With the Silhouette Studio Designer Edition and the Silhouette cutting machine, it’s very easy to sketch your own digital line art and cut from paper or other media. You can tell the Silhouette which lines to draw and which lines to cut.

SVG sketch files include the sketch lines and also a cutting line for an outside frame. To use these sketch files, you will first tell the Silhouette to sketch the image onto your paper and then cut the image. In this tutorial, I will show you how to use my SVG sketch files, which have been created to work in the Silhouette^R.

1. Load your paper into the cutting machine.
   
   
2. Open the SVG sketch file into the Silhouette software.
   
   
3. In the Page Settings pane, choose the settings for the size and type of paper you will be using.
   
   
4. Select the entire SVG image and position the image on the virtual cutting mat as needed for your design.
   
   First we will tell the Silhouette to draw the sketch lines. Secure the ballpoint pen into the Pen Holder and replace the cutting blade in your Silhouette.
   
   
5. Click the Cut Settings icon in the upper right menu to open the Cut Settings pane.
   
   
6. In the Cut Conditions section, check the Standard option.
   
   
7. Select only the cut line and then select No Cut from the Cut Style menu. This will tell Silhouette to NOT cut this line.
   
   Type 1: The cut line may surround the sketch lines as in this image. In that case, you will need to select the outer most line in the image.
   
   Type 2: The cut line may be alone on the right of the sketch lines as in this image. In that case, you will select the single outline cut line on the right.
   
   
8. Select only the sketch lines and select Cut from the Cut Style menu. This will tell Silhouette to sketch these lines.
   
   Type 1: The sketch lines are all the lines except the outer most cut line. These lines are grouped together, making it easy to select them all. To select the sketch lines, click the center of the image, to avoid selecting the outer most cut line.
   
   Type 2: The sketch lines are on the left and are grouped together.
   
   
9. In the Material Type section, set the drop-down menu to Silhouette Sketch Pen. If you wish the sketch to have fine lines, uncheck the Double Cut box. If you wish the lines to be drawn darker, check the Double Cut box. This will tell the Silhouette to draw the image twice. Another method for controlling the thickness of the lines is by your choice of pen tip. A fine tipped ball point pen will draw fine lines and a bold tipped pen will draw darker lines. You might want to try a few tests to get the best combination.
   
   
10. Click the Send to Silhouette button. If the Silhouette doesn’t begin sketching, click the Start button.
    
    Do not remove the mat from the machine and do not move the image in the workspace. Switch the Pen Holder back to the Cutting blade. Lock in place with the fin facing forward.
    
    
11. Click the Adjust Cut Settings button to return to the Cut Setting menu.
    
    
12. As before, select only the sketch lines. But this time, set the Cut Style to No Cut. Then, select only the cut line. For Type 2, use the Arrow on your keyboard to move the cut line to the left and over the sketch lines. Set the Cut Style to Cut.
    
    Type 1
    
    Type 2
    
    
13. Set the Material Type to the match the media on the cutting mat.
    
    
14. If needed, change the setting on your blade to match that suggested in the Editing section.
    
    
15. Click the Send to Silhouette button to cut the image from the paper.
    
    

Note: In older SVG sketch files, the designers may have omitted the cut line. In that case, you will only see the sketch lines. To cut out the image, you will need to create your own cut mat or frame. Check the designer’s website for how to use their cut files.

Silhouette, Silhouette Studio, Silhouette Connect, PixScan, Silhouette CAMEOR and Silhouette Portrait are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Silhouette America, Inc. Product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Silhouette America, Inc.