Use this easy scanning technique to get perfectly cut stickers every time using the Brother Scan’N’Cut Machine.
Cutting stickers using the Brother Scan’N’Cut is a quick and easy process, however a poor scan of the page can result in the process becoming harder than it needs to be.
A poor scan usually occurs when the color around the edge of the stickers is pale or light colored, and the scanner has a hard time defining the edges which turn out to be ragged or uneven.
There is an easy fix for this however, so that you can get perfectly cut stickers or fussycuts every time. In this tutorial I’ll show you how.
How to Cut Stickers Using the Brother Scan’N’Cut
Supplies and Resources
- Brother Scan’n’Cut Machine
- Sticker Paper
- Epson EcoTank Printer
- Cardstock
- Printable Stickers & FussyCuts
- How to Convert pdf Junk Journal Printables into jpg Files
How to Scan Stickers Using the Brother Scan’N’Cut Machine
The process for scanning stickers which are printed onto sticker paper, or fussycuts which are printed onto cardstock, is really easy.
First attach the printed page to the cutting mat then load the mat into the machine. Once the mat has loaded, press the scan button, select “direct cut”, press the machine icon, then press the start button to start the scan.
Once the page is scanned, adjust the framing close to the outer edges of the images. This will exclude any unwanted marks the scanner might have picked up from around the outer edges. Then press ok.
As you can see, this particular scan hasn’t turned out very well at all as it hasn’t managed to clearly identify the edges of images because most of the images on this page have a light colored background. As a result, this scan has produced really ragged edges which you can see are not at all suitable for cutting.
However there is a super easy way to fix this so that the scanner can identify the edges perfectly every time. To do this, you first need your files to be in png format.
How to Convert Your Files to png Format in Photoshop Elements
To get perfect cuts using the Brother Scan’N’Cut, you first need your digital clipart files to be in png format. You will also need some sort of photo editing program such as photoshop, photoshop elements, or photopea which is free photoshop alternative.
Convert pdf files to jpg format
If your files are in pdf format you can easily convert them to jpg files. Once in jpg format you can then use the instructions below to turn them into png format files.
Convert jpg format to png format
Once your files are in jpg format, the white background needs to be removed.
To remove the background, open the jpg file in a photo editing program such as photoshop, photoshop elements, or photopea. I’m using photoshop elements.
To quickly remove the background, select the magic eraser tool, and make sure “contiguous” is checked so that only the background color is removed.
You may need to play around with the tolerance level to get the correct settings. I’ve set mine to 15. Then click on the white background to remove it.
Fine Tune the Background Removal Process
There can sometimes be a problem with this process however because photoshop elements doesn’t always perform a perfect background removal.
I’ve added a black background just so you can see how much of the white background has been removed. As you can see, the background removal is not entirely perfect and the edges are a bit rough. The edges need to be as smooth as possible in order to prepare the images for precise cutting.
On your keyboard hold down the ctrl key for windows or the command key for mac and double click on the thumbnail on the layers panel to select all of the individual images.
On the main menu select “Select > Modify > Contract”. You only want to contract about 2 or 3 pixels. I’ve selected 3. If you zoom in close you can see that it’s just shaved the jagged edges off the outlines.
To smooth the lines, select “Select > Modify > Smooth”. I’ve selected 10 pixels but you may need to play around with this setting. Then with the sticker layer selected, copy the selection and paste it to a layer on top. I’m using keyboard shortcuts ctrl c or cmd c to copy, and ctrl v or cmd v to paste.
Now if you look a little closer you can see that those jagged edges have been completely removed and are now very smooth so this will give you a good clean and smooth cut on the cutting machine.
Add an Outline
The final step is to add a black outline around the edges of each of the images. This will help the scanner to easily identify where the edges are located.
Select the styles panel and choose the stroke option. Double click on the fx icon to open the styles panel and set a black stroke outline that is 5 px in width positioned on the outside. This adds a thick black outline to each of the images on the page.
If you zoom in close you can see how nice and smooth the outlines are.
Once all the images are outlined, save the file in png or jpg format.
How to Convert Your Files to png Format in Canva
You can also do this background removal process in canva however you do need a pro account in order to access the background remover.
Access the canva website and create a new design the same size as your sticker page. Select the custom size option and insert your size. My page is 8-1/2″ by 11″.
Then upload the clipart page which should be in jpg format. To upload, click the upload button to open the panel then drag the file onto the uploader.
Once the file has uploaded, double click on it or drag it onto the editor. Click the “edit photo” button then select the “background remover” tool.
Once the background is removed, select the shadows option in the FX tools. Then select outline.
Make sure the blur, angle and distance settings are set to 0, the intensity is set to 100, the color is set to black, and the size is set to 5.
Click the share button, then download. Make sure the “transparent background” is checked, then download the file to your desktop.
Once the page is prepared with black outlines, print the file onto cardstock or sticker paper. Attach the page to the cutting mat and load it into the machine, then scan.
Now, if you zoom in close you can see how nice and smooth these outlines are compared to the previous scan.
If there are any extra bits that the scanner has picked up, simply access the edit screen and delete them.
Set the Outline Distance in the Scan’N’Cut
Next you need to set the “outline distance”. This is the button with the circular lines on it.
I always make this setting -.75mm. This setting will ensure that the machine will cut .75mm in from the outer edge of the scan and will cut off the black outlines.
Once you remove the background, you can see that all the black outlines have been cut away and your fussycuts should have perfect cuts all around them.
How to Cut Sticker Paper
When printing on sticker paper, the process is exactly the same except for one setting.Set the outline distance to -.75mm, then after selecting the “cut” option, click on the “spanner” button.
Change the “half cut” option to “on”. This will ensure that the blade doesn’t cut all the way through the paper and only cuts through the top layer of sticky paper leaving the backing intact.
You may also need to play around with the “half cut pressure” setting however I always leave it at auto and that setting works perfectly for me.
This process will work for any type of sticker or fussycut page and will give you absolutely perfect cuts every single time with only a few extra minutes of preparation.
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