Tutorial: Opening a PDF file in Silhouette Studio (for Windows)
Update 02-08-2016: As with most software tutorials, they become outdated as new technology and updates come along. The tutorial below was written in 2012 using Silhouette Studio version 2. If you have Silhouette Studio Designer Edition (version 3 and up), please see this alternative video tutorial for opening PDFs in Silhouette Studio. No tracing required. If that doesn’t work for the PDF you are working with, you still have this secondary method below.
Original post:
Bullzip PDF Printer is a great program for Windows users of Silhouette Studio. Using Bullzip, you can (1) save a Studio file as another file type and (2) use this free program to turn a PDF into an image file for tracing in Studio. This tutorial shows how to save a PDF as an image file supported by Studio.
These instructions work for Windows 7 (and probably other operating systems) using Adobe Reader (as of July 2012):
1. Download and install Bullzip PDF Printer.
2. Open your desired PDF file in Adobe Reader.
3. Choose “Print” to open the print dialog box.
4. Select your printer as Bullzip PDF Printer.
5. Choose “Print”
6. In the “General” tab of Bullzip PDF Printer:
- Choose the Format: PNG (JPG works in Studio, too, but PNG files stay the correct size)
- Choose a file name and folder
- Click Save
7. In Silhouette Studio: Open (All Files), find it, choose “Open”
8. Trace as usual (“Trace & Detach” is my favorite option for tracing and separating multiple images from a single page)
Note: There are other PDF printer options out there, which should work in a similar way. Mac users have this option as a basic feature; no need for an external program.
That is great Kelly – much quicker than the tedious way I have been doing it. Hilary
Downloading it now as it is an easier way. Thanks for the link. Once in awhile I do find a PDF I would like to use in Studio.
how do you open in studio as it wont in mine..looking for a3 printer but thought this silhouette cameo would be useful…
You need Silhouette Studio Designer Edition or higher to open a PDF. Go to File > Open > (navigate to where your PDF is saved) and choose either the “Import as Vector” or “Import as Image” option. How it opens depends on how the PDF was created; sometimes it will only open as an image if it was not created as a vector by the author.
Thanks for much for this info. I've "pinned" your video on my Cameo Board.
Adding my thanks. Not that the zillions of files from the Silhouette Online Store could not satisfy for a lifetime; but it's nice to know that when we see a PDF we just can't live without, we can easily download in a way to let the machine do the work of cutting.
Ha! Ha! My thoughts exactly. I can't stop collecting files from the internet in whatever form, so I'm trying to get my Cameo to cut them all. So far so good!
Great tutorial. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks thats awesome and answers a lot of questions
Thank you so much for this usefull and easy to follow tutorial, Kelly!!! Just had to pin it 😉
I have Adobe Pro (which has an Adobe PDF printer) and can't seem to install the Bullzip PDF printer. 🙁 Great idea though for those who can use it. Thanks for the tutorial!
ty – very helpful
Hello!
I would like first to thank for that tip and also say that I did a PAP about it in Portuguese and posted on my blog today, at the end of the post I mentioned the claims citing the address of your blog that was where I saw the hint.
http://jannascrap.blogspot.com.br/2012/08/transformando-um-arquivo-pdf-para.html
Kisses and thanks,
Janaina
Thank you so very much, Kelly! 🙂 Appreciate your tutorials!
Thanks so much for the tutorial. I own a Mac and found out after a little google search that I can save the PDF as a PNG or JPEG using Preview.
Thank you for this video! You are talented!
OMG… it works!! I have a bunch of pdf files that have a pattern with pages of the pattern in different colors. I didn't know how I was going to use them.
Now I can save each current page as a png file (adding the color to the file name) and drag and drop it into the Patterns folder! The Patterns folder is picky and won't take a lot of file, but it takes these. Thank you, Thank you!!
Thank you so much this worked great
I do not have a general tab when I choose the bullzip printer
Maybe they have changed the options. Does it give you an option to save it in any format other than PDF? On my version of Bullzip those choices are just on the main tab when the program opens.
Hey girl! Great tutorial!! I would never have figured that out…..one question….if you are lacking a cut line, then how do you add one in….I am trying to cut out birthday invites and it didn't give me a cut line down the middle (two invitations printed on one 8.5 by 11 sheet).
Thanks!
Kristal
You can get cut lines by either tracing an image or by drawing your own. Depending on how you want to divide the invitations on your page, you may want to use either the Rectangle Drawing Tool or the Line Drawing Tool. When drawing a line in Studio, hold the Shift key down while dragging it out to get a perfectly vertical or horizontal line.
I hope that answers your question, Kristal!
Thanks for this tutorial. You also mentioned you can save Studio file as another file type.
How do you do this?
Send the Studio file to the printer, but choose Bullzip as your printer. When the dialog box pops up as to how you want it saved, choose PNG or JPG or PDF. (See step 6 above.)
Yes! I finally figured how to make the cut line a print line!!
Thanks
This is exactly what I was looking for! But…when I import the png to Silhouette Studio it is about 4×3 inches. How do I fix this?
Please disregard my previous comment. My pdf was smaller than 8.5×11. One question though, under Page Size and Handling, I see you had "Fit" selected. Does it make a difference if "Actual Size", or "Custom Scale 100%" is selected?
I usually just leave the default setting. The default below the "Fit" portion has a check box to let the PDF document choose the size. "Actual Size" might be a problem if it's an A4 paper and you use letter. 100% would probably be fine unless you've got the A4 vs. letter problem again.
In the end, probably all are fine since you have to trace the image once it's in Studio, anyways. You can resize it there to fit your printable page before tracing.
I hope that helps.
Hi Kelly I was able to follow directions 1-5. Where is the general tab button? Thanks
These instructions are 3 years old, so I will have to check to see if the Bullzip software has changed and get back with you. In my version those save options are on the main page that first shows up.
Linda, your comment led me to the realization that none of my YouTube video tutorials transferred over to this new website when I converted this weekend. I’ve added the video tutorial, so hopefully that will help. If you still have trouble, please let me know.
Hello, so I’m kind of new to the cutting files. But I sometimes purchase a cutting file and download it to my pc. I go to open it in my silhouette and it says that I cannot open this file. Please help!
Got a much better option for turning PDF’s into a format usable with Silhouette Studio. Inkscape (available free online) can open a pdf and save it immediately as a dxf file. Studio can open dxf files with cut lines already in place, no tracing necessary. Got so giddy when I discovered this trick, my husband thought I was drunk! lol
Thanks for pointing out another good option, Jessica! I’ve got an updated tutorial for Silhouette Studio DE version 3 and up. Silhouette Studio Designer Edition can now open PDFs with no tracing either! I’m adding the link to the bottom of my post.
Jessica, can you give step by step instructions? I’m having a hard time getting it figured out…
Hi Kelly- I am a mac user. I created artwork with cut lines and registration marks in studio designer edition …Saved it as a pdf so that I could send it to my professional printing company to print out (they can only print certain formats) and then I want to cut it on my cameo. Im concerned that it will not line up once I get the actual print out. Can I reopen the pdf in studio (the one I sent to my printer) and make new cut lines? THANK YOU
If you saved it as a Studio file with those registration marks, you should be able to put the PDF printout on your mat and open the Studio file that already has cut lines and send it to your Cameo.
The problems would be if (1) the printing company didn’t print it at exactly 100%, (2) you didn’t save the file in Studio format to be able to open the document with the cut lines, or (3) you made changes to the Studio document after saving it as a PDF.
If you do still have the Studio file, just send it to your machine with the printout on your mat and see if it reads the registration marks. If it reads the marks without failing, it should cut in the right spot. That is hopefully the end result if it was printed at 100% scale.
If you don’t still have the Studio file, that’s when you would turn to the PixScan mat to use the existing printout and create new cut lines. Good luck!