Christoff Creations: Different methods and techniques

This decal has been in discussion with my customer since October. He was looking to get it for his stepfather as a present. He needed 30 of them produced. I gave him my pricing back then and we stayed communicating about it with some minor changes here and there, Last week he finally gave me the go ahead to pull the trigger on it and do them up for him. I set to it and got all 30 cut on the vinyl cutter. One of the things I've learned when cutting very small letters is to pull the centres out of the letters before weeding the exteriors. The letters will move around on the backer a lot less that way.

This is a quick glance at what vinyl looks like when it has been cut before weeding the excess waste material.

These letters were less than a third of an inch high. I started removing the excess from the bottom as it was easier this time than going from side to side.

I pull the excess up to about this point on each line and make sure that all of the letters are not coming up with it. Carefully pushing any portions of letters back down onto the backer.

The dot for the i and the apostrophe can be the bane of many a sign shops existence. They have a tendency to come off on the cutter or lift up with the weeding.

On to the printed and contour cut portion. I put the transfer tape down onto the exhaust system sticker, and squeegee'd it smooth.

And removed it from the backer.

Carefully hovering the exhaust sticker over top of the lettering portion of the graphic, I got it lined up. I removed as much of the static as possible so the vinyl graphic wouldn't inadvertently lift up onto the transfer tape.

When I was happy with the location, I lowered it down into place.

Pressing everything into place with the squeegee to insure the entire graphic lifts smoothly in one try.

Peeling up the back corner to remove the weed border. Because I didn't use registration marks, this was the easiest way to make sure I stayed within the boundary.