How To Cut Siser EasyPSV with the CE Lite-50

DIY: Decorated Acrylic Cell Phone Holder

Now that we have been introduced to the new Graphtec CE Lite-50 vinyl cutter thanks to Lily, (check out her blog post HERE!) I couldn’t wait to start playing with this machine and get to see this workhorse first-hand.

First, I gotta tell you, this cutter is beautiful.. and it’s HUGE. It’s quality and precision are top notch – something Graphtec never seems to fail with. It has a lot of bells and whistles as most commercial cutters and is a great step-up from a craft cutter (like the Silhouette Cameo.) Let’s dive in and get to playtime!

I easily found this really cute acrylic phone stand over at Craft Chameleon where they have tons of awesome blanks for decorating. The difficult part is choosing which Siser® EasyPSV to decorate it with! Since I am the most indecisive person ever I am going to start with EasyPSV Removable as a base layer. This way I can quickly change up my graphics without much effort (indecisive and busy.) Since I love mixing media to add more depth to my projects, I’m going to add an EasyPSV Glitter design on top! Keep reading along to check out this simple and fun project.

Supplies I’m Using:

Graphtec CE Lite-50 vinyl cutter
EasyPSV Removable – Silver Dollar
EasyPSV Glitter – Diamond
EasyPSV Application Tape
Squeegee
Weeder
Scissors
Knife (like Xacto, hobby, Olfa, etc.)

To start this project, I’m using EasyPSV Removable in Silver Dollar to completely cover the acrylic. There isn’t any need to cut this with a vinyl cutter. This is where your knife comes in handy! Cut a piece of EasyPSV Removable and EasyPSV Application Tape just a little bit larger than your acrylic pieces so that it will cover them completely.

Then cover your EasyPSV Removable with the Application Tape to keep the vinyl sturdy and easier to work. Starting at the top or bottom, slowly lay the vinyl down with your squeegee until you reach the other end, carefully avoiding bubbles.

It’s time to break out that knife and trim away the edges. I recommend using a new blade in your knife to make sure it’s super sharp. Using a dull knife will result in a bad cut. Once it’s all trimmed up then you can remove the EasyPSV Application Tape.

All while “wrapping” these acrylic pieces, you can start cutting your glitter PSV in your vinyl cutter. Remember to always load EasyPSV face-up (color-up, liner-down) and do not mirror your artwork. Notice I’m not using a cutting mat with the Graphtec CE Lite-50. How exciting!

Here are the cut settings that I used on the Graphtec CE Lite-50- Blade: 3, Force: 17, Speed: 30, Acceleration: 2.

When the cutter is finished cutting, go ahead and unload the Glitter EasyPSV and begin weeding away the waste.

Remove the liner from the Application Tape and, using your squeegee, apply the tape on top of your design.

Now you can peel the tape (with EasyPSV Glitter attached) away from the liner to expose the adhesive on the back of the Glitter and place it on top of the acrylic piece.

Burnish once more with your squeegee until the vinyl is fully attached to the acrylic.

Trim the edges one last time and that’s all there is to it!

See how the matte finish of EasyPSV Removable gives an elegant look when paired with a complimentary rhinestone-esque EasyPSV Glitter?

Next time, I may try the EasyPSV™ Permanent in Rose Gold paired with EasyPSV™ Etch for a truly unique project! I don’t care what they say, I think being indecisive is fun!