Cricut Explore Print then Cut ~ Released!

Last night, the long awaited much anticipated Print then Cut feature in Design Space for the Cricut Explore was released! And to help you learn to use it, here are some very good videos from Cricut!

Print then Cut Basics

Print then Cut Advanced

Using Imagine Carts in Cricut Design Space

There have been so many questions and differing answers on using the Imagine carts in Design Space. So I made this handy dandy flow chart based on the information I verified with Provo Craft. Hope this helps clear up the confusion!

Card Matching Game with Print then Cut

Surprise! I made a project for a little boy! Usually my projects are geared toward girls. This project could easily be changed to a girl project or a unisex project just by changing the images and paper used.

There are 18 cards and two of each picture so you can use them as a matching game or a memory game. The images are from Boys Will Be Boys. I used a rounded corner square from Craft Room Basics, sized it to 2.5 x 2.5 inches and set the color to white. I then sized the cars and trucks and rocket and helicopter to fit inside the square. I selected the squares and images {6 of them at a time} and Flatten them. I pressed GO, then Print and Continue and printed the page on my home printer. I then loaded that page onto my mat and into my Explore and it cut the cards. I used a patterned cardstock with white on the back side. That is the side I printed the cards on. Easy peasy!

Of course, I wanted a box for the cards. And I wanted to personalize it. And I wanted it to coordinate with the cards. They say you need to print on white paper only but back when I had a different cutter that had the Print and Cut option, I learned a little trick. Use white stickers where the registration marks will print! Hoping it would work with the Explore, I dug out some stickers.

I used these Avery 1 inch x 3 inch stickers and cut them in half and placed them on my pattern paper before loading it into my printer. On the Preview Mat, you will see where the registration marks will print for your image. I set up my design using the crayon box from Tags, Bags, Boxes and More and the marker font from the Pooh and Friends cart. I set the box color to light blue and the font to red. I loaded the paper in the printer and. . .

Voilà! My paper printed with the image and registration marks.

And it cut!

But, I decided I didn't like the red font, nor did I like the additional layer of blue. I was going for a slight difference and it was too dark for my taste. So I changed the box color to white, place stickers on another piece of patterned paper and Printed and Cut again. You can see the difference below.

I'm pleased with the second box {even though the text is slightly off center and that's because I only "eyeballed" the placement. I hope there is a center or align feature in future updates.}.

Free Access to the Imagine Art Cart Library for Imagine Owners!

If you own an Imagine and have it registered in your cricut.com account, you should be receiving this email!

To whom it may concern,

You are receiving this email because we have record that you are a Cricut Imagine owner. Very soon, we will be releasing the Print then Cut feature for Cricut Design Space™, the online software used exclusively with Cricut Explore® machines. Even if you're not yet a Cricut Explore owner, you'll want to read on for exciting news.

As a Cricut Imagine owner, with the launch of the Print then Cut feature, your Cricut.com account will be granted free digital access to all Cricut Imagine Art Cartridges (even those you haven't purchased!) in Cricut Design Space for use with the Cricut Explore machine, whether you have one now or purchase one in the future.

Because you are receiving this email, no further action is required—the images will be loaded to your account. We want to make sure everyone who is eligible for this offer receives it, so we need your help in spreading the word to anyone who owns a Cricut Imagine but did not receive this email. If you know someone who has a Cricut Imagine, please ask them if they heard the great news. If they didn't receive this email, they can still get free digital access—they just need to contact customer service at imagineowners@cricut.com with the serial number of their Cricut Imagine machine and the email they use to log into Cricut.com. Customer service will then update their Cricut.com accounts to give them full access to all the Cricut Imagine Art Cartridges. Whether or not they own a Cricut Explore machine, they'll need to claim this offer by December 31, 2014, so that the images will be linked to their account if and when they upgrade their machine.

You will also be granted access to Cricut Imagine Colors & Patterns cartridges in a future release of Print then Cut. Once again, we thank you for being a loyal Cricut customer.

Happy crafting,

The Cricut Support Team
877-7CRICUT
support@cricut.com

The Big News! Print then Cut and Slice and maybe more!

Today, Cricut has a big announcement! The Print then Cut feature for the Explore is going through the final stages of beta testing and will be released the week of September 22 to all Design Space users! At that time, all you will need to do is to update your plug in and then update your firmware and once you are ready to print then cut, calibrate your Explore to your printer. They are some other enhancements but first let's talk Print then Cut!

As many speculated, you will pull your design up on the screen in Design Space. Send it to your printer and load that into your Explore.

So how will this work? The first time you "flatten" an image and go to the Preview Screen, you will be prompted to calibrate your Explore to your printer. You print the calibration page, load it on the mat and follow the onscreen instructions.

This is what the calibration page looks like. It will first cut the small square and ask you about the cut. Do not remove the mat during the calibration process. {remember you can click on the photos to make them larger}

 If the cut is good, it will then cut the lines across the top and down the right side and ask you which lines {one from the top, one from the right} is the most centered on the line.

 If those cuts are good, it will then cut the large square and ask about the quality of that cut.

So once you are calibrated, and you only need to calibrate once unless you have a problem, you place your image on the canvas. While it is selected, press Flatten and then GO.

 The Preview Screen will show the image with registration marks and a Print and Continue option.

 Take your printed page, load it to your mat and the Explore will cut it out!

I think I will take this little frog and make a sticker out of him by running him through my Xyron! but wait. . .what was I thinking? Cricut has new 8.5 by 11 sticker sheets and printable vinyl sheets! 

The feature that I think is even more amazing than Print then Cut {and the one I thought would surprise people} is the Slice feature! Oh My Goodness, this is going to change the way we design and cut! With the Slice feature, you can take an image and "cut" part of it away! And not like the sometimes tedious method of hiding each line! More like a cookie cutter! 

Say you only need half of a shape. . .a heart, circle or whatever. Take another shape {I like using a square}.

Place it over {or behind} the shape you want to slice, putting the edge of the square where you want to cut it.

 Select both images and click Slice.

Through the magic of Cricut, Design Space will now give you three shapes that you can use as individual images!

This means you can create within Design Space pretty much any image you need for your project! And it means that you can take oversized projects and Slice them into different images for cutting! So much better than the old "hanging an image off the mat" with the Gypsy and Design Studio programs.

There may be more to Cricut's Big news, but that's all I know as I am typing this before the announcement. Check back for projects and tutorials using these new features and any other "news" that Cricut tells us in their announcement!

And, I'll be online in the Cricut Lovers Guide to Design Space facebook group to answer any questions you might have! If you aren't already a member, come join! 

Big News Is Coming from Cricut!

Tomorrow afternoon {mountain time}, Cricut has some big news to share with all the Cricut Lovers out there! It's so exciting! I can hardly wait to share with all of you! Some of you may think you know what it is and it's always fun to guess. . .but prepared to be surprised and amazed with what Cricut has done!

Be sure to check back tomorrow tomorrow for the BIG news and be sure to check out these Trusted Cricut Product Experts for more information!

Narelle at The Non-Crafty Crafter 

Christopher at Christopher Alan Designs

And as always, come join us in the Cricut Lovers Guide to Design Space Facebook group!

New CTMH Artfully Sent Cart Released Today ~ See the Handbook!

Close To My Heart released the much anticipated Artfully Sent Cricut cart today! Here is a link to the handbook so you can view the images:

Artfully Sent Images

Free File Friday ~ Monster Hugs!

 It's Free File Friday in the Cricut Lovers Guide to Design Space Facebook group! Today's file is this cute little treat wrapper! I initially made him, or her, in CCR and shared them HERE.

I've recreated the design in Design Space using free shapes from the Craft Room Basics image set. Only his mouth is from a different cart, Bump in the Night.

 Once you cut your little monster, give him or her some eyes, nose, mouth, glasses, hair bow, moustache or whatever you want. Then use a glue dot to stick the candy to his body,

And wrap his arms around it and use the little slits at the hands to interlock  them so he is hugging the candy! That's all there is to making your own Monster Hugs!

If you'd like the Design Space file, come join us in the Cricut Lovers Guide to Design Space group on Facebook! And, if you do make your own Monster Hugs, email me a photo! I'd love to see what you create!

Seashell Thank You Cards

A friend's daughter had a beach wedding and she wanted some unique cards to use as Thank You cards. The Beach Folded Card from the Anna Griffin Summer Soiree cart was perfect! I sized it approximately 3 x 5 in Design Space and used a shimmer gold paper for the card base and an ivory cardstock for the liner. And that's all I had to do! The design is so beautiful. Everyone loved them!