Cricut Ideas And Tips

I have always been a Cricut cutting machine enthusiast. Just when I thought things were as good as they can get, I get surprised with new options to create and do more with my cutter. The new Design Space for 2017 does not look like it will disappoint !

My journey with Cricut started with the impression machine which was the earlier version. It was exciting to be able to create and cut with that machine, but it seemed cumbersome to me. I used it with the the cartridges and had loads of fun creating and cutting. There was a computer program in that earlier version, but it was somewhat difficult to use. There were a lot of steps to create a single product.

Then they offered the Design Space and a new layer of paper crafting was born. Now I could not only use my cartridges, but there were images available that I could actually design my own projects with. Along came the Cricut Explore and a new world of paper crafting opened up. Now with my Explore, I could create even more projects. That's about when I really got excited about my Cricut experience.

Explore 2 made my crafting time smooth and easy ! It was built in blue tooth and was even faster than the previous machines. The Design Space 2 had even more options than before. Cricut now had a platform that was both easy to use and had the features to go beyond just a simple image.

Loading the new design space is very easy ! I did it under 20 minutes and it worked like a charm. If you already have the Cricut Design Space, you simply go onto the app and it will direct you how to load it. All you have to do is follow the prompts.

The first thing to say is that the program is 3 x faster than before. This is really exciting ! I can get more things done and faster.

One of the best features is the new catagories in the image library. You can still use the filter, as before, but when you go to insert an image, you will see new icons with new catagories that I are perfect to find just the right image. The images can be made larger for better viewing.

So there are specific categories as well as branded categories. You can find Disney, Anna Griffin, ect right there on one page.

In the Sync panel you can edit colors of images with a single click

You can actually purchase from Design Space. If you see an image that you like you can purchase it on the spot

If you simply wanted to load your own images and graphics, you most certainly can do that. And you will never pay a cent to use it. But most of us avid Cricut users, prefer to use Design Space membership.Design Space is only meant to be used with Cricut Explore and Cricut Maker.

Cricut Fonts-($6.99) -Unlimited access to 370 fonts. This is a great program for those who like to upload all thier images and projects. You can pay this yearly for $59.88.

Cricut Access Standard- ($9.99 month) You get over 30,000 images,370 fonts and 1,000 projects that are put together for your use.10% off purchases on Cricut.com and Design Space purchases. You can also purchase it as I do for $95.98 (which is only $7.99 month)

Cricut Access Premium-($119.88 per year.) You get all of the features of the Standard. Plus you get 50% off on digital images, fonts and cartridges.

No matter what Access Membership you chose, you also have the availability of special images for a very nominal fee.

There are also special fonts that are offered for a small fee.

If you are an access member, you will get 10% discount on any purchases and you own that image for life.

Here are a few terms and words that will help you navigate Cricut Design Space

• Arrange is your desk top or your work space. This is where you arrange images and text on your canvas
• Bleed is a function on your print and cut feature. when this fiction is turned on, means that your image in print has a little extra color around the edges. This function assures that there are no white edges when the image is cut.
• Canvas is the work area where you create your projects in Design Space
• Colorsync tool allows you to quickly and easily change the color of your project.
• Cricut Access is the Cricut Subscription service
• Cricut Fonts are the fonts that are created by the Cricut Designers.and are included with Cricut Design Space,
• Cut Files are any files that you can use to cut on the Cricut Design Space application. Mostly these are SVG files
• Fill refers to the color of your image. It can be a solid or a pattern
• JPG file is a type of image created with pixels. The simpler images in JPG will cut better. If a JPG file is multicolored, it will only cut as a single color in Cricut Design Space
• Images are anything that are seen on your canvas
• Mirror function refers to a function that is done in Prepare Screen after you hit the make it button. It generally is used for iron on vinyl. It is used to reverse the image so that when you place your iron on vinyl on the project face side down. the image and words will appear correctly.
• Position is where your image is placed on the canvas.
• Registration Marks is the black box around a print and cut image that you have printed. The Cricut will read those marks and cut out the borders of the image perfectly.

One of the new features of the Design Space 2.0 is the Canvas Panel. These are templates where you can place your designs on them to visuali9ze the final product. It also helps you size your images and your text to see exactly how it will look.

Canvas Tips

• When you’re working on the canvas, press the question mark on your keyboard and the keyboard shortcuts will pop-up.
• If you want to cut out two same projects and you forgot to duplicate it, you can just load a new mat with material, and it will cut again. You don’t even have to restart the project or click on the finish.

I have to say that I am not always a big enthusiast when it comes to home pages, but the new home page in the Cricut Design Space is well worth the look.

The first thing to notice is the project section. It is well designed with projects being organized by category. And the projects are viewed as well photographed images.

At the top of the home page is all of your projects that you have saved. This makes it easier to go back to a project that you may have started.

You can also search for a project on this home page. You can be very specific or just say the kind of project that you are looking for. The projects are a step by step guide that will show you all the materials and tools that are needed, any specific fonts, and any cost to the project over and above your subscription. But remember, any cost for an image will be at a discount and you will then own the image. It also gives step by step directions as well as a picture of the finished project. Perfect, especially for beginners.

On the Canvas Page, you will see three bars on the left side of the word Canvas at the top pf the page. Those three bars have information that is important to you. It also appears on all your other pages, so that you always can access the functions.

Click on the bars and you will see a drop down menu.

• Canvas- This allows you to go to the canvas page when you need to. The canvas page is where you create your projects
• New Machine Set Up-This is where you set a new machine up to your program
• Calibration-This is where you calibrate your printer to the Cricut for the Print Then Cut feature
• Manage Custom Materials-You can create your own custom materials . Click here to learn how
• Machine Firmware-Although many times when you sign in to Cricut Access, the program will often update itself, it is a good idea to hit this button to make sure that you have the latest update
• Account Details-This button will send you to the Cricut website where you can see information on your account settings
• Link Cartridges-On some machines you can still link your old cartridges. This function will allow you to do just that.
• Cricut Access-Allows you to see different options to the Access program and how your personal subscription is set up. From there you can view other options as well.
• Settings- Lets you see shared projects and your profile. You can also change the grid.save measurements and other options
• Legal-Sends you to a page where all the legal rights and restrictions for your Cricut Access and program are explained
• Country-Shows you the plan for the country you are in and allows you to see the options for those who live in other locations around the world.
• Help- This send you to a library of Cricut information and ideas
• Sign out -takes you out of the program

The top blue box allows you to search the specific item that you are looking for.

There is a totally new search function that comes up once you click images. There are general choices like free images, popular images, nature and more. You can however, request something specific like "Father's Day cards". If your search does not find what you need, try a variation.

Once you click a specific search such as "nature" you can refine your search to things like flowers or leaves. The filters are set up well.

The long left sided box is where you will find a lot of filters. These filters will help you find exactly what you are looking for faster. The filters include:

• Cricut Access
• Type
• Art Type
• Image Complexity
• Layers
• Ownership
• Brand
• Material
• Language

Each heading listed in the Smart Filter has 2 or more sub-filters to choose from. Simply click on the plus symbol to reveal each one.

Once you are on the Design Space page , you will see a menu on the left side of the screen. Here are what each of these buttons refer to:

• New-allows you to create new projects. It only allows you to do one project at a time. so if you are working on a project and want to move onto another, you will have to save the first project, because when you hit new again, the first project will disappear.
• Templates-You can use templates when you want to see how your project will look.That means that if you are using things like the curve feature, you can see what the project will look like when it is finished. There are all kinds of things to choose from like mugs, shirts, aprons and more. The feature is simply for viewing only.
• Projects-These are projects that have everything that you need to complete a project. All you have to do is select the project and then cut or edit and cut. You are ready to go in no time at all. The project will tell you what materials that you need and what images are used. If you do not have a Cricut Access subscription, some projects may have a cost. But there are plenty of free projects too. Even for those with Access Subscription there may be a cost for some images not included in your subscription. But from that time on, you will own that image. So I do nit find a problem with that.
• Images-Here is where you find all the images available. If you do not have a Cricut Access subscription, there may be some cost involved with some images. Images also show the images that you have downloaded. You can search for a particular item, or use the lists that are available on the page.
• Text- Whenever you want to create text, you will go here. After you create your text, you can change the font, resize it, curve it and change the color. You can use the tools in the top menu to make changes
• Shapes-Shapes are used to create your own projects. You can use them as they are or edit them There is also a score line that can be used to create a fold in a project. This area is perfect to create your own cards
• Upload-This the function where you can upload files that you have downloaded Image files can be jpg,gif, bmp., svg., or dfx files. The preferred file would be SVG files. SVG stands for Scalable Vector Graphics. Simply, it means that you can use the file to resize the image without losing quality.

The Font Menu in the newest version if Cricut Design Space is bigger and better than any previous version. The new font version is as big as your screen. So, it is much easier to read and chose the exact font you want. It shows you the name of the font and how it will look. Also, will tell you if it can just write, cut or both.

Your Cricut Design Space comes with free fonts. There are a lot of options with the fonts you have. Any fonts that have been loaded or come with your computer will show up in your Cricut Design program. There are also some fonts that you can purchase to add to your resources.

There are several free fonts that can be loaded into your computer. Select the ones you are most likely to use

This tool is used to align your images on your canvas so that the images in your project are lined up and spaced correctly

• Align Left-All the items selected will align to the left together based on the design that is furthest to the left.
• Center Horizontally – This will horizontally center all the items selected together. This works great when you have rows of text or graphics that you want to be perfectly centered with each other. I use this a lot when writing names vertically to align each letter perfectly.
• Align Right – All items selected will align to the right together based on the design that is futhest to the right.
• Align Top – T This will align everything that is selected to the top so that all items are aligned perfectly at the top.
• Center Vertically -This will center all the items selected together vertically. This is great when you have multiple features next to each other and want them all to be centered perfectly.
• Align Bottom – All items selected will align to the bottom. The lowest element determines where the bottom is.
• Center – This will center all items selected both horizontally and vertically. So the items will be centered perfectly on top of each other. This is useful when placing text over an image or inserting a monogram into an image.

The flatten tool is a tool that allows you to turn a multilayered image into a single layered image.

Svgs with multiple layers can be flattened into a single layered image which can be then used with the print and cut feature.

You can use this tool to make decals, stickers and more.

What Does The Flatten Tool Do?

• Changes multi layered images into a single layer
• Makes images available in the print and cut feature
• Removes all the cut lines from the image
• Retains all the different colors from the multilayered image.

How To Use The Flatten Tool

1. Select the layers you would like to flatten together by choosing the "select all" button.
2. When the layers are selected, click the flatten button in the bottom right hand corner.
3. The image is now flattened. In the layers panel, you will only see one layer and it will say " flatten"

The "print then cut feature" is one of my personal favorites in the Design Space program. The Print and Cut feature allow you to make any image, text or combination of the two in Cricut Design Space printable. This allows for multi layers of colors to quickly and easily be put together to create professional looking designs. It allows you to print an image on your home computer. Then the Cricut will cut around the lines of the image.

ANY image can be converted with the Print and Cut feature. You can use images and fonts found in Cricut Design Space or your own JPG, PNG, SVG and fonts you upload.

When you are uploading your own images (JPG and PNG files) you have the option to make them Print and Cut automatically. This is useful if you are uploading clipart, or images with lots of colors or multiple layers you want to print only.

Cricut recommends ONLY using inkjet printers with the Print and Cut feature. This is because the heat from a laser printer can ruin the material you’re printing on (i.e., printable vinyl, sticker paper, etic).

The Cricut Explore machines will only be able to use the Print and Cut feature with white materials. This is because the sensors on the machine can only read the registration marks on white backgrounds.

If you are using the Cricut Maker you can print on white or most other colors without any problems of picking up the registration marks. Note that black, dark blue or any other dark colored or patterned paper/cardstock will not be able to have the register marks picked up by the Maker

Materials You Can Use

• Paper
• Cardstock
• Sticker Paper
• Printable Vinyl

How To Do A Print Then Cut

1. You can find images that are printable by clicking on the filter icon. Then select the box marked printables.
2. Select the image of your choice (you will see a small printer icon on the image tile). Add it to your canvas.
3. Then select make it to Print Then Cut.
4. Your image will now appear on the Make It Page with the sensor markings on it. Hit the continue button.
5. On the next screen, select your machine from the crop down menu,
6. Then select Send to printer to continue the process.
7. Print the page on your printer.
8. Apply the printed page to your Cricut mat. Then feed it into your Cricut machine.
9. The machine then will automatically scan the sensor lines.
10. Then it will cut the image.

Tips For Print Then Cut

• All functions in the Print Then Cut function should be done at the same time to avoid any problems with the process.
• Always place the card stock or material in the upper left-hand corner of the mat. It should be placed right along the left sided margin on the mat. Make sure it is straight and contains no wrinkles. Placing it correctly will always allow the Cricut to read the sensor lines correctly.
• In order to use this function in IOS, make sure that your printer is Airprint capable.
• The Print Then Cut feature is not available in Android.
• When using print and cut, make sure there’s no direct sunlight/light falling on the machine as it can mess up with the sensor light and result in wrong cuts.
• If your print and cut isn’t coming out perfect, make sure you have calibrated your machine. If you’re still having issues, wipe the sensor with a clean, soft brush or a lint-free cloth.

The weld tool will be one of your most favorite tools in Design Space. This is really handy when working with fonts.

The weld tool enables you to take two designs and make them on, essentially welding them together.There is no seam or extra cut lines where they were joined. This tool is handy when you are creating your own unique designs. The weld tool is also used with fonts. When you create a word, there are fonts that are not automatically joined together. The weld tool enables you to join the letters together to create a word.

When you want to connect letters of a word to weld them. you must first ungroup the letters. Them you manually connect the letters and weld them together. There is one word of caution when doing this. Once you go in and ungroup and weld the letters together, you cannot go back and edit the word. So, check your spelling ahead of time to avoid frustration.

Another thing that you can do with the weld tool is to expand the designs. This is especially useful when you are using boarders.Often, especially with boarder patterns, they are limited in the length. You will want them longer. You could resize them, but you will lose the design features.

So what you can do is to duplicate the pattern and weld them together in the length that you need

How To Use The Weld Tool

1. Add Text. In the bottom left of the app screen select the Text button.
2. Choose a Font. Once your word is typed in, select the "font name" menu in the left corner.
3. Nudge the Letters Closer (optional) Some people like to nudge the letters closer together using...
4. Now select all the letters and hit the weld tool button

Tips For Welding

• Since you cannot “unweld” any object after you weld it, make sure you duplicate the object and hide it from the mat when cutting so you won’t have to restart the project.

The attach tool describes itself perfectly. It simply attaches two images together. These can be images or the letters in a word. Once you use the attach tool, all you will have to do is to weed out the unwanted portions be it vinyl or paper.

The attach tool helps you keep the spacing you set in your design and transfers that information when you make your actual cut.

• Use attach when you want the exact spacing and sizing as you set it up
• Use it to set text exactly where you want it on the project

How To Attach

1. Add all the elements that you want to cut
2. Add any text or scoring lines that you want to add
3. Organize the elements in the order and way that you would like to cut them
4. Click on the attach button

The group tool is used to group multiple layers, images or texts together.

Grouping is only used when moving, sizing, copying items in the design screen and does not translate to how a design is cut

You simply select the items that you would like to group and select the group tool

The contour tool is a handy tool that you should get very familiar with. This is a tool that helps you customize a SVG design from the Design Space files or any SVG file that you have uploaded.

Using Contour in Cricut Design Space makes it possible to hide different portions of a single image so you can customize Cricut Images even more!

You can find this tool at the bottom of the right-hand corner of the Design Space canvas just below the layers panel.

What does this tool do?

• You can use it to hide or remove lines from a design
• You can use it to delete any part of a design that you don't want
• Use it to change a single layer into multiple colors

Before you use the contour tool, you need to ungroup the layers of your project so that you can deal with one layer at a time.

You will need to select that layer to edit it.

• You can hide all the cut lines in the layer by using the Hide All Contour button.
• You can restore all cut lines in the layer by clicking Show All Contours.
• Hidden lines will appear as light grey. Remaining cut lines will appear as dark grey

• Once you have removed cut lines from within a layer, you can restore them again at any time by selecting the layer and clicking on the contour tool again.

The slice tool does exactly what it describes. It "slices" one image out of another. Anytime that you cut a project the left over pieces or piece, is called the "relief".The "slice tool enables you to take any design and make it your relief. It then allows you to layer it in an entirely different way to customize the project

• Use the slice tool to crop an image
• Use the slice tool to cut anything apart
• Use the slice tool to break apart a solid image
• Use the slice tool to make images lay flat
• .

Cricut pens are made to the specifics of your Cricut model either the Explore models or the maker. They are always inserted into the "A" slot (the left side slot as you are facing the machine)

As you are doing projects, when you need the pen, Design Space will always prompt you to place the pen into the slot.

When you insert the pen, make sure to use gentle pressure. The pen will actually click into place. For proper placement, the arrow on the pen should just hover above the top of the clamp. Make sure to close the clamp by pressing the door closed on the clamp. That way the pen will be locked in place for your project.

In the Cricut pen line, the colors are actually on the lid of the pen.

If you are doing a project that requires more than one pen color, especially those that require color change mid project, Design Space will let you know when the change is needed.

More Pen Tips

1. Use a rubber band or pencil grips around sharpies and gel pens, to attach them to the Cricut pen holder.

If you are using the Maker Cricut machine, you know that it can be tiring to have to go back over and over again to search for your favorite materials to cut.

Here is a time saver for your favorite materials:

1. In the materials list, select the materials that you most often use
2. Then choose "favorites" instead of popular
3. You will be left with a mini menu of your favorites

This is a complete time saver !

Sometimes, you may want to chose to do a cut not in the order that the machine places them.

So before you load your mat into your Cricut machine, manually select which mat you want to cut by clicking on the image of the mat on the left side of your screen. The machine will go right to that screen for the cut.

How To Re-Cut A Particular Mat

There are times when you may want to re-cut a particular mat, but not the whole project. You can do this, even if there is a click next to the mat saying that it is already cut. Just click on the mat picture that you want to duplicate and it will allow you to cut that mat again. Just make sure if you are using this feature to double check the image to assure that you have selected the exact mat that yu want to cut before you hit the go button.

There are times when I have felt that even with selecting a material setting that I did not get a clean cut. If you feel that you need to, you can adjust the settings for the depth of your blade, the blade itself and how many passes it makes.

1. On the cut screen you will have the option to set the materials (if you are using the Cricut Explore, use the custom button to get to the materials section )
2. Select browse all materials (small green letters at the top of the menu)
3. Down at the bottom in small green letters, it says "material settings"
4. From there, you can select any material and adjust the settings including how many passes it makes and the depth of each pass.

Circuit has gone wireless and now there is an I pad app ! This means that you can design from your Ipad and transfer your designs to your computer. I run my desktop on my older Explore and my IPad runs My Explore 2. I can do more projects faster running both machines.

One of the best features in the Cricut Design Space is the ability to upload images from other sources.

In the past, you had to upload files, now you can just drag and drop. This feature is going to save you a lot of time.

There may be times when you would like to move images to a different mat. And yes, it is totally possible. This can be done without having to go to the design canvas.

1. Click on the the three dots in the upper left hand corner of any image on your cut mat.
2. Then click on the "move to another mat "
3. Design Space will then give you the option of choosing which mat you would like to move it to.
4. You will then see the image on the mat you selected.

This is a great option that allows you to conserve materials.

Using the right blade and settings for your blades will make a better end result on all of your projects. Here are some tips to keep your blades at their best:

1. Use a new blade for intricate cuts to get the best result.
2. Keep separate blades for paper and vinyl because paper can make your blades blunt.
3. Clean your blade by punching it in and out of a ball of foil before starting a new cut to get the cleanest cuts possible.

   Just tear off a 12” sheet of aluminum foil, ball it up tightly, push the blade’s plunger down to expose the blade, and poke the ball about 40-50 times. Poking the pointy part of the blade into that foil ball will remove debris or oxidation that can build up on the blade and help it cut better.

Your mats are the cutting surface for your projects. You need the stickiness of the mat to hold your material while it is being cut. Otherwise, you are not going to get the results you want on your project. Here are some tips to help you keep your mats in working order and extend their lives:

1. Keep your mats covered with the plastic sheet all the time to prevent dust from getting on it.
2. Avoid touching your mat with your fingers as the oils on your fingertips can affect the stickiness of the mat.
3. Make sure you use the correct mat for your cuts. The purple or green mat should never be used for copy paper as it will be very difficult to take it off.
4. Never put tape around the edges of the mat as it can get stuck.
5. Some ways to get your mat sticky again is by washing it with a dishwashing liquid and wiping it off with non-alcoholic baby wipes. You can also use Zig Glue to get the mats sticky again. First, remove all the unwanted objects from the mat. Next, spread the glue on it and leave it overnight.
6. To avoid curling of the paper, pull your MAT away from the paper instead of the other way round. You can do this by placing the mat project side down and pulling it away. remove the mat from your material rather than remove your material from your mat. To do this, just flip your cutting mat over so it’s face down on your work surface, then gently bend your mat up and away from your material—this puts the force of the bend into the mat, which will bend right back, not your material. Often, your material will spring right off the mat for you!
7. Scrape your mats every time you cut a project! Use a scraper or an old credit or gift card to clean the little bits of paper left after every cut. If you leave those bits on the mat, it will cause the next project to fail.
8. Use a non-alcohol baby wipe to clean your mat. Wipe the mat down well and then allow it to cry for 10 minutes. The stickiness on the mat should renew.

• Always clean the surface with alcohol when applying the vinyl to objects like glasses.
• When creating iron-on or other vinyl projects, make use of the templates provided in the Design Space library. This will help you in figuring out the perfect size for the cut.

• To make the lines more visible, sprinkle a little baby powder or corn starch on your vinyl, then brush it in with a makeup brush (both of which you can get at the dollar store inexpensively).

  The powder goes right into the cut lines making them appear for you so you can weed better and faster! The powder wipes right off when you’re finished.

• Don’t throw the waste from HTV cutouts, instead, store them in a box for later use. You can always use them for small projects.

We hope that you have enjoyed this taste of what the Cricut Design Space is all about. We are not able to cover everything in one article. But we will be publishing more tips and ideas in the near future. I hear lots of people say that they got their Cricut but they keep it in the box. Most of that is feeling overcome by the Design Space program. Most of us have learned how to use the features in chunks at a time. And most of us are still learning. We hope that this information will help you move forward in your Cricut journey.