Making foil stickers is so fun and creative! Here are the easy steps how to make foil stickers with Silhouette.
I love to make my foil stickers in Silhouette Studio and then cut them with my Silhouette Portrait.
Keep in mind that a cutting machine isn’t essential and in this in-depth post about making foil stickers, you’ll learn all about how you can create foil stickers. Even if you don’t have a cutting machine or a laser printer!
Back to making foil stickers with a Silhouette!
Tools Needed to Make Foil Stickers with Silhouette:
Here are the supplies you’ll need to create these stickers: (links to my resources or similar)
- A monochrome sticker design
- Laser printer (this is mine, but this one is more affordable) Note: foil sticks to toner, not ink.
- White Sticker Paper
- Heidi Swapp Minc Foiling Machine OR,
- Thermal Laminator
- Reactive Foil Transfer Sheets
- Scissors
- Paper Cutter (optional)
- Copy Paper
Make Foil Stickers with Silhouette: Step-By-Step:
Here’s a breakdown of the steps you’ll follow:
1. Prepare your Sticker Design:
- Open your design in Silhouette Studio.
- Ensure the design is in black and white (foil will adhere to black areas).
- Make sure your registration marks are turned on to ensure proper cutting later.
2. Print the Stickers:
- Press ‘CTRL + P’ to print your design using a laser printer (this is mine, but this one is more affordable).
- Set your printer to monochrome and select the highest print quality setting.
- Print the stickers on white sticker paper.
3. Prepare for Foiling:
- After printing, place your sticker sheet in a Minc pouch or a paper pocket.
- If necessary, place small pieces of white paper over the registration marks to prevent them from being foiled (ensuring accurate cutting later).
4. Foil the Stickers Using a Laminator:
- Cut the Reactive Foil Transfer Sheets to cover the black areas of your stickers.
- Place the stickers with the foil on top inside a Minc pouch or between copy paper, ensuring the foil covers all black areas.
- Turn on the Minc to setting 4 (or turn on your thermal laminator), and once heated, feed the pouch through the laminator.
- If the foil has not adhered, run it through the laminator again.
5. Cut the Stickers: (can be done before or after foiling)
- Place the foiled sticker sheet onto your Silhouette cutting mat.
- Load the mat into your Silhouette machine.
- In Silhouette Studio, go to the Send tab, select the red cut line, and choose the kiss cut settings appropriate for your sticker paper.
- Send the design to cut, ensuring only the sticker paper is kiss-cut (not cut through the backing).
6. Check the Foil Application:
- Once laminated, carefully peel away the foil to reveal the foiled stickers.
- Inspect the quality, ensuring the foil has adhered well to all black areas.
From my experience, the Minc laminator produces better results than a budget thermal laminator but the latter is an affordable option for personal projects!
Let me know if you make foiled stickers! Make sure to DM or tag me on Instagram at @MimJenkinson
