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Multicolour cutting and Print then Cut: layering, stickers

Cutting plotters7 min readUpdated: 10/2026

are explained briefly when you hover over or tap them.

A cutting plotter cuts, it does not print. For multicolour designs there are therefore two ways: you cut each colour from its own film and stack them, or you print the design with an inkjet printer and let the plotter cut out the outline. The second is called “Print Then Cut” at Cricut and “Print & Cut” at Silhouette.

Stacking films (layering)Print then Cut
Coloursone colour per filmany, including gradients and photos
Materialflex film, vinylprintable paper, sticker paper, printable vinyl, printable flex film
Additional equipmentnone, a press for textilesinkjet printer
Typical forshirts, lettering, logosstickers, labels, tags

Multicolour with flex film

Preparation

  1. Split the design into colours. Each colour is its own layer and is cut from its own film. Plan beforehand which colour goes at the bottom: the retailer Atlanta Vinyl advises starting with the largest or bottom-most colour as layer 1 and finishing with the smallest detail on top.
  2. Check whether the films hold on top of each other. Not every flex film can be layered. Siser states this in the technical data of each film (“Can be layered”), and P.S. Film, for example, can be layered. Cricut also lists Everyday Iron-On as stackable.
  3. Glitter and holographic only on top. No further film holds on the rough surface of glitter film, and according to Siser it comes off in the wash. The same applies to holographic film.
  4. Mirror and cut, as with any flex film, see Cutting and ironing on flex film.
  5. Trim the carriers closely. That way the carriers do not lie on top of each other when pressing and leave fewer marks on the lower layer.

Aligning with registration crosses

To make the colours fit together exactly, you add a small mark in the same place on each layer, for example a cross or square outside the design. These registration crosses are cut along with it and are lined up on top of each other when you place the layers. Atlanta Vinyl recommends registration marks in every layer and a light table or a window as backlight. Remove the marks before the final press.

Pressing: tack briefly, full time only at the end

The bottom layer receives the heat of every further press. Siser does the maths: if you press four colours for 15 seconds each, the first layer has been pressed for a whole minute by the end. Too much heat makes the film shrink, and then the colours no longer fit together.

This is how it works according to Siser:

  1. Only tack the first layer briefly, 1 to 5 seconds with the carrier.
  2. Peel off the carrier, as the film requires.
  3. Align the next layer and tack it briefly again.
  4. Always press with a protective sheet, that is baking paper, multipurpose paper or a clean cotton cloth. Otherwise the layer that has already been pressed on, without its carrier, can melt or leave adhesive residue on the heating plate.
  5. Only press the last layer for the full time, 15 seconds for P.S. Film.

For washing, the lowest wash temperature of all the films used applies. Guide values for temperature and pressure are in Using a heat press correctly.

Multicolour with vinyl

With adhesive film for stickers, windows or mugs, the principle works the same way, just without heat. The layers are transferred with transfer film. Registration crosses and the order from bottom to top help here as well.

How it works

The software places black registration marks around your design. You print the sheet on your printer, place it on the mat, and the plotter’s optical sensor reads the marks. That way it knows where the printed design is and cuts exactly along the outline.

  • Cricut: According to Cricut, the Joy Xtra, Explore 5 and Maker 5 can do Print Then Cut. The printer must be an inkjet printer, not a laser printer. The sheet goes in the top left corner of the mat’s adhesive area.
  • Silhouette: Switch on the registration marks in the page setup; type 1 is the standard for current machines. The Cameo 5α reads four marks instead of three, which according to Silhouette is more accurate, even with slightly distorted printouts.
  • Brother ScanNCut: It uses its scanner. You place a printout, a drawing or a stamp impression on the mat, the machine scans it and cuts the outline. With the ScanNCut Link plug-in, registration cuts from Adobe Illustrator are additionally possible on the SDX series, according to Brother.

How large can the design be?

For a long time, Cricut gave a maximum image size of 23.5 x 17 cm on a Letter sheet (21.5 x 28 cm). In a more recent blog post, Cricut UK writes that page sizes up to A3 can be set. You can see which sizes your machine supports in Design Space under Settings, Load Type, “Print Then Cut Page Size”. Always select the size of the paper you are actually printing on.

With Silhouette, the work area in Studio must match the paper size. The design must not extend into the hatched corners, because the marks are located there.

Tips for clean results

  • Calibrate: Before the first project, and when the cuts become inaccurate, run the Print Then Cut calibration in the software.
  • Print dialogue: In Design Space, activate the system dialogue; then you can set print quality and paper type. Switch off “Fit to page”.
  • Bleed: By default, Design Space prints slightly beyond the outline so that no white edge remains. Cricut recommends leaving this switched on.
  • Paper: Reflective, coloured or patterned materials can interfere with reading the marks. Cricut recommends white material. According to Cricut, the Maker and Maker 3 also read on light to medium shades.
  • Light: Direct sun or a lamp pointed at the machine can interfere with the sensor.
  • Ink: Reprint smeared or faded marks.

If Print then Cut still cuts out of position, Plotter does not cut properly helps.

Which plotter for stickers?

All five plotters in the wiki can cut stickers: the three Cricut models and the Cameo 5α via registration marks, the ScanNCut via its scanner. What matters:

  • Kiss cut or die cut: With a kiss cut, the blade only cuts through the sticker layer and the backing stays whole, which gives sticker sheets. With a die cut, the cut goes through both layers, which gives individual stickers. Cricut plotters can do both.
  • Material: Cricut distinguishes sticker paper (paper-like, easy to peel), printable vinyl (thinner and smoother, tears more easily) and waterproof sets with laminating film that you roll onto the print before cutting.
  • Printer: You need an inkjet printer. With the StickerPix devices, Cricut also offers sticker printers with built-in ink, which according to Cricut only kiss cut.

For stickers on smooth surfaces such as glass or metal in large quantities, UV DTF is a different technique.

In brief: cutting fabric and wood

Fabric: Among the Cricut models in the wiki, only the Maker 5 with the rotary blade also cuts unbacked fabric, on the pink FabricGrip mat. For the Explore models, Cricut only names backed (bonded) fabric. The Brother ScanNCut SDX2250D comes with a rotary cutter kit and is designed for fabrics, appliqués and quilting. Silhouette names the Silhouette Cameo 5α for fabric in general.

Wood: A plotter only cuts thin wood. With the Knife Blade, the Maker 5 cuts balsa wood and other dense materials up to 3 mm according to Cricut, and Cricut also sells wood veneer. With vinyl or flex film you can also cover wood instead of cutting it. For thicker wood or engravings, a laser is the right tool, and for colour prints on wood the UV printer.

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