Why does my Cricut keep saying print then cut?

The message usually means the machine cannot do the job as set up. The most common causes are a design that was not flattened, registration marks the sensor cannot read because of glare or a shifted sheet, or a sheet that was not loaded in the top-left corner of the mat. Work through the troubleshooting table below.

Can you do print then cut on vinyl?

Yes, if the vinyl is sold as printable and your printer can print on it. Choose the material setting that matches the product, and run a test cut first.

Are Cricut stickers waterproof?

Only if the sticker material is. Printable vinyl or sticker paper with a waterproof or laminated finish resists water better than plain paper. Check the label on your sheets, and laminate if the sticker will be washed often.

What is the largest print then cut image?

Design Space limits the print then cut area to a little under a Letter sheet, so leave margins. If a sticker sheet is too large, resize it to fit inside the area shown on the canvas.

Cricut Print Then Cut Stickers: Set Up, Calibrate, Fix Errors

By Crafts editorial team · Updated October 26, 2026

Print then cut works in four moves: flatten the design so it becomes one printable image, print it with the black registration box, load the sheet in the corner of the mat, and let the machine scan the box before it cuts. Almost every "print then cut" error comes from one of those four moves going slightly wrong. This guide walks through them in order and ends with a table of fixes.

What print then cut actually does

Your printer lays down the color. Your cutting machine cannot see that color, so it reads a black frame (the registration marks) printed around your design, uses it to find the exact position on the sheet, and then cuts along the cut line. If the marks are unreadable or the sheet has moved, the cut lands off the print or the job stops with an error.

Step 1: Prepare the sticker in the software

Place the sticker on the canvas. If it came as a PNG, it is already a printable image. If it is an SVG, set the layer type to Print for the artwork.
Size it. Stickers between 2 and 4 inches are easy to peel and handle.
Add a border. A 0.1 inch white or colored border (the offset or bleed) keeps a thin edge of the sheet color from showing if the cut drifts by a hair.
Flatten. Select all the layers and press Flatten. This merges print and cut into a single print-then-cut image. A design that is not flattened is the usual reason the machine will not start the print step.

Step 2: Print a test on plain paper

Print the page on plain paper first. You are checking three things: the black registration frame is complete and crisp, the colors look right, and the image is in the area you expected. Hold the test sheet over a blank sticker sheet to see where things land.

Step 3: Print on sticker material

Choose the paper type in your printer settings that matches your sheets (matte or glossy sticker paper, printable vinyl).
Turn off any "fit to page" or margin tweaks that scale the print. A scaled print moves the marks.
Let the ink dry before loading. Smeared registration marks are a common cause of read errors.

Step 4: Load the mat and cut

Stick the sheet in the top-left corner of the mat, flat, with no overhang and no curl.
Choose the material setting for your sheet. Use a lighter setting than you would for solid vinyl if you want a kiss cut (cuts the sticker, leaves the backing intact).
Run the job. The machine scans the marks first, then cuts.
Do a test cut on one sticker before committing a full sheet.

Troubleshooting print then cut

What happens	Likely cause	Fix
Machine will not start the print step	Design not flattened	Select all layers, then Flatten
Cannot read registration marks	Glare, sunlight, or glossy sheet	Close the blinds, move the machine out of direct light, try a matte sheet
Cut lands off the printed image	Needs calibration	Run the machine's print then cut calibration, then reprint
Cut goes through the backing	Pressure too high	Lower the pressure or use a lighter material setting
Border of the sheet color shows	No bleed or offset	Add a 0.1 inch border and reprint
Image looks cropped or tiny	Resized after flattening	Resize first, then flatten again
Ink smears on the marks	Printed sheet not dry	Wait before loading and reprint

Calibrate once, then recheck when things drift

The calibration step prints a sheet with boxes and asks you to pick the numbers that line up. It adjusts for small differences between your printer and your machine. Run it once, then again if you change printers or the cuts start landing off.

Finish and pack

Peel one sticker to check the backing is intact, then sleeve the sheet or lay stickers on backing cards. For a waterproof sticker, laminate before cutting, or choose a printable vinyl made for that.

Skip the layout work with ready-made sheets

If you would rather spend your time cutting than laying out designs, CutNest Design Library includes 1,816 stickers already arranged on 76 sheets, in 10 groups: badges (432), planner (277), lifestyle (264), seals (192), doodles (144), food (120), nature (114), holidays (114), animals (111) and seasons (48). Each sticker comes as a transparent 1200 px PNG, as an SVG with separate print and cut-line layers, and as a Letter PDF sheet. There is also a 6.75 × 9.25 inch PNG sheet at 300 dpi for print-then-cut jobs. The package also has a project guide for print-then-cut stickers.

Script alphabet on a tablet with paper flower cards, a sticker sheet, a PDF guide and a phone

If you plan to sell finished stickers, read Cricut projects to sell and the commercial license first. New to the machine? Start with Cricut for beginners: your first project. Prefer painting to printing? See the Cricut stencil guide.

CutNest is not affiliated with Cricut. Brand names appear only to describe compatibility and the topic searched.