This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.
If you haven’t tackled the Print and Cut Option on the Cricut Explore Air, check out these Printable Cricut Project Ideas and Tips!
I’ve said it time and again…the Cricut Explore Air has saved me SO much time in creating my printables. I cut out all my printables the first two years of blogging by hand. Wouldn’t seem so bad, but I was designing a lot of parties by hand, and I had to start at least a week in advance. If you need Printable Cricut Project Ideas, you came to the right place! It’s my favorite crafting tool, and I think you’ll love it too!
The Cricut can do so many things! It cuts vinyl, fabric, card stock, cork board, acetate, foil, duct tape, foam, magnet sheets and much more! I primarily use it for cutting printables on 110 lb. card stock, or 60 lb paper. Paper is my medium of choice, so ALL this week I’ll be sharing my secrets to using the print and cut feature on the Cricut.
What I like about the Cricut for Printables
- It cuts really well
- It’s Quiet
- No glitches
- Blade Lasts FOREVER
- Simple to Use
- Bleed on Print and Cut
The first time I used it, I was AMAZED at how well it cut my printables. It didn’t get stuck on the paper at all, and it was super fast. It’s also incredibly quiet, so I can listen to podcasts in the background and actually hear them!
My last cutting machine had a lot of issues. It wouldn’t work when I needed it to, and I ended up cutting things by hand a lot of the time. Last month, I spoke at Pinners Conference, and I had to create 300 bows (each bow had three parts to it). I cut them all out the day before my conference…because I’m a procrastinator. It was amazing! No glitches, I didn’t lose any bow pieces to snagging on the blade. Speaking of the blade…I haven’t had to replace it since I got it a few months ago. It’s impressive because I use this machine ALL the time.
I’ll admit, it took me a little bit to get used to the design software. Now that I have been using it for a couple of months, I don’t know why it was such an issue for me. I will be giving a tutorial on Wednesday about how to use the Print and Cut option; it’s SO easy. I haven’t used the software to create my own images besides simple shapes, so I can’t attest to that. I use Adobe Illustrator for all my designs (and I highly recommend it), but the software is easy to navigate, and I love how the catalog is synched because it’s all online.
I know I gushed about the easy of use and how wonderfully the Cricut cuts…but my FAVORITE feature of the Print and Cut option is the bleed! When it prints out, it fans out the color of the printable on the edges. That way, if it doesn’t cut perfectly straight due to user error, it won’t matter, because of the bleed. Once again, I’ll go over that later, but it has made designing and cutting a lot easier.
The only thing I’m not thrilled about is the size of the print area. On Chrome, you can only print an 8″X5″ file on an 8.5″X11″ piece of paper. Most of my projects fit within that area just fine, but I would like the option for larger images in the future (so I can print things like my Emoji Gift Boxes). The machine cuts so well that I usually find a way to make everything fit in that space or create multiple pages of the project so I can use the Cricut instead of my other machine! I also have a trick coming on Thursday to get around the file size 🙂
Now, need some inspiration?? Keep Reading:
Printable Cricut Project Ideas
- Try my Letter to Santa Envelopes and Liners! They’re ADORABLE!
- Kid Crafts and Activities (like my Jellyfish Printables)
- Gift Boxes (like my diamond gift boxes)
- Home Decor (working on this for my office right now!)
- Party Decor (like the bows I created for my Halloween Party)
- Invitations and Cards (love this idea for a Disney Princess Party…you can customize it to be an Invitation!)
- Paper Flowers (like THESE beauties from Lia Griffith)
The possibilities are endless, but hopefully, this will give you the jump start you need to create Printables with the Cricut Explore Air! Check back the rest of the week as I finish this series, and if you have any questions, please comment below! **Comments submitted may be displayed or featured on other websites owned by Cricut.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.
Leave a Reply