Weeding tips for all

Heat transfer and digital transfer films are a large part of our business, so we thought we’d talk a bit about weeding (not the gardening variety) – an important stage of the job when you’re working with vinyl which can be time-consuming and intricate depending on the design.

For those unfamiliar with the term, weeding is effectively the process of pulling out the unwanted vinyl from the backing sheet around your cut design. And, although it isn’t anything to do with gardening, it is very similar to removing all the surplus growth from around the flowers that are actually meant to be there – hence where it [probably] gets its name.

Marathon stock a wide variety of Plotterfilms and one of the reasons we love these films is that they generally weed really well. But even if the material you are working with makes for an easier life, if weeding is one of those jobs that you’d rather someone else was doing, or you're new to using vinyl, here are a few basic tips to make it a little less onerous.

Choose the right tool for the job
A weeding tool of some sort is a must-have. We prefer the actual tool named for the job – we stock one on our website – but it does come down to preference. Tweezers are one option as they can be great for grabbing small bits of vinyl. A craft or X-Acto knife can be just as effective if you are careful and helps if there are cuts that are incomplete. Some people opt for the really simple choice of a straight pin as they have tiny tips, but these are not as sturdy as some of the other options available.

Take your time
It’s a marathon, not a sprint, even if the job is urgent. Doing things at speed can lead to pulling off parts of the design that are supposed to stay put and inevitably mean a re-print. Begin by removing any big pieces first, starting at a corner and slowly pulling up at an angle. If it’s a large or intricate design, you may want to do this in sections and cut off any unwanted vinyl as you go. If any part of the design lifts up, just use your finger to smooth it back down again immediately.

Light is key
The better you can see the design, the easier it will be to weed. Some people prefer overhead lights or smaller desktop lights to show the cuts up more easily. Our favourite has to be a lightbox. By placing your design on top of the brightly lit surface it shows up the cuts clearly making it easier to pick out what you don’t want.

Closer is better
Magnification can help immensely, especially if the design is quite detailed and intricate. There are many magnifiers available on the market – one that stands alone and has an in-built light is really good and leaves your hands free for the weeding.

Double-checking is good
When you have a lot of vinyl to weed out it’s good to be able to go back to the design to keep checking you haven’t made any mistakes. Have a printout of the design handy at all times and it will make it easier to tell what the finished design is meant to look like.

Watch that waste
Having a little piece of wastage vinyl end up on your freshly weeded design is not good if transferred to the finished garment. A small empty tissue box can work as a desktop bin for all the weeded vinyl. Alternatively, re-use a scrap piece of vinyl, sticky side up to stick the waste on as you go. Fold or roll the edges down to stick it to your desk – double-sided sticky tape also works as well!

Marathon is the UK’s exclusive distributor of Plotterfilms, Italy. If you would like any information about any of the vinyl products we stock, application tapes or accessories, then please do get in touch.