Learn how to create custom DIY Letterpress cards with the Silhouette Curio! I will walk you through the process of printing and embossing with your Silhouette Curio to create beautiful letterpress-look projects. Download free printables and free Silhouette files to get making right away! This post was made in partnership with Silhouette and contains affiliate links, which help to support this site at no extra cost to you.
I love letterpress, don’t you? I just love how it combines the visual and tactile into something that feels really special – almost from another time. It’s magic lies in the slow, artisanal, by-hand process, which is hard to recreate at home. There are DIY letterpress methods, but most involve buying pre-made (aka pre-designed) or custom (aka more expensive) plates. Those options can produce beautiful pieces, but I love having options and have a hard time spending money on a design I will only use once or twice.
So, when Silhouette offered to send me one of their new Curio machines that can emboss, stipple, and etch, I said yes please! I hoped I could harness the Curio’s embossing powers to capture the look of letterpress, and I was not disappointed. After a bit of experimenting, I came up with a process to get a look similar to letterpress that I really love. I hope you will too!
UPDATE NOTE: I have not tried creating this letterpress effect with my Silhouette Cameo or Cricut Maker, but I think you should be able to get a similar look. I have added more file types in the free download (SVG, PNG, DXF, and PDF) so you should be able to experiment with whatever machine you have. Let me know if you have success!
(Psst – You can also simply print off the PDF files on cardstock and skip the embossing step for non-letterpress but still cute cards!)
How to Make DIY Letterpress Cards with the Silhouette Curio
The letterpress-look is easy to recreate with a few simple steps, which I will walk you through so you can recreate my designs or make your own unique letterpress creations! First, gather up your supplies.
DIY Letterpress Cards Supplies:
- Silhouette Curio (also available through Amazon)
- Color Printer
- A2 (4 1/4 ” x 5 1/2″) Blank Cards and Envelopes (or make your own cards and envelopes)
- Silhouette Score and Emboss Paper or 90 lb. Watercolor Paper
- Copy Paper
- Adhesive
- Paper Trimmer (optional, but nice to have)
- My Card Designs Files (You will find the download link at the end of this post.)
DIY Lettterpress Cards Step One. Score and Deboss Settings.
To create this look, I used two of the Curio’s embossing features – the score and emboss and the print and emboss (although since letterpress is actually impressed into the paper I actually used score and deboss and print and deboss). The studio files I shared above are all ready to go, but to recreate this look in your own designs, you need to follow these steps to set up your document.
One you have the project design set, you need to tell the program you want to score and deboss each piece of the design.
- Click on a design element to select it, and then click on “Score and Emboss” in the embossing tab.
- Select fine embossing tip and two passes.
- Click “Apply Score & Emboss Lines.”
- The program will create a red score line around the outside of this design element and a blue emboss line just inside that red line. The Curio can use two tools at once so it will first score along the red line with a blade and then deboss along the blue line with the embossing tip.
- Group these new shapes together.
- Select the line color tab and set the color to none. For some reason, I found that I had to do this to prevent the cut lines from printing.
Once you have completed this for each element you want to score and deboss, you are ready for the next step – print and deboss!
DIY Letterpress Cards Step Two. Print.
First, make sure you have “Deboss” selected at the top of the embossing tab. This is important to make sure the Curio reads the registration marks read properly.
Next, make sure the registration marks are showing on your project and that your entire design fits within the margins. (To turn on the registration marks, click on the print and emboss tab or the registration marks tab at the top of Studio.)
Now it’s time to select your paper. Different kinds of paper score and emboss differently. Silhouette makes an beautiful score and emboss paper that is nice and soft and embosses beautifully. You can see the difference between plain smooth cardstock on top and the score and emboss paper on bottom in the image below.
If you don’t have the score and emboss paper, then watercolor paper is also a great choice. It is a nice soft paper with a great texture that I thought worked really nicely with the debossing. You may need to trim your watercolor paper down to 8.5 x 11 before feeding it into your printer.
Finally, send your piece to the printer!
DIY Letterpress Cards Step Three. Deboss.
When it is done printing, you will need to trim it down to 8.5″ x 6″ (which is the size of the Curio’s working area. There is a larger base that provides a 8.5″ x 12 ” working area that is available separately).
Next place the printed design on the embossing mat on top of two #2 platforms (to deboss you need a platform height of 5, and 2 + 2 + 1 = 5). Finally, feed the Curio platform into the machine.
It’s time to let the Curio work it’s magic! Make sure the tools in your machine match the tools listed on the cut settings. You should have a ratchet blade set to a 1 in the red slot and the fine embossing tip in the blue slot.
And that’s it! Send it to the Curio to score and deboss. The machine will read the registration marks to perfectly line up the scoring and embossing tools with the printed design – it’s so cool! (P.S. I love that this machine can use two tools at once! It makes it so much easier to create complex designs.)
When the machine is done doing it’s thing, this pull the piece off the embossing mat, and check out that perfectly aligned debossing!
Finally, finish up your card by trimming down the debossed design and attaching it to the front of the blank notecard.
I also print and cut some matching envelope liners using my Cameo to make the cards even a little more special. The files for the envelop liners are included in the download file at the end of the post.
I can’t stop running my fingers over these cards! I love the texture and how it matches up perfectly with the printed design. It’s really pretty cool.
Free Printable Letterpress Style Notecard Downloads
Please Note: These files are free for personal use only (making things for yourself or as gifts). If you would like to use these designs for products you make and sell, you can purchase a limited commercial use license in my shop HERE. Thank you!
When you click the link below, a ZIP file containing the SVG, DXF, PNG, PDF, and Studio versions of the cut files will download. You will need to unzip the file before you will be able to access the different file types.
Download the Free Letterpress Card Printables and Cut Files
Anyone else have a Curio? What have you made with it? I’m looking for more ideas for my new toy, so leave them in the comments below.
If you make your own letterpress-look notecards, I would love to see them! Share to my facebook page or tag me on instagram. 🙂
Until next time, Happy Making!
Check out more Silhouette fun here:
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Comments + Project Love
Amy | Delineate Your Dwelling says
This is blowing my mind! I had no idea it could do embossing, so cool!
Alexis says
It is so cool!
Kelly Wayment says
Great project! I’ve done the print & emboss, but print & deboss is next on my list! I’ve tried everything the Curio can do at least once, but there are so many projects still on my to-do wish list. 🙂
Alexis says
Yes! So many projects to try. I just went by your blog to check out some of your amazing Silhouette projects. Pinning a bunch for future reference. Thanks so much for stopping by, Kelly!
Susannah cuckow says
Could you tell me please where I can purchase the files you used in embossing feature so I can follow it exactly,thanks
Susannah
Alexis says
Hi Susannah! The files I used for my cards are included in the post in the supply list. Just click on the link for which color and design you want and download the studio file. You should be able to open them with the Silhouette Studio software that comes with the Silhouette Curio. Good luck!
Damia says
Wonderful tutorial! Can’t wait to try this on my Curio! Thank you so much for such a great, detailed walk through and for sharing your Studio files! I was wondering… what is the totally awesome font you used? Thanks 🙂
Alexis says
Hi Damia! Thanks so much! It is called Lust Script. It’s pretty great, huh? 🙂
Amber says
This is VERY cool! Great job!!
Carmenza says
Thank you. I tried it and LOVE it! It was my first job with my new Curio.
Alexis says
YAY!! I love to hear that!! Hope you are loving the machine! 🙂
Catherine says
Hey Alexis! Thank you so much for this awesome detailed post! I have been trying to convince myself I need this Curio! I am a wedding photographer and want to create custom gifts for my brides :).
However, I was hoping i could get your advice. I think i’ll be doing A LOT of vinyl work, for mugs and other gift items. And I’ve learned that the cameo is best for that. I’m wondering, does the curio work well with vinyl at all?
Best,
Catherine
Alexis says
Hi Catherine! The Curio does cut vinyl, but if that is what you will be primarily using it for I would recommend the Cameo. The Curio’s cutting space is smaller than the Cameo’s, and with the Cameo you can cut directly from a roll of vinyl. I have a whole class all about using vinyl with your Silhouette RIGHT HERE that might be helpful for you. Good luck!
Meg says
I stumbled on your blog by accident and have loved it ever since. Unfortunately I don’t have a curio. I wish I could do this with a maker but I can’t seem to get my head around the principles of this.
Thank you for the great content!