The Cricut Maker is a smart cutting machine that can cut, score, and write on a wide variety of materials, from fabric and cardstock to vinyl and thin basswood. A full list of cuttable material can be found here. The Cricut Maker works by connecting to your device via USB or bluetooth on the Cricut Design Space software.
We have two sizes of adhesive mats that the Cricut cuts materials on: 12 in x 12 in and 12 in x 24 in. Additional tools and materials can be found in the labeled drawers under the Cricut.
There is no formal reservation system in place to use the Cricut Maker. It is available to use for free for current UNC affiliated students, staff, and faculty. For help using the Cricut, please refer to the video tutorials linked or the MakerSpace staff member present!
Answer: The Cricut Maker is a computer-controlled cutting machine that can cut, score, write, and engrave on various materials. However, it doesn't have a printing function or ink. The Cricut works with various blades and tools that you insert into the machine’s two clamps. For example, to cut out a shape, a blade is inserted into Clamp B. To write a message, a special pen is inserted into Clamp A.
By default, the Cricut Maker will have a fine-point blade loaded. If you think you need another blade type for your project, please ask the staff member present.
Answer: The only thing you need to get started is a laptop to connect to the Cricut Maker! We have a limited supply of cardstock, printing paper, and adhesive vinyl available for free. However, if you have a larger project in mind we suggest that you bring in your own materials.
Answer: For the best results, we recommend using an SVG or PNG file, however Cricut Design Space will work with a variety of file types, such as JPG, DXF, GIF and BMP.
Answer: The Cricut Maker can cut stickers out of adhesive vinyl or sticker paper, but it cannot print the design itself. If you would like a design printed on the sticker, you must bring printable sticker paper. Cricut has a print-then-cut feature, which sends the file to an external printer first to print the design. Then, the Cricut cuts out the outline of the sticker.
Answer: The maximum cut size for the Cricut Maker is 11.5 in x 23.5 in (29.2 cm x 59.6 cm) on a 12 in x 24 in mat.
Before using the Cricut, you must download Cricut Design Space, which is linked below. Also linked below is a set of comprehensive video tutorials.
Check out the link below to get started with some ideas!