Creating perfectly cut edible toppers is one of the easiest ways to elevate your cakes, cupcakes, biscuits, and drinks from homemade to professional quality. Whether you print your own edible images or purchase pre-printed designs, clean and accurate cutting makes a huge difference to the final result.
In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how to use the EPS Adjustable Circle Cutter, including setup, cutting techniques, expert tips, and common mistakes to avoid - so you can achieve flawless edible toppers every time.
Why Precision Cutting Matters for Edible Toppers
Neatly cut edible toppers instantly improve presentation and consistency across your bakes. Poorly cut edges can make even high-quality designs look unprofessional. The Adjustable Circle Cutter is also quicker and far more versatile than using scissors or individually sized craft punches etc. With one cutter you can cut any sized circle topper from 1inch to 6inch.
Using a dedicated adjustable cutter helps you:
- Create perfectly round toppers every time
- Maintain consistent sizing across batches
- Save time compared to cutting by hand
- Reduce waste and printing errors
- Improve efficiency for cake businesses
For decorators producing toppers regularly, investing in the right cutting tool is essential.
Watch: How to Cut Edible Toppers with the EPS Adjustable Circle Cutter
What Is the EPS Adjustable Circle Cutter?
The EPS Adjustable Circle Cutter is a versatile cutting tool designed specifically for edible image materials. Unlike fixed-size punch cutters, it allows you to cut circles ranging from 1 inch to 6 inches, making it suitable for everything from cupcake toppers to large cake decorations.
Key Features
- Adjustable diameter (1"–6")
- Compatible with icing sheets, wafer paper, and wafer card
- Built-in measurement scale for accuracy
- Push-button rotation system
- Heavy-duty handle for thicker materials
- Spare blades stored in the base
This flexibility makes it ideal for cake decorators who need multiple topper sizes without buying several cutters.
Materials You Can Cut
The adjustable cutter works with:
- Icing sheets (with or without backing)
- Wafer paper
- Wafer card
- Cardstock and craft materials such as vinyl (for non-edible projects)
For best results, always ensure edible ink is fully dry before cutting to prevent smudging.
Step-by-Step: How to Use the EPS Adjustable Circle Cutter
Follow these simple steps to cut clean, professional edible toppers.
Step 1: Prepare Your Edible Designs
Before cutting:
- Arrange your topper designs onto your document in your chosen size. We recommend using Canva to design your edible toppers, as it's easy to use, has a good range of settings and you an easily size your toppers. See our Canva Tutorial on How to Create Edible Toppers in Canva for more help with this.
- Add a faint circular guideline around each design (especially for logos or white backgrounds). If the background is full-colour, you can just make the toppers slightly bigger and use the outer edge as your guideline.
- Print your edible topper designs onto your chosen edible paper at 100% scale/borderless (this is important to make sure the toppers print in the exact size!)
- Allow prints to dry completely before cutting and handling.
Pro Tip: Design your circles about 1 mm larger than the final size to allow for minor alignment adjustments.
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Examples of topper designs with a circular guideline and with a full colour background.
Step 2: Adjust the Cutter Size
- Twist the white tube anticlockwise slightly to loosen the positioner - be careful not to twist too far to prevent this piece from coming apart.
- Slide the positioner along the ruler scale to the desired size. Ensure this is the exact size you want your toppers to be.
- Tighten the positioner securely, checking it is aligned with the exact size needed.
Important: Always adjust the size before extending the blade.
Step 3: Extend the Blade
Twist the grey top section until resistance is felt.
Important: Do not over-tighten - this can damage the mechanism or blade.
Step 4: Line Up the Cutter
- Use the circle guide measurements on the cutter to select the correct size circle guide to use.
- Place the cutter over your printed sheet and align the circular guide on the cutter with the printed guideline around your topper or the topper edge.
- If your guidelines/circle edge is slightly bigger than the topper size you want, you will need to make sure circular guide is just inside the printed guideline or topper edge.
Important: using the centre point to line up the cutter is not the most accurate, we always advise using the circular guide lines to line up with the edge of your topper. The line is exactly where the blade will cut, so make sure it is just within your guideline.
Step 5: Apply Pressure and Rotate
Hold the cutter steady with one hand and use the other hand to:
- Rotate using the push button or
- Attach the heavy-duty handle over the postioner for thicker materials and rotate using the handle
Apply gentle downward pressure while rotating in a full circle. Once complete, lift the cutter to reveal a cleanly cut topper.
Top Tip: You will need to rotate your sheet between cuts to ensure there is enough paper under your supporting hand to hold both the cutter and sheet in place.
Step 6: Remove the Toppers
Cut all toppers on the sheet first before removing them from the plastic backing if using icing sheets. If cutting wafer paper or card, you can remove the toppers as you cut, but make sure to rotate your sheet to stop it from slipping and bending when cutting he rest of the sheet.
Using the Cutter for Different Topper Sizes
Small Toppers (1 - 2.5 inches)
Ideal for:
- Cupcakes
- Cookies
- Drink toppers
The push-button rotation usually provides enough control for cutting smaller toppers.
Large Toppers (3 - 6 inches)
Best for:
- Celebration cakes
- Biscuit toppers
- Bento Cakes
Use the heavy-duty handle for smoother rotation and consistent pressure when cutting bigger toppers.
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Expert Tips for Perfect Results Using the Adjustable Circle Cutter
✔ Always Cut on a Protective Mat
A self-healing cutting mat protects surfaces and keeps blades sharper for longer.
✔ Use Guidelines for White Designs
White backgrounds can make alignment tricky — faint printed circles improve accuracy.
✔ Keep Sheets Flat
Apply pressure with your free hand to stop slipping while cutting.
✔ Replace Blades Regularly
Dull blades cause tearing instead of clean cuts.
Spare blades are stored underneath the cutter base for easy access and can be purchased separately.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Adjusting the cutter with the blade extended
This can damage the cutter and pose a safety risk as blades are sharp. Always adjust the cutter with the blade fully retracted. - Cutting before ink dries
Leads to smudged images. Always leave your edible images to dry for at least 30 minutes before cutting. - Skipping a cutting mat
Blunts blades quickly and may damage work surfaces. Always use a quality self-healing mat like the A3 Cutting Mat from EPS. - Peeling toppers too early
Can cause the sheets to crumple underneath the cutter when cutting adjacent toppers. Always cut out all toppers before removing from the plastic backing sheet. - Misaligning the cutter
Use the circular guides to accurately line up the cutter with the outer edge of your toppers - make sure you know the exact size you want to cut so you can use the correct corresponding size circle guide. - Allowing the sheet to slide underneath the cutter
Make sure to rotate your sheet between cuts making sure to have enough of the remaining uncut sheet under your supporting hand to stop it moving when rotating the cutter. - Blade and positioner coming loose
When adjusting the size of the positioner you only need to loosen it slightly to allow it to slide up and down the scale. It can help to have your cutter flat on a surface to prevent it coming apart. If the positioner comes apart you will need to screw it back together ensuring the rectangle base fits in the underside of the scale. - Cutter is not cutting all the way through or leaving edges rough
Check the blade has been fully extended, there should be resistance when the grey part of the positioner is twisted fully. If you have been using the cutter frequently you may need to change the blade. The cutter comes with 3 spare blades which can be found under the rubber base, and more can be purchased separately.
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We highly recommend familiarising yourself with the mechanisms of the Adjustable Circle Cutter, watching our YouTube video tutorial and practising on regular paper or card before trying it out on your edible designs. Hopefully this guide should provide you with all the guidance you need, but if you do have any more questions or need further support, our team would be happy to help! Email sales@edibleprintsupplies.co.uk and someone will get back to you shortly.