by Danielle Petroskey, Marketing

We’ve all had those moments when cutting heat transfer material on a vinyl cutter. You know what I’m talking about- one minute you have a design that you’ve cut multiple times perfectly with the same vinyl cutter settings, material, color, etc. and then in the blink of an eye, things go downhill quickly.

Maybe it’s that the cut lines are tapering off toward the end of the job or the design just isn’t cutting at all. This usually happens when you’ve waited until the last minute to do the job, and haven’t had enough coffee (at least that’s when it usually happens for me). Oh, and of course you didn’t do a test cut, because why would you? It’s always worked in the past.

Ugh.

Frustration sets in, and you need something or someone to blame – first, it’s the vinyl cutter, then when you can’t figure it out, it must be the heat transfer vinyl! But, then when you calm down, you start to wonder, could it be something else? Something as simple as the blade?! Nah… it LOOKS fine. But is it really?

This is when I start to think to myself, “When was the last time I changed the blade?” Surely it was last week, when I was doing spring break shirts. Then I realize it’s been a busy summer of T-shirt selling. Uh oh, it’s already time for back-to-school? Geez, how time flies!

The moral of the story is this – change your vinyl cutter blades regularly. Most of your frustrations when cutting heat transfer vinyl can be dissipated when you are diligent about this. Another important thing to remember is – use a separate blade for thicker, textured materials such as Glitter Flake™, Flock II, and Poly-TWILL™. These materials will dull your blades quicker. I usually use a label or a dot of nail polish on the blade holder to differentiate the blades.

Luckily for you, we’ve created many posts and videos on the subject over the years, because we know how important sharp vinyl cutter blades are for perfect design cuts and we are focused on educating you to save time and money in your business. So for more details and troubleshooting tips, read these posts:

Tip Jar Video Tutorial: All About Vinyl Cutter Blades – The video in this post will show you how to select the right blade for your job and make sure you have the correct blade depth.

The Importance of Sharp Vinyl Cutter Blades from Ted Stahl’s blog.

More words of wisdom from Ted Stahl: The High Cost of Not Caring for Your Blades

Vinyl Cutter Tips: Cutting Strips and Blade Exposure – Tips on prolonging the life of your blades, blade holder, and cutting strip.

When should you change blades on your vinyl cutter? Ted has some tips in It’s Time to Change Your Blade.

Check Your Vinyl Cutter Blades – Ted’s tips on how to save time, money, and blade life when cutting heat transfer vinyl.

Sharing is caring!