How to do a Hinge Lay with Vinyl

Let’s say that you just purchased the most adorable sign blank from the craft store and you cannot wait to apply the perfect vinyl design to it. Or maybe you have an intricate vinyl design that is large and you are a little unsure of how to apply it to your final product.

I’m here to show you a little technique called the hinge lay that will help make applying large designs easier!

There are just TWO tools required for the hinge lay method. These are two tools that are great to have in your craft room everyday anyway so you should already have them (if not, go get them now!)

The first is transfer tape. Find out more about transfer tape here.

The second is a squeegee, like this. This tool is commonly used by professionals who are putting wraps on vehicles or large signage on windows. It works great to help get rid of any air bubbles and help make sure you vinyl adheres correctly and smoothly.

Now that you have all your tools ready, let’s look at how to do a hinge lay!

Starting with your vinyl design (or sheet or vinyl if you are skinning something), take a strip of transfer tape and place it in the center. This creates a “hinge” which allows you to work with a smaller amount of vinyl.

Remove the backing from your vinyl on one half of your “hinge” and lay it on the other side like shown in the picture below.

Starting at your “hinge” (the transfer tape), use your squeegee to guide the vinyl to the opposite edge.

Once you have placed the vinyl on that side, you can remove the transfer tape from the middle and repeat the process on the other half of your “hinge.”