DIY laptop skin without sticker paper

Its always fun to add a little personality and customization to the electronic devices we use every day. This customization is easy with colorful laptop decals. And why buy something when you have a Cricut and can quickly and easily make your own custom laptop skin at home? In this tutorial, youll see how simple it is to make your own DIY laptop decal with Cricut.

In this post, I provide several free original designs that you can use with Cricuts print then cut and customize right in Design Space. But, I also want you to know that it is simple to make your own in Procreate!

Printable Vinyl vs. Sticker Paper

For this project, you need to use Printable Vinyl. Its made of a different material than paper-based sticker paper that is easier to peel off and reposition. No one wants a laptop decal that isnt removable or damages the surface of their tech!

Not sure if you want to put printable vinyl on your laptop? You could try a scrap of vinyl or a small vinyl decal on the bottom of your laptop first. But I tested the removability and had zero issues when I used the printable vinyl.

But to be totally transparent I did not test this with other laptop models- just the MacBook air and the Macbook pro that I had available.

Clear vs. White Printable Vinyl

For silver laptops, I recommend clear printable vinyl. For dark laptops, use the white printable vinyl in either Matte or Glossy. In the free design zip files for this project, I have regular and dark options.

The difference is that the dark designs are meant to be used with the white printable vinyl- and dont have a border around the sticker. Its a little cleaner look, and you wont seem like you have a giant sticker on your machine as much as you have a decal [or skin].

A Quick Tip for the Sticker Seller

If you make stickers and want to expand your product line, this is a great option as the technique is pretty much the same as making stickers. The only differences are the size of the sticker and the material youll print on.

Watch the Video on YouTube!

If you prefer video tutorials I do have this posted on my Well Crafted Studio YouTube channel with other great Cricut tutorials. Check the playlists for Sticker or Procreate tutorials too!

Do You Need a Cricut to Make a Laptop Decal?

Not for this tutorial. You can print your design straight from Procreate as a PDF and use a pair of scissors.

BUT if you have a Cricut youll get the best results, and I think the rounded edges are a really nice professional-looking finishing touch.

How to Make a Laptop Decal with Cricut

Directions to DIY a Laptop Skin with Cricut

Step One: Upload the Design from the Free Library

Open up the Creative Resource Library.* Scroll down until you reach Printable Art and Stickers. We want Purpose Laptop Skin.Click on the link to download. Double click or click and hold for options and choose to save to downloads. Open the zip file.

Note: You can use your own images if you have Adobe Creative Cloud, Procreate, or another design program. You could even just draw something and take a photo of it to make your own custom laptop skin. I love that! My free designs are there to give you an easy way to follow the tutorial and get something youll love.

*For Access to the Library, Youll Need the Password. Youll get that instantly when you sign up through one of the opt-ins on this page.

Step Two: Open a New Canvas and Upload the Design

Open up Cricut Design Space for desktop and choose New Canvas. Click the Upload option from the toolbar on the left side of the web page. Choose Browse. This should open up your files on your computer.

For this tutorial, were going to select the Purpose Laptop Skin PNG design OR the Blank Laptop Skin PNG design. BUT I do have several different designs for you to choose from in my Free Library!

Choose Complex when asked, the Continue.

Skip the Clean-up page, and then Save as a Print then Cut file.

This will add it to your Uploaded Images. Click to Select it, and then tap Insert Images in the bottom right corner. Now youll see it on your canvas.

Size Three: Size to Fit Your Laptop

First, be aware that the MAX you can print then cut with a Cricut is 6.75 x 9.25. I found that I didnt need my design to be larger than that for my MacBook Air [I also tested this with a MacBook Pro]. You can change the size in the top toolbar.

Then, youll need to know how big the cover of your laptop is. Use a ruler. If you think youd like your skin to be smaller than the 6.75 x 9.25 then youll need to adjust the size. IF youd like to change the constraints a little you can. To do this just Unlock the little lock icon above Size in the top toolbar. Then type in your height and width.

Step Four: Add Your Own Text [optional]

Click on the Text icon in the side toolbar. This opens up the Text Panel. Type in the text youd like and then position it as desired on the mat. Change the fonts/size as desired.

In my tutorial, for my text Live Im using the Cherry Lemonade font which is a Cricut font.

Note: I like to do one word at a time so that I have the option to change up the size/font/ kerning for each word individually. These are options in the top text panel. If you are using a cursive font you can ungroup the letters and move them together, then Weld them together if you were doing a cut. For print then cut it wont really matter as we Flatten the design.

Once youve got everything the way youd like select all the text and Attach. Then Select All, go to Align>Center, and then Flatten. This action can be undone. But its essentially telling your machine that you want it all to be a single print then cut.

Save your project and then hit Make it!

Step Five: Print It

Load your Printable Vinyl into your printer.

On your screen, youll see a print box- toggle off bleed. Then, if you want to use your printers dialog box, toggle on System Dialog*. Hit Print.

This will open the System Dialog behind your screen. So you will have to minimize your Design Space menu in order to see the printer options.

* I prefer to use the System Dialog option so I can choose if I want to use my Main Tray or Rear Tray option on my Canon Crafters Printer. I love having the option of putting my thicker papers like cardstock and thick sticker paper through the rear-feed so they dont get stuck inside the printer.

You do NOT have to have a printer like this to do this project. Wondering about the Quality option? I leave it at the default but you can experiment to find a setting you like best.

Step Six: Seal Your Design [optional]

Most printable vinyl is already water-resistant or waterproof by nature. The ink is absorbed into the vinyl and is somewhat protected from normal wear and tear. However, many people now use their laptops in all kinds of spaces other than just a desk in an office.

This means the laptop is getting pulled in and out of bags, having things stacked on top of them, or exposed to other actions which could scratch the surface of your vinyl laptop skin.

SO if I were to sell these, I would be sure to seal the ink.

I tried Krylons Crystal Clear and Mod Podges Acrylic aerosol sealers because I already had them. I really liked the results, and that its pretty much invisible. Lots of people also recommend Krylons UV Sealer.

For more on creating waterproof and more durable stickers, check out this post by Royal Elements, Waterproofing, Laminating, and Creating Extra Durable Stickers.

Important! If you do decide to seal your work be sure to read the manufacturers directions and use the proper safety measures!

Step Seven: Cut the Printable Vinyl

Place your printed image on your Light Grip Cutting Mat as shown on the Mat Preview Page. Press down firmly or use a brayer.

Choose Premium Vinyl from the material settings and then Load your mat. Follow the prompts on your machine- insert your fine point blade, and then press the blinking Go [C] button. When its finished check to make sure it cut cleanly through the vinyl and THEN Unload your mat.

This is for a kiss-cut that leaves the backing paper intact vs. a die-cut that cuts through the backing.

Note: IF you check before you unload the mat then you have the option of repeating the cut by pressing the Go button again. So make this a habit!

About Material Setting: I found that the Printable Vinyl and Premium Vinyl settings were the same. Both have a pressure of 107 and are one pass. I needed 2 passes to cut through the Printable Vinyl that I was using. BUT your experience may differ if youre using a different type of printable vinyl.

Step Eight: Trim the Sheet

Using a small page trimmer or a guillotine cutter trim off the black lines. OR as an alternative, you can just pull the excess vinyl off of the backing paper and discard it.

Having a little bit of the baking paper as an edge will give your sticker a nice presentation if you plan to sell them.

Step Nine: Apply Your Art to the Laptop

Make sure your surface is clean and free of lint. I used an alcohol-based wipe to do a quick once over and then let it dry before I applied my laptop skin.

On a short edge trim the backing paper flush to the decal, or bend it back like I did in the video.

Center your design on the laptop cover. Either put a piece of tape on the trimmed side of your design. This creates a hinge.

Lift the top of the printed vinyl sheet and then start to roll back the backing paper.

Use the old rewards card as an application tool to smooth the vinyl towards you. Start in the middle and smooth out to the designs edges as you slowly pull towards you. Pay attention and push any air bubbles from the center to the edges.

Note: I dont use transfer tape to apply my laptop skins but you certainly could do that and it might be easier to position the design just right.

Important: When I used my Cricut hard edge scraper it pushed the bubbles too aggressively and they ended up popping. NOT what you want to have happen to your project!

Nervous? Dont be! Because were using Printable Vinyl not sticker paper youll be able to peel up and reposition your decal if needed.

This also makes removal at a future date super easy.

This is a MAJOR advantage to using printable vinyl. vs. clear sticker paper. Clear sticker paper would just tear.

Woohoo! Youve Learned How Easy it is to Make a Laptop Skin with Cricut!

Now that youve tried this design, and seen how easy it is, you might want to create your own design in Procreate. I have several tutorials on using Procreate here on the blog, as well as on my YouTube channel.

Its so super simple- just create a design, round the corners, and then export as a transparent PNG!

Whats Next?

Now that youve learned how to make the laptop decal, maybe you want to try making a cell phone skin. Or maybe decorate your phone case, or make trackpad decals. Cute little decals for your AirPods case would be super fun too!

AND if youd like more printable vinyl projects you may want to check out my post, How to Make Engraved Photo Ornaments. In it I use printable vinyl on metal flashing to make super cute personalized Christmas ornaments.

Love this? Share it!

If you found this tutorial fun or helpful I would LOVE to have you share it on social media! You can do that with the icons below OR by saving the image below to your Pinterest page! It really helps me grow my business.

Id also love to have you tag #wellcraftedstudio on Instagram if you tried any of our diy projects and show me what you made!

And dont forget to check out MORE of my Cricut sticker tutorials. ️

Thanks for checking out this tutorial on how to make a laptop decal with Cricut!