Cricut-A Complete Guide

1Shares

Cricut is an electronic cutting machine, specially designed for crafters to cut all types of designs from materials like paper, vinyl, cardstock, and iron on transfers.

Projects you can make with Cricut:
  • Iron on T shirts
  • Greeting cards
  • Paper banners
  • Paper and Home decor
  • Customized stickers
  • Monogram for a Mug or a Cup
  • Invitations and Envelope
  • And many more….

    There are currently three types of Cricut machines in the market: Cricut Maker, Cricut Explore, and Cricut Joy. Cricut Explore is a mid-level option and the best-selling machine. The Cricut Maker can cut a wider variety of materials with more types of tools. The Joy is a smaller model that’s portable, easy to set up, and simple to use.

    How does a Cricut Machine work?

    Well, Cricut machines can be well compared to a printer. Cricut uses a small blade to cut a design out of paper, vinyl, card stock, and iron on transfers. Cricut is too easy for beginners and also sheets of paper. Cricut has software available called ‘Design Space’ where you can edit and adapt designs and then cut them out using the Cricut machine. The machine connects via Bluetooth, to your computer or smartphone, and then you can create your own designs and print them.

    How to use a Cricut Machine?

    Using Cricut is pretty easy for beginners, we will give you a complete guide about how Cricut machines work, and what materials are required for your first craft project. When you buy your first Cricut Machine, you will feel pretty excited, to make your various projects and craftwork, you can try doing paper fun projects, home decor, T-shirts, and cards. Cricut Design Space is a free design software program where you can send designs to your machine.

    Types of Cricut cutting Machines

    1. Cricut Maker 3 — Cricut Maker 3 is the newest Maker model made by Cricut. If you need a machine that can deliver great performance, you should blindly use the Cricut Maker 3. It can cut more than 300 types of materials, including fabric, paper, wood, and leather. It is best recommended for cutting, writing, scoring, engraving, and more. The Cricut Maker 3 is compatible with Smart Materials, so you can cut really long projects (up to 12 ft) without a mat. It also has a stronger motor, so it can cut up to twice as fast as the original Cricut Maker, and with ten times the cutting force as the Explore 2 series.

    Pros

  • Good for pro use.
  • A lot of smart materials are available, so cutting mats are optional.
  • Cons

  • Unnecessary for medium or small-scale projects.
  • 2. Cricut Explore Air 2 — It is one of Cricut’s best-selling machines best recommended for both newbies and experienced crafters as well. It can cut over 100 materials, like paper, vinyl, cardstock, and fabric. It works with mats that are 12 by 12 inches or 12 by 24 inches.

    Pros

  • Easy to use in comparison to other available machines.
  • Stylish designs with attractive colors are available.
  • Cons

  • Not recommendable for high use.
  • Lots of software issues faced by users.
  • 3. Cricut Joy — Cricut Joy is one of the newest Cricut models in the market. It’s a smart little cutting machine that’s easy to set up and use. It can cut more than 50 materials, including paper, vinyl, iron-on, and other materials. This machine has a smaller footprint, so it’s easy to store in a smaller craft space. Cricut Joy is the most portable printing machine available. Cricut Joy can cut a design with a maximum width of 5.5″. It’s a great choice for making stickers, labels, greeting cards, and other small projects. While it’s not as versatile as the larger machines, it’s still an excellent machine that would be perfect for learning the basics.

    Pros

  • Compact and Lightweight.
  • Best for Low budget.
  • Cons

  • No USB available.
  • 4. Cricut Explore 3 — It’s Cricut’s latest machine in the Explore series. It can cut over 100 materials like cardstock, iron-on vinyl, and glitter paper. It’s compatible with different tools, including the Fine Point Blade, the Foil Transfer Tool, the Scoring Stylus, and the Deep-Point Blade. The Cricut Explore 3 has a more powerful motor that can cut up to twice faster as the Cricut Explore Air 2. It is accommodated to make super long cuts (up to 12 ft) without the help of a mat.

    Pros

  • Works with Smart Materials and makes ultra-precise designs.
  • Cheaper than Maker.
  • Cons

  • No great features available in Maker, lack of Bluetooth.
  • 5. Cricut Maker — Cricut Maker is one of the most powerful, expensive, and one of the best-cutting machines that is made by Cricut. The Cricut Maker is one of the most versatile cutting machines available in the market. It can cut more than 300 materials, including leather, felt, fabric, plastic, and more. It also works with mats that are 12 by 12 inches or 12 by 24 inches. The Cricut maker is compatible with a variety of blades and tools, including the knife blade, the engraving tip, the foiling tip, the debossing tool, and the rotary cutter.

    Pros

  • Good for pro use.
  • Can cut 300 materials.
  • Cons

  • Not efficient with Smart Materials.
  • Best Blades for Cricut

    Normally, the cutting blades last for a very long time, if you use them carefully. When your blade stops cleanly, or if it doesn’t cut at all, then probably the time has come for you to replace your blade.

    1. Cricut Joy Blade — It has one blade and it has a fine Point Blade. It comes installed on your machine. The Cricut Joy housing color is white.

    2. Fine point Blade — It is recommended for all paper projects as it cuts thin papers very smoothly and nicely. It usually cuts light to mid-weight materials.

    2. Deep cut Blades — These are genuinely better for thicker cardstocks which your Cricut will prompt you to use if needed. It’s designed to be stronger than the Fine Point Blade and uses a different angle and depth of cut to cut thicker materials.

    You can find all types of blades from a lot of online sites. Some of them are given below:

  • Cricut.com
  • Cricut blades at Amazon.com
  • Michaels
  • HSN
  • Joann
  • Best Mats for Cricut

  • The LightGrip mat is recommended for light paper and cardstock. It is well recommended on the blue mat due to its adhesive nature.
  • The StandardGrip mat is best preferred for heavier cardstock. It is available in only green color.
  • Best Cricut for You

    The best Cricut Machine recommended for beginners is Cricut Explore 3, the most popular machine of Cricut.It is definitely not the fastest machine, but it does a lot of work and all its features are beginner friendly. The best Cricut depends on what kind of project you need. Think about what types of materials you’ll want to cut before choosing which Cricut machine to buy.

    1. EXPLORE 3 — It is the best-selling Cricut machine and for sure “Value for Money”.It is the best choice for beginners as it will definitely be within your budget.t’s a relatively fast and powerful machine that cuts up to a maximum width of 12″. As I have said before, it cuts more than 100 popular craft materials, including paper, vinyl, and iron-on. Therefore, if you prefer paper and vinyl crafts only, your best choice is the Cricut Explore 3.

    2. MAKER 3 — It can do much more than the Explore Machine. If you need to cut heavy materials like wood, fabric, and leather then you can rather opt for Maker instead of Explore. The Cricut maker has a Rotary Cutter tool perfect for cutting fabric pattern pieces, and other fabric projects.

    3. JOY — It is one of Cricuts’ newest cutting machines, perfect for quick and small projects like cards. It is short and simple and best for you if you don’t want your Craft cutting machine to eat up a lot of space.

    There are different types of Cricut machines and accessories available with various features.The most expensive is the Cricut Maker which is able to cut more materials than the Cricut Explore and other machines available in the market.Cricut Joy is a great option available for smaller projects and limited space availability and it offers some really fantastic features.

    EXPLORE 3 EXPLORE AIR 2 MAKER MAKER 3 JOY
    Materials width(in inches) 13 12 12 13 5.5
    Cut length(ft.) 12 2 2 12 20
    Types of materials 100 100 300 300 20
    Price($) 280 250 400 400 160
    Weight(kg) 9.86 6.35 4.8 6.9 1.75
    Size(cm) 65*27*26.9 61*24*24 17.8*53.8*15 56*18*15.7 21*14*11

    Where to buy a Cricut Machine

    Cricut machines are available on Cricut’s main website and also on online marketplaces like Amazon. We have provided links to all the products available from Cricut in the market.

    1. Explore 3 — It is available on Cricut’s main website and also on Amazon.

    2. Explore Air 2 — It is available on Cricut’s main website and also on Amazon

    3. Maker — It is available on Cricut’s main website and also on Amazon

    4. Maker 3 — It is available on Cricut’s main website and also on Amazon

    5. Joy — It is available on Cricut’s main website and also on Amazon

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is the best machine between Cricut and Silhouette?

    Cricut and Silhouette both have some high-level machines, the Maker and the Cameo. Cricut has the Maker and Maker 3, whereas the Cameo has a Plus and Pro version available.

    Is Cricut better than Silhouette?

    Yes, definitely, Cricut is far better than Silhouette because it is stronger, sturdier, and performs better. Cricut Maker is a next-level machine which is the best choice. Cricut’s Design Space is far more user-friendly and is best for your needs.

    Can a Cricut cut Fabric and Wood?

    Yes, some Cricut machines can cut heavier materials like fabric, leather, and plastic. Explore can cut fabric and leather. It can also cut craft foam, cardboard, and natural wood with the help of Deep Point Blade. The maker can cut the widest variety of materials, from paper to wood. There is also a Rotary cutting tool that cuts fabric, without the need for additional stabilizers. Coming Joy also can cut some thin to medium leather materials.

    1Shares