A to Z of Cricut: Tips, Tricks, and Hacks!

Your Cricut is a lot greater than a machine that you could make T-shirts with. With an ever-growing checklist of design options and machine capabilities, your Cricut machine can assist you to craft nearly any challenge.

Fan of video tutorials? On this A-Z video from the Envato Tuts+ YouTube channel, I will clarify some important options and offer you a number of the greatest Cricut suggestions and methods that every one the professionals use.

What You may Study in This Cricut Tutorial

• What blades you should utilize together with your Cricut machines
• What number of options work in Cricut Design Area
• Some useful Cricut Design Area suggestions
• What merchandise you should utilize together with your Cricut machines
• And far more!

A is for Connect

The Connect characteristic might be one of the vital vital ones, so this is among the most useful Cricut Design Area suggestions. This characteristic might be the factor most individuals have issues with at the start of their Cricut journey.

It means that you can design no matter you need in your canvas and lower precisely what you’ve got designed as you see it on the canvas. As you possibly can see beneath, the design is full on the canvas, but it surely is not hooked up. 

You will want to verify to Connect the identical colors collectively that you just need to lower, in an effort to hold them in precisely the identical place that they’re at present in.

If you happen to do not connect, then whenever you go to the Make It panel, you will notice one thing just like the beneath instance. All the objects that you’ve in your canvas will likely be lined up in separate items because the software program tries to optimise area utilization in your media.

B is for Bookmark Fonts

With so many superb fonts to select from on Envato Components and sifting via the entire fonts that I’ve on my pc already, discovering the precise font that I need to use for my challenge is typically a tough factor for me to do. So once I’m ready to make use of this characteristic to Bookmark my favorite fonts, I most undoubtedly do. You possibly can bookmark fonts that you’ve put in in your pc by merely urgent the little banner button on the right-hand facet of the font’s identify.

While you need to discover these fonts once more, simply click on on the Bookmarked Fonts tab on the right-hand facet subsequent to System, and all your favorite fonts will likely be proper there ready for you!

C is for Contour

The Contour characteristic is the kind of characteristic that you’ll use to take away sure elements of a single-layer primary lower design. You too can use this characteristic to separate a design right into a multi-layer design so that you could lower each bit with a distinct color.

This characteristic is especially helpful for initiatives that you just need to layer in several colored vinyls as you don’t want to connect the items that you’ve separated out as they’re already in a single piece, making it a lot simpler to line up the items as soon as every thing has been lower.

D is for Deep Reduce Blade

The deep lower blade is among the many extra blades that you could purchase for the machine that can lower thicker however not essentially more durable supplies. It should lower issues like craft foam, some leathers, and a few varieties of fake leather-based.

This blade and housing aren’t appropriate with the positive level blade housing because the precise deep lower blade holder itself is barely shorter to permit for greater clearance of the thicker supplies. 

E is for Exterior Designs

You possibly can very simply obtain tons of of exterior designs from Envato Components and add them into Cricut Design Area so that you could lower, draw, and even print then lower together with your machine. I usually run to Envato Elements to search out the design I need, as they’ve so many unimaginable designs and graphics that you could obtain below one month-to-month subscription (which has no lock-in contracts, and you may cancel at any time, by the way in which!) and add into Cricut Design Area, utilizing the SVG, JPG, or PNG file. 

F is for Flatten

The Flatten characteristic is one which you’ll use with print then lower if you wish to print one thing in your printer and have your Cricut lower it out. You’ll must make it possible for no matter you will have designed in your canvas has been utterly flattened right into a single layer in the event you solely need to lower the define. So it is advisable choose the entire layers, right-click, and Flatten the design (or click on Flatten on the bottom-right of the display screen). 

You do must make sure that you don’t have every other layers like a primary lower layer if you find yourself working with print then lower, as any of your layers that you just do have can have lower strains across the edges, which can have an effect on how your finish sticker will look.

G is for Group

The Group characteristic is one thing that you’ll use to maintain your components collectively in your canvas while you’re working in your challenge. With it, you possibly can simply organise or transfer your challenge round on the canvas, however not have them keep collectively on the Make it panel. This is among the important Cricut suggestions for rookies.

This characteristic differs from “Connect” as you possibly can group a number of layers collectively, however they won’t lower within the precise place that you’ve them on the canvas. You’d use Group to maintain items of the identical or totally different colors collectively to make your design look full, however if you wish to lower them out individually, then you possibly can nonetheless transfer them round extra simply and so they received’t lower in that precise place as they’d with Connect.

H is for Hex Codes

If you happen to’re designing one thing in Design Area and it is advisable use a selected color, then you should utilize the hex codes. It is one thing just like the Cricut shade codes.

A hex code is the hexadecimal code of a selected color, which makes use of letters and numbers to find a color on the spectrum. So if it’s important to use a enterprise emblem with a selected color, attempt these Cricut Design Area suggestions!

Throughout the color characteristic, you possibly can click on on Superior, and from there you’ll be capable to kind within the precise hex code of the color you need to use! That is the way you see and add Cricut shade codes.

I is for Infusible Ink

Infusible ink is a product that means that you can switch ink from the sheet to an merchandise utilizing a warmth supply. Infusible ink is actually pre-printed sublimation sheets.

It really works with warmth at 190° for 60 to 90 seconds on most objects and transfers the ink into the merchandise, so as an alternative of getting a layer like vinyl on high of your T-shirt, the ink really stains/bonds to the polyester fibres in your T-shirt. It is very important notice that you just can’t use cotton—it must be a polyester or a sublimation-ready T-shirt, and it needs to be white or very gentle in color. You too can use infusible ink on mugs and different sublimation-ready objects like mouse pads, keyrings, coasters, socks—the checklist goes on!

J is for Pleasure

The Cricut Pleasure is the infant of the household, however regardless of its measurement it’s nonetheless a really highly effective machine. Most individuals need one as a result of it’s so small and moveable that you could simply put it in your purse and take it with you on vacation if you wish to make initiatives on the go, and even at a good friend’s home.

It’s far simpler to hold round, and it cuts the entire primary supplies like your cardstock, vinyl, some fake leather-based, iron-on supplies, and so many extra various things. It in fact has its limitations, however many use it as an entry into the market or to enrich their different wants.

Ok is for Knife Blade

The knife blade is a blade that’s solely appropriate with the Maker and Maker 3 machines, so this may increasingly curiosity you if you’re on the lookout for Cricut Maker suggestions. It’s a very thick, heavy-duty blade that’s used to chop heavier substances like balsa wooden, heavy chipboard, tooling leather-based, and so many extra issues. This blade makes use of its personal housing and isn’t appropriate with anything, and it requires calibration earlier than getting used.

You also needs to be utilizing the sturdy grip mat together with your knife blade whenever you’re reducing the heavier supplies as a result of it makes use of numerous power to chop via, and also you want the additional grip to maintain your supplies in place. Additionally, you will must tape your objects down to verify they do not transfer round whereas reducing. This is among the most vital Cricut reducing suggestions.

L is for Layers

Here is one other of our primary Cricut Design Area suggestions. On the right-hand facet of the display screen, you will see the Layers panel.

Every particular person merchandise that you just add to the canvas can have its personal layer, and every layer can have its personal operation. So you possibly can add many several types of issues and mix them in distinctive methods to create your initiatives.

You too can change the order of your layers, so if one thing is within the entrance however you don’t need it to be, you possibly can right-click on that layer and ship it to the again. You possibly can connect layers to maintain them collectively, merge shapes to kind one layer, or slice them—there are such a lot of various things that you are able to do together with your layers!

M is for Mats

This Cricut hack is among the important Cricut reducing suggestions. With the intention to lower many alternative supplies in your Cricut, you’ll doubtless want to make use of a reducing mat. It is a sturdy piece of plastic that matches into the machine below the rollers, with a sticky space on the within the place your paper and different supplies will likely be caught to make sure they do not transfer whereas within the machine.

There are 4 several types of mats that you could get in your machines, and so they all serve totally different capabilities. The blue gentle grip is in your thinner, softer supplies like copy paper, whereas the inexperienced commonplace grip is for almost all of regular supplies like cardstock.

The pink cloth grip is for all cloth supplies, and the purple sturdy grip is in your more durable, thicker supplies that want some additional power. You will want a mat in your machine if you wish to lower the vast majority of issues as you possibly can solely at present lower sensible supplies and not using a mat in your machines. At all times you’ll want to hold the protecting sheeting in your mat to maintain it clear for so long as attainable, but when it does lose its stick, you possibly can merely very gently wash it with dishwasher detergent, giving a really gentle brush to get the fibres off after which hanging it out within the solar to dry.

N is for By no means Neglect to Calibrate

Calibrating your machine for print then lower and in your knife blade is essential. Calibration permits the machine to have higher accuracy and management over the place it cuts whereas utilizing the print then lower characteristic and knife blade. If you happen to discover that your print then lower is just not working 100% accurately and you may see that it has a number of sections the place it cuts just a bit bit off to the facet, then I might counsel a calibration.

Calibration means that you can take a look at to see how your machine is registering and the place it’s going to lower, and when you’ve finished calibration as soon as (or possibly a number of occasions), you must have a way more correct finish outcome.

O is for Offset

The Offset characteristic means that you can add a line on the skin or the within of your object. It is one of the vital useful Cricut hacks.

That is notably helpful for issues like your print then lower stickers as you’re ready so as to add an offset and lower that offset as an alternative of the within of your design. 

You too can use the offset characteristic for colouring in your phrases in the event you’re utilizing the pen operate. For this, you will have to make use of an inner offset, so with the offset characteristic open, in the event you drag the little dot to the left-hand facet of the gray line, you will notice it has a destructive worth (-0.03 for example). If you happen to proceed to use that offset and add extra of them, you’ll fill in all the letter, and you may then have a coloured-in letter.

P is for Print Then Reduce

We have spoken about Print then lower a number of occasions already. It is a very helpful characteristic if you wish to print out full-colour designs or logos, with gradient colors and issues that you just wouldn’t be capable to get out of vinyl. That is the place it is good to know your Cricut shade codes.

One of many key Cricut reducing suggestions is to make certain you will have the identical printing medium as what you will have in a printer. For instance, if in case you have an inkjet printer, you will have inkjet printable vinyl.

Cricut Design Area will then place a black border across the fringe of your design, and when it’s printed and positioned in your mat, it would scan in that border and attempt to find the design that you have printed in your paper, after which lower on the skin of the place you will have advised it to.

Q is for QuickSwap Housing 

The QuickSwap Housing is an adaptive blade device that means that you can simply swap out suggestions for numerous capabilities. You possibly can merely purchase one QuickSwap housing and have a number of tricks to go together with the one housing, so it would prevent some huge cash on the finish of the day. 

The QuickSwap Housing has a little bit silver button on the highest, and whenever you press that button it pops the underside tip off, so you possibly can simply swap it with one other tip. The information that you could get with the QuickSwap housing are the perforation blade, debossing device, engraving tip, single scoring wheel, double scoring wheel, and wavy blade.

R is for Rotary Blade

The rotary blade is a blade that’s appropriate with the Maker and Maker 3, and it means that you can lower unbonded cloth. The rotary blade comes as commonplace with the Maker machine, however you’ll have to purchase it individually in the event you purchase the Maker 3.

This housing is just not appropriate with anything, and you will have to make use of the pink cloth group mat whenever you’re utilizing this blade. It is a should in terms of Cricut Maker suggestions.

S is for Slice

This characteristic means that you can lower totally different objects out of one another. So if in case you have a sq. and also you need to lower a coronary heart out of the center of it, you should utilize the Slice characteristic.

You possibly can merely choose each of the objects, and hit Slice. In case you are not ready to make use of the slice characteristic, it’s as a result of you do not have two layers chosen (it could possibly be one or three or extra). You too can use this characteristic to interrupt up designs into totally different sections if you wish to have a paragraph of phrases written out in several colors or lower in several colors. I can add a sq. to my canvas over one of many sections of the phrase that I need to lower out, choose each of the layers, after which slice them out. I’ll then have a number of totally different layers that I can change the colors of!

T is for Check Cuts

Here is a enjoyable Cricut hack. Check cuts are extremely vital everytime you’re reducing a brand new materials in your Cricut. As an alternative of reducing a complete design after which realising that it hasn’t lower via correctly, you have to be doing a take a look at lower on a small nook of your materials first.

You possibly can lower any form or letter round 1 cm, simply to make it possible for the lower settings that you’re utilizing are right. It ought to solely take a minute, and it’ll prevent numerous time and heartache in the long term. Please do your take a look at cuts!

U is for Unlock Proportions

Here is one other among the finest Cricut suggestions for rookies.

If you wish to change the peak however not the width of your design, you possibly can unlock the proportions by clicking on the little padlock button on the high of the display screen in the direction of the appropriate.

From right here, you’ll be capable to change the proportions of your merchandise to make it taller and never longer, or you possibly can lock the proportions to maintain the identical proportions of your design.

V is for Vinyl

Vinyl is an extremely fashionable factor to chop in your Cricut machines. You get two varieties of vinyl: adhesive vinyl and warmth switch/iron-on vinyl. Nevertheless, within the Cricut world, simply the phrase vinyl refers to adhesive vinyl or sticker vinyl.

Sticker vinyl may be placed on issues like mugs, vehicles, or cell telephones. You possibly can even use detachable vinyl on partitions whenever you don’t need to mess up the paint.

Iron-on/warmth switch vinyl is the kind of vinyl that you’d apply to T-shirts, socks, wooden, and plenty of different several types of substrates. It’s utilized with warmth at round 165° and strain to make it possible for it sticks to your garment in the long run.

W is for Weld

The Weld characteristic is a primary Cricut hack. You need to use it to completely stick a number of shapes collectively and make a stable form or mix a number of shapes into one layer.

With out utilizing the Undo characteristic, you can not undo this step at a later stage, so whenever you weld one thing, make sure that that is what you need. You might also must weld textual content collectively if in case you have ungrouped the letters in order that they do not lower out individually.

X is for Management-X (Reduce)

There are various shortcuts that you should utilize in Cricut Design Area, and this one means that you can Reduce one thing out of your canvas and paste it in later. It is one of many primary Cricut suggestions for rookies. You possibly can press Management and X in your keyboard to take away no matter merchandise you will have chosen, and you may paste it in as many occasions as you need by urgent Management-V.

Y is for Yield Signal

The Yield signal is a little bit yellow triangle that can seem on the Layers panel on the right-hand facet of your display screen when there’s something unsuitable with that layer. It is one of many Cricut hacks that would prevent probably the most time.

For instance, if you’re utilizing a print then lower design and your design is now bigger than the utmost measurement attainable, there will likely be a little bit yield signal on that layer. While you click on on the signal, it would let you know precisely what’s unsuitable and what it is advisable do to repair it. 

One other factor that it might present you is that the operation you will have in your layer is just not appropriate together with your machine. If you wish to deboss one thing however you will have a Cricut Pleasure, it would let you know that the debossing characteristic is just not appropriate with the machine kind you will have chosen.

Z is for Management-Z (Undo!)

Here is the final of our Cricut suggestions and methods. Simply the shortcut that I exploit on my pc probably the most!

Management-Z means that you can undo your final motion. So if in case you have moved one thing in your canvas by chance, you possibly can press Management-Z in your keyboard and it’ll undo that transfer. You too can use the undo and redo arrows on the highest left-hand facet of your display screen if you’re not too snug with keyboard shortcuts.

Study Extra Cricut Expertise With These Tutorials!

We simply went via a number of the coolest Cricut hacks. Whether or not you had been on the lookout for Cricut Pleasure or Cricut Maker suggestions, now extra concerning the Cricut fundamentals.

There are such a lot of unimaginable full tutorials you should utilize to enhance your Cricut expertise, so check out these tutorials to study extra:

• 

  How to Shadow Text in Cricut Design Space

  

  Kelly Rossouw

  12 Oct 2023

• 

  What Is Cricut?

  

  Kelly Rossouw

  23 Jun 2022

• 

  How to Make a Stencil Font With Cricut

  

  Kelly Rossouw

  08 Aug 2022

• 

  How to Upload Fonts to Cricut Design Space

  

  Zap Layden

  31 May 2023

• 

  How to Add Flourishes to Fonts in Cricut Design Space

  

  Daisy Ein

  13 Sep 2023

• 

  How to Make a Monogram on Cricut

  

  Kelly Rossouw

  22 Sep 2022

• 

  How to Make T-Shirt Designs With a Cricut

  

  Zap Layden

  13 Mar 2023

• 

  How to Make a Font Thicker on Cricut

  

  Kelly Rossouw

  06 Oct 2023