Purchasing a Cricut Maker is a big investment and learning to use your machine can be daunting! I know. It took me months to get my first machine out of the box. I didn’t know where to begin!
I don’t have a formal background to graphic design so I was a little intimidated to use Cricut Design Space at first. If you are like me, don’t be scared!
I started slowly making projects, using new blades, and trying out new cutting materials. Along the way, I’ve found Cricut Design Space to be super user friendly! I even started making my own cut files and upload those into Cricut Design Space!
I’ve come a long way, you guys.
I have found Cricut Design Space to be super easy to navigate, but if you are new to Cricut I want to help you out. I want to show you some really basic but amazing features I’ve learned along the way so you can start making those projects with confidence!
Let’s walk through some of the basic features you’ll need to know to start making projects like a pro!
HOW MUCH DOES CRICUT DESIGN SPACE COST?
The best part about Cricut Design Space is that it is FREE! This program has so many great features that you will pay for in other platforms, but in Cricut Design space it is free to use.
It is important to note: you DO have to pay for some shapes, images, and fonts but you could upload your own and cut without paying a dime! If you find yourself using Cricut’s images and fonts, consider purchasing Cricut Access. For a minimal fee, you can get access to all of Cricut’s paid for images, fonts, and graphics.
Before I learned how to make my own cut files, I purchased Cricut Access. It was great for me to use their images while I learned how to use my machine.
CAN I UPLOAD A IMAGE INTO CRICUT DESIGN SPACE?
YES, You can upload your own images into Cricut Design Space for free. We have cut files for free inside our resource library you can upload to Cricut Design Space and cut!
It is a simple and affordable option. If you have never uploaded a file into Cricut Design Space, don’t be intimidated! We give you all the tips and tricks HERE.
HOW DO REMOVE THE GRID INSIDE MY PROJECT?
Cricut Design Space opens as a grid background. This is super helpful to line up items when cutting and designing. But did you know you can remove the grid background all together?
Yep!
In the upper left-hand corner, go click the hamburger menu. Select “Settings”.
A new window will open up. You can select a full grid, partial grid, or no grid!
You can change those settings at any time!
WHAT IS THE TEMPLATES FEATURE AND HOW DO I USE IT?
The templates feature is great when you want to create a project but want to make sure your image or font is the right size. For example, maybe you are cutting vinyl for a canvas tote. You can select a canvas tote and line up your graphic to see if your image is too big or too small!
I highly recommend templates feature for t-shirt designs! If you want to make t-shirts for your entire family, the templates feature is amazing! You can adjust your image for each size your need.
To find the template feature, look at the left-hand column in your current project. See the image below.
Select a template and it will be added to your screen. Note: your template will not be saved to your project. It is only for reference. You can add a template to your project for free.
Cricut design space has so many different templates from laptops to clothing. Scroll through and find the category you need. Templates make it so easy to be sure your image or design is the correct size! It is a great feature to play around with inside Cricut Design Space.
DOES CRICUT DESIGN SPACE OFFER IMAGES AND CUT FILES?
Currently, Cricut Access has 3 different plans you can choose from:
Cricut Access Monthly and Annual Plan members receive 10% off any purchase from cricut.com. Cricut Premium members receive 10% AND free shipping with any $50 purchase from Cricut.com.
WHERE CAN I FIND BASIC SHAPES FOR FREE INSIDE CRICUT DESIGN SPACE?
Cricut Design Space does offer a few FREE shapes. These shapes are located on the left side. You can choose from 9 different shapes and a scoring line! You can use these free shapes to make earrings and many more projects!
Current shapes include a square, circle, triangle, diamond, pentagon, hexagon, star, octagon, heart, and a scoreline!
CAN I RESIZE AN IMAGE OR FONT INSIDE CRICUT DESIGN SPACE?
You can size your projects to whatever size you need.
In the upper middle of your screen, you’ll see “SIZE”.
To size your graphic, simply click on your image, and then resize your item to what you need.
If the lock symbol is on, Cricut will automatically adjust the size of your image for you.
You can click on the lock to override this feature!
HOW DO YOU DUPLICATE IMAGES?
Cricut Design Space will also let you duplicate an image you create. I use this feature all the time when making leather earrings. I upload a shape, use the size feature to make sure my earring is the correct size, and then I duplicate the earring.
This feature is super important because it makes sure my earrings are exactly the same size! I don’t have to make sure my images are all the same. Cricut Design Space does that for me!
How do you use the duplicate feature?
Click on your image, and then click “Duplicate” in the upper right-hand corner.
Your image will automatically duplicate.
YOU CAN USE YOUR OWN FONTS INSIDE CRICUT DESIGN SPACE?
You can use fonts in Cricut Design Space but not all fonts are free to use. If you love fonts and make projects often you may want to consider Cricut Access, but you can also upload your own fonts into Cricut Design Space!
Check out Google Fonts. You can download them to your computer and upload them into your fonts collection.
Also, you can buy great fonts from Etsy. Be sure to read the terms of use for each font you buy. We love this Etsy Shop for fonts.
WHAT IS SNAPMAT AND HOW DO I USE IT?
SnapMat is a really cool feature that literally takes the guesswork out of cutting! SnapMat will align your images to your mat. It is a virtual mat placement preview.
Why is this important? Well, you may only need to cut one pair of earrings and you don’t want to place all your leather down on a 12 x 12 mat.
SnapMat will align your images to the medium you have on your mat!
You can see the layout as a virtual preview. With this feature, you can write in specific locations on envelopes or gift cards. You can use up all the scrap material with ease! No wasted product. Love this.
SnapMat only available in the Cricut Design Space i0S app.
WHAT BLADES CAN I USE TO CUT MY PROJECTS?
Cricut Maker has many different types of blades. Each blade does something specific, so it is crucial to do your homework before starting any project!
For the Cricut Maker, you can use Fine Point Blades, Rotary Blades, and the Knife blade. The Cricut Maker Quick Swap tool allows you to quickly swap between the scoring wheel, debossing tip, engraving tip, perforation blade, and the wavy blade.
Once your project is complete and ready to cut, Cricut Design Space will prompt you with the correct blade for your project. Double-check you have the correct blade in your machine.
Not all the blades are interchangeable between the Cricut Maker and Cricut Explore Air 2. To learn more about the difference between the two machines, we break it all down for you here.
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