Scal Tutorial Part #1

Several of my friends on the pieces of paper forum have ask for help using the Sure Cuts A Lot (scal) program. I have decided to do one tutorial all day this week. If you have any questions or suggestions please let me know.


Welding and shadowing words.

Scal makes it easy to weld and shadow words. You can cut any font that you already have on your computer. Some of the thinner or fancier fonts are more challenging. If you find some that are a problem for you, try making them a larger size.

Step 1: open the library box. You can find it by clicking on windows and then fonts. You can also use control 2 as a short cut.

Step 2: scroll through your library and pick a font that you would like to cut. In this box, you will also be able to choose size and if you want bold or italicized letters.

Step 3: click somewhere on your cutting mat and type your word

Step 4: Welding - double click on one of the letters in your word and move it left or right so it is touching the letter next to it. Do this with all of your remaining letters.
Open the shapes properties box. You can find it by clicking on windows and then shape properties or by using control 1.
While your word is highlighted (you will see the red box around it), click on the weld box in the properties box.
At the top of your screen is an icon that looks like a magnifier. When you click on this it will highlight in red where your cuts will be. This is a good way to double check what you did. There should be gray areas where the letters overlap. These will not cut.

Step 5: Shadowing - this will work if you want to shadow and individual letter or an entire word.
Highlight the item that you want to shadow. You should see a red box around the item.
Click control c and then control v. This will give you a copy of your item. You will need to move it to another area on your mat. Make sure that you only use the arrows in the top left corner, middle of the top or middle of the left hand side to move your item. If you use the other arrows, you will alter the size of your item.
Now that your copy is moved and highlighted, go to the properties box. In the top of the box you will see a spot called "style". It should say normal right now. Using the arrow, scroll down until you have selected shadow. Did your letters get fatter? They should have.
To the right of the "style" spot, you will now see a box with a number in it. Scal allows you to choose how much of a shadow you would like to have. One is the smallest and 3 is the largest.
While your shadow is highlighted, go to the properties box and click the weld button.

Step 6: I always preview my work before I cut it. This helps to prevent mistakes like not clicking the weld button. I have done that so many times!

Step 7: Load your mat with paper and put it into your machine. You will need a cartridge in your cricut in order to cut. It doesn't matter what cart you use.

Step 8: click on the scissors at the top of the page to cut. It will ask you what type of cricut you have. Choose the correct options for you and then click ok. It will ask you this every time you cut.