Making stickers with a Cricut machine is super fun and easy using Print then Cut and the Offset tool. In this tutorial I’ll show you how to use both in Cricut Design Space to make the cutest stickers!

Let’s talk about the two things we will be using today in Cricut Design Space to make stickers, Print then Cut and the Offset Tool. 

Cricut machines are great for cutting our materials like cardstock, HTV and vinyl, but you can also use them to cut out printed materials!

Print then Cut is a feature that will cut around materials you print out on your printer.  This is what we will use today to make stickers. It’s also great for other things like making labels, gift tags or even using it with printable HTV or printable vinyl. 

The other tool that makes stickers super easy is the new Offset tool. The Offset tool adds an outline, or “shadow” around your image. The new outline is a new layer. For the Print then Cut feature we will flatten our images and the offset into one layer to be printed and then cut out. 

Supplies: 
Cricut Machine (Cricut Joy will not work as it doesn’t do Print then Cut)
StandardGrip Mat
Sticker Paper (I used Neato Labels Glossy Waterproof)
Printer

In Cricut Design Space, select Insert Images. I’m using the Image Set “Rise and Shine Sunshine” by Jasmine Lucey in Design Space for these stickers. 

You can insert as many images as you like to make into stickers, but first, I’m going to insert just one and teach you about the Offset tool.

When you have an image selected, you can click on the Offset tool in the top menu.  You can either slide the circle to the left or right to make your offset larger or smaller, or you can type in an exact size you want your offset to be. 

You’ll see a blue outline around your image that either becomes smaller or larger as you slide the circle to the left or right.  

You’ll notice there are two corner options: rounded or angular.  For stickers I use the rounded option.  The angular option is great for objects that have angular edges that you want to follow. For example, if I was cutting a square image, I would want my offset to be angular most likely and not rounded. 

For stickers I like the offset to be .125, so I’m going to type that into the box and then select apply. 

*Note: In the images above, I changed this image from a cut image to a Print then Cut image after I inserted it.  Since it’s a single layer image, you won’t see the other Offset tool option, Weld. If you have an image with multiple layers, the Weld option is automatically checked, but you can choose to uncheck it and have offset layers created for each individual layer. 

 

After the offset is applied, there are now two layers; the original image layer, and the offset layer. The offset layer automatically is set to black. Select the layer and change it to white by clicking on the box in the top menu and selecting white.

TIP Sometimes, but not always, depending on the image shapes and the size of the offset, the offset layer will have small holes. This will cause the Cricut machine to try and cut out these small holes in the sticker, which we do not want! You can see the small holes in the Offset layer below, once the top layer is moved over. 

To remedy this, you’ll need to make sure your image is set to a cut image in the Operations menu and then select the Contour tool in the bottom right corner. This will bring up the Contour screen.

 

Select “Hide all Contours” to remove those small cuts. 

Once you have removed the contour lines, select your offset layer and your image. Use the Align tool in the top menu and select Center. 

Now, use the Flatten tool in the bottom right corner to flatten the offset layer and the sun layer into one printable image layer. 

You now have an image that is ready to be cut out as a sticker!  Resize it as desired and insert more images from the Jasmine Lucey Image set.

Repeat the same steps to add the offset layer and flatten it.  Make sure your offset layer doesn’t have any small holes; if they do, make sure to use the Contour tool to hide them. 

Once you have all your stickers done, you are ready to Print then Cut.

Print then Cut has a size limit of 6.25 X 9.75.  To maximize the amount of stickers you cut, click on Insert Shapes in the left menu, and insert a square. Unlock the square’s proportions by clicking on the little lock on the size menu at the top.  Change the square’s size to 6.25 X 9.75. Click on the Arrange tool in the top menu bar and send the rectangle to the back. This will be the size of your “sticker sheet”. 

Now place your stickers on the rectangle. You can resize them and rotate them to fit. You can right click on a sticker and copy it to make more if you still have space. Once you are satisfied with your sticker sheet, hide or delete the rectangle. 

Select all the images and click on the Attach tool in the bottom right hand corner.  This will attach your stickers into place just as you see them and the Cricut will cut them out this way. If you don’t attach them, they will randomly be sorted by Design Space and you don’t get as many on a sheet as you would like.  

Another option at this point is you can use the Flatten tool to make them all one layer. This has the same effect as attaching them. I prefer to use the Attach tool and keep them in separate layers. 

Click on Make it. You’ll see a preview screen of your stickers. The black box around it is the registration marks the Cricut machine uses to read where to cut our your stickers. Click on Continue. 

Click on Print and this screen will pop up. Make sure to turn bleed off; we added an offset layer so we don’t need to have the bleed on.  

Make sure to toggle the button to Use System Dialog. You always want to use your Printer’s System Dialog to achieve the best prints. Select Print. Now your System’s Dialog should pop up. Sometimes you may have to minimize your Design Space screen to see it as it tends to pop up behind it. 

Each printer’s options will be a little different depending on your printer. Make sure to select the best quality option, and then select the type of paper you are using to get the best print. Then print out your stickers.

Once your stickers are printed, place them on your StandardGrip Mat. Then insert it into you machine.

For the Neato Glossy labels, I’m using the Printable Sticker Paper (Clear) with more pressure as my cut setting. This will cut them all the way out. If you prefer a “kiss” cut where only the stickers are cut out and not the backing, you’ll need to play around with the materials settings and do some practice cuts. 

Remember, all materials’ cut settings in Design Space are based on Cricut materials. So if you select Printable Sticker Paper and it’s not Cricut brand, it will cut differently. 

Cut out your stickers, and then remove them from the mat. 

Now you have some fun stickers! 

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below.