Reverse Weeding

Reverse weeding is a popular technique for creating small adhesive designs and reducing time spent cutting excess vinyl around the decal.

Using reverse weeding can save you tons of time by avoiding having to weed piece by piece, and it also helps keep fine detail intact. Whether you’re using permanent or removable vinyl, reverse weeding can help make sure all your little pieces stay in place!

1. Reverse Weeding Cricut Vinyl – Cut Your Design

Reverse weeding cricut vinyl is an easy way to remove excess negative space around your design. You can weed both adhesive and heat transfer vinyl using this technique.

Before you begin weeding, make sure your Cricut machine’s blade is not dull. Dull blades don’t cut cleanly and can tear your vinyl when you weed it.

If your image is a png or jpeg, be sure to upload the image in the correct orientation (head up and feet down). The Cricut will then read that orientation and orientate itself to cut it correctly.

It is also a good idea to make sure your Print Then Cut image has a solid background behind it before you Flatten it. Otherwise, you will end up with grid lines and pieces of your image that don’t cut out properly.

2. Apply Transfer Tape

Weeding small vinyl letters and detailed cuts can be tough because they often lift while you’re trying to remove them. However, reverse weeding helps to prevent this from happening!

Basically, reverse weeding means weeding from the transfer tape rather than the vinyl backing which keeps all of those small pieces in place. This makes it easier to weed smaller designs and saves you time.

Start by attaching a small area of Transfer Tape to the center or one end of your design. Next, burnish the vinyl onto the transfer tape working outward from where you attached it.

Then, peel the transfer tape away from your design and work carefully to remove the excess vinyl. This can be challenging to do on large projects so we recommend dividing the project into sections and weeding one section at a time.

3. Reverse Weeding Cricut Vinyl – Peel Off the Paper Backing

If you have trouble weeding your design, reverse weeding it is an easy way to get it done! This technique is perfect for small lettering designs because it allows you to weed them without having to worry about losing any pieces of your design.

To reverse weed, place your transfer tape on top of the un-weeded design first before you weed it. This will help the transfer tape hold onto your design better and make it easier to remove any excess vinyl from it after you weed it.

One other thing you can do to help with your weeding process is to use a lint roller. Lint rollers are very sticky so they make it easy to pick up scraps of vinyl from your design as you weed it.

4. Remove Excess Vinyl

Reverse weeding is an easy and efficient way to remove excess vinyl from your cricut vinyl design. It can save you time and frustration especially when working on intricate designs that contain small pieces.

Before beginning to weed your design, make sure it is fully cut and transferred from the transfer tape. If your design is not properly cut all the way through or the pieces stick together, re-run it by clicking the Cricut/Go button at least once before unloading the mat and material.

Once your design is completely cut, it’s time to remove the excess vinyl. The best way to do this is to flip the piece of vinyl over and peel off the vinyl backing/carrier sheet. This protects the vinyl from curling or bubbling and makes it easier to lift the piece off of the mat.

5. Apply Your Design

Weeding vinyl can be a frustrating process especially for intricate designs with small details or small letters. But it’s a necessary step in the process and can make your project a lot easier to apply.

If you’re having trouble weeding your adhesive or heat transfer vinyl, here are a few tips and tricks that may help!

First, choose the right cut settings in Cricut or Silhouette design space. This is a crucial step because you want the blade to be sharp and the vinyl to not tear when you weed it.

Next, prepare your design for weeding by placing a weeding border (weed box or bounding box in some software) around the outside edge of the design. This will help you find the corners of your design and start weeding much quicker!