Best Adhesives for Die Cutting

You spent all that time finding the perfect die cut, selecting your materials and cutting out all the various layers. Now what? What are you going to use to adhere the layers together and add to your project?

There are so many adhesives to choose from and it is hard to know what will work best. Here is a quick review of the very best tried and true adhesives when it comes to adhering various die cut shapes. All the preferred brand products I list below are acid free and should be easily found at local craft stores or online for purchase using links provided.  But first, watch my video as I explain the different types of adhesive.  

Large Surface Die Cuts: (solid surface, little or no cut outs on them)                                   

• Glue Sticks – Select one that is tacky and not too waxy so the die cut stays stuck together *great for paper to chipboard

              Preferred Brands:  ThermoWeb Super Stik OR Tombow Glue Sticks 

• Tape Runners – Use Permanent Tape to make sure your die cut stays secure

              Preferred Brands: Tombow Mono Permanent Adhesive Tape Runner  and Refills OR Scotch ATG Gun with Permanent tape OR                                                                            Xyron 5″ Sticker Maker or Xyron 9″ Sticker Maker 

• Liquid Glues – Select a quick drying liquid glue, just use it sparingly and spread thin so you don’t get lumps as it dries on your project.

              Preferred Brands: Close to My Heart Liquid Glass OR Scotch Quick Dry Glue OR Inksentials Glossy Accents

Intricate Die Cuts: (lots of detail cuts within the shape)

• Glue Pens – liquid glue in a pen type shape easy to control when doing detail gluing

          Preferred Brands: Close To My Heart Bonding Memories Glue small chisel,  large chisel tip OR Zig 2 Way Glue Small Chisel or Large Chisel

Border Die Cuts: (long thinner shape)

• Double-sided Adhesive Tape – sticky tape on a roll that comes in variety of sizes and easy to cut to just the right length to fit border shapes along the edges to help stay put

              Preferred Brands: Scor Tape 1/4″ and 1/2″

• Tape Runners – Use Permanent Tape, and a tape runner with a 1/4” tape thread

              Preferred Brands: Tombow Mono Permanent Adhesive Tape Runner  and Refills OR Scotch ATG Gun with Permanent tape OR                                                                            Xyron 5″ Sticker Maker or Xyron 9″ Sticker Maker 

Extra Small Die Cuts: (little detail cuts that layer on the larger cuts like eyes, embellishments and fonts)

• Adhesive Dots – clear, circular adhesive dots in mini or small size

             Preferred Brands: Glue Dots Mini Sheets by Glue Dots , Glue Dots 3/8″ Sheets by Glue Dots OR Zots 3/8″ by Thermoweb

• Glue Pens – liquid glue in a pen type shape easy to control when doing detail gluing

              Preferred Brands: Close To My Heart Bonding Memories Glue small chisel,  large chisel tip OR Zig 2 Way Glue Small Chisel, Large Chisel

•  Tape Runner –  Use Permanent Tape to make sure your die cut stays secure

           Preferred Brand: Xyron “X” Machine 

3D Die Cuts: (Dimensional die cuts like boxes, bags and house shape, etc.)

• Double-sided Adhesive Tape – sticky tape on a roll that comes in variety of sizes and sticks better for projects that are handled more than flat pieces

         Preferred Brand: Scor Tape 1/4″or 1/2″

POP UP Die Cuts: (Any layer of the die cut you wish to pop up for more dimension)

• Foam Dots or Tape – double-sided sticky foam that adds height to image shape

          Preferred Brands: Close to My Heart 3D Foam Tape OR Forever in Time Foam Dots 1/2″  or Forever in Time Foam Squares 1/2″

COMPLETED DIE CUT LAYERS: (die cut layers are adhered together and now ready to attach to project base)

LIGHTER WEIGHT DIE CUT SHAPE – flat layers

• Tape Runners – Use Permanent Tape to make sure your die cut stays secure

              Preferred Brands:  Tombow Mono Permanent Adhesive Tape Runner  and Refills OR Scotch ATG Gun with Permanent tape OR                                                                            Xyron 5″ Sticker Maker or Xyron 9″ Sticker Maker 

• Adhesive Dots – clear, circular adhesive dots in small or medium size

             Preferred Brands: Glue Dots Mini Sheets by Glue Dots , Glue Dots 3/8″ Sheets by Glue Dots OR Zots 3/8″ by Thermoweb

HEAVIER WEIGHT DIE CUT SHAPE – dimensional layers, more embellished

• Double-sided Adhesive Tape – sticky tape on a roll that comes in variety of sizes and holds well to a project base

              Preferred Brand: Scor Tape 1/4″ or 1/2″

• Liquid Glues – Select a quick drying liquid glue, apply liberally and hold die cut in place for a few seconds to make sure it adheres well to surface of project

              Preferred Brands:  Close to My Heart Liquid Glass OR Scotch Quick Dry Glue OR Inksentials Glossy Accents

ADHESIVE REMOVER ERASER – helps remove excess tape, glue from projects

Preferred Brand:  Close To My Heart Rub & Remove Eraser

As you can see, there is a large variety of adhesives which can make adhering your die cuts a little easier and much more fool proof.

I know you will want to keep this info handy…so I am sharing this file with you… Best Adhesives for Die Cutting PDF (click to download) for you.  You are welcome ! All I ask is you subscribe to my newsletter (located at top right of the site) so you don’t miss any die cutting, classes or events.  

Until next time, Happy Die Cutting!  Debbie