Introduction: How to Make Waterproof Die Cut Stickers on Your Cricut

By Just Might DIY YouTube Channel;
About: My love of making things started young, with a mom who was always coming up with projects and a dad whose tool collection still gives me envy. I got my love of bright colors from mom and my love of working wi…

Stickers are awesome, but being able to make your own stickers out of any design imaginable is even better. So if you're a sticker lover like us, stick around as we show you how easy it is to make your own die cut stickers using a Cricut cutting machine.

As a bonus, we're going to make these stickers waterproof so you don't have to worry about the colors fading if they're on a water bottle or something else that you need, or want, to wash.

Supplies

(Links = Affiliate Links)

Cricut Maker:

Cricut: https://cricut.pxf.io/maker

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3e1AWVj

Cricut Scraper:

Cricut: http://cricut.pxf.io/scraperxl

Amazon: https://amzn.to/32TEy6Q

Laser/Inkjet Sticker Paper (removable): https://amzn.to/3n9qAqx

Oracal 651 Laminate: https://amzn.to/2QpqjE7

Cactus Bundle: https://designbundles.net/tinker-and-teal/805634-...

Canon MF741CDW ImageCLASS Laser Printer: https://amzn.to/3n7QbjE

Affiliate Notification

We are a participant in a few affiliate and influencer programs, which means that we earn a commission when you click on certain links. You don’t pay anything extra for the items you buy; we just get credit for referring you! Here’s an overview of the companies whose programs we participate in: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, Cricut, Design Bundles, and more.

Step 1: Find and Upload Your Designs

Before you can make stickers, you need to select and upload the designs that you want to use.

1. Find the design(s) that you want to use for your stickers.

Note: We LOVE using DesignBundles.net for designs. They're high quality and cost efficient, and there are thousands to choose from. We used the Cactus SVG Bundle for this project.

2. Open Cricut Design Space and select New Project to open a blank canvas.

3. Click the Upload button on the left side of the Design Space screen, and then click Upload Image on the next screen as well.

4. Browse to find your designs on your computer.

5. Select the first one you want to upload.

6. When given the choice of Image Type in Design Space, select Complex to preserve all detail and click Continue.

7. Preview and make any needed adjustments on the Select & Erase Screen and click Continue.

8. On the Select Upload Type screen, choose Print then Cut Image and click Upload.

Step 2: Create an Outline Around Your Design

We love the look of die cut stickers that have a white outline around them. They make the designs pop a little more. Of course, the outline can be whatever color you like, but we'll use white as an example. While there are a number of ways to do this, Cricut just introduced a Beta feature called "Offset" that can create the outlines for you. See the end of this step for a few notes about the Offset feature.

1. Insert images onto your canvas by clicking the Upload button on the lower left side of Design Space.

Note: You can select multiple images to insert all at once.

2. If the images are too large to see on screen, resize them using the dimensions input in the toolbar.

3. Create a rectangle on your canvas that is sized to 6.75" x 9.25".

Note: This is the largest area that Cricut can do a Print then Cut operation.

4. Select the first image and click Offset in the toolbar to open the menu.

5. Under Distance, use the slider OR input a measurement to create the right sized outline.

Note: We like 0.125 for stickers.

6. Select whether you want to have rounded or sharp corners.

7. Click Apply when you're happy with the size and shape of the outline.

Cricut will create a separate layer in black with the outline.

8. To change the color:

Click the layer in the sidebar and then click on the color square next to the Operation drop down and select desired color.

9. Select both layers in the sidebar and click Flatten at the bottom.

10. Repeat steps as necessary for all of your designs.

Notes about Offset in Cricut Design Space:

You need to be using the latest operating systems for Offset to work properly.

Offset works best on relatively simple graphics. If there are lots of gradients or other complexity, it will struggle with it at this time.

Step 3: Print Out Your Designs

Once you have outlines around all of your designs, it's time to get them ready to print!

1. If you didn't do this in the first step, create a rectangle that is 6.75" W by 9.25" H. This is the largest area that Cricut will Print then Cut.

2. Arrange your stickers in the most efficient way on top of the rectangle.

Note: You can resize, rotate, etc. to fit more on the sheet. Just be sure that none of them are touching.

3. When your stickers are all arranged, hide or delete the rectangle, as you do NOT want to print that.

4. Select all layers on the canvas and select Attach at the bottom of the sidebar.

Note: This ensures that they don't move on the next screen.

5. Click Make It in Design Space.

Note: On the next screen, you will see a black square around your designs. This is normal and will print. Cricut needs this black box to orient the cutting machine when you go to cut.

6. Click Continue and then Send to Printer on the next screen.

7. On the next screen, you can turn off Bleed by clicking the button next to it.

Note: If your outline is white, we recommend turning off bleed, but if your outlines are another color, keep it on.

8. Click to use the System Dialogue to print.

Note: We prefer to use System Dialogue to print, as it gives us more control over the quality settings.

9. Insert your sticker paper into your printer, oriented in the right direction.

10. Select the highest quality you can for the print on the print settings screen and click Print.

Step 4: Laminate Your Sticker Sheet

To make your stickers waterproof, you'll need to laminate them. We have seen some other makers use some sprays to waterproof them, but we haven't had good luck with that method. We used clear glossy Oracal 651 to laminate our stickers.

1. Cut a piece of Oracal 651 laminate to fit INSIDE the black block on your sticker sheet.

Note: You do NOT want to cover any portion of the black box around your sticker designs. This could interfere with the cut sensor on your Cricut cutting machine and cause issues with the cut.

2. Lay your laminate, with the backing still on it, on top of your printed sticker sheet.

3. Once it is positioned correctly, hold it down with your arm and start peeling the backing off of the top farthest from you.

4. Peel about an inch or so and use scissors to cut the backing off of that piece (still holding the full sheet in place).

5. Gently lay the sticky part on top of your sticker paper, ensuring that it is smooth and has no bubbles.

6. Once that is secure, lift the rest of the laminate and peel the backing while gently securing the sticky part to your sticky sheet in a smooth motion.

Note: We used a scraper to help with laying down the laminate. You want decent pressure, but be careful to not scratch your laminate.

7. Once the laminate is fully on your sticker sheet, rub it first with your fingers to smooth out any issues.

8. If you want to use your scraper, place the backing on top and scrape on top of that.

Step 5: Cut Your Stickers Out

Once your sheet is laminated, it's time to get them in the Cricut for cutting!

1. Back in Design Space, you should be able to click to the next screen for your cut settings.

2. We created a custom material for cutting this laminated sticker sheet.

Your settings may vary depending on the sticker paper you chose and how sharp your blade is, but this should be a good start:

306 Pressure

2x Cut

Fine-Point Blade

3. Grab a Light Grip (blue) Cricut mat.

4. Place your laminated sticker sheet on the mat, following these parameters:

Orient the sticker sheet in the same direction that it was printed. That is, make sure that the stickers that were at the top of your screen in Design Space are in the same position on the mat.

Also be sure that the sheet is on the mat completely straight.

Ensure that the laminated sticker sheet is securely adhered to the mat.

5. Load the mat into the machine and press the C button on the machine to begin the cut.

Note: The machine will first scan the line and then proceed to cutting.

Step 6: Remove Stickers From Mat

Once the machine is done cutting, you just have to get them off the mat without curling them.

1. Pull the waste sheet off of the mat. We like to lay our mat face down and peel the mat from the material rather than peeling it straight up off the mat.

2. Gently curl your mat back with one hand.

3. Slowly peel your stickers off with the other hand.

Note: Curling the mat helps prevent the stickers themselves curl from peeling them off.

Step 7: Stick and Enjoy!

There you go! You now have your very own custom, waterproof, die-cut stickers! Now you can put them on your laptop, water bottle or whatever else you want to decorate.

If you liked this project, please head over to JustMightDIY.com for other tips, DIY stories and more. And if you’re interested in checking out more of our tutorials, check out our Instructables profile or head over to our YouTube channel.

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