Master your Cricut crafting by learning some of the most used Cricut terms and functions for all of the machines!
This post is sponsored by Cricut. The opinions shared are my own.
I can still remember when I first got my Cricut and looked at blogs for ideas on what to make with it. I saw a lot of Cricut lingo like weed, print then cut, mirror, layering, etc… my head was spinning. Luckily, Design Space is very user friendly so I was able to figure a lot of it out myself, but I wish that I had had a kind of Cricut dictionary to explain which each of these terms meant and what I could actually do with them.
If you’re in that same boat, yay! I’m here to help with that! We’re going to decode all of the Cricut vocabulary so that you’re fully prepared to make the most out of your Cricut with the greatest of ease!
Note: If you haven’t actually gotten a Cricut machine yet and you’re not sure which one is best for you, I’ll help you decide here.
Cricut Terms and Functions You Should Know
What is Design Space?
Design Space is Cricut’s design program where all Cricut projects are designed and made. There is a desktop version and as well as apps for iOS and Android. There is definitely no design experience necessary to use Design Space… it is very intuitive and user friendly.
What is Cricut Access?
Cricut Access is Cricut’s design subscription that gives you free access to thousands of designs and fonts and also access to exclusive deals and discounts. You can read all about Cricut Access here.
What Does it Mean to “Weed”?
Weeding is the process of removing the negative material from your cut design. The Weeder Tool is a must for removing small pieces inside and in between designs or letters.
What Does it Mean to Mirror?
When you are cutting Iron-on or Infusible Ink, you always want to mirror your design. Since Iron-on is always cut liner side down, objects have to be mirrored so that they aren’t applied backwards.
What is the Difference Between Iron-on and HTV?
There is no difference. Both are materials that are used to be ironed on to a blank. Different brands and/or crafters use these terms interchangeably.
What is a Blank?
Items that are used to apply iron-on or infusible ink onto are referred to as blanks. Blanks can be anything from a keychain to a pillowcase. Cricut has a line of blanks that are designed to be used with Infusible Ink to achieve the best results.
What is Cricut Infusible Ink?
Cricut Infusible Ink allows you to “infuse” ink from either an Infusible Ink transfer sheet or Infusible Ink pens or markers into a material with completely seamless and professional results. You can find much more detail and tutorials here.
What Does the Cricut term Offset Mean?
Offset is my favorite new Cricut feature! This function allows you to add a border shaped around your design to whatever width you’d like.
What is Print Then Cut? (Cricut Maker and Cricut Explore Air 2 only)
There are so many fun projects to be made with the Cricut Print Then Cut feature. You can search for designs and images that are made specifically for print then cut as a filter when searching for images, or you can of course create your own! I love to use Print Then Cut when I want to cut a very specific design that I can’t replicate with other material types (like these luggage tags, these kitchen towels and these fun planner clips).
When using Print Then Cut, you proceed through the design process as you would any other project type, but select Print then Cut from the Operation drop-down menu. You will see your design in a black box. These are the registration marks that your Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore Air 2 will “read” to know exactly where to cut around a printed image. (Cricut Joy doesn’t have the Print then Cut ability).
What is Cricut Foil Transfer? (Cricut Maker and Cricut Explore Air 2 only)
The Cricut Foil Transfer Kit allows you to add beautiful foil accents by transferring foil sheets onto a material through the pressure activated tool. There are 3 interchangeable tips to create a fine, medium or bold transfer.
What is Deboss? (Cricut Maker only)
With the Cricut Fine Debossing Tip, you can add stunning dimension to projects. Unlike traditional embossing, there are no embossing folders needed… the Debossing tip does it all. I attached these debossed hearts onto a hot air balloon design I cut for my daughter’s 1st birthday party.
What are QuickSwap Tools? (Cricut Maker only)
The Cricut Maker has the ability to perform many types of cuts and designs. The QuickSwap housing allows you to score, double score, perforate, deboss, engrave, wavy cut or engrave by simply swapping out the tips in the QuickSwap housing.
I hope you feel more comfortable with some of the Cricut terms and functions. There are tons of Cricut tutorials on my blog, so feel free to peruse them when you want to learn something or if you’d like some fun project inspo!
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