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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 may also help you to craft nearly any challenge.
Fan of video tutorials? On this A-Z video from the Envato Tuts+ YouTube channel, I’ll clarify some important Cricut options and offer you some useful suggestions and methods that every one the professionals use.
What You will Be taught in This Cricut Tutorial
- What blades you need to use together with your Cricut machines
- What number of options work in Cricut Design House
- What merchandise you need to use together with your Cricut machines
- And rather more!
A is for Connect
The Connect characteristic might be some of the necessary options in Cricut Design House, and it is in all probability the factor most individuals have issues with at first of their Cricut journey. This characteristic means that you can design no matter you need in your canvas, and minimize precisely what you have got designed as you see it on the canvas. As you possibly can see under, the design is full on the canvas, however it is not connected.
You will have to ensure to Connect the identical colors collectively that you simply need to minimize, with a purpose to maintain them in precisely the identical place that they’re at present in.
For those who do not connect, then while you go to the Make It panel, you will notice one thing just like the under instance. The entire objects that you’ve got in your canvas shall 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 wonderful fonts to select from on Envato Parts and sifting via all the fonts that I’ve on my laptop already, discovering the precise font that I need to use for my challenge is usually a troublesome factor for me to do. So once I’m in a position to make use of this characteristic to Bookmark my favorite fonts, I most undoubtedly do. You possibly can bookmark fonts that you’ve got put in in your laptop by merely urgent the little banner button on the right-hand facet of the font’s title.
Whenever 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 your entire favorite fonts shall 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 components of a single-layer primary minimize design. It’s also possible to use this characteristic to separate a design right into a multi-layer design with the intention to minimize each bit with a distinct color.
This characteristic is especially helpful for initiatives that you simply need to layer in numerous colored vinyls as you don’t want to connect the items that you’ve got 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 minimize.
D is for Deep Minimize Blade
The deep minimize blade is among the many further blades that you could purchase for the machine that can minimize thicker however not essentially more durable supplies. It would minimize issues like craft foam, some leathers, and a few sorts of fake leather-based.
This blade and housing will not be suitable with the wonderful level blade housing because the precise deep minimize blade holder itself is barely shorter to permit for larger clearance of the thicker supplies.
E is for Exterior Designs
You possibly can very simply obtain tons of of exterior designs from Envato Parts and add them into Cricut Design House with the intention to minimize, draw, and even print then minimize together with your machine. I usually run to Envato Parts to search out the design I need, as they’ve so many unimaginable designs and graphics that you could obtain underneath one month-to-month subscription (which has no lock-in contracts, and you may cancel at any time, by the best way!) and add into Cricut Design House, utilizing the SVG, JPG, or PNG file.
F is for Flatten
The Flatten characteristic is one which you’ll use with print then minimize if you wish to print one thing in your printer and have your Cricut minimize it out. You’ll must be sure that no matter you have got designed in your canvas has been utterly flattened right into a single layer in case you solely need to minimize the define. So it’s worthwhile to choose all the layers, right-click, and Flatten the design (or click on Flatten on the bottom-right of the display).
You do must ensure that you don’t have every other layers like a primary minimize layer if you find yourself working with print then minimize, as any of your layers that you simply do have may have minimize strains across the edges, which is able to 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 parts collectively in your canvas if you are working in your challenge, so 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 characteristic differs from “Connect” as you possibly can group a number of layers collectively, however they won’t minimize within the actual place that you’ve got them on the canvas. You’ll use Group to maintain items of the identical or totally different colors collectively to make your design look full, however if you wish to minimize them out individually, then you possibly can nonetheless transfer them round extra simply they usually received’t minimize in that actual place as they might with Connect.
H is for Hex Codes
For those who’re designing one thing in Design House and it’s worthwhile to use a selected color, then you need to use the hex 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 you need to use a enterprise emblem with a selected color, you are able to do this in Cricut Design House!
Throughout the color characteristic, you possibly can click on on Superior, and from there you’ll be capable of kind within the actual hex code of the color you need to use!
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 truly stains/bonds to the polyester fibres in your T-shirt. It is very important observe that you simply can’t use cotton—it must be a polyester or a sublimation-ready T-shirt, and it ought to be white or very gentle in color. It’s also possible to 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 buddy’s home. It’s far simpler to hold round, and it cuts all the 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 enhance their different wants.
Okay is for Knife Blade
The knife blade is a blade that’s solely suitable with the Maker and Maker 3 machines. 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 suitable with anything, and it requires calibration earlier than getting used.
You must also be utilizing the robust grip mat together with your knife blade while you’re chopping the heavier supplies as a result of it makes use of lots of 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 ensure they do not transfer round whereas chopping.
L is for Layers
In Cricut Design House on the right-hand facet of the display, you will notice the Layers panel. Every particular person merchandise that you simply add to the canvas may 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.
It’s also possible to 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
In an effort to minimize many alternative supplies in your Cricut, you’ll seemingly want to make use of a chopping mat. This can be a sturdy piece of plastic that matches into the machine underneath the rollers, with a sticky space on the within the place your paper and different supplies shall be caught to make sure they do not transfer whereas within the machine.
There are 4 several types of mats that you could get to your machines, they usually all serve totally different capabilities. The blue gentle grip is to your thinner, softer supplies like copy paper, whereas the inexperienced normal grip is for almost all of regular supplies like cardstock.
The pink material grip is for all material supplies, and the purple robust grip is to your more durable, thicker supplies that want some additional power. You will have a mat to your machine if you wish to minimize nearly all of issues as you possibly can solely at present minimize sensible supplies and not using a mat in your machines. At all times make sure you maintain 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 minimize and to 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 minimize characteristic and knife blade. For those who discover that your print then minimize isn’t working 100% accurately and you may see that it has just a few sections the place it cuts just a bit bit off to the facet, then I’d counsel a calibration.
Calibration means that you can check to see how your machine is registering and the place it will minimize, and when you’ve finished calibration as soon as (or possibly just a few occasions), it is best to have a way more correct finish consequence.
O is for Offset
The Offset characteristic means that you can add a line on the skin or the within of your object. That is significantly helpful for issues like your print then minimize stickers as you’re in a position so as to add an offset and minimize that offset as an alternative of the within of your design.
It’s also possible to use the offset characteristic for colouring in your phrases in case you’re utilizing the pen operate. For this, you’ll need to make use of an inner offset, so with the offset characteristic open, in case 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). For those who proceed to use that offset and add extra of them, you’ll fill in the complete letter, and you may then have a coloured-in letter.
P is for Print Then Minimize
We have spoken about Print then minimize just a few occasions already. This can be a very helpful characteristic if you wish to print out full-colour designs or logos, with gradient colors and issues that you simply wouldn’t be capable of get out of vinyl.
Be certain that to have the identical printing medium as what you have got in a printer. For example, when you have an inkjet printer, you’ll need inkjet printable vinyl.
Cricut Design House will then place a black border across the fringe of your design, and when it’s printed and positioned in your mat, it’s going to scan in that border and attempt to find the place the design is that you’ve got printed in your paper, after which minimize on the skin of the place you have got instructed it to.
Q is for QuickSwap Housing
The QuickSwap Housing is an adaptive blade software 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 associate with the one housing, so it’s going to prevent some huge cash on the finish of the day.
The QuickSwap Housing has a little bit silver button on the highest, and while you press that button it pops the underside tip off, so you possibly can simply swap it with one other tip. The ideas that you could get with the QuickSwap housing are the perforation blade, debossing software, engraving tip, single scoring wheel, double scoring wheel, and wavy blade.
R is for Rotary Blade
The rotary blade is a blade that’s suitable with the Maker and Maker 3, and it means that you can minimize unbonded material. The rotary blade comes as normal with the Maker machine, however you’ll have to purchase it individually in case you purchase the Maker 3. This housing isn’t suitable with anything, and you’ll need to make use of the pink material group mat while you’re utilizing this blade.
S is for Slice
This characteristic means that you can minimize totally different objects out of one another. So when you have a sq. and also you need to minimize a coronary heart out of the center of it, you need to use the Slice characteristic.
You possibly can merely choose each of the objects, and hit Slice. In case you are not in a position 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). It’s also possible to use this characteristic to interrupt up designs into totally different sections if you wish to have a paragraph of phrases written out in numerous colors or minimize in numerous colors. I can add a sq. to my canvas over one of many sections of the phrase that I need to minimize 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
Check cuts are extremely necessary everytime you’re chopping a brand new materials in your Cricut. As a substitute of chopping a whole design after which realising that it hasn’t minimize via correctly, you ought to be doing a check minimize on a small nook of your materials first.
You possibly can minimize any form or letter round 1 cm, simply to be sure that the minimize settings that you’re utilizing are appropriate. It ought to solely take a minute, and it’ll prevent lots of time and heartache in the long term. Please do your check cuts!
U is for Unlock Proportions
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 in the direction of the precise. From right here, you’ll be capable of 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 well-liked factor to chop in your Cricut machines. You get two sorts 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 will be placed on issues like mugs, vehicles, or cell telephones. You possibly can even use detachable vinyl on partitions while 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 lots of different several types of substrates. It’s utilized with warmth at round 165° and strain to be sure that it sticks to your garment in the long run.
W is for Weld
The Weld characteristic is one thing that you need to use to completely stick a number of shapes collectively, so you can also 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 while you weld one thing, ensure that that is what you need. You may additionally must weld textual content collectively when you have ungrouped the letters in order that they do not minimize out individually.
X is for Management-X (Minimize)
There are lots of shortcuts that you need to use in Cricut Design House, and this one means that you can Minimize one thing out of your canvas and paste it in later. You possibly can press Management and X in your keyboard to take away no matter merchandise you have got 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 when there’s something fallacious with that layer. For instance, if you’re utilizing a print then minimize design and your design is now bigger than the utmost measurement attainable, there shall be a little bit yield signal on that layer. Whenever you click on on the signal, it’s going to inform you precisely what’s fallacious and what it’s worthwhile to do to repair it.
One other factor that it may present you is that the operation you have got in your layer isn’t suitable together with your machine. If you wish to deboss one thing however you have got a Cricut Pleasure, it’s going to inform you that the debossing characteristic isn’t suitable with the machine kind you have got chosen.
Z is for Management-Z (Undo!)
Simply the shortcut that I take advantage of on my laptop essentially the most! Management-Z means that you can undo your final motion. So when 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. It’s also possible to use the undo and redo arrows on the highest left-hand facet of your display if you’re not too snug with keyboard shortcuts.
Be taught Extra Cricut Expertise With These Tutorials!
There are such a lot of unimaginable full tutorials you need to use to enhance your Cricut abilities, so check out these tutorials to study extra:
