How to Print from Silhouette Studio
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Today I’m going to share some tips with you on how to print from Silhouette Studio. But before we get started, let me clarify what I mean when I say “print”.
I often hear the term “print” used when referring to the cutting action of a Silhouette or Cricut machine. But when I say “print”, I mean actually printing on a printer. Although pens can be used to sketch on a Silhouette machine, no Cameo, Portrait, or Curio is capable of printing on its own.
Using Silhouette Studio for Printed Projects
With Silhouette Studio, you’re not limited to creating only cut files. It’s my go-to software for all types of graphic design projects. In addition to Print & Cut projects, I use it for print-only projects as well – designs that can either be trimmed by hand or full-page designs that require no cutting at all.
Watercolor Flower Wreath by Angie Makes, Silhouette Design ID 195754
Vintage Floral Frame by Rhonna Farrer, Silhouette Design Store ID 202487
Vintage Floral Piece by Rhonna Farrer, Silhouette Design Store ID 202901
Wreath by Rhonna Farrer, Silhouette Design Store ID 160222
Laurel Leaf Borders by Silhouette, Silhouette Design Store ID 298959
However, to be successful when printing from Silhouette Studio, there are a few things to keep in mind, including Page Setup, Line Thickness, and Fill Color.
Page Setup for Printing from Silhouette Studio
Before you start designing, make sure the design page in the software is the same size as the paper you’ll be printing on. The easiest way to make sure the sizes match is to choose “Printer” for Media Size.
All screenshots are from Silhouette Studio version 4.4.937
If the dimensions for the width and height aren’t the same as your intended print size, go into the Print Page Setup (found in the drop down under the File menu) and adjust the paper size for your printer.
Once you have the correct dimensions, check the box for Show Print Border. When Show Print Border is active, a grey rectangle will appear on the design page. Neither the grey rectangle or anything that falls outside it will print.
Printing Shapes and Text in Silhouette Studio
By default, unfilled shapes and/or text will not print from Silhouette Studio because they are transparent (colorless) and have a line thickness of 0.0 points. In order to get the shapes/text* to print, there are three options. The three options can be used individually or in any combination.
*Note: from here forward, the term “shape” also applies to text.
Option 1: Line Thickness
The Line Thickness setting can be found in either the Quick Access Toolbar or the Line Style Panel. Select the shape and increase the line thickness to anything above 0.0 points to make it printable.
Option 2: Fill Color
Any shape filled with color will print. To fill with color, select the shape and then choose a color from either the basic Fill Color menu (located in the Quick Access Toolbar) or the Fill Color Panel. The Fill Color Panel includes more options than the basic Fill Color menu, such as gradients, patterns, color codes, etc.
Open the Fill Color Panel by clicking on the icon that looks like an artist’s palette in the column on the right of the screen.
Here’s a comparison of what the different options will look like on the design page:
And what the printed version will look like:
Option 3: Print Lines of Selected Shapes
The last option is one I rarely (ok, never…) use because I find it finicky at best, but it is worth noting.
To make a shape printable without changing the line thickness or filling with color, select the shape and then check the box for Print Lines of Selected Shapes, which is at the bottom of the Line Style Panel.
This setting doesn’t always work for me, and even when it does the lines are very faint since the default thickness is 0.0 points, so I prefer to simply increase the Line Thickness instead.
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I hope these tips on how to print from Silhouette Studio will help you troubleshoot any problems you may have when creating printed designs. If you have any questions, leave a comment below or come visit me over in the Silhouette Crafters by Design Facebook group. I’m always happy to help!
Until next time,
Lycia is a lifelong crafter whose goal is to help others find value, confidence, and joy in whatever they create. She geeks out on using technology to supercharge craft projects with Silhouette Studio, Design Space, Glowforge, sublimation, etc.! Lycia teaches these skills and more through online tutorials and videos as well as in-person classes at both the local and national levels.
I ALSO was frustrated. I put a shape (page size) on my page set-up, and added my text (which was set to black outline and black fill), and wanted to add a background color. Added that, and when I printed, the text would print, but not the background. I KNEW I was missing something!! I googled it, but couldn’t find the answer until now!!!! I had to make the shape have at least a .1 line thickness. Thank you so much! However, I’m still not sure why the text DID print. At any rate Thanks again!
I’ll be checking out more of your tutes!
Hi Jane! I’m glad the tutorial was helpful for you!!! The text printed because it had a fill color. Since your outline and fill color were the same, you wouldn’t be able to see that the outline didn’t print. If you want to experiment with it, change the outline to a different color but keep the weight at 0.0. When you print it out, you should only be able to see the fill color and not the outline.
I was so excited when I saw your tutorial. Lilian is so right, your instructions and graphics were very clear and easy to understand; however, I tried your steps and my image will still not print! The printer turns on, goes through the motions but doesn’t print. Any suggestions?
Hi Sandra! Are you trying to print text or graphics? If the text isn’t showing up, make sure it’s either filled with color or that the line weight has been increased above 0.0pt (or both!) If that doesn’t fix the problem, reach out to me again and I’ll be happy to troubleshoot further.
I could kiss you!!! This was a HUGE help to me! I’ve been almost pulling my hair out trying to get my full design to print. Now I understand WHY and HOW to fix it. Your tutorial is totally idiot proof. I lot of work and consideration has gone in to producing this post. I’ll definitely be following your blog in future. 🙂
Hi Lilian! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment. I’m glad the post was helpful!