The Cricut machine range is an innovative piece of technology and a coveted piece of equipment for any home craft enthusiast. It’s versatile and offers many different uses for home DIY and craft projects. There is a learning curve involved in mastering it, but thanks to some very useful software applications, you can be a Cricut master in no time. Here are a few suggestions for the best software applications you should try to get the most out of your Cricut machine.
Design Space
Design Space is Cricut’s own app and it’s a great piece of software. It runs on PC, Mac and even Chromebooks and is free, though it does have a subscription plan for the more advanced features. Its requirements aren’t high but using one of the specifically recommended Cricut Lenovo Laptops is recommended.
Because it’s Cricut’s own software, it’s purpose-built to be used with their machines, and this includes a healthy number of templates and fonts that work great with the Cricut. Many of these are only available if you do subscribe to the software, which carries a cost of around $10 a month. It’s good value for the 200,000 stock images and 700 fonts it unlocks, along with many thousands of templates and pre-made projects.
Adobe Illustrator
If you have some design experience or want to create your own designs and shapes, you might find Design Space a bit limited. In this case, Adobe Illustrator might be a better option for you. It’s just about double the price at $20 monthly for a licence to use, but it’s extremely powerful and is considered the industry benchmark for vector graphic work. You’ll also get access to a hefty number of plugins that will expand the functionality of Adobe Illustrator if you need them.
Inkscape
If the price tag on Adobe Illustrator is a bit steep for your needs, you might consider the open source and free alternative, Inkscape. Like Illustrator, it’s a vector design application and supports Windows, macOS and even Linux. It has some addons (Inkscape calls them extensions) and some are almost purpose-built for Cricut use, like a jigsaw puzzle template. The Inkcut extension is essential to control many popular cutters, including the Cricut.
CorelDRAW
Another powerful software application that is popular amongst advanced users of Cricut is CorelDRAW. It has been around for decades and is another gold standard in the design world. Unlike Design Space and Illustrator, it’s available as a perpetual once-off license cost, which varies depending on your specific needs. It’s fully compatible with the SVG file format that both Illustrator and Inkscape can read and save, so if you need to use the same file on more than one application, it’s totally possible. CorelDRAW has a full-functioning trial version too if you want to give it a try before you fork over the cost.
You certainly don’t need all of these applications to make the most of the Cricut machine, but they all have a purpose. With the help of these software applications on your computer, you’re ready to tackle any craft project, from custom vinyl print t-shirts to make your own beautiful wedding invitations at home.
