Click HERE for the SUPPLY LIST
How do you use foil with the ScanNCut? There are two options – the Brother Foil Transfer Kit and the We R Memory Keepers Foil Quill. In this tutorial I am taking a close look at and using the Foil Quill with the ScanNCut DX to create a cute Easter card.
The video tutorial below is split into two parts. Part One details the Foil Quill, how to set up a design in Canvas Workspace and then foil it with the ScanNCut DX. Part Two looks at the Universal Pen Holder, drawing with a pen in the ScanNCut DX and the completed card. The written tutorial below includes all steps in one.
PLEASE NOTE: Since it is not a Brother product, using the Foil Quill in your ScanNCut WILL VOID the warranty. You may want to wait until your one year warranty has expired BEFORE trying the Foil Quill in your machine.
You may also want to check out my tutorial on How To Engrave with the ScanNCut
Please check out the video tutorials below or scroll down for instructions with photos:
Import the Foil Design into Canvas Workspace
The first step is to open the image you want to use for foiling in Canvas Workspace. I am using the Easter Bunny Wreath SVG file I purchased from DesignBundles.net (the file is linked below in the Supply List).
To open it, I navigate to the left tool bar and click on the SVG icon. This opens a window for my computer structure and I find the correct file, click on it to select it and then click Open. The design opens in Canvas Workspace. There is normally a warning saying that the image has been resized to fit on the mat.
Change the Fill Settings in Canvas Workspace
You should notice that the design looks kind of weird. The lines are thick in some spots, the rabbit is half filled in certain areas and it just seems off. This is a common problem when bringing SVGs into Canvas Workspace.
To fix this, click and drag to select the entire design. Then navigate to the Properties tab on the right tool bar; it is the first icon and looks like a paintbrush.
Under Color, click on the checkerboard box next to Line. This will open the color options for the lines in the design. Click on black to change the lines from transparent to black.
Now click on the black box next to Fill. This time click on the transparent color to change the fill from black to transparent. Now the image should look much better and like a line drawing.
Resize the Design in Canvas Workspace
The image comes into Canvas as large as possible so it fills the entire mat. Since I am making a card with this Easter wreath, I will resize it down.
To do this, click on the Edit icon on the right tool bar; it looks like a white square with a cursor in front of it. The Edit tab will open and near the top you’ll see the Width and Height boxes with the current size shown (around 11.6″). Make sure that the Maintain Aspect Ratio box is checked and change the Width to 3.5″.
The entire image will shrink down proportionally and be a much better size for the front of a card.
Once resized, I click and drag to select everything and shift the design on the mat to be about 1″ down and 1″ over from the left side just to give the design some space around it on all sides for the foil to overlap.
Change all Layers to Draw in Canvas Workspace
To use the Foil Quill with the ScanNCut machine, you need to set any design you plan to use with it to Draw instead of Cut. In Canvas Workspace, the default setting is always Cut so I need to change all of the layers to Draw instead. There are two ways to do this.
First, click and drag to select all of the elements in the design. Now click on the Layers icon on the right toolbar; it looks like a stack of papers. On the Layers panel you should see a small knife blade icon on the left side of each layer. If you roll over it, you will see the word “Cut” appear. Click on the knife icon to bring up a dropdown menu and choose Draw. Now the icon changes to a pen nib. This changes that one layer to Draw and you need to repeat this step for every layer, but there is an easier way (below).
The other and faster way to change all the layers to Draw is to click and drag to select all of them. Then open the Properties panel from the right toolbar. Under Operation, click on the dropdown menu and select Draw. This will change all of the selected layers to Draw layers at one time. Faster, right?
Hide the Easter Eggs in Canvas Workspace
Since I can’t be simple and just foil the entire design (too plain for me but I always have to go down the hard road…lol), I need to hide any layers that I don’t want foiled before sending the design to the ScanNCut DX.
I have to Hide them because the ScanNCut can’t distinguish between different Draw types if all the layers are set to Draw. It just thinks it needs to Draw everything at once.
To hide the Easter eggs, which I don’t want foiled, I have to hide them by toggling their visibility to Off. To do this, click on the eye icon on the right side of the eggs layer. When you click on it, the eye disappears as do the eggs. They are now “hidden” and can’t be exported to the machine.
Group the Layers
Click and drag to select all of the remaining layers. Navigate over to the Layers panel, right click and choose Group. For whatever reason, you have to be over the Layers panel in order to do this. It doesn’t work if you just right click and choose Group while on the mat – not sure why. An overall Group layer will appear at the top and all layers of the design except the eggs will now be a part of this Group.
It is important to do this BEFORE sending it to the machine so if you need to reposition the design once it is in the machine, it can be done as one complete design rather than several different layers. It is MUCH easier to do this first, believe me. Guess how I know? Lol!
Export FCM File to Machine
Navigate to the File menu in the upper left of the screen and click on it to bring up the dropdown menu. Click on Export/Transfer FCM file.
A warning box will appear telling you hidden objects won’t be exported (good!) and tiny objects are removed from the design (doesn’t matter for this design) before export. Then the method of export box appears.
Depending on how you want to get the file to your ScanNCut, choose the appropriate icon. The file folder is for saving the file to a thumb drive and then putting the thumb drive into the ScanNCut to retrieve the file. The middle choice is for a wireless Internet connection. The third option should be used if your ScanNCut is connected to your computer with a USB cable. I used wireless Internet to transfer my design.
A box will appear that says the machine is ready to retrieve the file. Go to your machine.
Retrieve the Design File on the ScanNCut DX
On the Home screen of your ScanNCut, click on Retrieve. The machine will think a minute and then the Easter wreath design will appear on the mat on the screen.
Heat the Foil Quill
The Foil Quill Kit comes with 3 sizes of foiling quills – small, standard and bold. Each quill is connected to its own USB cord that to use, must be connected to a USB power source for the tip to heat up and then transfer the foil design using heat transfer foil (you get a sample of the foil in the kit). You also get 4 adapters (A – D) so you can use the quills in Brother, Silhouette, Cricut and Sizzix machines.
The kit also comes with a small metal heat shield that is meant to be placed under the tip of the quill after it is in your machine while it is heating up. It protects the machine from getting too much heat from the foil quill while it heats up and possibly melting or scorching the machine.
The ScanNCut DX has a bulky carriage that makes placement of the Heat Shield tough to see, so I don’t use the Heat Shield with my DX.
instead, I heat up the Foil Quill on a silicone mat first (mat does not come in the kit) and then install it in the machine. I first screw the B adapter (B for Brother) on to the Standard Quill (green), connect it to a portable USB power source and then set it on the silicone mat for five minutes so it can heat up.
Adhere Foil to Cardstock
While the quill heats up, it is a good time to get the foil on the card stock. It is important that the foil be as flat and smooth as possible. In the kit you will get a small roll of washi tape to tape the foil to the surface you will be foiling on for this purpose.
I cut the gold foil down to size (roughly 4″ x 5″) and place it down, shiny side up, on Gina K Designs white card stock.
To adhere it to the card stock, I use a piece of washi tape and overlap one edge of the foil and then tape it down to the card stock. I then take another piece of washi, grab the opposite side of the foil with the tape, pull it taught and then tape the washi down to the cards stock. I repeat the same steps for the remaining two sides until the foil is nice and flat on the card stock.
Load the Mat into the ScanNCut DX
Press the card stock with the foil attached on to a Standard mat, making sure to cover the area where the design was on the mat (or get as close as you can) in Canvas Workspace (about 1″ down and 1″ over from the left).
Load the mat with card stock into the ScanNCut machine by lining the mat up with the feeder marks, pressing it lightly against the wheels and pressing the Load Mat button.
Install the Foil Quill into the ScanNCut DX
The Foil Quill should be heated up by now. To install it into the ScanNCut DX, lift up on the blade latch and pull the blade housing straight up and out of the carriage. Set aside.
Keeping it attached to its USB power source, place the Foil Quill with the B on the adapter facing forward and the flat tab at the back down into the blade carriage. Push it down until the adapter rests on the black part of the blade carriage housing.
Move the USB power source and cable out of the way of the mat and carriage. I put mine above on the “shelf” of the machine.
Scan the Mat with the ScanNCut DX
The great thing about the ScanNCut is that I can scan the mat to make sure the design is placed over the material on the mat, so I click on the Scan Mat button on the screen. The machine scans the mat.
Reposition the Design on the Foil
Once the mat is scanned, the screen will show the mat with the card stock and foil on it behind the Easter wreath image. Check and make sure the wreath is correctly positioned over the foil and not overlapping any of the washi tape. If necessary, click on Edit to reposition the design.
Now click on the four arrows key to move the design.
Click on the magnifying glass to zoom in. To move the design, click on the arrows on the upper part of the screen to move the design over and down. This can take a while. If you need to see the mat further down or up from where you are, click on the up or down arrows on the bottom half of the screen.
Once the design is repositioned, click OK several times until you reach the Please Select Screen
Change Cut Setting to Draw on ScanNCut DX
On the ScanNCut screen click on Please Select. Then choose Draw.
Foil the Design with the ScanNCut DX
Click Start on the screen and the ScanNCut will begin to “draw” the design with the Foil Quill. As a result, the design will be heat transferred to the card stock as foil.
Remove the Foil and Check the Design
When complete, the machine will push the mat forward. Without unloading the mat, remove the washi tape to reveal the foiled design.
Remove the Foil Quill from the machine by lifting the latch on the blade carriage. Place back on mat and remove USB power bank so the quill will cool down.
Now it’s time to draw the eggs on the card stock so return to Canvas Workspace.
Change the Design in Canvas Workspace
Back in Canvas Workspace, go to the Layers panel on the right side. Toggle the Easter egg layer visibility On by clicking on the box where the eye icon should be. The eye will appear as will the Easter eggs on the mat.
Now, toggle all the other layers Off by clicking on the eye icon on the very top Layer of the group. Now only the eggs should show on the mat.
Export the New FCM File to Machine
Go to File > Export/Transfer FCM File and send it to the machine exactly as you did for the foil design.
Reset ScanNCut DX and Retrieve the Egg Design
Back over at the ScanNCut machine, click on the Home button. The machine will ask if it’s okay to delete all patterns. Hit OK.
Click Retrieve on the Home screen. The Easter eggs will now appear on the mat.
Scan the Mat Again & Reposition Design
If you didn’t unload your mat, the original scanned mat image of the card stock and foil will be behind it. This needs to be replaced with the current mat showing the foiled wreath instead. So click on the Scan Mat button to scan it again.
When complete, the revised mat will appear with the foiled wreath now showing behind the eggs. As before, use the arrow keys to reposition the design so the eggs are positioned correctly within the wreath design.
Click on OK several times until you return to the Please Select screen. As before, click on Please Select and then choose Draw.
Install the Universal Pen Holder in the ScanNCut DX
Insert the pen you want to draw with into the Universal Pen Holder. Place the Pen Holder in its separate bracket and push the pen down until it touches the base of the bracket. NOTE: If using a material thicker than card stock, place the material on the base and then push the pen down to touch the top of the material rather than the base itself.
Pull up on the gray band on the pen holder and turn it until it fully tightens around the pen. Slot the “teeth” on the gray band into the white slots around the base of the band to lock in the tightened position around the pen.
Insert the pen holder into the blade carriage by lifting the latch on the carriage and pushing the pen holder down into the carriage opening. The Brother logo should face forward.
Draw the Easter Eggs with the ScanNCut DX
Hit Start on the screen and watch the machine draw the Easter egg design on to the card stock.
NOTE: You may want to run a test first to check that the pen is positioned correctly. Please click here to go to a tutorial with details on doing a test draw (about half way down the post under Fig. J).
Unload the mat when the design is done and remove from the mat by flipping the mat over and peeling it away from the card stock.
Color the Foiled and Drawn Images
Doing this project, I discovered that both the foil and the Cricut pen are resistant to alcohol markers. You can change the color of the foil if you color over it with a dark alcohol marker and the Cricut pen will eventually run if it gets too saturated with the alcohol ink. But if you are careful, alcohol markers work great for coloring this image.
I used my Spectrum Noir alcohol markers in the following colors:
- For Rabbit: IG1, IG2, IG3, TN9, PP1 and Blender Pen
- For Eggs and Inside Greeting: TB3, OR2, LG3, CT3, PV2 (greeting only)
Draw, Cut and Color the Sentiment
If desired, download the free SVG file for the Happy Easter sentiment (below) and follow the same steps as above to bring it into Canvas Workspace as a new design. Set it up to Draw the words and Cut the shape. Transfer the file to the machine and then follow the prompts to draw the words and then cut the shape, switching from the Pen Holder to the Autoblade between functions. Color in as shown below:
Assemble the Card
Die cut out the rabbit and egg wreath using the second largest die in the Elizabeth Craft Designs Dotted Scallop Circles die set.
Create an approx. 4.75″ x 4.5″ card base by die cutting a folded piece of blue card stock with a stitched square die. Maintain the fold in the card by allowing the cut edge of the stitched square die to hang over the top edge of the folded card stock so the fold will not be cut by the die.
Place foam squares behind the die cut wreath and adhere into the front center of the card base. Punch out 4 pink hearts and 1 gold heart from a small heart punch. Adhere 1 each of the pink hearts into each corner of the card base. Add the gold heart to the inside greeting. Adhere the greeting to the inside of the card.
Add coordinating colorful dots of Tonic Nuvo drops to the eggs and around the Easter wreath. Let dry. Enoy!
Questions or Comments?
If you have any questions, please leave me a comment below and I will get back to you soon. Want to just tell me how much you loved this tutorial? Please leave me a comment below – lol!
Suggestions?
I would also appreciate any ideas you may have for topics to cover related to the software for Cricut (Design Space), Silhouette (Studio) or Brother (Canvas) and any suggestions you may have on projects to make with the Cricut Maker, Cricut Joy, Silhouette Cameo 4 or the Brother Scan N Cut DX. Please leave any requests you have in the comments. I appreciate you taking the time to visit and read my blog. Thanks!
The links below are compensated affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase using one of these links, I receive a small commission that adds no cost to you. This helps me run this blog and YouTube channel. I truly appreciate your support!! Please see Terms & Conditions for more details. Thanks!
HAPPY EASTER SENTIMENT FILES in .PNG, .SVG, and .CWPRJ formats – FREE for Personal Use Only Please
