HOW TO MASTER THE SLICE TOOL FOR PERFECTly PERSONALIZED MONOGRAMS!

Have you been wondering how to Slice in Design Space? The "Slice" tool is one of the best ways to cut one image out of another image inside the Design Space software. There are so many ways to use this tool! Today, I thought I would share one of my favorite ways to use Slice on decals. 

For this example, I'll show you how to take a monogram and play around with it for making your own personalized jewelry boxes. If you want to see the assembly steps, I'll link another post that shows you how to apply the decals. 

If you're a visual/auditory learner, feel free to check out the video below! 

Installing a Font
We're going to go to DaFont.com to select a Monogram design to work with. You can also use a free monogram creation app, such as MonogramIt, to create a cutting file. In this video, I show you the complete process for how to customize a monogram using the slice tool in Cricut Design Space.

​Download your selected font on your computer. It will show up within the download folder, usually as a .zip file with multiple files. Double click on the file folder to open it and select to unzip the folder. This should open all the files into an easily-used format.

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Select the font file that you want to use, usually it's marked with a .ttf or .otf extension. Once you click on the file, it should open the font installation window. Click "Install Font" to add the font to your fonts. You'll need to log out and then log into Cricut Design Space for it to see the new font.

Once you log back into Design Space, create three separate letters of text for the initials of the monogram. 

Creating the Letters

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Click on the first letter and select the name of the font. It will bring up the font, which you can select for each letter. 

Using the Slice Tool
Next, we will use the "Slice" tool on the bottom right hand corner of the screen to remove the portion of the decal we wish to use. Click on "Shapes" to create a box. Adjust the size of the box and move it over to the part of the decal you wish to use. Select both the decal and the box, and select the "Slice" tool along the bottom of the screen. The "Slice" tool is under "Actions" and then "Slice" on the bottom of the screen if you are using a tablet or phone.)

Once you finish slicing the decal, you can delete the extra pieces. Make sure to save the part you want to build the monogram.

Repeat this process for the remainder of the letters. 

Take the letters and move them together to where they connect visually. You'll want to draw a box around all the pieces.  Select the "Weld" tool to create the letters into one solid piece. This makes sure that Design Space will see the design as a single item to cut.

You can find the "Weld tool along the bottom right side of the desktop screen. If you are using a phone or tablet, you'll find it along the bottom of the screen under "Actions" then "Weld."

Final Adjustments
Adjust the sizing of your decal by selecting it and dragging a corner to make the decal smaller or larger. You can also change the size of your decal by using the measurements in the upper tab of the screen. (This is visible under the "Edit" tab on the tablet or phone application.)

Create multiples of each decal by right clicking on the decal and selecting "Duplicate." You can also duplicate using the option at the top right-hand side of the screen. We're creating three different boxes for this tutorial.

Now, you can select "Make It" on the top right-hand side of the screen on desktop or along the bottom right of the screen if you're using a tablet or a phone. 

If you are using the Cricut Joy, Design Space will ask you how you are choosing to load your materials into the machine. For this example, I selected "Without a Mat" since I am using Cricut SmartVinyl.

Select which material you will use for your DIY, and then you are ready to load it into the machine! If you're using the Cricut Explore Air 2, make sure to set the knob to the correct material or set the knob to "Custom" and choose the material within the software. 

Now you are ready to create! Load your machine with your materials and get ready to have fun! Check out the rest of the project on this post: here!

Learn more about Cricut Design Space by checking out my tutorial series on YouTube: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-CSsSlZ1Io38CxNcOEYRbHtzBib5s7N0