Which side of iron on vinyl do you cut - find out with these tips and tricks!

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Learn the EASY ways to figure out which side of iron-on vinyl goes down when you cut it in this simple tutorial.


Iron-on vinyl is both a blessing and a curse. Iron-on vinyl (also known as heat transfer vinyl, or HTV) makes amazing designs for T-shirts and bags, but it can be confusing to work with, especially when it’s all new to you. And it’s essential you cut the iron-on vinyl and HTV on the right side, or it won’t work at all. But which is the right side? That’s the question! So I’m going to cut through all the confusion and tell you exactly how to figure out which side of iron on vinyl goes down.

I was inspired to help you figure out which side of HTV you cut after one of my new readers posted this question in my awesome Cricut Facebook group:

Which side of iron on vinyl do you cut - find out with these tips and tricks!

“Hi. I have a question. I’m cutting on teal iron-on for a t-shirt. I know that I have to have the shiny side down, but I cannot tell which side is the shiny side. They both look the same to me. I know it does make a difference, because I already messed up. I don’t want to make the same mistake again, but I’m still having trouble figuring out which side is the shiny side. Any suggestions?”

So frustrating, I know!

So, are you ready to cut iron on vinyl? I will show you how to figure out which side is up on iron on vinyl! This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)! Read my full disclosure policy.

Project Materials: Iron On Vinyl Used In This Post

How to Cut Iron On Vinyl With Your Cricut

The advice you’ll almost always see here is this: mirror your design and put the vinyl shiny side down on your cutting mat. This advice can be very confusing if you’re brand new, however. Mirror what? Shiny side where? But not to worry — I will explain!

First, whenever you cut ANY and ALL iron-on or heat transfer vinyl, regardless of the type or brand, you must always mirror (flip) your design before cutting. Mirroring means to FLIP your design prior to cutting so it appear backward (mirror image) from what it should look like when you’ve finished your project.

Happily, it’s very easy to mirror right in Cricut Design Space — just toggle the “Mirror” setting to on (green) in the mat preview window (which appears right after you click “Make It”). Here’s what that looks like in Cricut Design Space:

Mirror a design for iron on vinyl projects in Cricut Design Space

If you forget to do it on the mat preview screen, you can still mirror on the next screen — the “Make” screen. Just click the “Edit” link on the mat you need to mirror, as shown here:

Mirror a design for iron on vinyl projects in Cricut Design Space

You will even be reminded to mirror your design before you cut in Cricut Design Space if you choose an iron-on vinyl as your material:

Mirror a design for iron on vinyl projects in Cricut Design Space

Once you’ve got the design mirrored, you’re ready to cut out the iron-on vinyl. And all you do is put it shiny side down on your cutting mat.

But wait… which side is shiny side down? Let’s take a closer look.

Which Side of HTV Do You Cut?

Iron-on, heat transfer vinyl is made up of two layers — the vinyl layer and the carrier sheet. They come stuck together when you receive them, virtually indistinguishable. You want to cut the VINYL SIDE. In many, if not most, iron-on vinyls, the vinyl side is matte and the carrier side is shiny. That’s why they say to cut it shiny or glossy side down on your mat. That way, your mirrored design gets cut into the vinyl itself, allowing you to remove the vinyl that does not need to be transferred to your project.

Here’s the two sides of Cricut Everyday Iron-On Vinyl — here is the carrier side of the iron-on vinyl, which you can see is shiny:

A small piece of red iron-on vinyl shiny side (carrier side) up to determine which side of iron on vinyl to cut on!

And here is the vinyl side, which you can see is matte (not shiny):

A small piece of red iron-on vinyl matte side up to determine which side of iron on vinyl to cut on!

So in the above case, you’d want to put that iron-on vinyl shiny side DOWN on your cutting mat to cut out your mirrored design.

But what if BOTH sides look shiny? Here’s an example of Cricut Sport Flex Iron-On Vinyl in Seafoam:

A small piece of aqua iron-on vinyl shiny side (carrier side) up to determine which side of iron on vinyl to cut on!

And here is the OTHER side of it — it’s white, BUT it looks shiny, doesn’t it? This white side is the vinyl side, so you want this side UP on your cutting mat.

A small piece of aqua iron-on vinyl white side (vinyl side) up to determine which side of iron on vinyl to cut on!

This is confusing, I know. But remember that your vinyl is mirrored and will be applied face-up onto your final surface, so when you look at the vinyl side you are seeing the BOTTOM of the vinyl — the part that is going to stick and melt into your surface. That means it may not match the top side. It sometimes does, but it may not. Thus, if both sides are shiny and you can’t tell which is which, it’s the side that doesn’t match your vinyl color that is the vinyl side.

Which Side is Up on Iron-On Vinyl When Both Sides are Shiny?

Let’s go a little further down the rabbit hole. What do you do if both sides are the same color and both sides are shiny? Take Cricut SportFlex White Iron-On Vinyl, for example, which is shiny on both sides.

Two pieces of white iron-on vinyl that are shiny on both sides - which is the side you cut on?

Here’s a closer look at the carrier side of the Cricut SportFlex White iron-on vinyl. Notice how it’s curled down.

A piece of white iron-on vinyl showing the shiny carrier side which is the side you put down on your cutting mat

And here’s the vinyl side of the Cricut SportFlex White iron-on vinyl — look closely, and you’ll see it’s ever so slightly less shiny. And it curls up!

A piece of white iron-on vinyl showing the less shiny vinyl side which is the side you put up on your cutting mat

We can tell the difference between these two white shiny sides in two ways:

  • The carrier side is still shinier than the iron-on vinyl side, even if only by a little bit.
  • The iron-on vinyl is put onto the roll carrier side out, which means the side that curls down is the carrier side and the side that curls up is the vinyl side

In the end, if you’re faced with two shiny sides the same color, the slightly less shiny side is going to be the vinyl side.

Help! I still can’t tell which side I cut iron-on vinyl on!

If you’re really stuck, there’s one more way you can tell. Get out your craft knife and make a small cut in the corner on the side you THINK is the vinyl side like this (cut only through the vinyl, not all the way through). Here’s a small piece of red Siser EasyWeed Heat Transfer Vinyl and I’ve got it shiny side down as I cut out the vinyl on the corner:

A piece of red iron-on vinyl being cut on the corner cut out to reveal the carrier sheet

Now try to peel away the vinyl. If you can’t, you probably picked the carrier side by mistake. Flip it over and make another small cut in the corner, then try to peel it away. When you can peel away vinyl, you’ll know you’ve found the vinyl side!

A piece of red iron-on vinyl with the corner cut out to reveal the carrier sheet

And there you go — now you’ll always know which side is the carrier side and the vinyl side. And that means you always know which side goes DOWN (the carrier side) and which side goes UP (the vinyl side) when you cut your iron-on vinyl!

Now that we know how to cut our iron-on vinyl, I’m going to make some simple iron-on vinyl T-Shirts and show you how to do it, too! Here’s the step-by-step tutorial and video for an iron-on t-shirt.

If you successfully make something with iron-on vinyl, please share a photo in our Facebook group or tag me on social media with #jennifermaker.

Love,

JenniferMaker.com

Want to remember this? Save this Iron On Vinyl Tutorial to your favorite Pinterest board!

Iron On Vinyl Tips How to Use Iron-On Vinyl and find the cut side of heat transfer vinyl #vinyl #cricut #tips #htv #irononvinyl

Learn the EASY ways to figure out which side of iron on vinyl goes down when you cut it in this simple tutorial. #cricut #cricutmade #cricutmaker #cricutexplore #vinylprojects #diy

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12 Comments

  1. Hi Jennifer I have a question I have fruit of the loom platinum shirt without sleeve but it’s 100% is that still a shirt or sport type shirt

    1. It depends on the material. I’m not familiar with this type of shirt, but if it is 100% cotton then it would probably not be considered a sport shirt. Sport shirts would be your polyester or nylon materials, sports uniforms, leggings, etc. But I would also suggest doing a test to find the settings and materials that work best for your shirt.

  2. Jennifer, the more I watch your videos, the more I am impressed. I am very new to this – only two or three weeks! If not for COVID-19, I’d be able to visit a couple of good friends who have experience making items with their vinyl cutting machine. I’ve watched YouTube videos until I am about insane….or is that just the virus? My husband and daughter had IT in March!! Since receiving the Maker, I printed the Manual and I’m taking notes on the different videos I watch. I have made one thing; its a t-shirt for my granddaughter. She loved it! It was one of the projects from Cricut and I didn’t realize it said “intermediate” until I had finished (but already made changes). Still I am encouraged to make more t-shirts for my other grandchildren. I have so many questions. I want to know how to find a line photo and turn it into something I can cut. Specifically, our team mascot is a Tiger. How do I find a good Tiger face, then turn it into an SVG? Do you have a video on how to do this? That would be great.

  3. Hey Jennifer,
    I just went through your tutorial on cutting vinyl, however only after I had already made my cut for unit five and sure enough I cut on the wrong side. I didn’t find this tutorial until Kaitlin directed me here as an after thought to ask the question “which side of the vinyl do you cut on?” Well I learned the hard way but luckily I had ordered another package of sampler HTV from Amazon so when I get back from a doctor appointment today I will give it another cut later today. Thanks for another great tutorial, you are the best.
    Hugs Jewel

  4. Hi Jennifer. What happens if you accidentally cut the shiny side of iron on vinyl is it best to discard that piece and start again?

  5. thank you for all of your thoughtfulness and being the “Guru” for everyone! Whenever I have any questions i always look you up on YouTube. I ordered your playbook and am excited to read through it.

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