So, you got a Cricut machine. Now what? A beginner’s guide.
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I was a newbie once. There are days when I brush the dust off of my Cricut and fire up Design Space for the first time in months that I feel like a newbie all over again! I’m here to help, and share in the fun (and frustration!) at acquiring new skills and knowledge that once you put into practice- you’ll feel like you’ve unlocked a totally new world of possibilities!
Cricut mug press, maker, and infusible ink.
Let’s start with the most intimidating part. Get it out of the box. I know, its scary! Not ready? Then download the Cricut Design Space app/program on your device from https://design.cricut.com/ Its FREE. You do NOT need to sign up for Access to use it and play around in the program a bit before unboxing your machine.
Speaking of your device- let’s talk what you really need to make your machine work! Cricut has their own suggestions (view them here) but I’d recommend the following:
8 GB of RAM, 16GB is better.
i5 processor or better
No Chromebooks- there are workarounds but it’s just not worth it, chromebooks aren’t supported.
Memory- at least 512GB- but be prepared to purchase external storage.
What it looks like once you’ve got it downloaded will look different depending on what device you are using. I bounce between my iphone, my mac, an ipad, and a windows laptop. It’s slightly different on each- but I can tell you I prefer my mac- mostly because my screen is biggest!
What is Access? It’s Cricut’s subscription to exclusive tools, discounts, and more! I have a separate post discussing the Pros and Cons depending on the type of crafter you are.
Once you download Design Space, you can sign up for an account and all of your projects will be saved to this account. When you start creating- you can save one of two places- the cloud and your device.
If you save on the cloud you can access your projects no matter what device you use.
If you save only on your device, you can only access this project from that particular device.
Now, unbox your machine. Make sure you have access to an outlet and have a sturdy place for your Cricut to sit! In the box you’ll find a starter project- these are great for hands-on people like myself. If you prefer to read, Cricut has a whole huge info center and manuals available for each machine available online. Check them out: https://help.cricut.com/hc/en-us
If you need some more deep dives into some specific how-to’s we’ve got a Cheat Sheet! It’s updated regularly as things change and new knowledge is gained. It can be found here: https://bit.ly/CTTCheatSheets