Hybrid Tutorial: Creating Luggage and Backpack tags with your Silhouette (print and cut feature)

 

How to create a back pack tag or luggage tag with your digital supplies & you Silhouette

(Print & Cut Feature).

Hey web world! I am excited to be back at Just Jaimee again this month to share is another  hybrid tutorial with you.  This time we are creating fun personal luggage tags or back-pack tags for those last minute summer getaways or back to school needs.

What I like about this is that it’s super simple and fast – and 100% personalized all by you.  Once I got started I created luggage tags for all 17 members of my family (and my extended family) as we get ready to travel to St Thomas together in December.  It’s a fun gift to get people excited, it’s easy and quick to make!  Here we go….  We will be using the Print And cut feature, so have your paper set to 8.5 x 11.

Open up Silhouette Studio and create 3 shapes: (1) a rounded rectangle 2.25” x 3.5”. (2) another rounded rectangle 1.25” x .2” (3) a circle .3”  (make sure you uncheck lock aspect ratio while creating your rectangles)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let’s put these together.   First – move the circle so it is slightly overlapping the small rounded rectangle.  Let’s center them;  highlight them both, select align and align center. Then let’s weld them together to make 1 shape (right click while highlighted, and click weld)

 

Next step is to repeat what we did with our new shape and the bigger rounded rectangle.  But we will move this inside the rectangle so we have a place to attach a ribbon, or a caribbeaner to the tag to attach it to our luggage or backpack.  (remember to leave some space between the top of the rounded hole and the outside of the rounded rectangle) like so… (once you are happy with the placement – select them all and align – align center again.

Now is where the fun starts! – you can just drag and drop, resize, reshape, etc… your digital supplies onto your new tag  – creating endless possibilities of ideas.  For mine I used the digital stamps and papers with some elements.  I start by adding my  registration marks so I know I am working in the correct print area. All the way to the right is the Open Registration Marks window.  I could choose default, but I choose the drop-down and select cameo for my machine. Then I move my shape to make sure I am not in the shaded out areas.Now that you have this part done – Highlight everything again and right click – Make Compound path.  Save your blank tag.

 

First I grab my papers and elements that I want to use and decorate my tag.  Warning – when you grab too many large files at once it will slow down the silhouette software.

 TIP  for patterned paper!  Add your papers to your pattern library.  (just create a folder in your library under patterns.  Then simply drag and drop the paper you want to use into that folder.)

Then as you want to add the pattern to your tag – just go to the Fill Pattern icon, scroll down and click on your paper and add the pattern to your shape.  Play with the advanced options and rotate the paper/pattern fill as you like it – make the pattern bigger or smaller, etc…. remember CTRL-Z and undo anything you don’t like to go back steps.

At this point you can just drag and drop digital stamps (use the png or jpeg file) and/or add text to your cut file.  And design away.

For my text  I chose BEBAS FONT, I created my text, aligned center, converted to a path, filled with color (and I used the dropper to grab the blue from a star in the tag so they matched) Next I choose line color and I turned off the red outline.

Remember however before you send your print and cut to the printer you want to make sure you turn OFF the cut lines for your text and/or elements that you add!!  Make sure these are selected when you turn off the lines and that your shape cut lines are still on!

The bold red is where the machine will cut.

 

First you have to send your paper to the printer – It will print your tag and the registration marks.  Then attached your paper to your mat and send your design to the silhouette.  The machine will read the registration marks and cut precisely where it needs to – (so cool!!).

Have fun!  Sorry for the long winded tutorial – feel free to grab the pdf below.

How to create a back pack tag or luggage tag with your digital supplies.pdf