Making a Sticker With Inkscape and a PixMax Vinyl Cutter

Hey everyone! In this video I consolidate a ton of techniques we've covered in previous videos to make a vinyl Military style animal vehicle mascot.
As always it's not a quick process although it is fairly straight forward once you get your head around it and the end result is always worth it.
0:06 - intro
1:15 - sketching the tiger
1:57 - adding straight edges over the photo of the sketch
2:10 - curving the straight edges
2:39 - adding the fill and other elements
5:10 - sending the completed image to the PixMax vinyl cutter using Sign Cut pro 2
5:35 - machine cutting
6:21 - hand trimming the vinyl
7:06 - weeding
8:02 - assembly of the pieces
10:52 - the finished sticker
11:11 - the new sticker board for the completed projects!
The inspiration for this one came from a toy car I bought as a kid, it had a tiger on the bonnet and I've wanted to make my own version of it for a while now. I would've included it in the video had I not packed it away when I cleared a bench down to create a new work space.

[@stevealdred2367]

Hi Dan, I want to say a massive thank you for your tutorials, this was the first video I watched and it gave me confidence to use Inkscape and buy a PixMax 720, watched a few more videos and have made some M Sport style graphics for my Transit Custom. Probably would've given up without having your channel to refer back to every time i got stuck.

[@petrolvectors]

Hi Steve, glad I could help! The PixMax is a versatile machine, I've had mine 4 years now and it's been great. If you have any ideas for a video you'd like me to make or get stuck with anything let me know, Dan 👍

[@user-sf3hj5vj3g]

Great video! Thank you very much. Please make more videos for vinyl cutters

[@petrolvectors]

Hey there! Thanks for the comment, I'm working on a sign cut pro 2 video and there'll be lots more vinyl videos coming too! 👍

[@AndyJacko]

Nice work...I am about to buy the PixMax 28" cutter to make window stencils...was unsure about it but watching your video just sealed the deal...cheers...

[@petrolvectors]

Hi Andy, that’s great to hear, thanks! If you get stuck with anything, give me a shout and I’ll try and help.

[@AndyJacko]

@@petrolvectors thanks buddy...you may just live to regret that tho haha

[@petrolvectors]

@@AndyJacko it's ok, I'll risk it! 🤣

[@toolman9081]

Outstanding 🤘

[@petrolvectors]

Thanks for watching!👍

[@subwofa]

thankyou sir.....multi color stickers were driving me nuts and i knew it was esier haha

[@petrolvectors]

Thanks liam! Yes they can be fun at times! 👍🤣

[@subwofa]

@@petrolvectors so now I'm onto multiple colours....any advice for anaglyph (red\cyan 3d) stickers....I just started experimenting today

[@petrolvectors]

​@@subwofa hi liam...first I had to look up anaglyph! 🤣 Wow nice idea got to say I've had zero experience with these, I'm assuming you have 3d spex to view the results with? I would imagine it's a case of making it work on the screen then cut it to match, might have to give this a go myself you've got me intrigued 😉

[@subwofa]

@@petrolvectors I don't even have glasses to check it out yet haha I just how they look . If I get it layered right it's looks fuzzy . I've been experimenting with different kinds of red and blue like metallic and gloss and flat and that's giving much more depth

[@daviddavis6065]

hi you were saying about your vinly cutter catch at the front i put clear tape a long it that works take care cool videos

[@petrolvectors]

Thanks David! Great tip, I'll give it a go!

[@petrolvectors]

So I tried a few new things in this video one of them might have been not plugging the mic in for the intro! 🤣

[@toolman9081]

🤣🤣🤣

[@kaineyakuza8099]

use some painters tape over the ruler i use to have the same problem not no more though

[@petrolvectors]

Thanks kaine, I'll give it a go 👍

[@donpayne1040]

Hey great video! Do you know how to straight chop a price on vinyl do the end is squared with the Pixmax? Cheers!

[@petrolvectors]

Hi Don! For longer pieces that need to stay straight in the machine to stop the blade running off the edge, I set the cutter at the back of the desk and use a set square to find 90 degrees to the cutting surface, then stick some masking tape to that line then every piece is straight…just don’t knock the machine! I have a cutting mat with grid squares on it so I can cut the vinyl with a nice straight edge every time, hope this helps. Dan

[@planesstevee]

Hi mate just came across your channel. Can you please make a video showing what transfer tape you use, and the best way to do it when making multiple layers of vinyl . Also a video on how to use inkscape please. Im new to this and every video i have watched is piss poor. Thanks mate u got yourself another sub

[@petrolvectors]

Hi Planes Stevee, yeah I think I need to do a 'starting from scratch' type video and go through how to get off the ground with it, bare with me I'll do it 👍

[@planesstevee]

@@petrolvectors thanks mate i appreciate it

[@patrickgreen9293]

just happened to see your video where you said the ruler catches the vinyl put a strip of clear tape across the ruler or just a strip of vinyl across the top edge of the ruler as to make it even or hither that the spot that it catches

[@petrolvectors]

Hi Patrick, great tip, thanks, I'll try it! Dan

[@thomasandersen7228]

First, I just want to say that the stickers you make are super nice :D I myself a pixmax 720, so I was wondering if you could maybe share what your offset is and if you use a 45, 60 or 30 degree knife

[@petrolvectors]

Hi Thomas, thanks for the comment, I'm using 45 degree blades that came with the machine and everything else is set to default or there abouts, speed is 480mm/s and force is set to 90 grammes. I set the blade to protrude out of the holder by about 0.8mm possibly a touch less seems to give good results pretty much everytime.

[@stepheneastcoastuk2757]

a 45 knife with cover most thickness of vinyl I always use rolland blades a little more expensive but worth it as they last longer

[@VinculaCenterFormations]

Hello, Can I ask you what type of vinyl do you use. Can’t find good ones.

[@petrolvectors]

Hi! I use the ‘Ritrama’ brand of vinyls, usually I get them from eBay, they make a good range of colours and finishes 👍

[@trickshotish]

Lovely How do you connect inkscape direct to your cutter or is this not the case . Many thanks

[@petrolvectors]

Hi! I use sign cut pro 2 to transfer between Inkscape and my cutter, it just so happens I made a video all about that here Get Started With Sign Cut Pro 2 and Inkscape For Vinyl Stickers Tutorial - Beginners Guide kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4LWaauBft2qgLc Or you could look under extensions and then export in the top menu, there maybe some options there that are useful, Dan

[@trickshotish]

Many thanks Dan . I have just today received a copy of Flexi sign software . Thanks for your detailed response . Lots of luck Fred .

[@Haylz2908]

Hi Dan I’ve just bought a second hand pixmax 28” machine …. It came with no software disc etc :’( Before I even attempt downloading anything, what would you recommend as a cutting program? I’m at a loss trying to google it. Sorry if this is a silly question. I’m used to using cricut so this machine just confuses me.

[@petrolvectors]

Hi! My only experience with software for this job is Sign Cut Pro 2, which came with my machine originally and I pay a yearly subscription to them, not sure what alternatives there are, I’m not sponsored or supported by them in anyway but it is pretty good and straight forward to use. Check out this video I made earlier this year on it, hope this helps! Dan Get Started With Sign Cut Pro 2 and Inkscape For Vinyl Stickers Tutorial - Beginners Guide kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4LWaauBft2qgLc

[@Haylz2908]

@@petrolvectorsthank you so much 😊

[@davidbale2554]

How deep does this cut. Would it do 1mm magnet sheets

[@petrolvectors]

Hi David, I don't think the machine would have the muscle to cope with magnetic sheets, it would probably just jamb up or not cut all the way through, my blade only protrudes maybe 1mm or less to go through vinyl sheet so to make a cut of 1mm you'd need the blade out at about 2mm not sure it would work.

[@AD270479]

Sorry to bother you m8, but wondering if you can provide some info I'm struggling to find. I'm going to be purchasing this cutter in the very near future, but I see there is 2 choices of software. With SignCut pro it states you get a free year subscription, have you any idea what a subscription costs after that year is up? And do you know what the differences are between SignCut pro & Flexi 11?

[@petrolvectors]

Hi SilkySid, yes I got a free year with SignCut Pro2 too and I think it's normally around £60 per year for the home/student license renewal which is the one I use, although there are some limitations with that namely limited to use on one PC only and there is a width restriction on how wide it will cut you'd have to check their website for the current details but it's been fine for what I do so far, you can always join two or more parts of a design if you need wider, I find SignCut very easy to use and is probably better for the beginner but would handle professional level projects as well. I don't have much experience with Flexi 11 but it looks to be more a cut and print package which I don't need (yet!) and more of an all in one solution but it is more costly at £25 to £55 per month - not year - per month so it depends what kind of operation you have and how commercial you are, I think Flexi 11 is aimed more at professional level sign shops. For me on my own in my spare time in the garage SignCut and Inkscape make a great duo and as I grow I think there is plenty enough headroom in it before I would have to look for a different set up. The Pixmax cutter has been great so far in 3/4 years of casual use, it can be a pain to initially set up as you have to find the port on the PC to make a digital connection before the PC and cutter will talk to each other aside from that it's been fine, hope this helps, Dan.

[@benjaminedits956]

Hello, I am looking to buy the pixmax 720mm. How many meters can you cut vinyl without it starting to cut "out of line" or feed the finyl crooked? That's my biggest worry as I will be printing big decals

[@petrolvectors]

Hi Benjaminedits! Good question, I've had limited experience with longer work but yes it's down to you to line it up and I have had longer pieces run off and go to waste. What I would do if you can set up on a long table, set a right angle with masking tape and use that as a guide, lock the centre grip on the machine and then pivot the vinyl parallel to the guide and that should keep things square enough to get the job done, hope that helps, Dan

[@meneergabro]

Hii Nice vid! I never worked with these interesting stuff but it’s so cool! For our business we want to make some stickers for our window with our name. So we will only print out our name and our logo. I wanted to try it myself since it’s so expensive when someone makes it for you. Is it easy to work with if you don’t really have experience with these machines ? Is the paper you use just vinyl paper of is it an special paper that you use as sticker paper? I will do everything in one colour

[@petrolvectors]

Hi Gabriel! The machine itself is fairly easy to use, it has only a few adjustments, if you've never done this before start with a small sticker first as bigger items can be more prone to going wrong, if the vinyl roll isn't straight the vinyl can end up missing the blade and you'll have to start again for example. I buy my vinyl from ebay usually just search for sign writing vinyl and go from there, hope this helps, if you get stuck give me a shout. Dan

[@meneergabro]

Hiii I did my first project. It was so nice to do it myself! Was also not that hard. I have only one problem that’s very annoying.. The application foil I use is not sticking good. In your video the sticker comes off so smoothly. Do you know why that is? And do you have any tips? I already tried pressing and rubbing it. But stil i had to peel off every letter (in my case) one by one. The second question is about how to set the paper in. Sometimes it just throws the paper to the back and then start to print. But then it’s printing on the white rubber😢. So now I just use so much paper since I don’t know where it exactly will start cutting so to be sure I just leave 30 centimetres of paper out from the front

[@petrolvectors]

Hi Gabriel! That's great news! I use a 'low tack' transfer tape called DeTape it's easy to remove, I get mine from eBay. Your second question is a bit trickier, it depends on your machine and setup, the more you use it the more familiar you'll get, there maybe settings in your cutting software that you can adjust but for m it was trial and error. My machine tends to like to pre feed about 10 inches then comes back about 8 inches and yeah if I get it wrong it means either a fair bit of waste or it misses and the machine has nothing to cut on. Hope this helps and good luck! Dan

[@stepheneastcoastuk2757]

If you are just using one colour I use Vinyl with printing use a laser printer as the print is waterproof

[@JULDEH02]

Hi I'm juldeh I want to no how to download software for a pix max cuter

[@petrolvectors]

Hi Juldeh! Search the pixmax name and download directly from their website 👍

[@jessicawinslet684]

I was about to make fun of you LOL but then i saw you flipping transfer i was like ohhhhhhhhhhhhh LOL how about that.

[@petrolvectors]

Hahaha thanks Jessica! I like to keep my viewers guessing! 🤣