CriCut Tips/Techniques

Air Cut
This is a great trick when you don't have the software.

Have you ever had a scrap piece of paper and didn't know if you had enough room to cut a design from your cricut? Place the blade depth to 1 and the pressure dial setting to 1, then cut your design. The CriCut is designed to not apply pressure to the paper in this dial setting, so it will perform an "air cut". Make a mental note of the results. If you are satisfied, then return the blade to the original position, pressure, and depth, and repeat the cut. ¹

Cutting Smaller then 6x12
Line up the bottom left corner of the paper with the bottom left corner of the mat. Remember that after you've navigated the blade to the upper right corner of your paper prior to cutting, you need to select the "Set Paper Size" button. This will tell the Cricut that you have selected a smaller paper size. Otherwise it still "thinks" that a 6x12 paper is loaded. ¹

Cutting letters/shapes smaller then 1 inch
Those of you who own the smaller CriCut (and don't use the software), know that the smallest size you can cut a character is one inch. There are times that this is just not small enough. Here is a trick for getting around this. Most of the Cartridges come with a creative design mode that cuts the keyboard character out of a tag or shape. Well select this mode, then the desired character, make sure the size wheel is set to 1 inch, then press cut. The Cricut then will cut the shape on the inside of the tag. But the tag will be 1 inch and the letter will yield to a smaller size.

Did your CriCut mat lose it's stick?
CriCut mats lose their sticky because lose paper particles, dust, embossing powder and such cling to the mats and after a while they lose their tackiness. Don’t throw away your old CriCut mats! You can make them sticky again by washing them in dish soap, and allow them to air dry. Soaking them for a few minutes in a clean sink of dish soap will remove the dust and grime but leave the adhesive in place! When this trick doesn't work anymore, try buying a can of temporary spray adhesive (quilting basting spray works great).

Creating An Embossing Jacket
This is an awesome tip I found on Cloe's Piece of the Web.
Use your CriCut to cut out the shape you want on chipboard or any thick material - Cracker Boxes/Ceral Boxes are AWESOME. You then glue or tape the negative pieces (piece with the holes) of the image to one side of the 'folder' and the postive(cut outs) to the other. Photographs and step-by-step instructions can be found here.

Cutting Bazzell cardstock with your CriCut
O.k. this is very frustrating, the texture of the Bazzill paper sometimes causes the CriCut to rip when cutting. Here are the ideal dial settings for Bazzill. You want the Speed set to LOW (2), the pressure dial at the highest setting (5), and the depth wheel on the blade to 6. Experiment first. But if you still notice ripping it could be that your paper is not adhered to your mat good enough, and it is sliding during the cutting process. Tape the sides with masking tape to keep the paper from sliding, or the blade could be dull.

Cutting Photos with your CriCut
Do you have photos that offer something to your layouts, but not necessarially a center stage photo? Like perhaps the water from a swimming pool, or photo of the sand on a beach, a group of flowers. Use these photos for cool titles on your scrapbook pages.

Use a fairly bold or wide font for best results (Base Camp is my favorite). Settings should be: blade pressure to 5, Speed to 2, Pressure dial to 6. Simple one word titles are the best for this project. Line your photo up with your cutting mat, type the word, and press cut. Instead of your design being cut onto paper, it will now be cut from your photographs. Although the software is not necessary, it does make it easier when trying to line up your word with the subject in the photo.

Here are some samples of what I mean. Remember that if it is a digital photo it isn't your only copy, so PLAY.

Creating a lace look with your CriCut

This is a HOT technique, and even hotter design element. You will need a design element from your favorite CriCut Cartridge, Design Studio (you can download a free trial version from http://www.cricut.com), and your paper (preferably solid cardstock).

1. Open design studio, and select your decorative element.
2. Place that element on the stage. Then place your next element, and weld the two designs together. continue stacking, turning, and layering design elements until the page is covered. Just make sure that you select weld for each one.
3. When you cut, they will appear as the photo below. Use these as stencils, or as decorative borders for your pages. You can make cute home decorative accents for lamps and candles as seen in the photos below.

CREATE IRON ONS with CRICUT

This weekend I discovered an entirely new way to use my CriCut. I made Iron-Ons from Fabric. To make the cutest spirit pennant.

Supplies Needed: CriCut Design (Any cartridge), Color Fabric preferably light weight cotton, HeatnBond Ultra Adhesive, glitter t-shirt paint, spray glitter, and an Iron.

1. Cut your fabric to the desired size for your design.
   
2. Iron the Ultra bond onto the back side of the fabric as directed on the packaging. Let the fabric cool before continuing.
3. Peel away the protective wax paper, and save (it can be used to protect fabric from scorching in a future step).
4. Place the fabric onto a cutting mat. Be careful to make sure the fabric is smooth, and there are no bubbles or wrinkles. I used a clean brayer to roll over the fabric to insure it's smoothness.
5. Cut your pattern as you would if it were paper.
6. Place the design on your project, and replace the wax paper over the top of your design, and Iron it onto your project.
7. I sewed ribbon down the right side.
8. The Pennant was cut from a piece of stiff felt.
9. The stars were ready-made fun foam glitter covered stars.
10. The pom poms were created from fuzzy yarn.
11. The Megaphone was cut from red fabric by hand using a template.

This is an awesome way to personalize an inexpensive fabric album for a loved one. GREAT - CHRISTMAS PRESENT.

Another Reason to LOVE THE CRICUT.

I created this design today by using the George Cartridge and Design Studio.

Cutting Chipboard
this tip was written by Loves2Smock from the cricut messagboard. You can also visit her blog for awesome cricut tips and tricks.

Here are the details about cutting chipboard with the Cricut:

Finally! A handy dandy chipboard cutting guide! Now YOU don't have to go to the trouble and expense of finding out what will work, and what wont! I went thru and test cut several thicknesses (gauges) with and without the clay coat (white shiny-ish side) and here's the skinny!

*A new blade and mat work best!*

.022- this is like a med-heavy cardstock, blade:5-6, pressure:max,
speed: 4, multi cut:2
.024- think cereal box- same as .022, if clay coated, multi cut:3
.028- IDEAL for cricut usage! blade:6, pressure:max, speed: 4-5
multi cut:4
.032- depending on the way your blade was cut (some are cut with a deeper bevel than others) this will work with the above settings. A long bevel works better, than a shorter one. With a short bevel, the blade on some sections of the cut did not make it all the way thru (like you'd see cutting cartstock with a dull blade) and I needed to go around it lightly with my craft knife. It was just barely attached. I did get a very clean edge running around it with the craft knife though. Compared to the .028 the difference in thickness is nominal.
.040+ is too thick, the blade depth is insufficient to make it through the thickness. It will go thru the machine, but you will have to hand cut it the rest of the way. ANYTHING thicker than .040 is too thick and will damage your machine rollers! I do NOT reccomend anything thicker than .032! It's just not worth damaging your machine and voiding the warranty.

Other info: I prefer the look of plain chipboard, but the clay coating really does make a difference in the stability of the peice. It makes it more rigid, and is ideal for tag books/word books where you want the strength. The grain is finer, and smoother and is also easier to adhere papers to. Stamping/inking and writing on it will vary depending on the specific product.

The good news with the "way too thick chipboard" is it works beautifully with the Bind-it-All machines, and works well for making your own hard-bound book bindings. You can watch a video and download printable instructions on hard binding here:
http://sbl.tvweekly.com/player.php?43030134c9d51a817d55521d538909d5y1268

I hope you all can use this information! Chipboard is really very fun!

*update* The above depth and pressure settings do NOT change because of the new blade housing and blades. You may be able to get away with fewer passes though. You still can not cut anything thicker than a .040! It simply will not feed thru the machine, and you run the risk of breaking it. This has NOTHING to do with the new blade housing's capabilities. This is simply the limit of the machine.

If you are having problems with the edge shredding it can be due to a number of reasons.
-your blade may be dull
-your stock may not be of appropriate quality or density not all chipboard is meant to be cut in this manner
-you may have bits of chipboard debris in the blade housing preventing the blade from swiveling perfectly. How to fix this will come a little later in the post.
-your stock may have shifted slightly
-the mat may be warped or just plain worn out.
-the blade did not line up perfectly on multiple cuts. This can be an intermittant problem, or a flaw in the machine. Try letting the machine rest a while, cut something else, and then changing mats and blades. I find the more times I cut the same thing in the same spot, this is more likely to happen.

I have been using a 60 degree blade (Cricut calls this the deep cut blade) for several months now to cut .028 chipboard. It makes a HUGE difference. They will work in the green blade housing to improve your cuts. They can be purchased from vinyl sign suppliers under the name "roland compatable 60 degree blade". These are not a new item. They have been in use in other plotter machines for many many years.

To remove debris from the blade housing you will need a toothpick, and some tape style adhesive.
-remove your blade and remove any debris you can easliy with your fingers
-add adhesive about 1/4" wide around the tip of the tooth pick and gently poke it into the blade housing. This will stick any paper bits to it. You can pull the bits off and do it agian. Just make sure you aren't ramming anything down into the housing.
-lubricate and reinsert blade into housing

To lubricate the blade and housing you will need a tiny bottle of sewing machine oil.
-remove the blade
-make sure the housing is clean
-add a tiny drop of sewing machine oil to the non sharp end BLADE SHAFT. DO NOT put it into the housing!
-spread it around and wipe any excess off with your FINGERS and wipe your fingers off. You don't want it all drippy, you just want a nice light coating. This will also help keep your blades and housing from rusting if you live in a high humidity climate.
-reinsert blade

All this being said, keep trying. It works. It may take some practice, and some individual adjustments for your own machine...but it does work! Oh, and since I do not work for PC or any other entity, this is all SUGGESTION. I will not be held responsible for anything you choose to try. Every machine is different, as are the users.

You can take ordinary solid card stock, place it on the mat, and load it into your machine. Replace the cutting blade with a marker, and instead of cutting, draw your design on your paper. Change the settings for the pressure and the speed to the settings indicated on the side of the pens. This creates a nice effect with simple designs like flowers, hearts, and even sentiments for inside cards.

Note: When replacing the cutting housing blade with the marker. If you place a post-it-note on the Cricut base before you insert the marker, you will avoid having little black spots on your Cricut.

Cutting Fabric 101
Fabric offers a lot of great textures and colors for your craft projects. Cutting titles, and appliques with the Cricut is easy. Download a tip sheet to help with your next craft project.

Here are a few ways I have used fabric with my Cricut.

This is the shirt we made for the February Swarm.		This was cut with Felt and design studio. The album is a 12x12 Colorbok album.

Owl Created in Design Studio

Owls are really hot in scrapbook designs right now. My daughter and I created this little guy in Cricut Design Studio using the George and Accent Essentials cartridges. The background was an embossing jacket from Cuttlebug, then we added a clear glitter paint over the embossed design. The flowers are Prima. On the inside of the card we wrote with a White Gel pen "Best Peeps" and she gave it to her best friend this morning at school. We had so much fun coming up with the little buy.

Indie Art - Is it worth it?

There are lots of details on this page. For additional information about the layout is available in the Layout Archives page.

My personal opinion is YES! I almost skipped over this cart, But lately it has been my go to icon cartridge. From Hearts to skulls this cart offers a lot in pop culture icons. Here is a layout I created from some of the things on Indie Arts.

The Heartbreaker title and barbed wire border are from this cartridge.

Not into grunge, well there is still a lot here. A Strawberry, butterfly, hearts, long stem rose, Celtic cross, star, Heart and Key locket, crown, angel wings, bird, wrench, bolt, lightening bolt. The top of the ice cream cone would make a cute umbrella top since it has the drip.

Here is a screen shot of what is available. Pay close attention to the extras (gray) they don't show this on the promo art...

click image to enlarge.

Cutting Acrylic with your Cricut.

In the image at the right. I used my Cricut to cut out the Acrylic that is the title page. I also used the Cricut to etch "Life Is A Circus" out of the glass. Once complete I colored in the glass with a black perm. marker so it would show up better.

Download the tip sheet.

New Cricut Cartridge Releases

A Child's Year: Silhouette styled children at play. This 50s iconic images are precious and very versatile. These kids are playing rodeo, house, fairytales, reading, taking baths. ADORABLE is all I can say. These images are so realistic. There are 4 alphabets, extra features layers so you can add clothing to the children, LOADS of stuff on this cartridge. Even if you don't have kids, you are going to want this one.	Everyday Paper Dolls: This cartridge follows the same line "kiddy" feel as the original Paper Dolls cartridges. However, the add on icons for the dolls make this cartridge a must have! This cartridge includes icons for BBQ, Sports, Circus, toys, clothes, coat hangers, tractors, circus carriages, there is even a wheelchair on this cart. There are lots of icons that can be used for multiple packages.
From My Kitchen: 50s style kitchen/food icons including whimsical animals like pigs, cows, and chickens. This is a fun cart that will make your recipe pages pop. One layer is filled with welded words perfect for layouts. But the hidden surprise is the file folders and tabs. The File folder feature has turned this cartridge into a really fun addition to your library for organization projects to "Mini Books" of any theme.	Sweethearts Love is in the air with these "French Style" cuts. This cartridge is great for weddings, proms, dances, showers, valentine's day, or just to say I Love You to someone special. Lots of Welded words, Bridal icons with trendy long legged figures, very elegant and romantic. There is even a two person bicycle, sexy hi heeled shoes, lingerie, and cafe style icons. Cart features include Tags, Envelopes, Cards, Icons, Layers, and Welded Words. Can you say LOVE IT!
Serenade:Another elegant home decor cartridge. This cart is full of tree accents, branches, swirls, and sophisticated icons. Other icons include bird cages, end tables, butterflies, birds, Cloud like icons that can dub as clouds or leaf clusters for the trees, fruit, tables, and vases. Lots to this simple cartridge.	Picturesque: Iconic images of swirls, and home decor accents. This cartridge has very elegant tags with swirl cuts that will make beautiful accents for your craft projects. It also has elegant pre-made for Walls, Cards, and Craft projects. Bummer - this cartridge is only available in the Expressions bundle at Home Depot.
Winter Woodland: This cartridge has a very elegant open faced engraved style font set. In both lower and upper case. Icons are "GROWN" up winter wonderland. With Sleds, Realistic animals, and Trees. This is a "MUST" have even for Floridians. This cartridge is very elegant. Click title to see screen shots of the keypads.	Designer Calendar: This cartridge contains everything you need to create beautiful, personalized calendars, including months, days of the week, major holidays, and images. As a bonus, you also get two fonts with shadows so you can customize special days and events.
Batman's Activity: This cartridge contains images of Batman, Green Arrow, the Blue Beetle, Aquaman, Red Tornado, and The Joker, along with an action-style font that would be ideal for your child's room, homemade comics, or scrapbook pages. You can also cut out an exciting assortment of party supplies, such as costume pieces, party favors, gift boxes, cards, envelopes, and 3D gadgets that will make your birthday kid feel like a Hero.	Superman Activity: Superman is an icon of Truth, Justice, and the American way, and you can create your own adventures with this Superman cartridge. In addition to images of Superman, Clark Kent, Lex Luthor, and Supergirl, this cartridge contains an exciting comic-style font that is great for decorating scrapbooks, a child's room, or your own comic book. You can also cut out cards, envelopes, boxes, party favors, Clark Kent's glasses, and other decorations that would be perfect for an action-packed birthday party!
Elmo's Party: This cartridge features Elmo and his friends, plus 3D images you can cut out for an Elmo's World themed birthday party, such as cards, party hats, party decorations, gift boxes, party games, and much more. You can also decorate daycare centers, classrooms, scrapbook pages, and nurseries for your biggest Elmo fan.

Cricut Driver Updates

Design Studio Font Pack Update
JULY 16, 2009
Provo Craft has released a Design Studio update that adds the March & Summer Releases to the font library. Pay close attention to the special instructions for the Hannah Montana font set. Here is the information provided by Provo Craft.

Font Pack Updates:
Font Packs are separate installers that contain new cartridges not included in the installer.

Design Studio
Patch - Small Icons
On some of the original solutions cartridges, the icons were very small on the Keyboard view. Provo Craft has announced a way to fix this problem.

1. Close Design Studio
2. Open My Documents > Cricut > User Data
3. Delete the file CricutFontsMetadata.xml
4. Reopen Design Studio
5. You will have to reload your "My Favorite" list, because it too has been deleted.

Tip resources:
1. CriCut Web site
2. Cloe's Piece of the Web