Accessories and Tools - Frequently Asked Questions
The CD in my starter kit isn't working in my computer, what is the issue?The disk included with the Starter Kits is a tutorial DVD so it needs to be played in a DVD player, it won’t do anything in a CD drive. The disk needs to be viewed in a DVD player or on a PC using DVD player software.
The vinyl in my Vinyl Starter Kit doesn't seem to be working very well, am I doing something wrong?
The transfer tape included is meant to be very low tack, it needs to be so you can get it back off without marking the material it is being applied to. Use the included scraper to press the tape down once it is applied and it should work as expected.
What features do the different versions of Silhouette Software come with?
Can I only use the software on one computer?
Designer edition can be installed up to three times.
I purchased the Silhouette Business Edition software from you in 2016, however, my laptop broke so I had to buy a new laptop and reinstall the software. For some reason, the business edition key that you gave me in 2016 is not working for me. Can you advise what to do?
If you purchased an upgrade software code then you need to make sure you install the previous software first. For example you would get this problem if you had a Designer Edition to Business Edition upgrade code (key) and you didn’t enter the Designer Edition code (key) first. If you check your Silhouette account page on Silhouette’s website - https://www.silhouetteamerica.com/my-account - you will be able to see all keys added to your account. Add the Designer Key first and then the Business key, and that should work. If you get an error message, please take a screenshot of the error and email it over (hello@yolo.co.uk) so we can see the error and advise further.
If you add a dollar card to your account the Silhouette website will give you credit in the currency you have set in your account preferences.
Does Silhouette Studio® support ICC profiles?
Silhouette Studio® doesn’t have ICC profile support, so to use ICC profiles with a Silhouette machine, you would need to use either Adobe Illustrator or a full version of Corel Draw together with the Silhouette Connect plugin. As these two packages are both professional design packages, they fully support ICC profiles so should work with your print system. You then use the Silhouette Connect plugin to output from those packages to the cutter.
Stencil Material versus Stencil Vinyl - what's the difference? Also, Is the stencil material too big to cut with a Silhouette Portrait?
They are similar but you’d normally use the vinyl for fabric ink stencils and the other material for wall paint stencils. The stencil material comes on a 12 x 24 roll but you could trim it down for use on a Portrait if needed.
Is it better to use Telfon or Silcone paper when heat pressing?
Silcone is a treated parchment paper with a silicone coating on it. Teflon is a sheet made of teflon. Both are made to not stick to transfers, but its really a preference thing for most people. The silicone parchment and the teflon sheet are both used for covering the transfer when pressing so it doesn't stick to the plate of your press. Teflon sheets tend to get used more for protecting garments from scorching and for protecting the heat press itself. Alot of people prefer the teflon sheet as they don't wear out. The Silicone sheet is disposable while teflon can be reused multiple times. Caution about using teflon or silicone sheets, the image is not supposed to stick to this material but sometimes it does. Especially when the surface or the coating are worn out. If you are not careful the faint trace of the image can be transferred to another shirt. Silicone sheet is disposable while teflon can be reused multiple times. Just keep an eye on the faint image sticking to it and wipe it off if possible.
Tee Square It! Centre Graphic Alignment Tool - which version do you sell?
Do Silhouette pens work on plastics ?
The tips are ball point so they won’t write properly on plastic. We don’t have a list of materials but they will write on the same materials as most ball point pens, so most paper, card & fabrics should be fine.
Overview of the Pen Holder...
The Pen Holder includes a main body, a cap (for precise pen tip placement), and three adapters for various pen body sizes (small, medium, and large).
The Pen Holder is compatible with a range of smaller pens (such as standard cylindrical and hexigonal shaped pens) up to a basic-sized felt-tip pen type (such as a Sharpie®).
How does the Pen Holder work?The following steps can be taken to use various pens in the Pen Holder.
1. (If needed) Remove the current pen holder adapter from the body
2. Place the needed pen holder adapter (small/blue, medium/white, or large/grey) into the Pen Holder body to match the desired pen size
3. Place your pen into the Pen Holder
4. Tighten the pen holder adapter (collett) by twisting clockwise until the pen is tightly in place
5. Remove the pen guide cap (which is in place to ensure the pen tip is set to protrude the proper distance; the tip of the pen should appear where the end of the cap was once the cap is removed)
6. Place the pen holder into the Silhouette
7. Turn the Silhouette's lock lever to the right to lock it into place
When do you use transfer tape?
When using vinyl and looking to transfer cut-out designs onto a wall or other smooth surface, transfer paper is strongly recommended. Transfer paper is used to transfer vinyl images from the vinyl's backing onto the desired wall or other surface without having to manually remove each cut-out vinyl piece by hand and try to align them perfectly.
How do you use transfer tape?
Once you have vinyl and transfer paper, you may proceed with the following steps:
- Cut the vinyl design with the Silhouette
- Weed (or peel) away excess vinyl that is not part of the design
- Place the transfer paper over the vinyl image
- Rub firmly over the top of the transfer paper
- Carefully remove the backing from the vinyl, exposing the vinyl's adhesive while leaving the transfer paper in place
- Place the design onto the desired surface
- Press down firmly with a flat-edged tool (such as the Scrapper Tool) over the entire design to affix it to the intended surface
- Peel away the transfer paper
As the transfer paper is peeled away, the vinyl design will stay in place.
