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13 OF THE MOST HELPFUL CRICUT TIPS AND TRICKS

Posted by Gaodesigns Store on

CRICUT TIPS & TRICKS

Today I would like to share these 13 Cricut Tips & Tricks that I have collected from different sources. I hope they will help save your time and make your crafting easier.

GAODESIGNS STORE

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TIP #1: SAMPLE PROJECT

TIP #2: SAVE TIME WITH  ONE MAT

TIP #3: CLEAN YOUR CUTTING MAT

TIP #4: KEEP EVERYTHING SHARP

TIP #5: KEEP THE INK FLOWING

TIP #6: TOUCH THAT DIAL

TIP #7: SAVE YOUR SCRAPS

TIP #8: MAKING WEEDING OH SO SIMPLE

TIP #9: CUTTING WITH YOUR CRICUT

TIP #10: WELD MY TEXT

TIP #11: PRINT AND CUT

TIP #12: EMBOSSING WITH YOUR CRICUT

TIP #13: BLADES FOR YOUR CRICUT

TIP #1: SAMPLE PROJECT

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Always start using a new machine with a sample project. If this is a new machine that you’ve just gotten, or if you haven’t used your machine for a long time, it is better to try a sample project rather than getting on with your project straightaway. This way, you might save your materials, blade and time if there’s something wrong with the machine. Some test cuts could work well, instead of a sample project with your machine.

TIP #2: SAVE TIME WITH  ONE MAT

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Even if you want to have your project cut in different colors you can place them all on the same mat (the material you are cutting should be the same, you cannot mix iron-on with a kraft board etc.). You can change the colors on the Canvas so they land on the same mat or you can move objects to other mats after you have clicked on Make It.

CRICUT TIPS & TRICK - GAODESIGNS STORE

TIP #3: CLEAN YOUR CUTTING MAT

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It is also important that you clean your cutting mat every now and then. It is not very hard or time-consuming to clean. Every now and then, give it a light wipe with some wet tissues or baby wipes, and your cutting mat will be clean.

My favorite way to quickly and easily clean my mats is just plain Dawn soap and warm water. Or, if it's just a quick clean up I will use a non-alcoholic baby wipe. However, some people swear by Awesome spray (yep, that’s the brand name) that you can get at Dollar Store. I’ve been told to only use it on the older mats (with flowers) though. I try to keep things as natural as possible and steer clear of harsh chemicals, so Dawn and warm water or baby wipes is the way to go for me!

TIP #4: KEEP EVERYTHING SHARP

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So many crafters never think of sharpening their blades and end up buying new blades! Most of us even buy trimmer blades more often than we need to. A simple Cricut tip will save you tons of time and money! Roll up a tight ball of tin foil, make sure you pack it very tight. Depress the lever on your blade so it just sticks out but does not fall out. Stab the tin foil ball 50 plus times. This will remove any debris and also sharpen your blade. You can do this for your trimmer blade as well. My blades have lasted longer than a year using this Cricut Tip.

TIP #5: KEEP THE INK FLOWING

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I have dozens of Cricut pens and I really like it when they work each and every time (unless they are out of ink). Simply store the pens upside down so the ink flows much better.

Nothing is worse than wanting to use a specific color and finding that the ink is not near the nib!

BTW load the pen in at a 45 degree angle - this really makes a difference in how the ink flows.

 KEEP THE INK FLOWING - CRICUT TIPS & TRICKS

TIP #6: TOUCH THAT DIAL

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If you have an Explore Air 2 there is a dial where you can select your material. This can often be confusing as many of the material choices do not show on that dial. If you change the dial to Custom then Design Space will show a list of possible materials and give you the chance to pick the perfect material. From that point forward, you will have more control over how the Explore Air 2 cuts your project.

TIP #7: SAVE YOUR SCRAPS

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Most of us start crafting and trying to be frugal at the same time. I don’t know about you, but I have saved some crazy things because “I might need it for scrapbooking”. I also save any paper scrap that is over 2 x 2 inches. You just never know if you can use it later without having to cut a full sheet. Rubbermaid drawers work great for storing smaller pieces of cardstock, pattern paper, vinyl, and HTV. Dig through your scraps before you cut into a big fresh piece of material.

CRICUT TIPS & TRICKS

TIP #8: MAKING WEEDING OH SO SIMPLE

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Weeding is always a love or hate relationship. I know of several people that absolutely love weeding and go for all the complicated designs they can find. I am not in that category but I do not mind weeding, just don't over do it! Some of the small pieces are really difficult to see and they often get missed! There is a Cricut Tip you can use to help you see everything that needs to be weeded. Sprinkle talcum powder over your design after it has been cut and wipe off the excess. What is left behind will go in the cracks so they become visible.

CRICUT TIPS & TRICKS

TIP #9: CUTTING WITH YOUR CRICUT

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If you have a project that calls for cuts on two different materials (for example, green cardstock and red cardstock), you can do the cuts at the same time. Just position the designs you’ll be cutting in different areas of the canvas in Cricut Design Space, select all, click Attach, and then position your materials in those same spots on your mat.

Always test your cuts on scrap material before using your expensive, fancy, once-of-a-kind material. It will save you money and headache!

If you’re cutting a particularly difficult or thick material, your Cricut will probably cut it several times. What if that’s not enough to cut all the way through? Cut it again! Keep the mat in position (don’t press the arrows button to eject it) and press the “C” (Go) button again—it will cut it again!

TIP #10: WELD MY TEXT

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It is one thing to add text, adjust it, line it up the way you want then group and attach it. If you plan on adjusting the text again, then this is the perfect thing to do. If you will not be adjusting it again, I suggest that you make a copy of the text (just in case you want to go back) and hide the original. Use the copy, select it and weld the text together. This will make it one object for cut or draw - depending on your design. This one object is less of a burden on your computer memory and the way Cricut Design Space handles your text.

TIP #11: PRINT AND CUT

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When you do print and cut, use an inkjet printer. It seems to work much better than a laser printer. The calibration light used in the machine to pick up the registration marks can heat the toner and cause it not to read by the machine. I use an HP inkjet printer, which works really well for print and cut. If you want to use print and cut on anything other than white paper, Cricut probably won’t be able to read the registration marks. So instead print out registration marks on white paper, cut them out, and tape them over your non-white paper before you put it in your Cricut! Or cut out these registration marks on sticker paper and put them over the marks on your colored paper. If you want the maximum image size to use with the Print and Cut feature, use the Chrome, Safari or Internet Explorer browsers which allow for images up to 6.75″ wide x 9.256” high. (Firefox only allows images up to 5.5” wide and 8.5” high.).

TIP #12: EMBOSSING WITH YOUR CRICUT

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If you want to use your Cricut Explore to emboss, you can simulate this by inserting your scoring stylus and tell Cricut Design Space to score whatever you want embossed. It will actually be a deboss, but it has a similar look. You’ll get the best results if you put something with a little give under the material you want to deboss. Or just use the embossing tool if you have a Maker.

CRICUT TIPS AND TRICKS

TIP #13: BLADES FOR YOUR CRICUT

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Consider using a different blade to cut paper than the blade you use to cut vinyl—it will extend the life of the blade and make for sharper cuts. Color code your blades by painting the tip of the plastic blade cover with some acrylic paint—white for paper, black for vinyl, etc.

If your blade isn’t cutting as well as it did, ball up a piece of aluminum foil and poke your blade into it repeatedly to clean it. Or just put some aluminum foil on your mat and cut a simple design in it. I do this and it works.

 

Until next time,

Happy Crafting! 

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