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Your Cricut is a lot greater than a machine you could make T-shirts with. With an ever-growing record of design options and machine capabilities, your Cricut machine may help you to craft nearly any venture.
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 ideas and methods that every one the professionals use.
What You will Study in This Cricut Tutorial
- What blades you should utilize along with your Cricut machines
- What number of options work in Cricut Design House
- What merchandise you should utilize along with your Cricut machines
- And rather more!
A is for Connect
The Connect function might be one of the vital options in Cricut Design House, and it is most likely the factor most individuals have issues with at the start of their Cricut journey. This function means that you can design no matter you need in your canvas, and reduce precisely what you have got designed as you see it on the canvas. As you’ll be able to see beneath, the design is full on the canvas, but it surely is not connected.
You have to to verify to Connect the identical colors collectively that you simply wish to reduce, in an effort to preserve them in precisely the identical place that they’re at present in.
When you do not connect, then while you go to the Make It panel, you will note one thing just like the beneath instance. The entire objects that you’ve in your canvas will probably be lined up in separate items because the software program tries to optimise house utilization in your media.
B is for Bookmark Fonts
With so many superb fonts to select from on Envato Parts and sifting by way of the entire fonts that I’ve on my laptop already, discovering the precise font that I wish to use for my venture is typically a troublesome factor for me to do. So after I’m in a position to make use of this function to Bookmark my favorite fonts, I most undoubtedly do. You’ll be able to bookmark fonts that you’ve put in in your laptop by merely urgent the little banner button on the right-hand aspect of the font’s identify.
While you wish to discover these fonts once more, simply click on on the Bookmarked Fonts tab on the right-hand aspect subsequent to System, and all your favorite fonts will probably be proper there ready for you!
C is for Contour
The Contour function is the kind of function that you’ll use to take away sure elements of a single-layer fundamental reduce design. You can even use this function to separate a design right into a multi-layer design in an effort to reduce every bit with a unique color.
This function is especially helpful for initiatives that you simply wish to layer in numerous 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 little thing has been reduce.
D is for Deep Minimize Blade
The deep reduce blade is without doubt one of the many further blades you could purchase for the machine that can reduce thicker however not essentially tougher supplies. It would reduce issues like craft foam, some leathers, and a few forms of fake leather-based.
This blade and housing will not be suitable with the nice level blade housing because the precise deep reduce blade holder itself is barely shorter to permit for larger clearance of the thicker supplies.
E is for Exterior Designs
You’ll be able to very simply obtain a whole lot of exterior designs from Envato Parts and add them into Cricut Design House in an effort to reduce, draw, and even print then reduce along with your machine. I typically run to Envato Parts to search out the design I need, as they’ve so many unimaginable designs and graphics you could obtain beneath 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 House, utilizing the SVG, JPG, or PNG file.
F is for Flatten
The Flatten function is one which you’ll use with print then reduce if you wish to print one thing in your printer and have your Cricut reduce it out. You’ll have to guarantee that no matter you have got designed in your canvas has been utterly flattened right into a single layer for those who solely wish to reduce the define. So you might want to choose the entire layers, right-click, and Flatten the design (or click on Flatten on the bottom-right of the display).
You do have to make certain that you don’t have every other layers like a fundamental reduce layer when you’re working with print then reduce, as any of your layers that you simply do have could have reduce strains across the edges, which can have an effect on how your finish sticker will look.
G is for Group
The Group function is one thing that you’ll use to maintain your components collectively in your canvas while you’re working in your venture, so you’ll be able to simply organise or transfer your venture round on the canvas, however not have them keep collectively on the Make it panel.
This function differs from “Connect” as you’ll be able to group a number of layers collectively, however they won’t reduce within the actual 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 reduce them out individually, then you’ll be able to nonetheless transfer them round extra simply they usually gained’t reduce in that actual place as they’d with Connect.
H is for Hex Codes
When you’re designing one thing in Design House and you might want to use a selected color, then you should utilize 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 must use a enterprise brand with a selected color, you are able to do this in Cricut Design House!
Inside the color function, you’ll be able to click on on Superior, and from there you’ll be capable of sort within the actual hex code of the color you wish 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 basically 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 a substitute 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. You can even use infusible ink on mugs and different sublimation-ready objects like mouse pads, keyrings, coasters, socks—the record goes on!
J is for Pleasure
The Cricut Pleasure is the newborn of the household, however regardless of its dimension it’s nonetheless a really highly effective machine. Most individuals need one as a result of it’s so small and transportable 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 fundamental 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.
Ok 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 the rest, and it requires calibration earlier than getting used.
You also needs to be utilizing the robust grip mat along with your knife blade while you’re reducing the heavier supplies as a result of it makes use of numerous pressure to chop by way of, and also you want the additional grip to maintain your supplies in place. Additionally, you will have to tape your objects down to verify they do not transfer round whereas reducing.
L is for Layers
In Cricut Design House on the right-hand aspect of the display, you will note the Layers panel. Every particular person merchandise that you simply add to the canvas could have its personal layer, and every layer can have its personal operation. So you’ll be able to add many various kinds of issues and mix them in distinctive methods to create your initiatives.
You can even change the order of your layers, so if one thing is within the entrance however you don’t need it to be, you’ll be able to right-click on that layer and ship it to the again. You’ll be able to 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 along with your layers!
M is for Mats
So as to reduce many alternative supplies in your Cricut, you’ll seemingly want to make use of a reducing mat. This can be a sturdy piece of plastic that matches into the machine beneath the rollers, with a sticky space on the within the place your paper and different supplies will probably be caught to make sure they do not transfer whereas within the machine.
There are 4 various kinds of mats you could get in your machines, they usually all serve totally different capabilities. The blue gentle grip is in your thinner, softer supplies like copy paper, whereas the inexperienced customary 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 in your tougher, thicker supplies that want some further energy. You have to a mat in your machine if you wish to reduce the vast majority of issues as you’ll be able to solely at present reduce good supplies with no mat in your machines. At all times you should definitely preserve the protecting sheeting in your mat to maintain it clear for so long as attainable, but when it does lose its stick, you’ll be able to 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 reduce 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 reduce function and knife blade. When you discover that your print then reduce isn’t 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 aspect, then I might recommend a calibration.
Calibration means that you can check to see how your machine is registering and the place it’ll reduce, and when you’ve accomplished calibration as soon as (or perhaps a number of occasions), you need to have a way more correct finish end result.
O is for Offset
The Offset function means that you can add a line on the surface or the within of your object. That is notably helpful for issues like your print then reduce stickers as you’re in a position so as to add an offset and reduce that offset as a substitute of the within of your design.
You can even use the offset function for colouring in your phrases for those who’re utilizing the pen operate. For this, you will have to make use of an inner offset, so with the offset function open, for those who drag the little dot to the left-hand aspect of the gray line, you will note it has a unfavorable worth (-0.03 for instance). When you proceed to use that offset and add extra of them, you’ll fill in your entire letter, and you may then have a coloured-in letter.
P is for Print Then Minimize
We have spoken about Print then reduce a number of occasions already. This can be a very helpful function 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 sure that to have the identical printing medium as what you have got in a printer. For example, when you’ve got an inkjet printer, you will have 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 is going to scan in that border and attempt to find the place the design is that you’ve printed in your paper, after which reduce on the surface of the place you have got advised it to.
Q is for QuickSwap Housing
The QuickSwap Housing is an adaptive blade instrument that means that you can simply swap out ideas for numerous capabilities. You’ll be able to merely purchase one QuickSwap housing and have a number of tricks to associate with the one housing, so it is going to prevent some huge cash on the finish of the day.
The QuickSwap Housing has a bit of silver button on the highest, and while you press that button it pops the underside tip off, so you’ll be able to simply swap it with one other tip. The ideas you could get with the QuickSwap housing are the perforation blade, debossing instrument, 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 reduce unbonded material. The rotary blade comes as customary with the Maker machine, however you’ll have to purchase it individually for those who purchase the Maker 3. This housing isn’t suitable with the rest, and you will have to make use of the pink material group mat while you’re utilizing this blade.
S is for Slice
This function means that you can reduce totally different objects out of one another. So when you’ve got a sq. and also you wish to reduce a coronary heart out of the center of it, you should utilize the Slice function.
You’ll be able to merely choose each of the objects, and hit Slice. If you’re not in a position to make use of the slice function, it’s as a result of you do not have two layers chosen (it might be one or three or extra). You can even use this function to interrupt up designs into totally different sections if you wish to have a paragraph of phrases written out in numerous colors or reduce in numerous colors. I can add a sq. to my canvas over one of many sections of the phrase that I wish to reduce 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 vital everytime you’re reducing a brand new materials in your Cricut. As a substitute of reducing a complete design after which realising that it hasn’t reduce by way of correctly, you ought to be doing a check reduce on a small nook of your materials first.
You’ll be able to reduce any form or letter round 1 cm, simply to guarantee that the reduce settings that you’re utilizing are appropriate. It ought to solely take a minute, and it’ll prevent numerous 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’ll be able to unlock the proportions by clicking on the little padlock button on the high of the display in the direction of the appropriate. From right here, you’ll be capable of change the proportions of your merchandise to make it taller and never longer, or you’ll be able to lock the proportions to maintain the identical proportions of your design.
V is for Vinyl
Vinyl is an extremely common factor to chop in your Cricut machines. You get two forms 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, automobiles, or cell telephones. You’ll be able to even use detachable vinyl on partitions while you don’t wish 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 various kinds of substrates. It’s utilized with warmth at round 165° and stress to guarantee that it sticks to your garment in the long run.
W is for Weld
The Weld function is one thing that you should utilize to completely stick a number of shapes collectively, so you can also make a strong form or mix a number of shapes into one layer. With out utilizing the Undo function, you can not undo this step at a later stage, so while you weld one thing, make certain that that is what you need. You might also have to weld textual content collectively when you’ve got ungrouped the letters in order that they do not reduce out individually.
X is for Management-X (Minimize)
There are lots of shortcuts that you should utilize in Cricut Design House, and this one means that you can Minimize one thing out of your canvas and paste it in later. You’ll be able to 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 bit of yellow triangle that can seem on the Layers panel on the right-hand aspect of your display when there’s something mistaken with that layer. For instance, in case you are utilizing a print then reduce design and your design is now bigger than the utmost dimension attainable, there will probably be a bit of yield signal on that layer. While you click on on the signal, it is going to inform you precisely what’s mistaken and what you might want to do to repair it.
One other factor that it might present you is that the operation you have got in your layer isn’t suitable along with your machine. If you wish to deboss one thing however you have got a Cricut Pleasure, it is going to inform you that the debossing function isn’t suitable with the machine sort you have got chosen.
Z is for Management-Z (Undo!)
Simply the shortcut that I exploit on my laptop essentially the most! Management-Z means that you can undo your final motion. So when you’ve got moved one thing in your canvas accidentally, you’ll be able to press Management-Z in your keyboard and it’ll undo that transfer. You can even use the undo and redo arrows on the highest left-hand aspect of your display in case you are not too comfy with keyboard shortcuts.
Study Extra Cricut Expertise With These Tutorials!
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:
