How to Design a Frame and Text Scrapbook Layout in Silhouette Studio

Today I'm answering a reader question on the blog about how to design and cut a 12x12 scrapbook layout with frames and text in Silhouette Studio.  The basic thing you need to keep in mind when designing with frames is that in order to weld them today and/or weld them with text, you must make the frame compound paths. 

Let's get started by opening up Silhouette Studio.

Use the draw a box tool on the left sidebar to draw a box in the work area. Draw it whatever size you'd like...you can always resize later.



Now select the box and click on the offset tool (in blue along the top below). You can either make an offset or an internal offset it doesn't really matter.  I like squared off frames so I picked 'corner' and then adjusted the offset distance..then hit 'apply.'



Right now you basically just have a box on top of a larger box. The easiest way for me to show you this is by filling in the boxes (and slightly moving the top box for demonstration purposes only!)  These boxes are NOT a compound path...therefore they are not a frame. They are just layered boxes.

But if I select both of the boxes at the same time and then make a compound path (right click > make compound path) they become a frame (with a hollowed out middle area).

Once they've become a compound path I can weld into the boxes or weld several boxes together. That's exactly what I want to do to make this frame layout.  Now that I've made the first box I can duplicate it a few times by copying and pasting. Then I just resized each of the frames and put them into position.  Don't weld yet...



Add your text.  Whenever possible I like to have my text welded together. Now there are a few ways to get around this if you have letters like the S and 'ummer' where it's cutting as two pieces.

For instance, I moved the characters closer together in "LOVIN'. Since they will now cut as one word, I just made sure they would weld to both the side and bottom frames and the 'ummer' and that allows my entire design to cut as one piece once welded.

To weld I simple select the entire design > right click > weld. 

When I fill this with color again it's easy to see that the entire design has a single cut line around it. If it didn't, the area that was not welded would not fill in.

Finally, I do just want to show you what would happen if I had NOT made the frames a compound paths before welding them together and with the text. See the problem?!  And see why compound paths aren't just there to confuse you..they actually do serve a purpose. :)

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Thanks for coming to class today at Silhouette School.  If you like what you see, I'd love for you to pin it!