using white cardstock and top-loading sheet protectors best.  We especially like using the standard white vinyl presentation folders that come with 12 attached sheet protectors because they are slim, trim, and easy to handle and store.  We have omitted page numbers on the catalog pages so that you can arrange pages as desired.

Our catalogs are meant to offer home-based and storefront businesses more vinyl sale opportunities, as well as be a quick fingertip reference for do-it-yourselfers.  When a customer expresses an interest in a particular design, you simply determine the measurements, find the cataloged ready-to-cut vector design, cut, and presto, an instant sale!

Alternatively, you may electronically offer catalog pages to your customers on blogs and web pages.  Catalog page jpgs and downloadable PDFs accompany each collection and add-on page lot.

PS-  Our catalog pages do not open correctly in some of the earlier versions of Adobe Illustrator.  So if you wish to try a sample catalog page, let us know and we'll send you a copy.

CLICK HERE for specific information related to the Stick Family catalogs

CLICK HERE for specific information related to the Modern Wall Art catalogs

CLICK HERE for presenting catalog pages when no collections have been purchased

CLICK HERE if you want to create your own catalog pages

CLICK HERE for copyright details related to catalog pages

If your vinyl is meant to be outdoors for more than six months at a time, such as on car windows, boats, mailboxes, and signs, we highly recommend that you use the Oracal 751 Premium Cast Vinyl.  Regular Oracal 631 Vinyl states there is a 3 year outdoor usage, but it will quickly crack and fade in extreme temperatures.  White exterior vinyl looks best on car windows because it is the best seen from far distances.  Silver, gold and light gray follow right behind ... just with a little more subtle color.  Be sure that you charge your customers more for exterior vinyl because it will cost you more and take longer to weed. It is not as forgiving as regular interior vinyl.

CLICK HERE for more info related to exterior vinyl

Vinyl can be purchased from a variety of places from craft stores to the wholesale outlets that sign makers order from.  You'll certainly save more money when you purchase directly from the wholesale vinyl supplier.  Personally, we like to purchase our vinyl supplies from REGIONAL SUPPLY in Salt Lake City, Utah, at 1-800-365-8920.  Their prices are very competitive, and their customer service is exceptional.  Be sure to ask about their free shipping minimums.

For the vinyl film, we recommend the Oracal 631 vinyl for interior usage and the Oracal 651 or Oracal 751 Premium Cast Vinyl for exterior usage.  This kind of exterior vinyl is meant for projects that are meant to be outdoors more than six months, such as on car windows, boats, mailboxes, and signs.  The regular Oracal 631 vinyl states there is a three-year outdoor usage, but it will quickly crack and fade in extreme temperatures.  In southeastern Idaho, we've seen the Oracal 631 vinyl change as early as eight months.

For the transfer tape, we recommend using the opaque R-TAPE Conform 4075-RLA Transfer Tape ..... or ..... the Transfer Rite Ultra Transfer Tape (high tack) for all your vinyl projects.  Some other specialty vinyl films include:

For etched-looking vinyl ... use Oracal 8510 etched glass vinyl

For a slight metallic colored etched-looking vinyl ... use #90-fine silver, #91-fine gold, #94-coarse silver, #95-coarse gold

For glow-in-the-dark vinyl ... use

Frosted (etched-looking) vinyl costs quite a bit more than other films, so be sure to price your projects accordingly.

Are you having problems viewing our website?  Are you unable to remove items from your shopping cart?  Does our website looks jumbled up or incomplete somewhere?  When you try to enlarge a picture, does it disappear?  If so, these problems are most likely related to the browser you are using.  Our website should work well in the most recent versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Chrome.  The only browser to date that is not compatible with our website is MSN Internet Explorer.

So may we suggest the following:

1- For Internet Explorer users, please go to Microsoft (http://www.microsoft.com) and download the latest version of Internet Explorer.  It's free and it doesn't take long to download.

2- Alternatively, you can visit Mozilla (http://www.mozilla.com) and download the free Firefox browser (our personal favorite).

If you continue to have problems, please let us know. Thanks!

Browser 101: For Newbies

Not sure what a browser is?  A browser is like a set a glasses, or a lighthouse, that has a particular vantage point of the world wide web.  It is perfectly okay to have multiple browsers on your computer.  When you type a web address into a particular browser, you see a website the way the browser sees it.  Sometimes, a browser cannot read all the coding in a website, especially if its a newer site.  Hence, the need to update your browser from time to time with the latest upgrades.

Vinyl films are available as pre-cut sheets (12"x12" and 12"x24") and on rolls of different widths (12", 15", 24", 30", 48").  You can generally purchase vinyl rolls in 5 yard increments, maxing at 50 yard lengths.  For instance, you       For home decor vinyl, the 15" and 24" wide rolls are the most popular. 

Another option for creating pre-cut vinyl sheets is to buy a 24" roll of vinyl and have your vinyl supplier cut it in half for two 12" rolls.

Also, purchasing vinyl films directly from the distributor, instead of through a craft store  is a big money saver for those wishing to cut a lot of vinyl. 

To cut our SVG designs using a Cricut^TM , a third-party software called Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL) is required. 

"Sure Cuts A Lot" is an easy-to-use program that allows you to cut premade custom artwork (SVG files) on your Cricut^TM machine and to use the True Type fonts from your computer to create a endless array of vinyl designs.  No special cartridges are required, and it is available for Windows and Macintosh computers. 

Features

• :: Works with the Cricut Personal and Cricut Expression Machines^TM
• :: Works with all the installed True Type fonts on your computer
• :: Works with thousands of free True Type fonts
• :: Works with hundreds of free True Type Dingbat fonts
• :: Allows you to import SVG files to create custom artwork
• :: Welds overlapping letters and shapes together
• :: Allows you to select styles, including Shadow and Blackout, to change the look of your letters and shapes
• :: No special cartridges are required 
• :: Has the WYSIWYG Interface - which means that what you see is what you cut
• :: Allows you to save your design layouts, so you can make changes over time
• :: Offers free 1.x updates

How many fonts are in this software?  The SCAL software is not meant to give you fonts.  It is a software that allows you to use the fonts on your computer.  If you wish to add more fonts to your computer, google or dogpile such words as "free fonts", "script fonts", etc.  There are thousands of fun fonts online ... many of them are free for personal projects.  There is no need to buy special cartridges to obtain more fonts for your computer.

How does this work with the MyVinylDesigner designs?  A Cricut^TM machine, on its own, can only use the cartridges created for it.  This third-party software called Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL), connects your Cricut^TM machine and computer to the online world, and allows you access to thousands of fonts and SVG images.  It saves you a ton of money over time, and gives you limitless options for creativity.  Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL) offers a trial version for those wishing to see how it works beforehand.  

To visit the Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL) website ... click here 

MY VINYL DESIGNER sells the premade, ready-to-cut SVG designs that you import into this software.  Once you "import" the design, simply resize it to the dimensions you need and cut.   It's really quite easy and fun.  The designs are like patterns that can be used again and again.  All you need to do is purchase the vinyl, and voila, get ready for fun!

To learn more about My Vinyl Designer ... click here!

For more Cricut-related information ... click here!

To try a sampling of our artwork ... click here!

* "Cricut" is a trademark of Provo Craft & Novelty Inc.  This site is not affiliated with ProvoCraft™ CraftEdge™ Cricut™,  or their subsidiaries.
** In order to cut with this software, you must have Firmware version 1.1 on your Cricut* Personal machine or version 2.1 on your Cricut* Expression machine. For more information on checking your firmware version, or updating your firmware version, please see Sure Cuts A Lot FAQ.

*** You may also need to install a driver for your computer.

Coming soon ...

No worries about the questions!  It sounds like you are set up perfectly to add vinyl to your business.  I would suggest that if you haven't bought a cutter already you don't buy a cricut machine.  They are slow and the size you can cut is very limited.  For only a little bit more money you can buy an entry level vinyl cutter that will be light years ahead of the cricut machine.  You can pick up a 24" cutter for about $500.  A cricut runs about $300 plus the Sure Cuts A Lot program that is $75.  If you already have the cricut, it will work fine.  But is you are looking to make the investment, a vinyl cutter would be better use of your money.  Oddly enough, ebay is usually the best place to buy a cutter.  Two companies that sell entry level vinyl cutters are MASTER WAREHOUSE at http://www.masterwarehouse.com or US CUTTER at http://www.uscutter.com  Be sure to check to see if they have an ebay special.  

You will love adding vinyl to your list of options for monograms.  Vinyl is inexpensive and has a nice profit margin that people are happy to pay.

We order our vinyl from Regional Supply in Salt Lake City, Utah at 800 365-8920.  They are very helpful.  Be sure to specify Oracal 631 for indoor projects and Oracal 751 for vehicles.  Also, ask about their free shipping.  Their quantities aren't very high to get free shipping.

Congratulations on entering the vinyl world!  You will love cutting vinyl and creating projects.  Vinyl cutters are all over the board as far as cost goes.  However,  I found that a cutter from Masterwarehouse.com or USCutter.com will work just fine for those starting in vinyl lettering.  They run around $400 though I do recommend spending the extra hundred dollars for the Flexi software upgrade.  Flexi is a very user friendly program that you can upgrade to more advanced features as your business grows and money is coming in.

I think a 30" cutter would be sufficient for you...especially if you are just doing lettering.  I have never had a project that could not be done on a 30" machine.  When I first bought a machine, I bought a 48" cutter...only to find I always cut on 24" vinyl.  I should have saved my money and put it toward the second flexi upgrade.  A 54" cutter is way overkill esp for letters.  You can't even buy matte vinyl that wide. 

Often these two companies have specials on ebay, so check there first.   Good luck with your purchase!

"I'm using a Cricut and the Sure Cuts A Lot program to cut my vinyl.  So far everything I've cut fits onto my mat.  I'm interesting in cutting some of your designs larger than a 12 X 24 size to showcase on a wall.  How can I do that?" 

Cricuts are great for cutting smaller projects, but limited in their ability to cut larger designs for the wall.  The 24"-36" floor standing vinyl cutters are best for cutting home decor vinyl.  Then you can work with rolls of vinyl, instead of sheets of vinyl, and have unlimited possibility for home decor wall art.

However, Cricut users can separate the unwelded parts of our designs through Inkscape, a free downloadable software.  Then save each separated part as an individual SVG file and go from there.  The process is quite time consuming, but it is possible.

*** Please note that the growth charts are an example of some designs that won't easily cut on a Cricut.  The finished size that they need to cut at, is larger than the Cricut's mat board. 

CLICK HERE to learn more about traditional floor standing vinyl cutters

CLICK HERE to learn more info about vinyl cutter softwares

Will these designs work on the smaller Cricut^TM models, like the Bug?  Yes, our smaller, less-intricate designs can cut on the personal Cricut^TM Machine.  It just needs to have the latest upgrade, and of course, the SCAL software.  Our designs are single, unlayered formats that can be separated as needed.  (Even our new layered art patterns come in single, unlayered formats.  The layered designs are only layered manually after the vinyl is cut and weeded.)  The only parts that will NOT separate are the parts that have been welded together.  For example, when loopy letters overlap other letters, the intersections are welded or joined together so that it can cut a professional finished vinyl design.

To determine which smaller, less-intricate designs cut best on this machine, imagine the finished vinyl size.  If you think that letters will size below a 1/2" or so on the finished vinyl project, or have too thin of a line at a smaller size, it probably won't cut well.  It's just the nature of vinyl.  However, you can use the design for card making and printed projects.  You can also contact us beforehand to see if a particular design will work.

Can I use the designs in other projects?  Absolutely!  Our designs can be printed, etched, engraved, routed, embroidered, and much, much more.  Just be sure to review our copyrights for all the details.

For cutting vinyl, where do I get vinyl?  What kind of vinyl do I use?  There are a number of great suppliers that sell the Oracal 631 vinyl and appropriate transfer tape ... CLICK HERE for more info

Is cutting vinyl like cutting a die-cut, cutting through the vinyl and its backing?  No.  Cutting vinyl is very, very different than cutting out die-cuts because the blade should only lightly score the glossy side of the backing paper.  Your cutter blade should NEVER EVER cut through the backing of vinyl!  Once the image is cut, and the backing remains as one solid sheet, remove the vinyl and it's backing paper from the cutter.  You are now ready to "weed", or remove the negative spaces from your vinyl design.

What is transfer tape and why should I use it?  Transfer tape helps you apply vinyl more easily and quickly, especially when several letters and fonts are involved.  Imagine your finished vinyl lettering like a sandwich: the glossy backing is one layer, the actual vinyl is a second layer, and the transfer tape is a third layer.  Once the glossy backing is removed, it exposes the sticky side of the vinyl so that you can place it on a clean, flat surface.  Once you press the sticky side down, remove the top layer of transfer tape.  What remains is the beautiful, matte vinyl design you created!

CLICK HERE for more info related to transfer tape

CLICK HERE for more info related to how small you can cut vinyl designs

CLICK HERE to view other Cricut-related how-to videos

To visit the Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL) website ... click here 

"I am new to this site and would love to make things with these designs.  I understand that I have to purchase the SCAL software.  Once I do so, how would I get the design on my actual machine?  I don't think my Cricut came with any cords or computer hook ups."

Once you have the SCAL software, you will need to connect your Cricut to the computer with a standard USB cable.  Just take your Cricut machine into a local store that sells computer hardware and ask for help in matching a USB cable to the little port on your Cricut machine.  Your cord should have a standard USB connection on one end, and a little Cricut-matching connection on the other end.  The computer hookup should be somewhere just under or behind your Cricut.

Then, once you download our designs onto your computer, simply IMPORT, NOT OPEN, them in your SCAL software.  Then resize and cut.  You're almost there!

CLICK HERE for more info related to Cricut users