Cricut Print Then Cut with your own image

To use Print Then Cut with your own image, upload it to Design Space, set it to Print Then Cut, flatten any layers, print it, then let the machine cut round it. Most problems come from four things: a low-resolution file, layers that weren’t flattened, the size limit, and calibration.

You need a Cricut that can Print Then Cut (an Explore, a Maker, a Joy Xtra, a Joy 2 or a Venture; the original Cricut Joy can’t) and an inkjet printer. Cricut recommends inkjet, as a laser printer’s heat can damage some printable materials.

How do you set up your own image?

1. In Design Space, click Upload, then Upload Image, and choose your file.
2. If it’s a JPG, or a PNG with a background, remove the background while uploading, so the cut follows your design and not a rectangle.
3. When you save it, choose Flat Graphic, Cricut’s option for images you print.
4. Add it to the canvas and size it to how big you want it printed.
5. With the image selected, set Operation to Print Then Cut.
6. If it has more than one layer, select them all and click Flatten.
7. Click Make, print the sheet from Design Space, put it on the mat and cut. Choose the material you printed on, such as Printable Sticker Paper.

Print from Design Space in one go. Cricut warns that saving the sheet as a PDF and printing it separately can print the cut sensor marks at the wrong size.

What file works best?

A PNG with a transparent background. The transparency tells Design Space where your design ends, so the cut line follows its shape. A JPG can’t be transparent, so you have to remove its background when you upload it.

Make the image big enough for the size you print it. Design Space can’t add detail that isn’t in the file, so a small image stretched to fill a sticker prints soft. Aim for 300 pixels per inch at the printed size:

Printed width	Pixels for a sharp print
2” (51 mm)	600 px
3” (76 mm)	900 px
5” (127 mm)	1500 px

Why do you need to flatten?

When an image with several layers is set to Print Then Cut, Design Space treats each layer as a separate cut, so text or an outline gets cut out on its own. Flatten merges the layers into one printed image with one cut line round the outside. Group only moves layers together; each one still prints and cuts separately.

To give a sticker a white border, add an Offset round the design, then flatten the offset and the design together.

Should bleed be on or off?

On. Bleed prints the edge colour slightly past the cut line, so a cut that lands a little off doesn’t leave a white edge. Design Space turns it on by default. The printed image looks a little fuzzy round the edge, but that part is cut away.

How big can you Print Then Cut?

It depends on your machine and the paper size. These are Cricut’s figures from How large can I Print Then Cut?:

Machine	US Letter	A4
Explore, Maker, Joy Xtra, Venture	up to 9.94” tall or 7.44” wide (252 × 189 mm)	up to 10.62” tall or 7.2” wide (270 × 183 mm)
Joy 2	up to 9.94” tall or 3.19” wide (81 mm)	up to 10.62” tall or 3.07” wide (78 mm)

The cut sensor marks take up the corners, so the area you can use isn’t a full rectangle. A design that uses the full height may not be able to use the full width as well. Many older guides give 6.75 × 9.25”, an earlier limit.

The Explore, Maker and Venture can also Print Then Cut on larger paper, such as Legal, Tabloid and A3, if your printer takes it. Set the paper size in Design Space to the paper in your printer before you print.

How do you calibrate it?

Calibrate once when you set up, and again if cuts start landing off. In Design Space, open the menu and choose Settings → Machines, pick your machine, then under Machine Calibration choose Calibrate → Print Then Cut. Print the calibration sheet on plain white paper at 100% scale, put it on the mat and follow the steps on screen. Cricut’s calibration guide has the steps for each machine.

Why are my cuts off, or the scan failing?

• The sensor can’t read the marks. Cricut says dark colours, high-gloss finishes and holographic patterns can stop the sensor reading the cut sensor marks round the sheet, and bright light aimed at the machine (sunlight or a lamp) can too. Try white matte paper, and move or dim the light.
• The sheet moved. Use a mat that’s still sticky, put the sheet straight in the top-left corner, and press it down flat. On an Explore 5 or Maker 5, A4 sheets go on the mat sideways, long edge across, with the printed arrow at the top left pointing up.
• It needs calibrating. If every cut is off by the same amount in the same direction, calibrate again.
• The print was scaled. If you print through your computer’s own print dialog, set the scale to 100%, not “Fit to page”.

Can you fit more stickers on a sheet?

Design Space places your images on each sheet for you, and you can move them in the mat preview before printing. To print several of one design, raise the number of copies and it fills the sheets.

It places each image by the rectangle round it, so round and odd-shaped stickers end up further apart than they need to be. If you cut with a Silhouette, a punch or scissors instead, MagLab fills a sheet in one click and packs shaped stickers by their outlines, so more fit on each sheet.

Do you need Cricut Access for Print Then Cut?

No. Print Then Cut works with your own uploaded images without a subscription. Cricut Access is for the images and fonts in Cricut’s own library.

Can you Print Then Cut magnet sheets?

Yes, on printable magnet sheets made for inkjet printers, as long as your printer can feed them: see printing magnet sheets. Pick the closest magnet setting in Design Space and do a test cut first. Thin sheets cut more easily than thick ones.

Can you use it from a phone or tablet?

Yes. The Design Space app on iPhone, iPad and Android supports Print Then Cut, but a computer is easier for arranging a full sheet.