How To Cut A Title

You see them everywhere - here's how you make your own die-cut letters!

Hand cut titles are a popular scrapbooking technique.  They may look complex, but  they’re actually quite simple to make.  Here are some simple steps to get you started!

Assemble Your Tools

The tools you need to get started include a craft knife with a sharp blade, a cutting mat or glass mat, cardstock or patterned paper, and a lettering template or a title printed in reverse.

Learn how to print a title in reverse (Fig. 1)

Should you decide to print a title, using Microsoft Word, go to the tool bar under “Insert”, go to “Picture”, and then “Word Art”.

From the Word Art Gallery, select the outline style. This will only print your title with an outline of the font which makes it easy to follow the lines, saves on ink and will not show through the front of a lightly coloured paper when you print the title on the back.

Select the font and size that you would like to have your title in and type your text.  Hit “OK” and your title will appear in a box on the page.

Under the “View” menu on the tool bar, go to toolbars and make sure that the drawing tool bar is selected. You will see the word draw on the screen with an arrow next to it. Click the arrow and select “rotate or flip” and then “rotate horizontally”. This will reverse the text so that you can print the title on the back of your cardstock or patterned paper.

Printing the title on the reverse of the paper makes for a much cleaner looking title when it’s cut out.

How to cut out your printed title (Fig. 2)

First you want to cut out the insides of letters. This will ensure you have more to hold on to when cutting out the small parts and will help keep the paper from tearing. Gently turn the paper while you cut around curves, instead of moving your hand or knife. This will keep the title from getting rough edges. Make sure you save any punctuation marks or the dot of the ‘i’.

Try a lettering template

If you decide to use a lettering template, trace the reverse of the letters on the back of the patterned paper or cardstock.

Remember that practice makes perfect. It’s much easier to cut out a bigger or block font than a smaller or script font for your first try. If you are careful when you cut out your title, you will end up with both a positive and negative version of your title – a bonus for all the hard work of cutting out the title!

 Have fun!!!