Foiling with the Foil Transfer Kit and the Brother ScanNCut

If April showers bring May flowers, what do May snow storms bring? I’m hoping for lots of June sunshine! One good thing about these past few snowy days is that I’ve had the mind to hunker down in my sewing studio, and figure how how to use the foiling feature of the ScanNCut.

Make shiny foil patterns for greeting cards, gifts, and party decorations! Add a touch of elegance to most paper craft projects with silver, gold or other colored foils with the 50 foiling patterns included on the activation card. Plus you can use your own designs, or any built-in Brother cutting machine designs, for a wide-variety of foil creations.

Foil Transfer Starter Kit

Photo of contents of ScanNCut Foil Transfer Kit

The Brother ScanNCut Foil Transfer Starter Kit contains all you need to expand you crafting capabilities using your ScanNCut machine. Start adding detailed foiled designs to your crafting projects with foil sheets.

The kit contains:

Glue pen holder
Glue pen 1.3 mL (0.04 fl oz)
Pressing tool
Foil transfer sheets 3.9”x7.8” (100mmx200mm), 1 gold color and 1 silver color
Protective sheet 8.6”x12” (220mmx305mm)
Dust removal sheet with storage sheet 1.9”x2.9” (50mmx75mm)
1 Activation Card to unlock function in CanvasWorkspace

The Design

Canvas Workspace is perfect for designing your foiling project. I have posted previous blogs on using Canvas Workspace for Stickers, Rhinestones and Stamps. So the procedure to register your Foil Transfer Starter Kit is the same as for all premium add-ons.

Once you have registered your Foil Transfer Starter Kit, you can take advantage of some of the designs in Canvas Workspace for foiling.

For this blog, I created a Thank You card. Here’s how to do it:

Create Page Guide

In order to get the elements of my design centered and in the right place on the card stock, create a rectangle the same size as the base material you are foiling. Use the properties feature to adjust the size of the rectangle if necessary.

Screen shot of Canvas Workspace with Basic patterns circled

Screen shot of cutting mat with rectangle the same size as card stock to be foiled

Set size of card stock to center designs for ScanNCut foiling

Add Designs

Select the designs you want to use and add them to the cutting mat.

Screen shot from Canvas Workspace with Foiling option circled

Screen shot from Canvas Workspace adding text to project

Add any text needed to the design.

Note that since this will be a card that’s folded along the vertical center, the design at the top of the page, which will be the back side of the card, is upside down. Once the card is folded, the text and design will be right side up on the back of the card.

Save and Send Foiling Design to ScanNCut

Save your design to your Canvas Workspace page by giving your project a name and then clicking on the “Overwrite this design” icon.

Screen shot of Canvas Workspace illustrating how to save a design.

Download your design directly to the ScanNCut if you’re set up for wireless or download the design to a USB stick to put in your ScanNCut.

Retrieve Design on the ScanNCut

Instructions for both the ScanNCut 650 and the DX follow. Click here for a video of the process.

Scan N Cut CM650W or CM650WX

Recall the foiling pattern you sent to the machine wirelessly or place the USB stick with the .fcm file into the ScanNCut.

If recalling from the wireless download, touch the cloud icon on the ScanNCut to load the design into the ScanNCut. The last design downloaded from CanvasWorkspace will be loaded into the machine.

If loading the file from a USB stick, click on Saved Data.

Photo of scan n cut CM650W screen to select source of deisgn

NOTE: Before starting the foiling process, if you used a rectangle to place your designs as described above, be sure to delete the rectangle before adding the glue.

Activate Foiling Feature

Once your design is loaded, if necessary, touch the wrench button to add foiling as a premium feature for your ScanNCut. Scroll down to page 8.

Touch the Premium functions button.

Page 8 of settings on ScanNCut CM650 to select premium functions

Activate the foiling function by touching the ON button next to the Foil Setting, Kit Activation. Touch OK.

Activation screen on ScanNCut CM650 to activate foiling funtion

Add Glue

Once you touch OK, you can select the Premium functions button and, on the next screen, touch the Foil button.

ScanNCut CM650W screen showing mat with design for foiling. Button to select Premium functions is circled in red.

Screen of ScanNCut CM650 to select foiling for project.

Touch the Glue button.

Screen shot of ScanNCut CM650W to select the Glue step of the foiling process

Indicate the level of glue in the glue pen. Insert the glue stick into the machine and touch OK.

Screen shot of ScanNCut CM650W showing where to indicate level of glue in pen for foiling.

If you haven’t already done so, load the material you want foiled on the mat. Brother recommends the light tack mat for this process.

Touch Glue and then press the Start/Stop button on the machine to apply the glue.

Screen shot of ScanNCut CM650W with buttons to select the glue function to start the foiling process.

The ScanNCut will lay down lines of glue on the material in accordance with the loaded design.

When the ScanNCut has completed adding the glue to the material, unload the mat and set it aside for the glue to dry. DO NOT remove the material from the mat!

Add Foil

Remove the glue pen holder from the carriage, and then remove the glue pen. Attach the pressing tool to the tip of the glue pen holder, and insert the holder into the carriage.

Photo of pressing tool to apply foil on ScanNCut

Select Foil, and then follow the on-screen instructions to place the foil on top of the pattern where the glue has been applied. Place the protective sheet on the mat, and then secure it in place with tape.

Insert the mat in the same direction as when glue was being
applied, and then press the Start/Stop button to apply the foil.

Photo of screen of ScanNCut CM650W showing start button for foiling

Once the foiling is complete, remove the mat from the machine and peel off the protective sheet and then carefully peel off the material from the mat.

While peeling off the foil transfer sheet, check that the foil adheres.
If the foil does not fully adhere, instead of fully peeling off the foil transfer
sheet, return it to its previous position, cover it again with the protective
sheet, and then rub over the top of the sheet with a hard object.

Place the material on a level surface, and then slowly peel off the foil transfer sheet horizontally to the material. Repeatedly dab the top of the foil with the dust removal sheet to remove any excess foil. (Do not rub).

Beautiful! Your design is finished!

Foiling on the ScanNCut DX

The process for foiling with the new ScanNCut DX is essentially the same as that for the CM650W or CM650WX. The beauty of this machine is the on-screen instructions to show you each step in the process.

Load design
Choose Foiling
Add glue
Let dry
Add foil
Peel and enjoy!

Load Design

Choose Foiling

Screen shot of ScanNCut DX to select action to take for design

Screen shot of ScanNCut DX to select glue function

Add Glue

Screen shot of ScanNCut DX to input amount of glue in stick

Photo of screen of ScanNCut DX showing start button to begin glue process for foiling

Let Dry

Screen shot of ScanNCut DX to indicate gluing is completed

Add Foil

Peel and Enjoy!

Think you might like to try your hand at foiling? Here’s a 30% off coupon for a Foil Transfer Starting Kit to get you going. We’d love for you to share your completed foiling projects by commenting below. Be creative and have fun!