How to Use the Sizzix Sidekick
The Sizzix Sidekick is a lightweight, compact, and extremely portable die-cutting machine that can use a variety of Sizzix and QuicKutz dies. This machine also features a vacuum sealing base, to ensure your machine stays firmly in place while you’re die-cutting!
How it works:
- Cut your paper down to 2½” wide and up to 13” in length to fit in the Sidekick machine.
- Hold the Sidekick down on a smooth, hard surface and rotate the left lever in the opposite direction until the tool is firmly vacuum sealed.
- Lay an acrylic cutting pad on the table, and place chosen die over it, with the foam side up. Do not place the die at the end of the cutting pad; instead, place it in the middle. If the die is too close to the edge, it will not feed through the machine properly and you could end up breaking your machine!
- Lay a piece of paper over the die, pattern or “right” side down. This is especially important when cutting letters—if you insert paper incorrectly, your letter will come out backwards! Just remember, the correct side of the paper should always be touching the foam.
- Lay a second acrylic cutting pad over the paper, creating a sandwich.
- Insert the sandwiched layers into the opening in the center of the machine. Rotate the handle until the layers have passed all the way through to the opposite side. If your handle does not rotate easily—stop! Forcing the handle may break the machine. Instead, check to make sure everything is layered together properly, and then try again.
- Remove the cutting pads, die, and paper. Punch out the die-cut image.
Click below to see how to use other die-cutting systems!
Plus, click here to see which dies go with each die-cutting machine!