Putting Vinyl on Wine Glasses: 7 Tips for Success

Putting vinyl on wine glasses and other curved glassware is something that many Silhouette crafters struggle with.

Today I'm going to share 7 tips for adding vinyl to wine glasses so it's straight.

Tips for Adding Vinyl to Wine Glasses

First things first: pick the right design. You want the Silhouette design to be the right size. If it's too big you will definitely have trouble getting it straight on the glass so I say simple and small-er are best.

If you are adding a monogram to a glass I find it easiest to cut each letter separately instead of welding them together for this very reason. Smaller designs are easier to position without wrinkling, bubbling, and warping.

I was making glasses for a friends for a girls' weekend.  She originally asked for a multi-line "Keep Calm and Drink Wine with Your Besties" saying on each glass.  Her other idea was #Forever39.

I immediately thought the suggestion of the Keep Calm phrase would be too big of a design.  Sure it can be done, but I didn't want to set myself up for a disaster knowing that the #Forever39 option she liked just as much and would be a lot less stressful!

Best Vinyl for Wine Glasses

Use the right vinyl. You want to cut on permanent adhesive outdoor vinyl like Oracal 651. This vinyl can withstand washing (by hand). It has a stronger adhesive on the back to give it a better stick which is ideal for smaller designs.  I'd recommend either a pack of Oracal 651 vinyl from Amazon or Swing Design - but check the prices!

Cut your design, weed, and then get ready to apply the vinyl to the wine glass.

But before you do, fill the wine glass with water.  I filled mine about half way...but how much water you use all depends on where you want your design placed.  The water line is a guaranteed straight line of reference.  I usually use painters tape, but on a wine glass there's risk it would not be level because of the slightly conical shape of the glass.

Use clear transfer tape to move your design from the vinyl backing to the glass.  Use the least amount of tape as possible. So cut the tape and the backing down as close to the vinyl as you can before peeling off the tape to transfer it to the glass.

Place the middle of the design down on the glass first lining up the bottom edge with the water line (left below).  Then work out from one side to the other making sure the bottom of the design is always level with the water line. (I apologize, in advance, for the really bad picture...)

If you're having trouble with the design curving up or downwards slightly, use scissors to clip up into the transfer tape being careful not to cut the vinyl.  This just gives you a little wiggle room allowing the design to bend slightly back towards the water line.

When the entire design is on the wine glass, carefully remove the transfer tape and burnish the vinyl down again with a Silhouette scraper.

If you are doing more than one wine glass, pour all of the water into the next wine glass. This will ensure that all of the designs on every wine glass are in the same spot (so long as you don't spill any water while pouring)!

And yes, I add my "PS Hand Wash Only" stickers, made with my Silhouette and white sticker paper to all wine glasses with vinyl to remind people they're not dishwasher safe. Read the Silhouette Sticker 101 tutorial

Update: if you just watched my Facebook Live on putting vinyl on wine glasses, you can download the free (Don't) Stop Whinin' Silhouette design here.


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