- What is a Cricut?
Cricut: The Personal Cutting Machine that blends convenience, creativity, and art. Built for the modern time, with all the new technology, durability and stylish aesthetics that the creative modern consumer expects. Hands down one of the most comfortable and user-friendly foldable table products on the market today. The creative consumer expects this level of beauty, elegance, and functionality from their products. The Cricut is offered in various models. Two of the most popular are the Cricut Maker which is the newest model on the market and the Cricut Mini which is a smaller portable version.
- How does a Cricut work?
The Cricut is a very simple machine. It is basically a computer that cuts. The Cricut is connected to a computer via USB cable or bluetooth, and you can cut vinyl, card, material and other things dependent on which model you have. When you want to cut something, you place the vinyl on the mat and place the mat into the Cricut. As a design is being cut, it is sent to the Cricut, which rewrites the design in the process.
- How do I create a cut file?
There are a few different ways to create a cut file. The easiest way is to use a program called Inkscape. Inkscape is a vector graphic design program that allows you to create images that can be scaled infinitely without losing quality. It is free and easy to use. If you don’t plan on doing any graphic design, then saving the file as a PNG, JPEG or SVG may be easier. The main reason is that these graphics are handled differently by zooming in and out and having a large file that does not compress as well as possible can slow you down. I personally ended up saving the SVG cut file as a TXT instead and having a separate PNG cut file for home editing. I will talk more about the advantages and disadvantages of the various ways to create a cut file later and here is a link to a more in-depth explanation of how to use Inkscape. The second option is to use an image editor like Affinity Designer or Photoshop. In this, you would export your design into a VNG or SVG file. You could also use a similar program like GIMP.
- How much does it cost to get started with a Cricut machine?
A Cricut machine will cost you between $200 and $400 depending on the model. You can get an older one for $100, but it’s important to remember that this comes with smaller cutting mats and a smaller cutting blade, so you won’t be able to do as much with it. That’s not to say you shouldn’t get a Cricut machine. It is a pretty sweet little machine and if your creativity is high, you’re going to save time and energy. It’s always good to search through sites like Pinterest to see what sort of things you are able to make with your Cricut before you decide is it right for you?