Scallop place cards Tutorial

Using Cricut Maker 3

What We Used:

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Create Your Artwork

Using Adobe InDesign, create a new document at A4 size (or whatever size your cardstock is). Create a 1-inch margin within your document, this is a crucial step for later alignment in Cricut Design Space.

We used Illustrator to create a custom shape and pasted it into InDesign. Align the shape to the top left of the 1-inch margin. On a separate layer, add your artwork - for this project it was simply text for the guest name.

2. Print Your Artwork on Your Printer

Once satisfied with your artwork, turn off the shape layer and send the file to your printer. Ensure you only print the artwork layer!

3. Export Your Custom Shape to Cricut Design Space

In InDesign, export the custom shape layer only as a jpeg. 

Remove only the background when prompted using the manual method, simply place the cursor on the background area and press delete. You may want to zoom in to get the small hole areas. Click “Apply and continue’”.

4. Convert Upload

When prompted, select “Single Layer”.

5. Resize your place cards

Once that's done you'll need to add it to your canvas. You'll see it will be imported at a large size - not the correct size for cutting. Head back to InDesign and select the entire shape layer, ie: all the place card shapes together. Check the dimensions of this selection and then adjust them in Cricut Design space. Make sure your dimensions are locked when doing this so they are in proportion.

6. Alignment to prints

Press 'Make' in Design Space. This is where you need to align it correctly to the 1inch margin.

Our board is set to cm, but the 1inch margin is easy to identify by the white lines.

Make sure the top left corner of your shapes is aligned exactly to the 1inch top and left margin. This is why we set it up this way in InDesign.

Ensure 'on mat' is selected from the left hand side panel.

7. Time to cut using the Cricut Maker 3