Beginners Guide: 3 Main Types Of Vinyl For Cricut

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In this post, I will break down the types of vinyl for Cricut, and what it’s used for, and even show you some great Cricut Vinyl projects to try out. This is definitely one you want to pin for later.

If you are new to crafting with vinyl and you want to know the types of vinyl for Cricut, then I have got a treat for you. There are many different types of vinyl to use with your Cricut machine.

A good vinyl will yield the best results when it comes to vinyl design. You want to make sure you are using the correct vinyl for each new project. Different projects will need different types of vinyl for Cricut projects.

What are the different types of vinyl used for?

There are 3 main types of vinyl for Cricut. The best vinyl for your project will depend on what you want the end result to be. Each kind of vinyl has a different purpose. The important thing is to make the right choice for your projects.

The main types of vinyl for Cricut cutting machine craft projects are:

• Adhesive Permanent Vinyl
  • The best places to use this vinyl type is on outdoor projects, and on hard surfaces and things like a water bottle where you don’t want the vinyl to move. Both permanent and adhesive come in a few different types and a variety of colors. Permanent adhesive vinyl will last a long time.
• Removable Adhesive Vinyl
  • I like to use removable adhesive for indoor use on things like wall decals, glass doors, and other hard surfaces that you want to be able to remove the vinyl from at some point which is why it isn’t good for outdoor use. You need to use transfer tape to apply adhesive vinyl types.
• Heat Press Vinyl
  • The types of projects you will use this on are fabric surfaces. Heat transfer vinyl comes with its own carrier sheet attached. You will need some type of heat source, like a Cricut EasyPress or Heat Press.
• Stencil Vinyl
  • For creating stencils for painting.

These can be used with any vinyl cutting machines, but my favorites are the Cricut explore air and maker.

I create a lot of my vinyl Cricut projects in the design space and here is a list of the different types and which vinyl to use. 

Adhesive Vinyl

There are several different types of adhesive vinyl that you can use for various Cricut vinyl projects, but I am just going to go over the most common ones used in crafting.

You have both permanent and removable vinyl that you can use. Their uses are just as they sound.

Removable Adhesive Vinyl

You can use this on wall decals like this DIY Unicorn Wall Decal with Free Unicorn SVG or use it as stencils like it is used here in this Glass Etching With The Cricut. 

Permanent Adhesive Vinyl

This one is the main type of adhesive vinyl that people use, it is used for things like flip-flops, and permanent decals such as the one in this How To Make Your Own Decals post. 

There are also different types of adhesive vinyl.

• Matte
• Glossy
• Glitter Vinyl
• Holographic
• Foil
• Patterned

With both removable and permanent you will have to use transfer tape. But both of these make beautiful home decor projects.

Heat Transfer Vinyl

Your Heat transfer vinyl comes in a few different brands some way better than others, this is the vinyl you will use on shirts, and blankets like this Baby Milestone Blanket, and other fabric crafts.

Heat transfer vinyl is not sticky, it instead is fused into the fabric using heat to bond it to the fabric.

Types of heat transfer vinyl, here are the most common:

1. Regular Iron-On
2. Glitter HTV
3. Holographic
4. Electric
5. Foil
6. Patterned

The Best Heat Transfer Vinyl Brands

• Cricut Brand
• Siser Easyweed

Cricut Print and Cut Tips And Tricks To Getting Brighter More Vibrant Colors

Printable Vinyl

Printable vinyl is a medium that you use to print a design using your home inkjet printer and your Cricut Machines print and cut feature. When you are done here check out How To Make Waterproof Stickers With Cricut

There are 2 types:

• Heat transfer

My favorites to use are the Jolee’s Boutique Easy Image Iron-on Transfer Paper and PPD Inkjet Iron-On Dark T Shirt Transfers Paper. 

Both of these are used for fabric crafts, and I like to use the one for darks on both light and dark fabrics.

• Adhesive

Things like printable stickers and car decals. Each of these comes in both permanent and removable.

I hope this article gives you a better idea of what vinyl you should use for your next Cricut vinyl project if you have any questions feel free to comment below and ask. If you are looking

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