Cricut FAQ

[loricabo]

Congratulations on joining the Chirping ranks! This thread will contain helpful hints and tips only. Feel free to add your hints & tips to this thread.


If you would like to talk about your Cricut and creations, come join us on the chatty thread here: Forums at Splitcoaststampers



Cricut Cheat Sheets: You can subscribe to the Cricut cheat sheet list, and receive the awesome cheat sheets. It consists of 2 lists, one listed by cart and the other alphabetically. The list includes creative features, alphabet availability (upper/lower/numbers), words & shapes. I love the alpha sheet best. If I decide I need a certain shape or phrase, I check the list and it tells me which carts have that shape/phrase. So easy. If you are interested, you can sign up at this link http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CricutCheatSheet/ Note: you will receive advertisements from the owner's web store. I think she sends about 1 per week, so it seems like a decent trade off for this info.


Dial/blade settings for SU cardstock: I have my machine dials set at max (5 and 5) and the blade depth is also set at 5. Some use a blade depth of 6. Every machine seems to be a bit different, so don’t be afraid to try new settings if these don’t work for you.


Reset sequence: Machine acting funky? Try this reset sequence provided by Robynstamps.
Turn your machine off........
One dial at a time, turn all 3 dials all the way
up and all the way down (repeat 5 times each)...
Turn you machine back on....... Voila!



Mat care: Always replace the plastic topper on the mat when done using (this helps it retain the stickiness). To refresh the stickiness, spray with a bit of Stampin Mist, then wipe with a baby wipe. Allow to dry completely before using. You may want to work from a couple different mats, saving a less-sticky mat for thinner papers.



Cricut website: www.cricut.com You can view cartridge handbooks here, as well as videos on how to use your machine. A messageboard and gallery is also available.


SCS Gallery: There are lots of great creations in the SCS gallery. Just use Cricut in your Search. If you are adding your Cricut creations to the gallery, be sure to specify Cricut so we can find your creations when we search.


Discount cartridges & supplies: You can order cartridges at everyday low prices from Kim. Her website is http://www.freewebs.com/kimskorner/index.htm



I hope this helps! Have fun creating with your Cricut!

[loricabo]

Although the current Cricut doesn't cut chipboard, you can make faux chipboard. Cut the same shape 3-5 times (depending on thickness of your cardstock). Attach all the pieces together, and you have faux chipboard.

[loricabo]

Sign up for the Cricut Chirp newsletter at www.cricut.com The newsletter comes out once a week and includes lots of Cricut tips and a project.

[loricabo]

Some of the Cricut fonts and shapes are small or thin-lined. I have used the following adhesives with great success:
SU 2-way glue pen

Zig fine point glue pen

Sakura Quickie glue pen - looks & works like a ballpoint pen

Xyron

Hope this helps!

[jostvig]

TIPS TREASURE CHEST - Awareness Ribbon from George"If you are looking for an awareness ribbon...Our Troops, Breast Cancer, etc...look no further than George. Cut out the Ampersand, and with a few snips of your scissors, you have a ribbon! Hopefully the picture will tell the story..." - SusieQ x 2 from the Cricut message board

Thanks SusieQx2: this was a very timely hint for us Cricut users!
The link for the picture didn't work previously so I've attached the picture.

[jostvig]

All of the following information is from the www.cricut.com website. you can register there and recieve a weekly newsletter or just browse the site. The following links just cover the most basic questions that are frequently asked by people deciding on buying a cricut or a cartridge, and people wanting to compare it to other electronic die cutting systems as well as the new cricut expression.
Hope it is helpful.
The new Cricut Expression(apr. release date 6/07)
Product Basic Info
FAQ regarding the expression
The Original Cricut
FAQ technical use of the cricut machine,can be useful for both the cricut and the expression
Basic Info
Cart Information this will take you to cricut.com website there you can click onthe titl eo f any cartridge and it will page you through one sample page of the catalog that comes withthe cart to show different options for the cuts possible. Then it will page you through other cuts possible with the cart you look at. You can look at all possible options for each cartridge a valuable tool for selecting the right cartridge and seeing the endless possibilities a cricut has to offer.

[robynstamps]

Here is a tip on changing the cartridge. ALWAYS turn your machine off first before switching to a new cartridge. It can cause malfuntions if you take out a cart while the machine is still on.

[robynstamps]

If you want to make your mat last longer try loading from the other end. Also, you can use small pieces of paper, too, by using your arrow keys to move your blade around. You can make your mat last longer by not using a full sheet of paper everytime, especially if you are only needing a smaller cut.

Robyn

[jostvig]

If you use your cricut to cut nonstop, it can overheat and malfuntion or shut down. Like any piece of electronic equipment it needs time to cool down occassionally, so if it feels hot let it have a rest occassionally it will last longer and perform better.

[loricabo]

Here is some info on the Alphalicious cart:
The regular font is great, and includes upper & lowercase letters, plus numbers & symbols.

The following features are available:
Shadow - on regular font
Short Stack & short stack shadow - gives you a chunkier letter - LOVE this!
Crown tag - oval shaped tag with a crown at the top
Matchbook
Crest Card - cuts a card with the crest shape

Special shapes:
Oval tag & Scalloped oval tag
Crown
Crest
Round tag & scalloped round tag (use short stack to achieve these cuts)
Envelope

Sayings:
You're the Best
Thinking of You
best wishes
i miss you
Congratulations!
thank you
you're invited
Lucky
to from
It's a Party - the "a" in a balloon

Give this cart a try. You will love it!

[jostvig]

These are the commonly used cartridge abbreviations published i n the chirper newsletter available from www.cricut.com from the Last news letter in March.
George & Basic Shapes = GBS, or GB&S, or George
Doodletype = Doodletype
Stamped Cartridge = Stamped
Base Camp Cartridge = BC, or BCC
Jasmine Cartridge = Jasmine, JC
Teardrop Cartridge = Teardrop, TC
All Mixed Up Cartridge = AMU, AMUC, Mixed Up
Mini Monograms = MM, or Monograms
Christmas Cheer Cartridge = CCC
Celebrations Cartridge = CC, or Celebrations
Doodlecharms Cartridge = Doodlecharms, or DC
Tags, Bags, Boxes, and More Cartridge = TBBM
Animal Kingdom Cartridge = AK
Beyond Birthdays Cartridge = BB, or BBC
New Arrival Cartridge = NA, or NAC
Walk in My Garden Cartridge = WMG, or WMGC
Paper Pups Cartridge = PP, or Pups
ZooBalloo Cartridge = ZooBalloo, or ZC
Printing Press Cartridge = PPC, or Printing Press
Opposites Attract Cartridge = OA, or OAC
Makin' the Grade = MG
Fabulous Finds = Fab Finds, or FF
Alphalicious = Alphalicious
Going Places = GP
Mickey Font =Disney Font, or MF
Mickey and Friends = Disney Friends Font

[Consuelo]

Match 1 and Match 2 go together. Match 1 is the sleeve that holds Match 2, like a real box of matches.

Important Tip: If you try to score Match 1 where the Cricut tells you, it will be exactly the same size as Match 2. You won't be able to squeeze Match 2 into Match 1. The solution is to score Match 1 different. Here's how I did it and it worked nicely.
Match 1: Don't follow the tick marks to score. I find that adding an extra 1/16 inch to each score, except the first, gives you enough room for the match 2 to fit snuggly and still slide in and out. Score the first score ON the tick marks. When you score the 2nd set of tick marks add 1/16 inch. On the 3rd set of tick marks add 2/16 inch. On the 4th set of tick marks add 3/16 inches. It doesn't really matter what side you start on.

[Scrappin' Happy]

You can also get on Cricut.com and pull up a sample sheet for your cartridge. I like to store stamps, punches, etc in a binder so I can see what I have when I'm looking for something. On cricut.com you can go to products and then cartridges and pick either a font or shape category. Then it lets you pick the cartridge you want and on the right-hand side there is a box with some options in it. Pick cartridge sample and it will bring up a PDF file that you can save that has everything on the cartridge. I don't think it works for the Disney ones but all the regular ones should have it.

And like someone else said, the newsletter is great! They give you tips for using your machine and different ideas for the cartridges. They also include a project. The web site also lets you see past newsletters, I think.

Can you tell I LOVE my Cricut???

[JazzyCreations]

I recently did a page using the Base Camp Cartridge and I love the look of the dog tags but I wanted a layered look.....this is how I did it....
I pressed the dog tag feature button and then the dog tag FOUNDATION button and then the number 2. It cut out two tags and I pulled it all apart. That was done all in black. Then for the kraft color, I pressed the shadow button and then the dog tag FOUNDATION button. Then I just pieced it all together.
Here is the link to the page...

12x12 Cricut Page

Have fun!!

[Heather_M]

This is a link to a lady's store in Nova Scotia, Canada. She sells the carts for cheap!! I'm not sure about her shipping as she's local and I can pick up...but she's great to answer questions!

http://www.scrapbookingcafeonline.com/

[jostvig]

These were emailed to me in the Cridut Chirp News letter dated 23 Apr 2007, vol. 48
If you haven't signed up for the Chirp you should see a previous posting, and do so I learn a little tip each week.
CARTRIDGE EXPLORATION - Mickey and Friends
Last week I mentioned that I've been working on a list of other uses for the wonderful world of Mickey and Friends. Here are some that I've used in the past few projects. Please feel free to post your own!

Goofy's hydrant, Icon feature: fun Frankenstein silhouette or add hands and feet to create a robot

Goofy's hydrant, using the shift key and Icon feature: garbage can, Slurpee cup

Mickey's shoe, using the Icon feature: cut off the flat top and you have a kidney, cut two of them and glue together for lungs

Pluto background (page 84) using the shift key and Outfit/Tongue feature: a great layout for a 5-letter (or less) word or name

Mickey's shoe, using the Icon Border feature: add a cartoon head for a fun caterpillar

Minnie's necklace, using the shift key and Shadow: Base/Icon feature: turn sideways for a princess keyhole

Minnie's bow on page 89 (shift, Shoes/Ribbons/Hat): (a sideview)

Minnie's bow on page 92 using the Icon feature: add antennae and a body for a symmetrical butterfly

Minnie's purse (page 91), using the shift and Shadow:Base/Icon feature: a cartoon lock on which to use the princess keyhole mentioned above

Goofy's swirl using the Icon feature: adhere to a solid circle, add a stick and you have a big lollipop

BTW, don't you think the Minnie Icon Border (page 8 and the Daisy multiple flowers (page 102) using the shift and Outfit/Tongue feature will look awesome as wall decor in a girl's room when cut with the Expression?! You could even use a smaller size on their bulletin board or headboard.

Some of you have been bewildered by layering features. Here is an example of how they are programmed to cut the individual layers: When you press the face/white feature and the character key, you'll get the face of that character. To get the white cutouts (such as gloves, buttons, or the whites of the eyes), make sure you press the face/white feature, then 'shift' with the desired character. Does that make sense? Just a reminder, if you're not getting the desired results, go to your cartridge handbook and read through the instructions specific to that cartridge; in this case, page 16 of Mickey and Friends. If that doesn't work for you, go to the message board and look through the recent posts for answers. As a last resort, post your question on the general board; there are very ingenious members who seem to be able to figure out anything that will help you.

Also, did you know the way to tell the difference between Chip and Dale is Chip has a chocolate chip for a nose.

Have you seen the amazing projects that are being created by your fellow Cricut lovers? As I scroll through the posts of the Cricut Message Board, I am overwhelmed by the outside-the-box artistry of your work.

[jostvig]

sorry the links dont work witht the previous post
Mickey & Friends
Cricut Message Board

[Samm]

I love my Cricut! great thread!

I used the love heart from George and the palm tree from Doodlecharms to make a strawberry!

[robynstamps]

Here is an alligator I made using the Cuttlebug with my Animal Kingdom cartridge.

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r...s/DSCF4443.jpg

[jostvig]

When using the Animal Kingdom Cart you might want to cut multiple colors of the shift otion with the border to get the look you want with the borders. and then cut and layer the pieces. I used "Nemo" as a sample of coloring and made this border posted in my gallery cricut album. The border was cut in orange and then I cut the shift for the border in Black White and Orange. I then cut the colors to create the look I wanted. I used the shift fish large orange and the outline of the border to cut the upper and lower fins to mount behind the fish with CM storybox, Candy Shoppe Paper. That way I could use up most of the extra pieces I cut to make the border the way I would like. Here is a link to my Fishy Border

[momof4gr8kids]

If you take your cricut cutting mat and run it under warm water it will remove the paper fibers on it and let it air dry. It will still be sticky and you get a little bit longer life out of your mat.

[charlalei]

I used two way glue to renew my mat stickiness. I just put a light layer on, LET IT DRY COMPLETELY, and that got me some more life out of it.

[momof4gr8kids]

If you use the glue or two way it will gum up your machine. It will then void your warranty.

[mom2twins]

To get your bug to cut in the exact same place as your first cut DO NOT unload your mat after cutting. Hit load mat again and it will bring it back to the corner and then hit repeat last and it will cut in the exact same place. I used that when my cut did not go all the way through, but others have been using it for cutting after using the little markers.

[jostvig]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mom2twins

To get your bug to cut in the exact same place as your first cut DO NOT unload your mat after cutting. Hit load mat again and it will bring it back to the corner and then hit repeat last and it will cut in the exact same place. I used that when my cut did not go all the way through, but others have been using it for cutting after using the little markers.

Thanks for posting this
If you use this technique on the light - med weight coasters you can cut chip board on your cricut.
Here's a sample

[jostvig]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jostvig

If you use this technique on the light - med weight coasters you can cut chip board on your cricut.

I forgot to mention I cut the coaster three times and the last thin layer of chip board did not get cut through.
I also cut cereal box scraps this way I only cut them 2 times.
HINT: You have to load the paper to the top corner where the machine stops to do this. you can not use the set page size feature to do this technique.
DO NOT UNLOAD THE PAPER!, only hit LOAD PAPER again, then hit REPEAT LAST, for a duplicate cut. Repeat this process for each time you want to repeat the cut. Once you unload the paper, it is very unlikely you will every line up identicle cut again.
You can do multiple cuts of different objects though by selecting them all before you do the first cut (3 seemed to be the maximum I could do this with), then hit LOAD PAPER and REPEAT LAST. I repeat I could only do three objects.
I HTH everyone.

[bjtstamper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jostvig

Thanks for posting this
If you use this technique on the light - med weight coasters you can cut chip board on your cricut.
Here's a sample

Thanks for this wonderful tip. I tried to cut some lightweight chipboard the other day and just could not figure it out. This will be a great help!

[jostvig]

If you like to use pastels and versamark to stamp with you might want to make a window template. The george cart will do a nice job. If you cut a piece of cardstock , I cut it at about 4x4, then load it in the cricut, I like the rounded corners, but you select the square 4 times at 1.5 " actual dial size. then cut it will cut two squares in one row and then 2 others right below, you now have a mask or template of a window. These two cards were made using a mask. The cricut lines up the squares perfectly in a rows making it easier than using a punch. This was my first attempt to paint masked flowers in a window it needs work but you can see the window effect from using a template. The other is a pastel e& versa mark using a square template. HTtipH.

[Inway2deep]

where is the cheapest place to buy??

[jostvig]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inway2deep

where is the cheapest place to buy??

Unless you find a good sale, Walmart and Kims Korner have the best prices read the earlier post for a like to kims korner. with shipping Wal mart might be the best bet.

[MLTLUV2scrap]

CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN THESE TO ME? I'M NOT QUITE SURE HOW TO USE THEM.

THANKS!

[Stampnf1n]

Do I have to have the accessories tools? I havent taken it out of the box yet but will be soon. I read on the website that the accessories tools were needed to get you started. GOSH I hope not.

I was having a very bad day at work so I went to Walmart at lunch and bought it. (it was payday) Much better afternoon.:-D

Bonnie

[greetingstoinvites]

I just saw the regular cricut on sale for $125. Should I get it??
I love to stamp & usually make only cards.
I am wondering if this is a wise investment.

[jostvig]

Quote:

Originally Posted by greetingstoinvites

I just saw the regular cricut on sale for $125. Should I get it??
I love to stamp & usually make only cards.
I am wondering if this is a wise investment.

great price where was that at?

[jostvig]

For General Cricut questions please post in the Cricut Chatter thread, there are usually people there to answer your questions. This is just for FAQ Answers and tips Thanks

Here is the Link

CHATTER THREAD

[THarris]

I got mine at Michael's for $139.00. I thought it was on sale because they were trying to get rid of them for the new cricut machine, but now I see they still have the same machine for $299.00 just by adding a few other things to the package!

[amyschmamy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stampnf1n

Do I have to have the accessories tools? I havent taken it out of the box yet but will be soon. I read on the website that the accessories tools were needed to get you started. GOSH I hope not.

I was having a very bad day at work so I went to Walmart at lunch and bought it. (it was payday) Much better afternoon.:-D

Bonnie

I have the same question. How necessary (or recommended) is the tool kit? TIA
Amy

[jostvig]

Quote:

Originally Posted by amyschmamy

I have the same question. How necessary (or recommended) is the tool kit? TIA
Amy

The tools work great. I use the little hook pointer the most. also the scrapper thing is great when the pad starts to get less sticky, because it can help attach the paper to the mat. I dont think you need it to get started if you have a paper piercer to help lift the edges of the fine cuts, but it is definately a good thing to have in the future. HTH

[crazy4stamps]

I am here because my DH is getting me a Cricut for my B.D on Sunday and I know almost nothing about it yet.
I am so excited to get it and try it out, but we are going away for the weekend and it's suppose to get here on Friday or Saturday and we won't be back until Sunday......:(

I hope to get plenty of info from all of you....thanks in advance!

[jostvig]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazy4stamps

I am here because my DH is getting me a Cricut for my B.D on Sunday and I know almost nothing about it yet.
I am so excited to get it and try it out, but we are going away for the weekend and it's suppose to get here on Friday or Saturday and we won't be back until Sunday......:(

I hope to get plenty of info from all of you....thanks in advance!

LeAne there is a chatter thread we talk on about general cricut stuff we just use this thread to post hint and pointer that might be more useful.
heres a link to that Cricut Chatter cant wait to see what you come up with.