Cut Marks on Your Mat

It is normal to see everything that you have cut on your mat at one time or another. In fact, it is usually impossible to avoid marks on your mat from the blade. Your mat has multiple purposes when it comes to cutting. One is to hold your paper firmly enough in place that it doesn’t slip and slide around as the Inspiration is trying to cut your project. Another purpose is allowing the blade to have a soft surface to come in contact with so that your blade and your machine aren’t damaged.

When you are first learning your machine, you might worry that the marks the blade leaves mean something is wrong and your mat is ruined. Don’t get too caught up in the fact you can see your designs on your mat—that is normal. The only time that you should worry about a mat being ruined is if your blade has completely (or almost completely) cut through your mat. Even if you do cut too deeply in to your mat you can keep using the mat. Just make sure to lower your blade and pressure settings for future cuts. I hope that the examples above will give you a better idea what a well used, well loved, normal mat looks like.

Another good thing to remember is if you are cutting a lot of images for an event or party you might continue to load your paper and cut the images in the same location on your mat. In the picture above you can see that I have cut several damask designs and a scallop edge at the top of the mat in the same location over and over and it has left a hefty impression on my mat. Usually it is best to vary the spot you cut something on you mat, this will help your mat last longer. However if you do end up cutting the same thing over and over in the same spot don’t be alarmed by the marks left in your mat, they are normal!