How to Use Leonardo™ Design Studio by Siser®
Are you ready to create like an innovator? Leonardo™ Design Studio’s namesake was a genius of the renaissance- a master painter, engineer, architect, and inventor who’s intellect still affects us today. Who better to name our custom made software after than someone who would have used to it further those endeavors? And of course his Italian background makes him like family to us Siser® folks! We hope we’ve made Leonardo da Vinci proud and we think we could even impress him a little bit! But since he’s not here, how about we show off to you instead! Keep reading to learn all about Leonardo Design Studio.
Compatibility
Leonardo Design Studio can be used on a windows or Mac! There may be slight differences between the 2 versions, but all the bells and whistles still work on your preferred computer.
- Windows® 8.1 and higher
- MacOS® 10.15 and higher
Currently Leo is only for use with Romeo™ and Juliet™ high-definition cutters.
If you prefer to design in a different software, you can still bring those files in seamlessly. Just make sure they’re one of the following file types:
- .SVG
- .PNG
- .JPG
To bring in a file, you can select File>Open>Import File from the dropdown menu. But hold on, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s get you set up first!
Setting Up Your Leonardo Design Studio Account
When you purchase a Romeo or Juliet– Leonardo Design studio comes along free of charge! You just need to activate your account in order to get going. You can use the setup link included in the box with your cutting mat, or you can simply visit the Siser website to download the software. Even without a Romeo or Juliet you can actually download the software from our website and give it a test drive!
Once you’ve installed the software, open it up and you’ll be asked to Sign Up for an account. After signing up, a verification code will be sent to your email.
After you put the emailed verification code in Leonardo Design Studio, your account will successfully be created! Now you can access your account information in the top right dropdown menu. Your Account page is where you can update things like your email address, phone number, and cutter registrations.
Your Account Profile (otherwise known as My Page on the left side of the screen) will show you a quick view of the recent Design Library files you’ve used. You can also register or remove a cutter on this page as well. Now that we’ve got your account set up, let’s dive into the main screens!
Leonardo Design Studio Pages
Home Page
Once all signed up and logged in, you’ll be met with a seasonal home screen of some kind. These images will get changed out frequently so if yours look different from mine pictured- don’t worry! From the home page, the tabs on the left of the screen will always be the same! Let’s go through them from top to bottom.
Tutorials
Looking for some guidance when it comes to your new cutter and software setup? We’d love to teach you! Take a look at any of the videos in this section to learn everything from making your first cut to mastering the marker adapter.
Inspiration
We hope you find inspiration in Siser products, but for those days that the spark just isn’t there you can find something to kickstart your next big idea in the ever-expanding library of inspiration projects! Complete with cool pictures and easy to understand instructions, each inspiration project lays out all the necessary supplies and the step-by-step process to get your making mojo back.
Design Library
While Leonardo Design Studio is a powerful designing software, you don’t have to consider yourself a graphic artist to work with this program! The Design Library is home to over 3,000 pieces of vector artwork and new additions are being added all the time. Best of all- every design is royalty free which means you can make and sell things without copyright worries.
Material Library
Peruse all our products or plan your next project by looking through the Material Library. From HTV to PSV and everything in between, the Material Library makes it easy to look up application settings and other material features like layerable, laser compatible, or CPSIA certified.
Siser Cutter
On this screen you can register a new cutter or view your currently registered cutters and check for any software and firmware updates. You can also check for software updates by going to Help> Check for software updates.
Design
Now this where the magic happens! The Design page is where you can create artwork from scratch or import other files and edit them to your liking. Let’s take a look at all tools you can take advantage of in Leonardo Design Studio!
Design Screen Features
The bar across the bottom is packed with powerful tools that will help you make the exact logo you’re looking from. From left to right we have:
- Select Tool
- Select a piece or multiple pieces of artwork to re-arrange and re-size
- Node Select
- Edit curves and points one node at a time
- Draw Tool
- Use the Pen Tool to create shapes one node at a time
- Or use the Sketch Tool to draw shapes as you please
- Draw Shapes
- Create a perfect square, circle, heart, or star every time
- Text Tool
- Access all your computer’s fonts and glyphs to make custom text
- Build Contours
- Make any artwork into a print and cut design
- Weld Tools
- Combine or Separate Paths of overlapping shapes
- Scale Tool
- Rotate, Mirror, or Duplicate shapes
- Arrange Tool
- Group or Ungroup Shapes
- Move layers from front to back
- Align Tool
- Position shapes in different ways: Center/Vertical, Center/Horizontal, Left, Right, Top, or Bottom.
Also at the bottom of the page are a few tools for adjusting the page:
- Select Tool (again)
- Select a piece or multiple pieces of artwork to re-arrange and re-size
- Hand Tool
- Adjust the art board without moving any of the art itself
- Magnifying Glass
- Zoom in
- 100%
- Resume original view before zooming in
It’s a lot simpler to demonstrate how these tools work in a video. Check em’ all out in this YouTube Video Below:
Properties Menu
On the side of the Design Screen is the Properties Menu which contains 2 control panels.
Color Picker Panel
- Adjust object’s color, stroke, and size
Layers Panel
- Change the order of the layers
- Lock and unlock layers
Art Board/Cutting Mat Menu
The last thing to double check before sending your design to the cutter, is your Art Board/Cutting Mat menu. Make sure you’ve selected the type of cutting mat and size you’re working with. A cutting mat isn’t necessary though! You can select Material Roll and set custom dimensions of the roll or sheet you’re working with as well. A few more customization options are here as well for those who prefer to work without a grid or in dark mode.
Finally, you can prep any file for print and cut when you check the Print and Cut Job box which automatically allows you to select from common paper sizes. You can learn more about how to print and cut with Leonardo and Romeo or Juliet in this video.
When everything looks the way you like it, select “Send Design.”
Send
If you forgot to set your cutting mat or material size, you can make that change on the Send page as well on the right side of the screen. On the left side of the screen you can see how Leonardo Design studio will separate each color of a cut file into individual sections when you send a standard multicolor design to the cutter. The very top board will be cut first and is outlined in light blue when active. You can choose any part of the design to cut first, just make sure that blue outline is around the object you want to cut.
Before clicking “Send to Cutter” make sure you’ve got your material set up on Romeo or Juliet properly. Check out these blog posts for all the info on setting up your material and making your first cut:
Beginner’s Guide to the Siser Romeo
Beginner’s Guide to the Siser Juliet
And one more thing to select before send is the Area Test! The Area Test is my favorite tool because it shows you the exact location on the material that will be cut so you can see if your art fits where you planned and can make any adjustments to prevent wasting material on improper cuts. You can walk through all the features of the Send screen in the video below:
Chat with Us
If you ever get stuck and need help, we’re just a click away! Select the red chat bubble in the bottom right hand corner to talk to a Siser team member who can help troubleshoot all kinds of issues.
Updates
So now that you know all about Leonardo Design Studio, you may be wondering- what’s next? Well we’re always listening to your feedback, so Leonardo is constantly being updated with new features that you’ve asked for. If there’s something you’d like to be added into the software, tell us about in the comments down below! You can see our latest additions in action in the video below.
Follow Us
For all the latest and greatest news about Leonardo, Romeo, and Juliet– follow us on our socials where we’ll always sure to make big announcements as well post live tutorials, inspiring projects, and of course- giveaways!
Siser North America Facebook Page
Siser North America Support Group
Last but not least, don’t forget to tell your friends about your new favorite cutting software and machines: Siser Leonardo Design Studio and the Romeo and Juliet High-Definition Cutters!
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