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Top
 1. Help Center
 2. Design Space
 3. How To

Print


HOW TO

 * Design Space for Desktop Uninstallation Instructions
 * Design Space for Desktop: Saving for Offline Use
 * Design Space for Desktop: Deep Linking
 * Design Space for Desktop: Feature Rollouts
 * Design Space for Desktop Navigation Overview
 * Using Warp in Design Space
 * Where can I see a list of my Image Sets or linked cartridges in Design Space?
 * Design Space: Moving layers in the Layers panel
 * Design Space: Renaming Layers
 * Design Space: Using Combine to create new shapes

See more


HOW DO I PRINT THEN CUT IN DESIGN SPACE?

Edited: August 29, 2023

Bring a world of color to your projects with the Print Then Cut feature! Select
a link below for information about using Print Then Cut. 

 * What is Print Then Cut?
 * What you need
   * Compatible Cricut smart cutting machines
   * Compatible printers
   * Compatible materials
 * How to create a printable design in Design Space
 * Troubleshooting Print Then Cut

Important: Print Then Cut all in one session. To avoid error, the entire
process, from printing the project to the final cut should all be done in one
flow from the same device. While you can save your project within Design Space
and come back to it, saving a Print Then Cut project as a PDF and printing it
outside the Design Space flow will result in incorrectly sized cut sensor marks.
For best results, Print Then Cut your project in a single Design Space session. 

 


WHAT IS PRINT THEN CUT?

Print Then Cut allows you to create a design in Design Space, print it on your
home printer, then load the print into your Cricut Explore or Cricut Maker
machine for cutting. The machine scans the printed cut sensor markings, then
cuts your design with precision – no scissors required! This allows you to
create stickers, toppers, and even cut photos with ease!


WORDS TO KNOW

Word Description Flatten

This feature is your friend for turning multi-layer designs into a single
printable layer. Your machine will cut just the outer shape of your flattened
objects. Whether you’re stacking layers on top of one another or arranging
multiple objects on a page and need to lock their position, when it’s for Print
Then Cut, use Flatten.

Operation Operation tells Design Space how your machine is going to interact
with your material. When you flatten a design, the Operation automatically
changes to Print Then Cut. For single-layer images you want to Print Then Cut,
choose Operation > Print Then Cut in the Edit bar to make it printable. Upload
Upload allows you to “import” images into Design Space. Whether it’s an image
you find on the internet*, one you purchase from a designer, or one you create
yourself, a variety of file types can be uploaded for use in creating Print Then
Cut designs. Sensor Print Then Cut-capable machines contain a built-in sensor
that scans for the printed sensor markings in order to cut your design with
precision. Sensor marking Sensor markings are printed fiducials on the page that
help the machine know where to cut. The machine’s sensor will scan for these
markings before cutting your printed design. Bleed Bleed is a small border of
color added around each image that allows for more precise cutting. Although we
recommend printing with a bleed for best cut results, you do have the option to
turn the bleed on or o­ff on the print setup. The bleed may look fuzzy or
distorted, but this border will be trimmed off in the cutting process, yielding
a precisely cut image with color all the way to the edge. Offset

Offset creates a proportionally larger or smaller layer of your design, great
for making custom stickers, cake toppers, and t-shirt designs. Offset layers add
a “shadow” or decorative outline to your design.

 

Important: *Cricut encourages you to respect the intellectual property rights of
others and only upload images you own or are authorized to use.

 


WHAT YOU NEED

 * Design Space software on Windows/Mac computer, iOS mobile device, or Android
   mobile device
 * Compatible Cricut smart cutting machine, cutting mat, and blade
 * Compatible home printer
 * Compatible printable materials

 


COMPATIBLE CRICUT SMART CUTTING MACHINES

Cricut smart cutting machines capable of Print Then Cut include:

 * Cricut Joy Xtra
 * Cricut Explore machines
 * Cricut Maker machines
 * Cricut Venture machines

Note: Cricut Joy can Cut and Draw but is not capable of Print Then Cut.

 


COMPATIBLE PRINTERS

Choose a home printer that is capable of printing in color. While we don’t
recommend a particular make or model, here are some tips for choosing a printer
that will work for you:

Inkjet (Recommended)

 * Uses ink cartridges and small nozzles to spray fine ink droplets onto the
   material
 * Best printer type for a wide variety of printable materials including
   printable vinyl, printable iron-on, sticker paper, etc.

Laser 

 * Uses high heat to fuse toner to the material 
 * Not for use with heat-sensitive materials such as printable vinyl or
   printable iron-on
 * Works very well for regular printer paper, some weights of card stock, and
   specialty materials specifically manufactured for use with laser printers to
   withstand the high heat

Note: To Print Then Cut from Design Space for iOS, choose a printer that is
capable of AirPrint. Visit https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201311 for
information about AirPrint compatible printers.

 


COMPATIBLE PRINTABLE MATERIALS

For Print Then Cut, materials should be non-reflective or have a matte finish.
Reflective materials - such as those with a metallic, glitter, or glossy finish
- will interfere with the Print Then Cut sensor in the Cricut machine, causing
it to not be able to read the cut sensor markings.

 * Cricut Explore Air 2 and older machines: print on non-reflective white
   materials only
 * Cricut Venture, Cricut Joy Xtra, Cricut Explore 3, Cricut Maker 3, and Cricut
   Maker machines: print on non-reflective white, lightly colored, and simple
   patterned materials.

 


HOW TO CREATE A PRINTABLE DESIGN

When trying Print Then Cut for the first time, start with a Cricut print-ready
design to get the hang of it. Then you can upload an image and save it as a
Print Then Cut image or try creating your own Print Then Cut design from
scratch. Choose an option below for more information.


PRINT-READY DESIGNS IN DESIGN SPACE

Many designs in the Cricut library were created especially for Print Then Cut.
Follow these steps to find and use them in your projects.

 1. Create a new project in Design Space
 2. Select Images.
 3. Select Filters > Operation Type > Print Then Cut. The page will reload to
    show designs created for Print Then Cut. You can also identify them by the
    Printer icon on the image tile.
    
    Desktop
    
    
    iOS
    
    
    
    Android
    
    
    
 4. Search or browse for a design you like. Select it and insert it onto the
    Canvas. You’ll notice in the Edit bar that the design is already formatted
    for Print Then Cut.
    Desktop
    
    
    iOS                                                                       
     Android
           
    
    
 5. When you’re ready, select Make It and follow the prompts to Print Then Cut
    your design.


UPLOADING IMAGES

Design Space allows you to upload images you find on the internet* or purchase
from other designers, and save them as Print Then Cut images. Visit this help
article for instructions on how to upload your own images into Design space. 

Important: *Cricut encourages you to respect the intellectual property rights of
others and only upload images you own or are authorized to use.


MAKE A DESIGN PRINTABLE

You can convert any single cut image into a printable image by changing the
Operation type to Print Then Cut in the Edit bar. On mobile, select Edit >
Operation > Print Then Cut. 

Desktop



iOS



Android



 

To convert a multi-layer design into a single printable layer, use the Flatten
tool. 

 1. Select all objects you want to Print Then Cut, then select the Flatten tool
    (on mobile: Actions >  Flatten).
    
    Desktop
    
    
    iOS
    
    
 2. You'll see in the Layers panel that the selection has been compressed into a
    single printable layer. The machine will cut around the outer shape of the
    design. 
    
    Desktop
    
    
    iOS
    

 


TROUBLESHOOTING PRINT THEN CUT


MY CRICUT EXPLORE, CRICUT MAKER, CRICUT JOY XTRA OR CRICUT VENTURE IS NOT
READING SENSOR MARKS.

Follow the steps from this article if you're getting an error stating that the
machine cannot read the cut sensor marks. 

Additionally, Print Then Cut all in one session. To avoid error, the entire
process, from printing the project to the final cut should all be done in one
flow from the same device. While you can save your project within Design Space
and come back to it, saving a Print Then Cut project as a PDF and printing it
outside the Design Space flow will result in incorrectly sized cut sensor marks.
For best results, Print Then Cut your project in a single Design Space session. 


I'M GETTING A WARNING THAT MY IMAGE IS TOO LARGE. 

When your printable design is too large for the material size that is currently
set for Print Then Cut, you will either need to resize your design to fit, or
choose a larger page size. Click or tap on the warning message in the Layers
panel and choose the option to auto-resize your design to fit. 

Desktop



iOS



 

To change your page size instead, go to the Design Space menu (three lines in
upper left of Home) > Settings > Print Then Cut Settings. Then choose a default
page size for Print Then Cut projects. 


DO I NEED TO CALIBRATE MY MACHINE FOR PRINT THEN CUT? 

Machines come pre-calibrated, but if you notice cut inaccuracies on Print Then
Cut projects, calibration may help. Calibration is a series of simple cuts,
questions, and answers designed to help your Cricut machine cut exactly along
the edge of your printed image. 

Note: Significant updates to Print Then Cut starting in June 2022 required users
to recalibrate. If you haven't recalibrated for Print Then Cut since June 2022,
you will be required to calibrate before you can complete a Print Then Cut
project. 

To recalibrate your machine for Print Then Cut: 

 * On desktop computer: select Design Space menu > Calibration > Print Then Cut
 * On iOS or Android mobile device: select Design Space menu > Settings > Print
   Then Cut Settings > Calibration your machine

Then follow the on-screen prompts to complete the calibration. 


MY MACHINE IS CUTTING AROUND EACH LITTLE ELEMENT OF MY DESIGN INSTEAD OF JUST
THE OUTER EDGE. 

This can happen if you use Attach instead of Flatten when working with a
multi-layer design for Print Then Cut.  To avoid this issue, select all Layers
of your design and then use the Flatten tool. In Design Space for Desktop
Flatten is found in the bottom of the Layers panel. On mobile, choose Actions >
Flatten. This compresses all the layers of your design into a single printable
layer, and the machine will cut the outer edge only. 

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RELATED ARTICLES

 * Design Space: Selecting Operation
 * How do I Print Then Cut with writing style fonts and images?
 * Cricut Contact Information
 * Uploading Images into Design Space
 * Print Then Cut on colored paper



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