As festivals approach, I always look forward to bringing something unique and thoughtful to my family or friends; of course, I also prepare a gift for myself. So, when I got my hands on this Likcut vinyl cutter, I couldn't wait to create my first DIY project. Compared to buying a gift, this handmade present carries more heartfelt sentiments, and my friends have all praised such novel handicrafts, inquiring how I made them.
Therefore, I decided to share my genuine experience using the S501 vinyl cutter for the first time, hoping it will help others who, like me, want to make gifts by their own hands.
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Step 1: Unboxing
I purchased the S501 bundle, which included the S501 cutter, a cutting mat, consumables, and tools. To my surprise, it also came with beginner-friendly consumables and an instruction manual separately. This gave me the room to boldly make mistakes.
In fact, during my first attempt, I accidentally stuck some consumables outside the cutting mat, causing waste during cutting, especially when a sheet of vinyl could only yield one decal. However, as I became more proficient, I ensured every consumable was fully utilized.
Step 2: Connecting to the App and Starting to Cut
Among the numerous items, the main ones we need are the S501 and Likcut's dedicated software. Likcut has its own app to assist in creation. Of course, if you're a designer yourself, you can draw your own designs on the software.
I chose a melancholy cat as my first creation, but my first cut wasn't smooth because I used black Smart Adhesive Vinyl, which supports cutting without a mat. With a mat, it wouldn't function optimally – in short, my first cut wasn't entirely satisfactory.
However, after learning from my first failure, the second creation was much easier. For the second cut, I chose a simple blue cat pattern and planned to transfer it to my cup, which was a huge success! I watched a video while making it, and the process was straightforward, just following the steps.
Step 3: Transferring to a Water Bottle
During the transfer process, I encountered some difficulties. When using Transfer Tape, the vinyl sometimes wouldn't stick. In such cases, I used the scraper from the weeding tool, applying more pressure to get the decal to adhere to the Transfer Tape. This allowed me to peel it off relatively intact, which required a bit of patience and time. Being too rough would tear the pattern, requiring a redo.
The transfer process was actually quite stress-relieving, and seeing the pattern gradually appear on the cup gave me a sense of accomplishment. In the remaining time, I successfully created some Christmas decals and decorations by following Likcut's YouTube videos and shared them with my friends on the holiday.
For me, nothing brings more joy than seeing my friends' smiles. The Likcut app offers more advanced designs, including different colors, consumables, and even the ability to replace the cutter's blade (switching to a watercolor pen for drawing patterns), which I aim to explore in my subsequent experiences.
Conclusion
Throughout the process, despite some setbacks, the results were great. Notably, the S501 vinyl cutter has a dedicated compartment for storing weeding tools under the front cover, where the pressing plate and tools can be placed to prevent loss after use. Some parts of the weeding tools are sharp, and Likcut thoughtfully included a protective set, which was a pleasant surprise.
If you're just starting out and trying it on your own, you can certainly experience it all, but it's easier with a video guide. For more complex decal creation, tutorials become even more essential. Oh, and there's a feature in the Likcut app that I'm very satisfied with: saving your own designs to the cloud for future use.
Above is my initial unboxing experience with the S501. If you have anything to discuss later, feel free to leave a comment on my blog, sharing your questions and thoughts!
