What is Cricut Infusible Ink and How Do You Use it?

Ok guys, I’ve been teasing you long enough… it’s here! The new Cricut Infusible Ink is an amazing new material that will take your craft and gift giving game to the next level with stunning and professional looking results.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

Cricut Infusible Ink

Last month I had the opportunity to go to Salt Lake City to experience this new, completely innovative product called Infusible Ink. We got to experiment with it, saw many projects made with it and now I got to make some projects of my own with it at home. It launches today and will soon become one of your favorite materials to work with.

Although the transferring of Infusible Ink requires heat to apply it, it is very different than traditional iron-on vinyl… it’s not vinyl at all. When you unwrap the Infusible Ink transfer sheet it almost looks like card stock but with a liner on the back. As you might guess with the name “infusible”, the Infusible Ink completely infuses into the material it is transferred onto… there is absolutely no texture difference and the results look so professional that the projects look like something you’d find in a store. But they’re so much better than what you would find in a store because you can completely customize the design and material. When you create personalized gifts with this process your friends and family will think you special ordered them.

I am OB.SESSED.

The projects you can make with Cricut Infusible Ink will be completely peel and crack proof and the vibrancy is stunning. It was a total shock to see the finished product because the vibrancy after the transfer is complete is nothing like what the Infusible Ink looks like on the transfer sheet.

There are a variety of blanks that you can transfer the Infusible Ink onto including tote bags, coasters and apparel. They have all been created to get the best results for your projects. There are so many beautiful ink transfer designs and even new transfer pens to use in your machines.

These are the first projects I made with the Infusible Ink and I absolutely love the result!

“HOME” Ceramic Coasters

Customize these with the colors/designs of your choice and the state you live in! Or go for a completely different design of your choice.

Materials

• Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore cutting machine
• StandardGrip Mat
• Cricut EasyPress 2 and Cricut EasyPress Mat
• Cricut Ceramic Coaster Blank
• Infusible Ink Transfer Sheet
• 12” x 12” Cardstock, White (colored cardstock not recommended)
• Butcher paper
• Lint-free cloth
• Scissors
• HOME Coasters cut file in Cricut Design Space

Instructions

In Cricut Design Space open the HOME Coasters cut file. I used the Ohio image since that’s where I live but you can select whatever your state is and adjust the size as needed to fit on the coaster.

Just like how everything else is so easy on the Cricut Maker, there is a setting for the Infusible Ink. Choose browse all materials from the drop down menu and select Infusible Ink Transfer Sheet. If you’re using a Cricut Explore model, turn the Smart Dial to Custom and select Infusible Ink in Design Space.

Place the Infusible Ink transfer sheet onto the cutting mat liner side down. Load the mat into machine and press the flashing GO button.

Remove cut design from mat and trim away unused area of sheet. Hold onto those scraps for another project!

Gently roll the cut design so the cut lines separate and are more visible. “Cracking” the cut like this makes it easier to grasp and remove excess paper from in and around your design. Make sure your hands are completely dry before weeding. Use tweezers or your fingers to carefully weed negative pieces from in and around your design, leaving the design on the liner.

Trim clear liner so that it does not extend beyond the Cricut EasyPress heat plate.

Set your EasyPress 2 to 400º F and 240 seconds. The EasyPress 2 is ideal for this project as it is able to reach the high temperature needed for the coasters.

Use a lint-free cloth to remove any debris from the coaster. Cover the EasyPress mat with white card stock to protect your mat.

Position the design face down on the front of the coaster (the shiny side) with the clear liner on top and design side facing down. Flip the coaster over so that the bottom is facing up.

Cover the coaster with a sheet of butcher paper (butcher paper comes in every package of Infusible Ink Transfer Sheets).

For this project you will not apply any pressure during the pressing time. Place the EasyPress 2 over the coaster and press start.

When the time is up, carefully lift the press to avoid moving the entire stack underneath it, including the butcher paper.

CAUTION: The coasters will be VERY hot. I allowed mine to cool for 20 minutes before handling. Once completely cool, slowly remove the butcher paper and liner.

See what I mean with the vibrance? My husband told me these look so amazing that I should mass produce them and sell them. 😉

To care for the coasters, wash with warm water and glass cleaner. Don’t use steel wool, colored cleansing agents or scrubbing pads.

“Mom Hair Don’t Care” T-shirt

I made this design since it’s my reality for the last 6 months and this has been my uniform since the baby came along haha! If you know another mom that would love this (or for yourself) use my cut file or design your own fun customized t-shirt in Design Space.

Supplies

• Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore cutting machine
• StandardGrip Machine Mat
• Cricut EasyPress 2 12″ x 10″ and Cricut EasyPress Mat
• Cricut t-shirt blank (Compatible with Infusible Ink)
• Infusible Ink Transfer Sheet
• Butcher paper (2 pieces)
• Cardstock (80 lb.), White (colored cardstock not recommended)
• Lint roller
• Scissors
• Tweezers
• “Mom Hair Don’t Care” cut file in Cricut Design Space

Directions

In Design Space, open the “Mom Hair Don’t Care” cut file. You can adjust the size as necessary to fit the size of your shirt.

On the Cricut Maker, choose browse all materials from the drop down menu and select Infusible Ink Transfer Sheet. If you’re using a Cricut Explore model, turn the Smart Dial to Custom and select Infusible Ink in Design Space.

Place the Infusible Ink transfer sheet onto the cutting mat liner side down. Load the mat into machine and press the flashing GO button.

Remove cut design from the mat and trim away unused area of sheet. Gently roll the cut design so the cut lines separate and are more visible. “Cracking” the cut like this makes it easier to grasp and remove excess paper from in and around your design. Make sure your hands are completely dry before weeding. Use tweezers or your fingers to carefully weed negative pieces from in and around your design, leaving the design on the liner. Trim the clear liner so that it does not extend beyond Cricut EasyPress heat plate.

Set your EasyPress to 385º F and 15 seconds. The EasyPress 2 12″ x 10″ is perfect for the apparel blanks to make sure that the entire design is covered since you don’t want to overlap the heat on an area or the results may look inconsistent.

Place the t-shirt blank on the Cricut EasyPress mat. Position a sheet of card stock inside the t-shirt where the design will be to protect the shirt and mat.

Use a fresh adhesive lint roller and roll the entire surface of the t-shirt. Even the smallest debris or fibers can create imperfections in the Infusible Ink transfer.

Cover the t-shirt with butcher paper. The butcher paper must be larger than the Cricut EasyPress heat plate (butcher paper comes with the Infusible Ink transfer sheets).

Preheat the application area to remove moisture and wrinkles that can cause imperfections in the transfer. Press at 385º F for 15 seconds with light pressure.

Remove the butcher paper and let t-shirt cool completely.

Place the design face down on the t-shirt with the clear liner on top.

Be sure to avoid seams when placing the EasyPress. If the heat plate crosses over seams, the design will not receive even heat, resulting in an unwanted transfer effect. Cover the design with butcher paper larger than the heat plate and press at 385º F for 40 seconds. Be sure to keep the stack still and don’t slide the EasyPress during transfer.

Let the t-shirt cool then slowly remove the butcher paper and slowly remove the liner from the t-shirt.

For the care of the apparel, machine wash inside out with cold water and mild detergent. Tumble dry low or line dry. Avoid using fabric softener, dryer sheets or bleach.

It’s so amazing, right?! Check out all of the materials and comment below what you’d like to make! If you have any questions as you make your projects feel free to ask me below, email me or reach out to me on social media (@lydioutloud on all platforms).