- To keep vinyl rolls from unrolling
- Use a piece of painters tape. Do not use scotch tape as this will leave a residue.
- Cut an empty toilet paper roll or paper towel roll to about 2 inches thick piece. Then cut a slit along the side. Then wrap it around your vinyl roll. You can also write what type of vinyl it is on the cardboard. Slap bracelets also work the same way.
- Did you know your Cricut machine has a compartment when you open it, that is made to store your Cricut tools? There is even a section in there with a piece of magnet to store extra blades. You can also store a few of your Cricut mats under your Cricut machine as well. I even made a tool organizer that fits perfectly inside here to store all my blades. Click here to learn more about it.
- To prevent losing your pen caps when using the pens place it on the bottom of your pen. You can even put the cap on the bottom of your pen when it is being used in your Cricut machine.
- To clean your Cricut machine use a compressed air can, like the one you use to clean your computer keyboard. The air and debri will go out the back slot of your machine. So, make sure you have a trash can back there to help catch all the things that fly out.
- It is recommended to keep your Cricut machine under a dust cover of some sort when it is not being used. You should also turn off and unplug your Cricut machine when it is not being used.
- Here are a few dust covers I found for you
- Having trouble seeing your design as you are weeding?
- Use a bright pad. (You can use painters tape or magnets to help hold your vinyl down and in place on the bright pad.)
- Sprinkle baby powder or cornstarch on your vinyl and rub it into your design with a finger or paint brush to make the lines more visible. The baby powder and cornstarch will brush off easily once you are finished.
- When applying vinyl to smooth surfaces, like metal or glass, wipe down the surface with alcohol first to get better adhesion of your vinyl to the surface. Rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol works just fine. The higher the alcohol content, the faster it will dry. Putting your alcohol in a spray bottle makes it easier to apply and not spill in my opinion. I have seen alcohol pumps (nail polish removers in pump form), but I have not tried these yet. These may be a nice applicator to use to apply the alcohol.
- Make sure to use a lint free cloth when using the alcohol to clean your surface to avoid more dust and things going back on your surface. Shop towels or a coffee filter work well and are lint free.
- If a cutting mat or transfer tape is to sticky, then stick the mat or transfer tape to a clean cloth or shirt first before using it on your project. Also you can reuse transfer tape a few times. It is not a once and done thing.
- If you have a limited supply of a certain material or have never used a specific material before, then it is best to try a small sample first. This way if your settings are not correct then you are not wasting a large piece of the material. You can do a test run by clicking on “shapes” in design space. Then click on the circle. Then resize the circle down to about ½ inch. Then cut out the circle to ensure your settings for that material are correct before doing your bigger project. Make sure the circle was cut completely. If not change your settings and try cutting out the circle again.
- You cannot wash the pink fabric Cricut mats the same way you can wash the other Crictu mats. So, to keep your pink fabric mat clean you can place contact paper or transfer tape sticky side up on your pink fabric cutting mat. This way the fabric pieces will get stuck on the transfer tape or contact paper and not your Cricut mat. You can get about 7 cuts done before you will need to remove the old contact paper or transfer tape and replace it with a newer one. The Cricut machine will cut into the transfer tape and contact paper. So, it will take a little time to remove these after the 7ish runs, but it will extend the life of your pink fabric cutting mat.
- The Cricut default will always place your project in the upper left hand corner of your mat. This means the lower right hand corner of your mat will stay sticky longer since it is not used as much. So, I recommend you move your piece being cut to another area of your mat so you do not only wear down the upper left hand corner of your mat. You can also turn your mat 180 degrees so the bottom goes in first, to get more use out of this area.
- If an item is not staying down on your cutting mat, then you can place painters tape or masking tape on the very edges of your material to help hold it down and in place. This is also recommended on heavy materials like wood to help keep them in place. For more intricate designs and patterns, it is best to use a very sticky mat, and not this tape method.
- Did you know your Cricut Maker has a USB port? It is on the lower right hand side of your Cricut Maker. This allows you to charge things like your phone or iPad while you are working. There is even a slit in the top of the Cricut Maker to hold your phone or iPad.
- Use some sort of container to store all the scrap pieces of vinyl you are weeding off. This will help keep your crafting space clean and prevent the vinyl from getting stuck back on your project. I use an old colorox wipe container. I will be decorating my colorx wipe container in the future so keep an eye out for that. I have also seen and heard people like to use this fingernail polish holder to store their trash pieces in while they are weeding. Find what works best for you.
- There are more material settings than you initially see. On the Cricut Explore Air 2 turn your dial to the custom setting. The Cricut Maker does not have a dial that needs to be moved since it is always on the custom setting. Now when you are on the make screen click “browse all materials” in the upper right hand corner just above the popular materials it suggests or you programed. Then pick the material you need.
- I recommend keeping the clear protective covering that covers your Cricut mat when you first get it. Then place this protective clear cover over your mat every time it is not being used. This will keep your Cricut mat cleaner and thus extend its life. If you do not keep the clear protective layer on your Cricut mat, then pet hair and other things floating around your house will collect on the sticky mat surface.
- If your Cricut cutting mat is not very sticky anymore, then try cleaning it with a non-alcohol base baby wipe or wet wipe. Circular motions work well. Make sure you allow your mat to completely dry, about 10 minutes.
- You can use your scraper to remove small pieces left on your Cricut cutting mat. You can also use and old plastic card as a scraper if you do not want to purchase one.
- Use Iron on or Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV) on wood. You can even use iron on vinyl on tumblers.
- Once you grow you Vinyl collection it may be difficult to keep track of all the different vinyls you used. If this is the case, then put scrape pieces of your vinyls on a key ring and label them on the back. You should include the brand name of the vinyl and the type of vinyl it is on the back.
If you missed my top 10 favorate tips and tricks for the Cricut check it out here. You will not want to miss theses.
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