# How to multi-color vinyl



## califmerchant (Jul 28, 2008)

Hi,

I am a complete beginner, but thinking about buying a vinyl cutter to put designs on my car, t-shirts, etc. I was wondering, how do you print multicolored vinyl designs? With what machinery? Do you first print it on a printer and then cut it out using a vinyl cutter? Thanks!


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## mystysue (Aug 27, 2006)

what you do with like the vinyl for cars .. or vinyl for shirts..
Is have differant colors of vinyl.. and cut them out and layer them together..
there are alot of threads here on the forums . including some with pictures


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## victorysign (Apr 22, 2008)

If you have a printer - such as a Roland, Mutoh, etc, you can print on special heat press vinyl (it's white), then contour cut and press.

OR - you can cut each color separately, then heat press on your shirt one layer at a time.


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## swannn32 (Sep 1, 2006)

You use different vinyl material for your car & signs than you use for shirts. Check out some of the preferred vendors to the left such as Specialty Graphics Supply. They will have heat applied t-shirt vinyl & sticky backed car & sign vinyl. 

For t-shirts, you have to have a cutter with an optical eye that can see registration marks. Then you print you transfer in reverse onto transfer paper (with the registration marks) from your ink jet printer then put the printed transfer in your cutter, tell it to look for the registration marks and then it will cut what you tell it to, using the registration marks as the guide.

For the layering of car graphics you have to either have a full color printer that can print onto vinyl & then cut it (those are expensive) or you layer each color like is shown on these You Tube videos . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTSPgkdDgEE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgwKh5NrAa4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZuenGcNJ-s&feature=related

I hope it is okay to link to these videos . . . This is how I learned how to do it. If these links are not allowed I apologize in advance!


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