Silhouette Cameo Cutting Mats 101
I often have folks ask me which mat for which material? This can be a bit confusing at times. I am going to try to clear up the confusion.
I will address the “Standard” mats since most people have the standard machines and not the Plus or Pro, But most of this information will apply to the other machines and mats.
STANDARD GRIP - usually clear with 1” grid marks. You can get a mat with 1/4' grid markings.
This mat is the standard mat for most of your cutting needs. The grid matches the Silhouette Studio software grid for easy placement of your project.
Typical uses:
Heavier Card stock
Printable iron-on
Glitter cardstock
Pattern Paper
Vellum
Sticker Paper
Chip Board
Craft Foam
Medium weight materials
651 Vinyl \Heat Transfer Vinyl
631 Temporary vinyl
LIGHT GRIP - typically blue also with 1” grid marks.
Typical uses:
Light Card stock
Printer paper
Printable fabric
Craft paper
Vellum
Lightweight materials that may be damaged by a stronger grip mat
STRONG GRIP - usually purple with 1' grid marks. This mat has a strong adhesive surface.
Typical uses:
Fabric
Felt
Leather
Marine vinyl
Thick specialty materials
PIXSCAN MAT - This is a specialty Mat for specific purposes
This mat is used for transferring photos or other objects to your software to cut specifically around an item. The technology is very cool but requires a little patience to get set up and using.
“PixScan™ technology allows you to cut precisely around any printed image or position cut lines in a specific location on your material using a camera or scanner. PixScan™ is perfect for digitizing a stamp collection or turning a hand-drawn sketch into a cut job.” SilhouetteAmerica.com
Here is a video from SilhouetteAmerica about Pixscan
It is best to keep the clear film cover to put back on the mats when not in use. The mats pick up dust and lint easily and that can cause issues when trying to cut your projects. Use a scraper to clean the mat after use. Using a spatula is a good idea when removing things like delicate papers from the mat.
The Silhouette Studio software will suggest the correct settings for your materials. It is important to pay attention to these settings to keep your mats in good condition.
Doing a TEST CUT is important for testing materials. It is possible to cut right through your mat if your settings are not correct.
Mats will lose their stickiness over time. They will need to be replaced from time to time.
There are some techniques for cleaning and “Resticking” your mats. I will cover those in another post.
Enjoy!
~~Holly
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