With Christmas right around the corner a lot of you are probably in a hurry to finish up Christmas cards and last minute gift ideas with your cutter. I know how easy it is to get busy with family, your house and work. With so much to do and so little time to spare, you probably want your Christmas cards and other Christmas projects on the Inspiration to go as quickly and smoothly as possible. It’s also easy with how busy you are to forget when the last time you changed out your blade and mat was.
I’m making my holiday cards and am having problems with the paper not sticking to my mat. Do you have any suggestions?
Benny J. Topeka, KS
A mat may still feel like it has some sticky on it to the touch, but depending on the kind of paper you’re using it may have a hard time sticking. That’s one of the reasons your paper can lift up off the mat and start to twist out of position as you are cutting your project. Thicker, stiffer papers will need a stickier mat than might be acceptable for your thinner papers. The only resolution will be to use a new mat. However, save the old one as it can probably be used for more light weight materials. I’ve heard from Inspiration users that feel the reason they experience this issue is because of the pressure being too high and that it pushes the paper off of the mat. While the theory may seem correct, in fact it has more to do with the tackiness of your mat as well as the quality of your blade being able to cut smoothly through the paper. Make sure that you’re using a new blade so that it cuts through your paper cleanly. I hope you’re sharing your creations in our Craft Room with our Inspiration community so that we can be inspired by your sentiments and gifts for friends and family.
Thanks Tatum – I also have a little tip which works for me. When I am done cutting on my Inspiration, I remove my blade and put it into a little plastic tub marked either “Paper” or “chipboard”
I find when my blade no longer cuts paper well, it is still sometimes fine for chipboard. From the “chipboard” tub it goes into the waste bin.
Regards
Cher
I use masking tape to tape my card to my mat. This doesn’t work with paper but with card it does. I use mats for months after they are no longer sticky this way.
Dee
I wipe it with baby wipes when the stickiness is gone and I also use blue tape to hold down the paper.
Thank you Tatum for this tip. Just last night I was trying to cut on my PI and twice the paper lifted off the mat in the middle of the cut! Down to the sink it went for a bath, but, I think this one has seen better days. Taping the paper to the mat would not have helped in this case. As I said the paper lifted right up off the mat in the middle of cutting a spiral star.
I just restick my mat with a Jumbo Zig 2-way Glue Pen.
Since I don’t get deep cuts on my mats, when the mat’s adhesive is beyond it’s usefulness, I just clean the old adhesive off and apply new adhesive to my mat with a jumblo Zig 2-way glue pen as LaTarsha does.