DIY Stickers With a LOKLiK ICraft Cutter

In this Instructable, I want to test if LOKLiK is a worthy competitor to Cricut. It does seem more affordable, especially when you include accessories.

LOKLiK sent me the LOKLiK iCraft to try it out and I thought I'd try making stickers.

1. LOKLiK iCraft https://www.loklik.com/loklik-icraft
2. LOKLiK cutting mat
3. Sticker paper
4. Printer

1. You will also need to download the LOKLiK Idea Studio. My version is V2.2.1

You can use pretty much any image to make your stickers. It's easiest when you have a design with a transparent background, but if you have a background you want to remove, LOKLiK Idea Studio lets you do that when you import the image - just use the magic wand tool.

The Idea Studio actually has 50,000 + free SVGs and a free AI feature. To unlock the AI feature (for free), all you need to do is to click on "Upgrade". You can create 20 designs for free.

There are two ways to create the outline of your sticker - the line that will be cut by the machine.

1) When importing:

When you import a raster image (like png or jpg format), a window will pop up that makes you choose between "Standard Cut" or "Print-Then-Cut". We want "Print-Then-Cut".

You will then be able to edit your image and click "Next".

You can click "Expand" until you are happy with the sticker contour. Then click "Design". That will create a contour.

2) After importing:

Select an image on your canvas and click "Offset". Choose the offset distance and hit "Apply". That will create a contour as well.

If you can't tell whether your design has an outline or not - find "View" above your canvas and change "Fill" to "Contour". Also look at the layers to see if you can find the contour layer.

To make your machine more accurate, you can do a Calibration Test. Go to "Device" - "Machine Calibration".

Then select your machine and "Print-then-Cut Function". Connect your machine.

You will be asked to print out a calibration sheet. Both the printer and the LOKLiK iCraft have to be connected to your device.

Once that is printed out, you can attach the print to the cutting mat and insert it into the machine.

Then press "Cut".

You will see lots of cut lines on your sheet (see picture). Then you'll be asked to see where the print line and cut line overlap. In this case it would be -4 for section A.

Click Calibrate and your machine should cut more accurately.

Go to your Canvas and select everything you want print out. It's sometimes worth writing down the coordinates of your selection to make sure nothing moves.

Click on "Make".

Select "Print-Then-Cut" under 1) Mode. You will be asked to print out your stickers. Again, your printer and LOKLiK will both have to be connected to your device.

Check if the corner markings were printed correctly. If they're not dark enough, you can go over them with a marker.

Once you printed out your sticker designs, you can attach your paper to your cutting mat and make sure it's straight.

In 4) Cutting Parameters, you only want the outlines of the stickers to be cut - so only select that group.

Under Material Parameters, I selected Kraft Printable Vinyl Sticker Paper, Size A4.

I increased the cutting force to 6.7. That way, the stickers were cut, but not the paper underneath ("kiss cut"). If you want to cut the sticker paper all the way through to the bottom ("die cut"), you will need even more force.

In general, it's good to do test cuts.

Now click on "Add to task", load the machine and start cutting.

Hopefully your machine cuts the outlines so your sticker design is nice and centered! If not, then maybe the next step will help.

I'm going to be honest, I had never made stickers using a cutting machine before, so it was a bit of a learning curve.

I had inconsistent results and wasn't sure what the problem was. After some trial and error + research, I learned an important lesson:

Good lighting is important.

This may not be an issue for you, but for me it was with my sticker paper.

There is a laser in the machine that needs to read the corner markings on your print. My machine struggled to read those markings on my matte vinyl for some reason (on normal paper it wasn't an issue). But after shining a flashlight on the paper so the laser could read the markings properly, the machine cut accurately.

The laser can apparently also struggle on shiny vinyl for stickers. Someone on the internet said you can cover the markings with matte transparent tape so the machine can still read it. I haven't tried it myself, though.

Another tip: Make sure your design didn't move.

After saving a canvas in LOKLiK Idea Studio and re-opening it, it unfortunately doesn't open in the same spot. That's why it's a good idea to select everything and write down the coordinates, if you want to come back to the project later.

Also: Use the latest version of LOKLiK Idea Studio and update your firmware. (You do this through the Idea Studio under "Device" - "Firmware Update")

Improvement suggestions for LOKLiK:

1. When you open a canvas you've saved previously, it doesn't open in the position you saved it in.
2. Your printer and LOKLiK both have to be connected to your device at the same time - it would be nice if you could save your document as a PDF and send it to a printer in a different location.
3. There should be a clear note that good lighting is important for the cutting machine.

The LOKLiK team said that LOKLiK IdeaStudio v2.2.2 will solve the first issue.

Pros about the LOKLiK iCraft:

1. 50,000 + free SVG in the LOKLiK IdeaStudio

2. AI add-on with no extra costs, demonstrating an intelligent and immersive way to design and craft scenario-based creative activities.

3. Print-then-cut accuracy

4. Quieter when working than other cutting machines

I think once you know all the Do's and Don'ts, it's a good cutting machine and a more affordable alternative to Cricut. The software is simple and I found it intuitive to use. You can cut really detailed images.

All in all, I'm happy with this cutting machine and will keep using it!

For those interested:

*** LOKLiK prepared a Valentine's bundle for craft lovers!

You can find it here: http://shrsl.com/4tbrn ***

Have a nice day!