Tutorial: Stamp-and-cut method

Hi everyone

The other day I promised you I would make a tutorial on the stamp-and-cut method. This is my first tutorial!
Due to the fact that I'm not good at neatly cutting things out, I always look for ways to help me with that. That's when I found the print-and-cut method. I've made it into the stamp-and-cut method. I always leave a white border around the images I cut out, because it is easier but mainly because I love it.

The supplies for this method are:

• Stamp
• Scanner
• Electronic cutting machine (in my case the eCraft)
• Make the Cut! software (or other similar software)

Step 1:
Stamp the stamp with black ink (I used jet black archival ink) on white paper. Make sure that the edges are crips and clean.


Step 2:
Open Make the Cut! (or similar software) and use the pixel tracking to import the stamp into the software.


Step 3:
Scan the stamp with your scanner by pressing the "TWAIN" button.
For me it doesn't work for some reason, so I have the image scanned and saved on my computer.

Step 4:
Make sure the outlines are as closely as possible to the original. Changes the "Threshold" for the best results.
Check "Blackout path". This works better with the shadow layer, than we do in the next step.


Step 5:
Make sure the size matches the actual size of the stamp. Adjust if necessary.
Create a shadow layer with the desired thickness of the white border that you want around the stamp.


If there is something to black out, you can click on the "Apply Blackout" button so you get only the outside lines.


Step 6:
Remove the original stamp, so that only the shadow layer remains.


Step 7: Set the shadow layer on the outer edge of the mat where the cutter starts cutting.


Step 8:
eCraft doesn't use cutting mats (whoohoo), but you can use a sheet of cardstock for this. With  the cutting machines that do use cutting mats, grab an old mat, which doesn't stick anymore. That's necessary for this technique.
Take the mat and stick in the same corner as you did in the software a piece of test paper with scotch tape on one side.


Step 9:
Cut the shadow layer. NOTE: leave the cutter as it is and do not move the mat from the machine, because possible that shifts everything.



Step 10:
Remove the cut out, and let the "hinge" where it is! Now take the paper with the stamp and put it under the hinge. Position the stamp. For this tutorial I inked the stamped image up, so you could better see what I'm doing :).


If you've found the right position, stick it onto the mat with scotch tape.

If you do a bulk, fold the hinge back.

Step 11:
Cut the shadow layer again.
 

And you have a beautiful stamp that's perfectly cut out!




And if you have bulk work, then just remove the excess and put you a new stamp under the hinge. As long as the mat stays in place and you don't change anything in the cutting software you can keep repeating this.

Hope you found this tutorial helpfull. If you have any questions about it, please feel free to contact me!

Sandra