Roland BN-20A and VersaWorks Tutorials and Tips

If you're just getting started with the Roland BN-20A Ecosolvent printer or if you're considering buying an ecosolvent vinyl printer this is a great place to start.

I have put all of our resources and information on the Roland BN-20A in one spot so you can easily find what you're looking for whether that's the best Roland BN-20A Bundle or tutorials and videos. If you have a Roland BN-20, you may also find these resources helpful as the two Roland print and cut machines are nearly identical.

NEW: In September 2023, Roland launched the Roland BN2-20 and BN2-20A models with a complete re-design and 25 new features and changes. You can learn about the Roland BN2 upgrade model here.

Roland BN2-20, roland bn2-20a, differences between roland bn2 and bn-20

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Wondering if Silhouette Studio can be used with Roland BN-20A? I'm happy to say YES!! After weeks of testing and re-testing I have unlocked a way to use Silhouette Studio Business Edition to add Roland Versaworks cut contour lines so you don't need to learn or purchase any other software! Go straight from Silhouette Studio to Versaworks if you want.

Best Roland BN-20A Printer Bundle

The best Roland BN-20A Bundle is the one that has everything YOU need to get started and is within your budget.

The Roland BN-20 A does not include inks out of the box, so I would suggest you get a BN-20A bundle that includes inks - which Swing Design offers.

If you want to ensure you don't run out of inks in the middle of the job, you might even consider the bundle with double ink.

I would also suggest a stand for the Roland print and cut machine. This Roland BN-20A bundle includes both the inks and the stand.

To get started, you might also want to pick up a sample pack of Roland media and material.

Best Software to Use with Roland BN-20 and BN-20A

The Roland BN-20 and Roland BN-20A run off Roland Versaworks software which is included with the ecosolvent printer and cutter. And as I mentioned while there are a handful of different design softwares for designing and adding contour cut lines - you can use Silhouette Studio Business Edition!

That's right you can pretty much do everything except send to print to the Roland BN-20A right in Silhouette Studio. This avoids you needing to buy or learn more software.

There are of course other options as well for adding adding contour cut lines for Versaworks which are Adobe Illustrator (subscription-based software), Affinity Designer (one time paid software $55), and Corel Draw.

Coming from Silhouette, my personal preference is to do all of my designing in Silhouette Studio Business Edition where I am most comfortable, exporting as an PDF, and then opening directly in Versaworks. If you'd rather use a different software, the second option I would suggest would be to export from Silhouette Studio as an SVG and import to Affinity to quickly add the cut lines.

I have a whole series on how to create contour cut lines that can be used for Roland that will take the trial and error (and frustration) out of this process.

Roland BN-20A Tutorials

The Roland BN20A print and cut machine definitely has a learning curve, but these free Roland BN-20A tutorials should help you get started.

Roland BN-20A Setup Tutorials

Roland Versaworks and Cut Line Software Tutorials

Roland BN-20A Material-Specific Tutorials

Roland BN-20A Printer Videos

I also have a series of Roland BN-20A videos on Youtube and will continue to add more.

Learn how to use Roland BN-20A and the Versaworks software! Coming from the vinyl and HTV world and want to expand into ecosolvent printing with a print and cut machine? Need a solution because sublimation can't do darks or cotton? Just jumping right in to expand or start a vinyl business at home?

This Roland BN-20A playlist will help get you started and troubleshoot so you can get printing and start making money making white toner transfers!

Be sure to subscribe to the Silhouette School Youtube channel and follow the Roland playlist so you don't miss any.

What Can You Do with the Roland BN-20A?

Below is a gallery of projects and ideas for ways to use the Roland BN-20A. You can click any of the images to find a tutorial.

Best Place for Full Color Images for Roland BN-20 and VersaWorks

Not a designer? Let So Fontsy do the designing for you...thousands of ready to print full color digital images and art for Roland BN-20 all with the free commercial use license.

2 comments

AmyLynnFebruary 6, 2022 at 7:14 AM
Where to buy media for planner stickers? What paper should we get if looking for matte sticker paper?

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