Adding vinyl to cardstock is a game changer and opens the door to mixed media projects – all of which can be precisely cut on your Cricut machine. Vinyl can up your Cricut crafting game in three big ways:
- Use vinyl to make your cardstock projects easier
- Use one of the many varieties of vinyl to add a wow factor (i.e. such as pattern, glitter, holographic, foil or mirror)
- Use vinyl for thin designs that would be difficult to cut in cardstock
For example, this layered shamrock design cuts great with cardstock but the letters would take forever to glue down one by one. For this project, I used vinyl for all the words.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read my full disclosure for more information.
Grab the FREE shamrock cut file here
Grab this free shamrock cut file template from my resource library in the Spring craft freebie section and upload the SVG cut file into Cricut Design Space. Sign up below to unlock the resource library.
You will be included in my email newsletter with helpful Cricut ideas, tips and resources. Unsubscribe anytime and your email will never be shared.
Why would you want to put vinyl on cardstock?
I frequently use vinyl on my cardstock crafts for a few reasons. First is when there are a lot of words or letters. The huge advantage of vinyl is that you can transfer the design all at once, which maintains the alignment and layout. If you cut letters out of cardstock, you would need to place each letter by hand onto your cardstock project.
The second reason I use vinyl on cardstock is if the design has a lot of thin or small parts. In general, vinyl is a thinner material than cardstock which means vinyl is easier for your Cricut machine to achieve very precise thin cuts.
Lastly, adding different colors, shades and textures of vinyl over cardstock adds a new dimension to your projects. For example, you can use that holographic vinyl you have been saving for extra fun cupcake toppers like these from spotofteadesigns.com
What kind of vinyl can I put on cardstock?
Any adhesive vinyl AND iron-on vinyl. There are a few tricks to get the best results with vinyl on cardstock.
How do I add adhesive vinyl to cardstock?
With adhesive vinyl, the design is transferred using transfer tape. The problem with transfer tape is that it is really sticky and not meant to be applied to paper. Using regular vinyl transfer tape will damage, rip and tear cardstock when peeling back the transfer tape.
There is an easy solution to this problem making adhesive vinyl on cardstock a helpful option. To solve the problem of too sticky transfer tape, you need to use low tack transfer tape. Low tack is meant for fragile surfaces that require a low removal force like cardstock. Don’t worry – you don’t need to buy more transfer tape.
I found my favorite low tack transfer tape right in my kitchen – Press’N Seal. That’s right – the kitchen essential to cover food dishes can also be used as a low tack transfer tape. Alternatively, take a piece of regular transfer tape and stick it to your shirt or pants several times to reduce the stickiness.
Check out how I used Press’n Seal in action from my Instagram reel.
How do I add iron-on vinyl to cardstock?
With iron-on vinyl, the design is transferred using the carrier sheet of the iron-on vinyl. The good news is the iron-on vinyl carrier sheet is low tact and will not damage cardstock. The trick to iron-on vinyl and cardstock is the heat transfer.
To apply iron-on vinyl, I use my Cricut EasyPress Mini on low heat, very light pressure and do not slide the press over the cardstock. Cardstock is not fibrous like a shirt is which means the adhesive has nowhere to sink into. If you slide the heat press over the iron-on vinyl, the vinyl may slide around and leave adhesive glue marks.
The way I stack an iron-on vinyl on cardstock project is – Cricut EasyPress mat, cardstock, iron-on vinyl, Teflon protector sheet – and then I sit the EasyPress Mini on top for 10-15 seconds. Once the time is up, I pick up the press and sit it down on the next section. Allow the iron-on vinyl to cool before removing the carrier sheet.
Was this tutorial helpful?
Did you find this information on how to apply vinyl to cardstock for cricut crafts helpful? If so, please pin this idea and let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
14 Comments
Thanks Tara! Can’t wait to try some of these tips/tricks!
Glad these tips help Annie!
Hi Tara I have used vinyl onto cardstock a few times very successfully. Today I tried using puff vinyl over cardstock. It took a lot more pressing than stated and did not puff, just ended up with a rough texture (which was ok for what I was doing. Didn’t want to affect the cardstok with too much heat. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks
That is a great question Glenette. I have not tried puff vinyl on cardstock. I’ll add that to my list of tests.
Hi Tara 👋
Thank you for being so so thoughtful with sharing your amazing knowledge and tricks about making all possibilities in creating gorgeous cake toppers (for which I am very much hooked on 😊) Thank you so much once again💝❣️
You are very welcome! I’m so glad you found this information helpful!
Good technical info needed for making cards with small fonts and fine detail.
Glad you found this information helpful!
Thank you so much for sharing these great tips! I will be trying vinyl on my next card projects!
So glad this was helpful for you Betsy!
Thanks for sharing this I never thought about using press n seal
Thanks Louise! So glad this tip helps.
Omg game changer. Thanks for this great idea and tips very much appreciated. HAPPY CRAFTING
Thanks so much Sarah! Happy Crafting!!