Crafter's glossary
The words you'll meet in Design Space, tutorials and craft groups, each in one plain sentence.
- Attach
- Holds pieces in the same position on the mat, so they cut exactly where they sit on the canvas. It does not join shapes.
- Blank
- The plain item you decorate: a tee, tumbler, tote or mug.
- Burnish
- Rubbing firmly over the transfer tape or vinyl so it grips before you peel.
- Contour
- Hides parts of a shape you don't want to cut, like the inside of a letter.
- Flatten
- Turns a layered image into one printable image, for Print Then Cut.
- HTV
- Heat transfer vinyl, also called iron-on: applied to fabric with heat and pressure.
- Kiss cut
- A cut through the vinyl or sticker layer only, not the backing: the way the machine cuts stickers and vinyl.
- Layer
- One color of a design. Each layer is cut from its own sheet of vinyl and stacked in order.
- Mirror
- Flipping the design before cutting. Required for iron-on and sublimation sheets, which are cut from the back.
- Offset
- An outline drawn around a design at a set distance: the white border of a sticker.
- PNG
- A picture file (pixels). Use it for Print Then Cut or when an app doesn't open SVG.
- Registration marks
- The black box the printer adds around Print Then Cut images; the machine reads it to cut in the right place.
- Score line
- A line the machine presses (doesn't cut) so paper folds cleanly, like the middle of a card.
- Slice
- Cuts one shape with another, like a cookie cutter, and leaves the pieces separate.
- SVG
- A vector file that keeps its edges sharp at any size and keeps each color as its own layer. The file to upload for cutting.
- Transfer tape
- A sticky clear sheet that lifts a weeded adhesive-vinyl design off its backing and onto the surface in one piece.
- Weeding
- Removing the vinyl you don't want after cutting, usually with a hook tool, so only the design stays on the backing.
- Weld
- Joins overlapping shapes into one, removing the lines where they overlap. Script names need it so they cut as one piece. Our files come already welded.
More free guides
Decal size chartHow big to cut it: shirts by size, mugs, tumblers, totes, signs and Print Then Cut.
Vinyl & materials guidePermanent, removable, iron-on, printable: what each is for and how to wash it.
Seasonal selling calendarWhen to make and list each holiday design, so it's ready when buyers shop.
Quick fixesStuck right now? Short answers to the most common beginner problems.Want every answer on paper?
The Maker Playbook puts Design Space and Print Then Cut on one printable page per topic, with practice files.