Chad

Sharpie on Vinyl

Recommended Posts

So a sharpie will work with the cutter/plotter, obviously, lol. I got the idea from Billys topic Crab Plotter Art topic.  Thanks a bunch!

However, I have this great idea of "printing" color onto vinyl with this particular cutter/plotter.  If you plot the color onto the vinyl, you, obviously, have color on the vinyl.  Then just go back through and cut the outline for the vinyl.

Walla, you got a vinyl sticker with color.  Pretty sweet if you ask me.

It'll take a slight bit more time than using a cutter with printing capabilites, but for the price of this cutter/plotter, much worth it.

Not only that, Sharpies are cheaper than ink cartridges for cutter/printers.

Now I just gotta find the right sharpie to use for vinyl.  Considering they make million different kinds, lol.

I"ll post pictures of my work with this, hopefully by next week.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The only kind of sharpie to use is the one with the sharpie brand on them.All of the others I tried were either too transparent,or they would smudge when you rubbed your fingers across them.And the high gloss vinyl doesn't hold the color as well either.If you print on high gloss vinyl,you're really printing over the gloss coat and not into the vinyl.If you are going to do stickers,buy a matte vinyl.That way you will actually be printing into the vinyl and it will hold color better and more smudge resistant.If you can work your design to an outline design lettering included,then you can run the job as a cut job and not a plot.It will go a lot quicker that way.When I first ran the guitar parts usa,I ran it as a plot,which took almost five minutes @ 24 i. p. s. .When I ran it as a cut job,it took two minutes at the same speed.And when you are running 500 stickers less time is a factor.I look forward to seeing your pics.I hope you get as much enjoyment out of your cutter as I do mine!

                                                Bill

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Of course, the Sharpie brand is the only way to go.  Sharpie does have a line of markers made for use on high gloss posters that hold its color really well.  Problem is, it only comes in 4 colors.

I'm not sure if the a high gloss poster is equivalent to high gloss vinyl.  My guess is that its not knowing how this world works, lol.

I'll play around with it, try some things for color and see what works best.  I'll get some Matte vinyl and have at it, lol.

Funny thing, bought the cutter, bought the vinyl, forgot to buy transfer tape, lol.

We'll see what I come up with in the coming weeks.

Btw, can you run vinyl through a traditional inkjet printer?  If you can, it'll make life much easier.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I tried the vinyl through the printer thing and it just bubbled up on the vinyl.I let it set for over 24 hours and wiped it right off with my hand.I think you have to go with a thermal or solvent printer for the vinyl to take ink.If you are doing a design with fine lines in it,the ultra fine sharpies are the way to go.I think they are around .25mm,compared to the fines,which are close to .07mm.Hope that helps you out.

                                    Bill

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I emailed him to find out if he is doing OK. Will let y'all know.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Does the sharpie smudge much. I am thinking of running a sharpie after cutting to get a black outline on my vinyl stickers. I am not sure if this will work well. Can someone post some pics if they have any success. By the way I tried vinyl on my color laser printer, it actually looked fine, but then it rubbed right off. I am thinking mabey some sort of art fixture spray, like they use for pastels might be in order.

PS Matte vinyl will work in color inkjet, especially if you use an Epson. There inks are better (way more expensive, hard to refill and generally annoying) and adhere to the vinyl better than anything else I have tried.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest fivestar

Does the sharpie smudge much. I am thinking of running a sharpie after cutting to get a black outline on my vinyl stickers. I am not sure if this will work well. Can someone post some pics if they have any success. By the way I tried vinyl on my color laser printer, it actually looked fine, but then it rubbed right off. I am thinking mabey some sort of art fixture spray, like they use for pastels might be in order.

PS Matte vinyl will work in color inkjet, especially if you use an Epson. There inks are better (way more expensive, hard to refill and generally annoying) and adhere to the vinyl better than anything else I have tried.

I know krylon and krylon fusion paint works excellent on vinyl.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks, I will give that a shot. I am also going to try gold pens. I am doing a princess and think they might look good as an outline to the dress. Who knows. I really still need to figure out how to use signcut better.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now