Tips and Tricks for Working with Holographic Heat Transfer Vinyl
Sparkly, shiny, and oh so many colors in just 1 sheet! Holographic HTV dazzles, but don’t let it blind you from these tips and tricks! Available in crystal and regular (and a special pearl!), there are so many gorgeous options to choose from. You can view them all on the Siser App!
No one wants to waste this stellar HTV, so keep scrolling for 6 need to know tips and tricks for working with Holographic!

Holographic silver crystal on the left and Holographic gold on the right.
1. Mat Maintenance
A clean mat is a happy mat! Even the smallest scraps of HTV or a loose hair can upset the blade’s path. Ensure your mat is free of debris before cutting to get the best results.

Use a squeegee or a credit card to remove tiny bits of debris from the cutting mat.
If your mat is older and starting to lose it’s stick you may need to do a little more maintenance. Check out this video for renewing your Scan N Cut Mats and this post for your Cricut and Silhouette mats.

Place the super shiny side of Holographic face down on the cutting mat.
Also keep in mind, that the more you cut in one area the more worn that part of the mat will be, so don’t be afraid to switch it up! Load the mat in backwards, put the HTV towards the bottom, left, or wherever you haven’t cut in a while.
2. A Piercing Cut
While Holographic HTV may appear to be as thin as EasyWeed™ heat transfer vinyl we actually consider it to be a thick material because of how rigid it is. So just like Glitter and StripFlock®, Holographic needs a longer blade depth and heavier pressure when cutting. The blade needs to be able to pierce the material to form clean cut lines. Without good cut lines the material can split into two layers while weeding.

Holographic is made of two layers: the foil material and adhesive backing. With bad cut lines the two layers will split.
Our recommended cut settings for the Brother Scan N Cut, Silhouette Cameo, and Cricut Explore Air can be found on the website. Keep in mind everyone’s blade is different, so depending on if yours is older or newer you may need to adjust the settings. Here’s what you need to look for to adjust your settings on the Scan N Cut, Silhouette, or Cricut.
3. Visible Cut Lines
If you can’t see cut lines after unloading the mat, you’re likely to run into the problem we discussed above. They can be difficult to see on Holographic, but if you shift and bend the material in good lighting they become noticeable.
If you can see cut lines on the face of the material then you know your blade was deep enough and you got a good cut.
4. Holographic HTV ≠ EasyWeed HTV
Weeding Holographic is a completely different animal than EasyWeed HTV. With EasyWeed I usually snag a corner with my Weeder and pull that piece until it either stretches and breaks or I follow it throughout the design in 1 big piece. However, since Holographic is so rigid my method is a little different.
Poke the Weeder in the corner and roll the tool back to begin peeling up material. Once the corner is lifted, slide the weeder underneath the edge. This allows you to get a hold of a large chunk of the material and peel it away in a larger portion. You’ll most likely ended up with several extra pieces weeded off, but this method usually allows me to remove larger sections, and therefore less pieces.
5. Apply Hot, Peel Cold
When it comes to heat applying Holographic HTV, the rules are pretty simple. Apply with 320°F of heat for 15-20 seconds. Wait until the carrier is cold to the touch before peeling it away. To speed up the cooling process, rub the garment on a table or glass window and it will help dissipate the heat.
If you want to make a multi color design, Holographic should always be the top layer. But what if you wanted to make a design with 2 materials that should only be top layers, like Glitter and Holographic? It’s possible! You’ll just need to create your artwork a bit different.
6. Overcut for Faux Stones
Holographic HTV looks amazing on it’s own, but turning it into faux rhinestones takes it to the next level! If you thought a good cut was important before, well now it’s even more critical.
When each “stone” is cut the blade starts and stops at the same point on the circle. If the blade isn’t piercing deeply enough you can end up with a teeny tiny piece of HTV that’s still connected to the sheet of material and the faux stone. During weeding, the stone will lift up with the weeded portion instead of sticking to the carrier.
You can guarantee the full circle is cut (and then some!) by adjusting your cut settings. In Silhouette Studio, select your material and then click the Edit option.
Next, check the Line Segment Overcut box. This will tell your blade to cut the circle all the way around and then a little past the starting point. It’s not quite a double cut since the blade doesn’t cut two full passes, but it does enough to ensure the faux stone is fully cut away from the sheet of material.
You can select this setting in Sure Cuts A Lot as well. Simply add a .25 mm overcut to your settings before sending it. Currently, the Brother Scan N Cut and Cricut Design Space do not have an overcut option.
Now that your armed with these tips, go out and make some eye catching designs!
If you like what you read, pin it for future reference!
We love to see what you create with Holographic HTV! Use #SiserNA on your photos and we might just give you a shout out!
Where do we find this unicorn and rhinestone design for cricut explore pretty please
Kim, the unicorn can be downloaded for free here –> http://www.freeprettythingsforyou.com/2017/02/free-unicorn-silhouettes/ However, this particular rhinestone design is from the Brother Scan N Cut Rhinestone Kit, so unfortunately I can’t share it.
I’m going to use two HTV’s, the Siser easy weed and the holographic. Which one should I layer first? and do I need to create an offset? thank you
Hi Ken! Since EasyWeed® is thinner than Holographic, it should be pressed first. We do not recommend layering Holographic on top of other heat transfer vinyls so you’ll need to create an offset and use the knockout method like when layering Glitter HTV.
Depending on the effect you’re looking for, overlayering might be what is needed… An idea for a design rolling around in my head will require overlayering translucent (but colored) HTV — such as glitter or holographic — on top of regular HTV (e.g., Easyweed) in order to get the effect I’m looking for.
Hi Brenda! Unfortunately, we don’t suggest direct layering for Glitter or Holographic HTV. The HTV will last much longer if the adhesive bonds with the fabric (and not another HTV.) To create a layered effect, we use the knock out method. However, we always encourage customers to try new and innovative things! If the item you want to decorate doesn’t have to be washed, then you may have found your solution.
How can i get that rhinestone dots on my cricut explore design space please? Really want make faux rhinestone shirts. Thanks for info
Hi Beatrice! Unfortunately, Cricut Design Space does not have a rhinestone feature, however there are a couple ways you can still cut rhinestone designs. First, you could create cut files with small circles in Design Space. Or you could download a second software called Sure Cuts A Lot (mentioned briefly in this post) and use the rhinestone tool to create real rhinestone designs. After designing, save the file as an .svg and then you could upload the file into Design Space to cut with your Cricut. Lastly, there are rhinestone .svg files you can purchase available online.
How do you remove holographic vinyl from a t shirt? I messed it up!
Thx Carla
Hi Carla! Many of our distributors carry a vinyl removing solvent most commonly called VLR. You can use it to remove the Holographic HTV.
hi lilly would you be willing to make these for me? we can talk designs over the phone and then have them shipped to me in miami…please let me know. jessicaghelman@gmail.com
Hi Jess! Thanks for your interest, but the Siser Blog is just for education. Siser® does not sell materials direct to customers nor do we decorate items to sell. If you’re looking to purchase Holographic HTV, please email Info@SiserNA.com to find an authorized seller. Additionally, our sellers in Miami may be able to direct you to someone who can decorate items for you. Best wishes :)
Hi, what is the right choice of material in Silhouette studio for the htv holographic foil? Which settings do you use for faux stones?
For Silhouette, your settings should roughly be
Blade: Standard, 3
Material: Heat Transfer, Smooth
Speed: 8
Force: 14
This will change depending on how used your blade is, the age of your machine, etc.
Can you later holographic over electric?
Hi Sara! We don’t recommend layering Holographic, but you can achieve a layered look using the knock out method. Check out this blog post or this video for more info.
I tried it today and tried the deepest cut on the joy and still didn’t work
I’m sorry it didn’t work for you, Tiffany! I’ve written a new blog post specifically about test cutting on the Cricut Joy since this one was posted. I’d suggest checking that out and trying test cuts without the cutting mat.
Thank you so much for you video!! I was able to make the cutest shirt ever for my grandson. Now I am going to make one for my Niece hopefully it turns out just as great!!
hello looking at the holographic page there is an example of a black shirt with what looks like stained glass window design on it has multiple colors, birds. Was this done with one color somehow or can you share how to do a design like this with what looks like multiple colors. Thank you
Hi Scott! The stained glass hummingbird design is made with multiple colors. Joe recently applied multiple colors of Holographic with similar artwork in this video.
Hello I live in the uk and have a cricut joy. I am having trouble cutting holographic htv it’s so thick I have tried lots of the settings and it still doesn’t cut through. Please can you recommend as all the videos to help cut this don’t use the cricut joy so the settings are different. I have only been doing this a month so new to it all. I love sister easyweed htv though it is my favourite.
Hi Rachael! Thanks for reading the Siser Blog :) I’m sorry you’re having a hard time cutting Holographic HTV. It is a much thicker product compared to EasyWeed and requires a higher setting. We recommend test cutting the “Light Cardstock” setting with the Cricut cutters. If the test cut is not successful, you may need to use the “more pressure” option or reference the custom materials to choose another setting with a higher cutting force.
Hi. I’m having an issue when weeding, the smaller letters/details are not staying onto the carrier sheet. Any recommendations why. Thanks in advance.
Hi Beth! Holographic HTV is on a static carrier, so it’s not sticky like EasyWeed®. This could be the reason you’re having difficulty weeding small details. You may want to try adjusting your cut settings or your artwork so the details are a little larger. Since Holographic is a thicker product than EasyWeed® it cannot be cut with the same amount of detail.