Transfer tape is a clear, sticky film that lifts your weeded vinyl off its backing and holds every piece in position while you stick the design down. You press it over the vinyl, rub it down, peel away the backing, place the design, rub it down again and peel the tape off. Use a standard grip tape for smooth vinyl and a strong grip tape for glitter, shimmer and other textured vinyl.
That’s the whole job. Getting it right on the first try comes down to burnishing, peel angles and picking the right grip, which is what the rest of this guide covers. Practice on our heart first: a single solid shape, 3.1 x 2.87 in, made for adhesive vinyl.
| File | Size | Material | Layers | Check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice heart | 3.12 × 2.88 in | Vinyl | 1 layer | ✓ Cut-checked |
When you need transfer tape (and when you don’t)
You need it for adhesive vinyl, permanent or removable. After weeding, the design sits on a liner, often in separate pieces like the letters of a word. Transfer tape picks them all up at once with their spacing intact.
You don’t need it for:
- Iron-on (HTV). It comes on its own clear carrier sheet that does the same job. You press straight through it.
- Cardstock. Cricut’s cardstock instructions say not to use transfer tape with cardstock. Cut paper pieces come off the mat on their own.
- Window cling. Cricut’s window cling instructions apply it straight from its liner with no tape.
Which grip for which vinyl
| Vinyl | Tape | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Smooth permanent or removable vinyl | Standard grip | Covers most projects |
| Budget or thinner vinyl | Standard grip | Cricut says its StrongGrip tape is too strong for its Value Vinyl |
| Glitter, shimmer, brushed or other textured vinyl | Strong grip | Standard tape can’t grab a bumpy surface well enough |
| Holographic and other smooth specialty vinyl | Standard grip, unless the maker says otherwise | Check the product instructions |
| Iron-on / HTV | None | Built-in carrier sheet |
Strong grip tape on smooth vinyl is a classic mistake. Cricut warns that StrongGrip is too strong for other vinyl types, and you’ll feel why: the tape won’t let go of the vinyl once it’s on the surface, and you end up pulling the design back off. Cricut also notes its glitter and shimmer vinyl rolls include a sheet of StrongGrip tape, usually rolled up near the center of the roll.
Linerless transfer tape (tape on a roll with no backing sheet) behaves like standard grip. Cricut says its linerless tape isn’t for glitter, shimmer or textured vinyl.
What you need
- Your cut and weeded vinyl design (the practice heart is perfect)
- Transfer tape in the right grip for your vinyl
- A scraper or old credit card for burnishing
- Scissors
- A clean, dry surface to apply to: a glass jar or smooth tile works for practice
- Rubbing alcohol and a lint-free cloth for glass and plastic
- Masking or painter’s tape, for the hinge method
How to apply transfer tape, step by step
Cut the heart from a scrap of adhesive vinyl first (upload help is in how to upload an SVG to Cricut Design Space) and weed away the background.
- Cut a piece of tape. Make it a little larger than the design on every side. For the heart, a piece roughly 4 in square leaves a comfortable border.
- Peel the tape’s backing. Hold the tape sticky side down, just above the vinyl.
- Anchor one spot, then smooth outward. Touch down a small area first, either the center or one edge, then work outward with a scraper so air pushes out instead of getting trapped. Cricut’s transfer tape instructions describe exactly this: attach a small area, then burnish outward from it.
- Burnish hard, then flip. Rub firmly over the whole design. Then turn the sandwich over and burnish the back of the liner too. This two-sided rub is what makes the vinyl let go of its liner cleanly.
- Peel the liner, not the tape. Lay the tape side down on the table and peel the liner away from it, folding the liner back on itself at a sharp angle. If any part of the vinyl stays on the liner, lay the liner back down, burnish that spot and peel again.
- Place and anchor. Hover the design over your clean surface, line it up and touch down a small area first, again the center or one end.
- Burnish onto the surface. Work outward from the anchored spot with the scraper, pressing every edge.
- Peel the tape off low and slow. Fold the tape back over itself and pull at a sharp, low angle, close to the surface, instead of lifting straight up. If the vinyl starts coming with the tape, lay it back down, burnish and try again.
The hinge method for bigger designs
A 3 in heart is forgiving. A 20 in wall phrase is not, because once a long strip of sticky vinyl touches the wall it’s hard to reposition. The hinge method lets you line everything up before any vinyl touches the surface.
- Apply transfer tape as usual, but don’t remove the liner yet.
- Position the whole piece on your surface, liner still on, and adjust until it’s straight.
- Tape a hinge. Run a strip of masking tape across the middle of the design, sticking to the transfer tape and to the surface on both sides. For a short, tall design, tape across the top edge instead.
- Do one half. Flip one half up over the hinge, peel the liner off that half and cut it away with scissors. Lay the half back down, smoothing from the hinge outward, and burnish.
- Remove the hinge and do the other half the same way. Then burnish everything and peel off the transfer tape.
This is also the best method for curved things like mugs and tumblers; our vinyl on a mug guide adds a couple of curve-specific tricks.
If your transfer tape is too grabby for a surface (a painted wall, raw wood), a trick many crafters use is to press the tape onto a clean cotton shirt or towel a few times before putting it on the vinyl. The lint slightly lowers its tack. Try it on a practice piece first.
Glitter and textured vinyl
Glitter vinyl needs strong grip tape, and it needs more patience. Burnish firmly, because the tape only touches the peaks of the glitter. When you peel the tape off the surface, go slowly: Cricut’s glitter vinyl instructions suggest peeling at a 45-degree angle and taking extra care with delicate designs so thin lines don’t tear. Chunky fonts and simple shapes like the practice heart are the easiest place to start with glitter.
Troubleshooting
The vinyl won’t come off the liner. Burnish more, especially from the back. Then peel the liner away from the tape (not the tape away from the liner) at a sharp angle. Small, thin pieces are the usual stragglers; press them with a fingernail through the liner.
The vinyl won’t stay on the surface. The surface may not be clean or dry, the tape may be too strong for the vinyl, or you peeled too steeply. Clean glass and plastic with rubbing alcohol, let it dry fully, and peel the tape back low and slow.
Bubbles under the vinyl. They come from air trapped when the design goes down all at once. Anchoring one spot and smoothing outward prevents most of them. For a stubborn bubble, prick it with the tip of a weeding hook and press the air out.
Letters shifted or stretched. The tape was probably pulled while it was positioned, or you lifted and relaid it several times. Place it once, then burnish.
Can I reuse transfer tape? Cricut doesn’t recommend it, because the tape gets less sticky with each use. For a quick small project it might work; for anything you care about, use a fresh piece.
New to weeding the design before this step? See how to weed vinyl without losing the tiny pieces. Not sure which vinyl you have? Permanent vs removable vinyl sorts it out.
Questions
What side of transfer tape goes on the vinyl?
The sticky side. Peel the tape’s backing off and lay the adhesive side over the front of your weeded vinyl, then burnish.
Do I need strong grip transfer tape for glitter vinyl?
Yes. Glitter, shimmer and other textured vinyl need strong grip tape. Don’t use strong grip on smooth vinyl, though; Cricut says it’s too strong for other vinyl types.
Can I use transfer tape with iron-on vinyl?
No need. Iron-on comes on a clear carrier sheet that holds the design in place, and you press through it.
Why won’t my vinyl stick to the transfer tape?
Usually it needs more burnishing, on both sides. For textured vinyl like glitter, standard tape may not grip enough, so switch to strong grip.
