25 Best Cricut Tips, Tricks, Shortcuts, Hacks, & Hidden Features

hi everyone my name is jennifer maker today i am sharing my favorite cricket

hacks

and

hidden

features

in great maker program and say cricket slicer machine is hands down my favorite crafting tool. I use my Explorer mat maker so much over the years that I have come across or come up with a lot of really nifty cricket

shortcuts

that help me create better and faster. It took time for me to learn these

tips

, which meant that I was making a lot of mistakes and wasting a lot of material at first. and, of course, working slower than I really wanted to, so I want to pass along my favorite

tips

now in hopes of saving you some time, some heartache, and some money.

These cricket tips and

tricks

are also from my personal experience. as my amazing team members contributed between us all we have decades of cricketing experience with a variety of different materials and techniques these

shortcuts

are the

best

of the

best

if you only have time to learn so many tips these are the ones i want you to know that these are the ones that will save you by the way if you prefer to read or just want to print these tips to have next to your cricket which is not a bad idea i put all the tips in a book you can print out there are many more tips here too that you will not fight on the video you can get all the details in jennifer maker calm flash shortcuts now i have arranged the cricket tips in this video as a countdown to my most favorite tip just for a little fun and when i am excited to share and demonstrate them all for you, let's get started number 25 let's keep vinyl rolls from unrolling our vinyl rolls from unrolling on you and making a mess you can tape them shut. and won't leave any residue like duct tape.

Another idea is to take a roll of cardboard paper, cut it into lengths of 2 inches or so, and then cut a slit. You can wrap these cardboard rolls around your vinyl rolls to keep them. neat and extra you can even write just the right type of vinyl on the car and if you have some of those wristbands you can quickly wrap them around your vinyl rolls to keep them in place number 24 keep your cricket tools handy I highly recommend Keep all your cricket tools together in one place so it's easier to use when you need them.

The easiest way to do this is to place your tools in the accessory cup on your own cricket. You can also use the drop down compartment. In your cricket drawer, in fact, did you know there's even a little section for the blades on the left and it has a magnet to keep them in place? another idea is to put your tools on a pegboard near your slash or you could make my slash tool bench get the files and tutorial at jennifer maker comm slash tool bench you can also use a 3d printed tool holder like this one we design and make get details on this tool holder ourselves at jennifer maker comm slash 3d tool holder the key is keep everything together so you don't waste time looking for your tools when you just want to do something number 23 store your cricket pens with the point down store your pens with tip down in accessory cup holder or pen storage stores pens upside down means ink is always close to the tip and ready to use when you're ready to use it, this prevents or reduces problems where your cricket pens just don't want to write after you put them in the machine and if you've just bought a pack of pens and you're having problems with them, keep in mind that they're packed tip up and need some time to heal. the ink settles in the nib.

The only exception to this rule is cricket gel pens. Gel pens should be stored horizontally to prevent ink from seeping through, this may also go without saying, but keep your pen caps on as well, in fact when you go to use your pen on your cricket put the cap on the other end of his pen welds on his cricket cutter so he can don't lose it number 22 use the right tools to weed faster weeding vinyl is a challenge we're not using the right tools most people just use the cricket leader without Realize that while it is a good tool, it may not always be the right tool for the job.

Other great weeding tools include dental tools, tweezers, and craft knives. You can also use an empty 5mm mechanical pencil and a size 70 needle instead of the lead and make your own weeding tool or go fancy with a special weeding tool that works as well. Like an air release pen for bubbles, the other end can hold small pieces that come up when you remove the vinyl. I recommend that you keep all of these things on hand with your other tools so that you always have the right tool for the job. number 21 keep your

cricut

clean with compressed air over time on small pieces of paper and debris and glitter will build up on your

cricut

and can be really hard to get to to clean but keeping your cricut machine clean is important as it it makes it easier for the dunk to pass unimpeded and less likely to litter your mats with everything on it.

I like to use a can of compressed air the kind used for electronics and spray puffs of air along the length of the bed to get all the gunk out, works great and you don't have to worry about getting into those hard to reach places, as long as you point the canister of compressed air directly at the bed of the machine, the air can escape out the back attach along with the whole number 20 dessert weed faster with a container or painters tape when weeding a layout and there are little bits to remove, it's crucial that you keep these little bits off your work surface or they can migrate back into your design this usually means having to stop and review what we did from time to time and that can slow you down but it can speed up weeding if you keep a small container handy while you work, you can use something fancy like the silicone ring that allows you to put bits in as you go or something as simple as a baby wipe container a baby wipe dispenser or even an empty tissue box another idea is to wrap some painter's tape around your hand a few times sticky side up then just stick the bits onto the tape as you work use whatever works best for you but definitely use something number 19 keep your vinyl in place while you remove weed so a lot of vinyl comes in roles specifically cricket vinyl and that means once you're done cutting it it can still be frizzy and you don't want to laying on the surface and frankly trying to keep the curl down while you weed can be a nightmare you want to keep it in place while you weed and it makes it so much easier there are a few ways to do this is weeding on a slightly sticky mat, not a super sticky mat, and just holds it in place, so you could use a blue light grip map or an older green standard grip mat. you can also just stick your vinyl to your surface with painters tape and they will hold it in place and finally if you prefer to put up a glossy pad or some other kind of light box so you can see your lines you can use cloth weights and that will keep it in place or also painters tape works well on your glossy pad but if it can keep your vinyl in place while you brush away it is almost like having a third hand and is a great help #18 for cleaning surfaces with alcohol before applying the vinyl for best results anytime you apply vinyl to smooth surfaces like glass or metal you will get much better adhesion if you clean it first with something like rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol and the higher the alcohol count as ninety one percent or 95 percent, the faster it dries, you can use a giant jug like this, but a spray bottle with a fine mist works great and is easier to handle if you need to frequently apply small amounts of alcohol. a push down pump dispenser is a life saver you can get the big ones on amazon or the small ones at the dollar store they are marketed as nail polish remover pumps it is also very important that when cleaning your surface you use a lint- free towel or you are just introducing more dust to your surface I use Scott Shop towels but if you don't have them you can use a coffee filter which is also lint free Transfer number 17 with less tape and saves your sanity, come on face it, sometimes transfer tape is too sticky so if you are having trouble getting your vinyl to come off your transfer tape or if you just don't have transfer tape there are a few alternatives where you can put strips of tape on painter's or masking tape. a vinyl design and a transfer you can also use lint roller sheets with in a pinch another idea is to use clear contact paper which is less sticky and usually pretty inexpensive if you don't have any of these things and still have trouble with duct tape try sticking stick the tape to a clean shirt or piece of cloth before use, this will reduce its attack and make it slightly less sticky number 16 keep your cricket mats within easy reach you're more likely to craft with your cricket if your mats are within reach and ready to go when new and you have only one or two mats you can simply slide them under your cricket there is enough room for a few mats but what happens later when you click several mats from several grab ropes or you I have the longest mats so I like to use a picture hook, but you can also use command strip hooks the metal type near my cricket to hang my mats from.

I have a regular size rug hook and a long size rug hook and it's very convenient. The key is to keep it within easy reach even if you have to put it in an unusual place like on the side of your desk or a little higher up, but if you have a place to put your mats, you're more likely to put them down. away and keep them cleaner and get them when you need them number fifteen waste less material with test cuts one of the most frustrating things you can do is waste expensive material, especially when your last piece of cardstock or vinyl was just in that particular color but You don't have to do this whenever you have a piece of material that is new to you or in short supply.

Always do a test cut first, just click the shapes in the layout space, then click the circle and resize the circle to about a half inch now just cut the circle if you can freely remove the circle from your material, you'll know your settings are good and you can cut out your entire design, but if you can't change your settings and try to cut that circle repeat again until you can cut out the circle and then cut out your design, you'll waste much less material this way, number 14 gets best results with double passes, have you ever cut something and can already tell it didn't cut all the way long before you unload it, I can often tell just by lifting a corner of my mat if this happens to you, there is something you can do before you unload your mat press the C button again on your Cricut this will bring up your map again and Cut it out in exactly the same place you just did and this time it will cut a bit more.

You can do the same with punctuation. If you think your score is not deep enough. The key is to do it before you hit the download button. because if you do this after you have unloaded your mat it is unlikely that the mat will be in the same position and will be cut or scored in a different position than the original number 13 cut or score keep your cloth grip mats cleaner the grip of Pink Fabric The mats can get dirty, especially if you get something like felt or fleece. Pink mats will still work for a while, even with fibers and threads, it can be a mess and if you can't clean them or wash the fabric. ripping, that's the way you can use the other mats if you're having trouble with this too, consider placing the problem on the contact paper or transfer tape sticky settings on the fabric mat before placing your fabric on it , this means the pieces of fabric will get stuck in that piece of paper or tape instead of your mat and extends the life of your mat, now keep in mind you may only get about seven cuts before you need to change your contact paper or transfer tape on your mat and it may take a while to remove because the machine also cuts the paper or tape so you have little bits but it will definitely keep your mat cleaner number 12 will extend the lifeUseful of your cutting mats if you cut a lot of projects like I do your mats can lose their stick pretty quickly but there is something you can do to get more out of a mat that is losing its dick as you will no doubt have noticed that your cricket always places items to be sliced ​​in the top left corner of your map by default, this means that if you move things to be sliced ​​elsewhere on the mat, it's likely to be stickier in those areas because it's less used, e.g. try moving things to the center or another corner in the map preview and layout space to use your map more evenly and also be sure to rotate your mat 180 degrees and use the other side too often an old matte it will be stickier on the bottom edge number 11 tape the materials to keep it from shifting on your mat if your cutting mat has lost its tick completely you may still be able to use it with some painter's tape or masking tape, simply place the material on the mat where you want to cut it, then tape around the edges with some painter's tape or masking tape, you may need to move your design to the center of the mat to accommodate the lines of the masking tape. tape, just avoid using this on any designs with really intricate cuts as the sticky mat really makes a difference and you don't want the tape to overlap the edge of the mat or get under the rollers as it will likely do so. make.

Jamie a cricket this tip is also great for cutting any material that is very stiff as they don't like to stay in place even with a sticky new mat number 10 charge your phone or ipad while working in a fabricator if you have a Cricut maker also has another charging station on the bottom right side of the maker and you will see a USB port that you can use to charge your phone or an iPad or even plug in your glow pad and you can rest your device or glow pad in a built in slot on the top of your Cricut maker.

I can't tell you how many times I have charged my phone from this port. Most people have no idea this port is here, but now number nine accesses all material settings. For better cutting, you're not limited by the material you see on your dial on Explorer series machines or even the materials you see in popular on your build screen in design space, you can access a host of first-hand settings for very specific materials if you are using an explorer series machine be sure to change your dial to custom settings and keep it there. The Browse All Materials link in the upper right corner to search through all settings and select the best one.

Having the right settings makes a big difference in the success of your number eight cut. Cutting more than one color of material at a time? are you frustrated? When loading and unloading many mattes when you have a design with many layers or colors, you can save time and headaches by cutting more than one color from a material at a time, simply move all cut items onto the same mat in the design space. Cricut either doing in the same color or moving them individually on the mat preview screen to do this click on the three dots in the top left hand corner of each cut item then click move to mat then you should place each item on a different corner or section of your cutting mat on the mat preview screen once Cricut knows where to cut everything, place pieces of material of the appropriate size on the corresponding sections of your mat.

It is helpful to refer to the preview of your mat as you lay out the material. This allows you to cut a ton of different colors at once number 7 reduces sticking on new mats New mats can be super sticky and this can cause problems removing materials from the mats, but can reduce sticking on cutting mats new simply patting the oil from your hands will make the mats a little less sticky alternately press a clean paper towel onto the mat to transfer a thin layer of fibers to the mat and reduce its stickiness neither of these actions will harm the adhesive off the mat and then you can wipe them off Too much adhesive later when you need it number six, use a lint roller to remove any residue and fibers. layering things and getting a stickier mat is to remember to roll a lint roller over the surface of the cutting mat this will pick up a lot of the loose bits that like to stick to your mat of course its a great idea to keep your plastic map protectors on your cutting mats, well, don't use them to prevent additional dust or pet hair from collecting.

Number 5c cut lines are best with baby powder or cornstarch. It can be hard to see the cut lines on the vinyl to remove them, especially if you have less than stellar eyesight like me to make the lines more visible sprinkle some baby powder or cornstarch on your vinyl, then brush it with that makeup brush and you can get both at the dollar store for very little cost the powder goes right into the cut lines make them appear so you can weed better and faster and the powder wipes off immediately when you are done number four clean Baby Wipes Dunks Got a cutting mat that's so beloved it just won?

Don't leave anything stuck on it never fear you can give it new life just use an alcohol free baby wipe or wet wipe to clean your cutting mat if it's particularly dirty with fibers or whatever wipe in small circles all around of the mat until it is clean and then allow it to dry, which usually takes about ten minutes. For me, this will not only clean your mat, but it will also help retain some of its stickiness. I have a mat that I used for over a year. ago and when it lost its tick I just put it in a drawer and then totally forgot about it when I took it out because I need a new mat and couldn't find one I didn't want to go to the store to buy any I wiped it down with the wet wipe and it went away Got Tacky and Usable Again Number Three Flip the Mat Over to Remove Materials Without Damage Tired of your material tearing or curling when you remove it from the cutting mat? i have to bear it and i am going to share my secret to removing cutting mat materials, even brittle cardstock, from green standard grip cutting mats without damaging or curling them, the key is to remove the mat from its material rather than removing its material from your mat to do this, simply flip your cutting mat so that it is face down on your work surface, then gently fold your mat up and away from your material, this puts the force of the curve on the mat being fold back not your material often your material will pop right out of the mat for you number two remove small pieces of your mat quickly with a scraper or card often when we cut cardstock or other materials small pieces of paper remain on the cutting mat and it can take a while to remove them one by one the quickest way to remove them is to scrape them off you can use a regular size shackle scraper or even an extra large shackle scraper it will get the job done quicker if you don't have a scraper or you forgot it If you're somewhere, you can also scrape a few bits off your cutting mat with a plastic card like a store loyalty card, hotel card, or expired credit card, and in First, enhance your cuts with aluminum foil to keep the fine tip of Sea Point blades neat and clean.

To cut well, repeatedly insert the tip of the blade into a piece of aluminum rolled into a tight ball. To do this, simply cut a 12-inch sheet of aluminum foil. Roll into a ball tightly. Push the blade plunger down to expose the blade and hold down. then poke the ball of foil about 40 to 50 times, sticking the pointed part of the blade into that ball of foil will remove any debris or rust that may build up on the blade and help it cut better while doing this. you are not sharpening the blade as usual i thought you were using friction to remove little bits of stuff that build up on the blade and can cause problems when cutting.

I regularly stick the blade into a ball of aluminum foil and if I ever have trouble getting clean cuts it really works alternatively if you don't. If you want to risk getting pricked by the blade or leaving the blade in the foil ball, which can happen, you can place a piece of foil on the cutting pad and cut out various simple designs. This will also clean the blade and improve the cuts. see what i mean, these are good tips, the ones me and my team use regularly, they helped us a lot and i know they will help you too, of course there are many more cricket tips and

tricks

than me. i was able to fit into this video this is really just the tip of the iceberg i know many more tips that are great for beginners for cleaner cuts for vinyl for paper crafts for organizing your cricket stuff whatever you want if you want to hear more about these tips, let me know in the comments and also let me know which ones in particular interest you the most I'll cut the comments down and make the one with the most votes below if you have any questions about any of these shortcuts, tips or tricks let me know, leave a comment, a question below from this video or come over to my cricut crafters group at jennifer maker.com by the way cut cricut crafters and all the things i mentioned in this video are linked in the video description if you need help finding them now i know that some people watch my videos even though they don't have crickets yet, which is really cool, thanks guys, but I'd love for you to have one too and that's why I regularly do a giveaway. on my blog so other people who need one can get one so you can be entered for a chance to win and get all the giveaway details on the jennifer maker comm slash cricket giveaway and that's it for today.

I'll be back with more tips and tricks, especially some great ones for beginners, remember I'm always open to your project ideas, if you can tell me what you want to do, I can show you how to do it until next time, Jennifer Maker reminds you to create a life. love