Cricut Maker Questions - Answered!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cricut. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you have questions about the Cricut Maker machine? This post will help you navigate the difference between the other Cricut machines.

Lately everyone has been stuck inside making more time for crafting, And with the recent sale on the Cricut Maker there are lots of questions out there about the machine and Cricut Design Space. So, from one crafter to all of you I am here to answer a few of those questions!

Cricut Maker, Cricut's new cutting machine has new technology for smoother and more precise cuts on hundreds of mediums

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Let me start by saying I have been a LONG time Cricut user. I started with the Original Cricut machine. You remember, that one with cartridges that you had to switch out the keyboard and you could cut VERY limited things.

Once they started using online programs for “designing” I upgraded to the Cricut Mini which opened up a lot more options as far as images to cut. I could buy just a single image to cut instead of purchasing a whole cartridge because I needed one of the images.

After that I got the Cricut Explore which was a huge upgrade. It was a lot bigger but that meant larger cut styles and also built in storage. It also gave the option of wireless cutting if you bought the bluetooth adapter. I didn’t buy the adaptor so I just cut plugged into my computer.

The Explore series also opened up the option of cutting your own fonts and images. I can’t even tell you the number of fonts I have since downloaded to my computer in order to cut them out on a Cricut machine!

The Explore Air came next and I loved being able to cut wirelessly. It was a few less “clutter”/cords in the space. Also introduced in the machine was dual tools. You could have the cutting blade and a marker in the machine all at the same time!

This machine had a dial that you would turn to set the material you would be cutting for the common materials, but also had a “custom” setting for all of the other things you would cut.

The Explore Air 2 was next and is very similar to the Air but twice as fast. Plus the color options of this one are so fun!

Next, the Maker (all of the details on that below)

Finally I have the new Joy. This machine brought to life the meatless cutting, and extended the cut sizing to 20 feet long. It also works with the new card cutting mat.

What makes a Maker different from the other machines?

OK, now back to the Cricut Maker. What makes it so different from the other machines?

This machine has so many more functions than even the Explore Air 2. It has 10x the power of the other machines. The best part of that power is the expansion of materials this machine can cut.

What can the Cricut Maker cut?

The number of materials the Maker can cut jumps from 100ish to over 300 different materials.

Faux Leather
Tissue Paper
Fabric
Infusible Ink
Chipboard
Felt
Aluminum
AND SO MUCH MORE

Making a Halloween paper banner using the Cricut Maker Machine

Along with new materials that can be cut comes new cutting tools! There is the rotary blade, the knife blade, fine point blade and then a whole line of quick swap tools

The machine also has new technology that controls the direction of the blade while cutting.

How difficult is the software used with the Cricut Maker?

One of my favorite parts of the newer machines is the amazing Cricut Design Space. You guys, this program makes your cutting options endless!!!!

You can get access to any of their images through subscription, or buy each one individually as needed. BUT, you can also use any of your own fonts, clipart and svg files.

There are so many projects already available on the website. Like as easy as finding the project and clicking the “cut” button! But if you are a more experienced designer you can make your own designs in a 3rd party program and upload them into Design Space. But there is no need for that for most projects. You can use images, shapes and fonts from right in the program.

If you want LOTS of tutorials on how to work your machine or Design Space, check out Cricut’s Youtube!