Preventing folder lines - Cuttlebug Users

Yesterday I experimented with eliminating border folder lines using my Big Shot. I thought that the same thing could be done using the Cuttlebug. Here's what worked for me and my machine. Keep in mind that machines can vary and some rollers are "tighter" than others, so if a "sandwich" is not rolling through easily, don't force it. You don't want to end up with a broken Cuttlebug. Just try a thinner sandwich.

The usual combo for using embossing folders is: plate A, plate B, cardstock inside the embossing folder, plate B. Since I'm using craft sticks which are fairly thick, I eliminated one of the B plates. Here's how I set things up.


I didn't use the bottom B plate. I put the folder and cardstock directly on top of plate A. I placed the craft stick on top of the border and topped that off with plate B.


Here's a closer look at how I placed the craft sticks. They're covering the design, but are well inside the edges of the folders. That's the important part. No pressure on the edges means no folder lines. I also want to point out how the two standard sizes of craft sticks work quite nicely with the sizes of these new embossing borders.


This shows how it turned out. Well, at least how it turned out after three passes. As I've said before, it's best to start thin, so since I didn't get a good impression the first time, I added a Cuttlebug packaging shim (It was handy. Go figure. LOL!). I ended up adding a second shim to get the result that is pictured above--a nice crisp emboss with no lines.

By the way, I tried using plate A with plate C (Plate C is thicker than plate B and I thought it might eliminate having to use the shims.), but this combo was too thick to put through easily.

So, I offer this up as an option for Cuttlebug users who are noticing those bothersome border folder lines and don't want to have to cover them, cut them off, or hide them with a score line. Just eliminate them from the start. :-)

Addendum (since there seems to be renewed interest in this post): You might be interested in peeking at a post that I made more recently which recaps many of the items that I've used for both eliminating folder lines and for selective embossing: About all of this Cuttling. Just FYI. :-)