See what you can do with the Weld function in Cricut Design Space and learn how to use it with objects and text.

What does Weld do on Cricut?

The weld function does exactly what its name says: it joins (welds) two completely different objects together to form one single object that will be cut continuously.

Where is the Weld tool in Cricut Design Space?

You can find the weld button at the bottom right of the Canvas.

There are a lot of other functions there and if you're confused about them all, don't hesitate to download my free cheat sheet that will make everything clear for you!

How to weld objects

Check out the video to have all the details and subscribe to my channel so you don't miss anything!

In the example below, I want to weld the rectangle with the two circles so that they are cut as a single object. To do so, I must select the three layers by holding the "shift" key and pressing "weld".

Unlike Slice that only permits using this function on 2 layers at a time, it is possible to use weld on several layers at once.

It is even possible to weld objects that do not touch.

This is really useful if you want to slice several layers with another layer. If you use Weld before on the group of layers, they will be merged into only one layer and therefore, you'll be able to slice it in one single action which will save you a lot of time!

How to unweld

Unfortunately, Weld cannot be undone. The only way to unweld is to use the "undo" button to go back. That's why I always recommend making a copy of your design before welding.

The importance of Weld with text

Since the arrival of "Kerned fonts", Weld is less useful when it comes to writing with script fonts (cursive letters).

But, if you want to use a font that is not kerned and uncheck the box below, you'll still need to use Weld in order to have your words cut in one single piece.

You can reduce space by using "Letter spacing" but it's never equal and exactly what we want.

You'll need to do what we needed to do E-VE-RY time before kerned fonts arrived. That is to arrange letters one by one by clicking on "Advanced" and "Ungroup to letters".

That way, you will end up with one layer per letter and you'll be able to move them individually.

But that's not all! If you just "Attach" the letters, your Cricut will cut the letters separately. When I change the letters to pink, you can clearly see that they are not joined together.

That's why you'll need to select all the letters and press "Weld".

As shown below, the word "bonjour" will now be cut as a continuous object.

Troubleshooting

The Weld button is greyed out and I can't use it

To be able to use Weld, you need to select at least 2 objects (layers). You can do this by holding the "Shift" key on your keyboard and selecting the objects on your canvas or the layers in the layer panel. If you're using the app, long-press on the shape you want to add to the selection.

The letters get filled when I weld text

This is a bug in Design Space.

If you want to fix it here's a trick: scale everything you want to weld to see it better. Adjust the spacing between the letters (move apart the letters that are being filled)

Click on Weld. Are the letters ok? They should be!

Curious about the Christmas ornament I was designing in the video and at the beginning of this post?

You can see the full tutorial on How to make a balsa wood Christmas ornament here.

And don't forget to Pin it!

In addition to being able to edit and customize your files, with this technique, you can even change the text of the majority of SVG or Cricut Access cut files.

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience and at no extra cost to you. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Whether it's an SVG file that you upload to Cricut Design Space or a file from Cricut Access, sometimes you want to modify and customize it.

Why modify an SVG file?

There are several reasons that may lead us to want to modify a cut file. Often, not all elements are on separate layers and are therefore "attached" together.

In this image, each colour represents a layer.

Thus, the branches of the trees and the small dots of the same colour are on the same layer.

One might want to customize this design by removing or adding elements like this:

One could modify the cutting file to use part of the design, like this:

And what is most interesting is to change the text by something else entirely (in this case, I changed it from English to French)!

One might want to modify the image to change its colours (and thus cut it into several colours or materials).

In fact, for whatever reason, the ability to edit an SVG file and make it to your taste opens up a bunch of possibilities.

And the most interesting thing is that it is possible to edit an SVG file directly in Cricut Design Space!

Two main ways to edit an SVG file in Cricut Design Space

Want to edit a file, but some elements are on the same layer and you can't separate them? Here are two ways to easily edit an image in Cricut Design Space.

Edit SVG file with the "Slice" function

The "Slice" function can be used when what you want to remove from the image (or keep) can easily be covered with one of the shapes available in Design Space.

For that, we select the shape and image and press "Slice".

We then end up with four layers.

You only need to delete the ones you don't want to keep.

It is important to note that only two layers can be cut at once. But, I do have a trick to help you go faster.

Select all the layers you want to slice (except the shape that will be used to slice). Click on "Weld" so that all the elements end up on a single layer! All you have to do next is select this layer and the basic shape and use Slice.

If you want to learn more about the "Slice" function, check out my full article on the subject by following this link.

Edit a cut file with the "Contour" tool

The "Contour" tool is super convenient, but I must admit that it is very confusing.

Grey, pale grey, medium grey, selected, not selected 🤯😨, I often have difficulty seeing clearly!!!

The idea is to remove everything you don't want (hide the contours) by selecting the elements to remove.

Which tool or function is best to use?

Wondering if you're better off using Slice or Contour to modify an SVG cut file in Cricut Design Space? Well, it depends on what you want to change.

Verify that the items to be removed are easily identifiable in the Contour window.

If you think you'll have to pull your hair out to get there, use Slice.

On the opposite, if the shape is very sinuous and it is practically impossible to easily cover it with a basic shape, use Contour.

🙌

And if all these functions give you a headache, do not hesitate to download my free cheat sheet to clarify everything!

Have you ever modified a file to make it to your taste?

It opens the door to a lot of possibilities! Have a good time!

Don't forget to pin it to your Pinterest board!

In this article, I will demystify the famous "Print then Cut" and explain exactly when you need to use the "Flatten" tool.

It is not easy to know that "Flatten" is directly related to the "Print and Cut" feature because you don't always need to use it.

What is "Print and Cut" on Cricut?

"Print and cut" is a feature available in Cricut Design Space and with your Cricut (although it is not available for the Cricut Joy).

And no, it's not your Cricut that prints, but your printer. Don't worry, we've all asked ourselves the question at one time or another! 😉

The purpose of using "Print then Cut" is to print an image with your printer and then have it cut by your Cricut. This function is often used to make stickers for example as you can see in the photo below.

If you want to know at all times and at a glance what each function of Cricut Design Space does, download my free cheat sheet. In a few minutes, you will receive it by email!

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience and at no extra cost to you. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Which Cricut can "Print and Cut"?

As mentioned above, the Cricut Explore Air 2, Explore 3, Maker and Maker 3 have the ability to "Print and Cut". Only the Cricut Joy does not have this feature.

Important information to note: Only the Explore Air 2 does not have the ability to "Print and Cut" on coloured cardstock.

How to print and cut with your Cricut?

The idea is to use Cricut Design Space to send an image to your printer (colour or not).

When printing, Design Space will include a black frame on the printed image, like this:

Then, you'll need to put the print on the cutting mat and the Cricut will cut around the image.

It will know exactly where to cut the image by "reading" the black frame using its sensor. Notice here the light of the sensor that makes the reading:

Detailed video

Watch the following video to understand all the details of the "Print then Cut" option and know how and when to use "Flatten".

Print and Cut a JPG or PNG image

Check out the following post to know the difference between a JPG and a PNG and when to use them. It will also explain exactly the difference between a JPG, PNG, SVG, etc.

When you import a JPG or PNG image file, you find yourself in front of this window:

This is when you will inform Design Space if you only want the shape of the image (to cut it out of coloured cardstock for example) or if you want to keep all the beautiful colours of the image to be able to print it.

Small note here: I have already made a post on How to turn an image file into a multilayer cut file. Feel free to check out this post if that's what you're looking for!

Print and Cut an SVG cut file

An SVG file is a file composed of one or more layers. These layers are automatically set to "Basic Cut" by Design Space since the latter recognizes them as a file to be cut.

If you want to transform an SVG file into an image to print and cut, you will have to inform Design Space by selecting the layer and going from "basic cut" to "Print Then Cut/Standard" in the operation menu.

But, it is not frequent that we want to directly use an SVG file to print it and cut it.

Imagine this little dog cut out of vinyl and applied to my dryer. Would it be worth it to print the black and cut every little piece? I don't think so!

The ideal would be to add a background so that the Cricut only cuts the outline. This is where "Flatten" comes in handy!

When should Flatten be used?

You should use Flatten when you have more than one object (or more than one layer) on top of the other and you only want your Cricut to cut the outline (think of a sticker for example).

Or simply if you want to add a background to your image so that the Cricut cuts only this background (as in the example of the small dog above and in the video).

If it's the case, you will select all the layers and simply click on "Flatten".

Be careful, once the layers are flattened, you will not be able to change their colours!

Troubleshooting

I don't see the outline of my image when I press "Make It"

It's totally normal to not see the white border of your image when you preview your mat. Cricut Design Space assumes that you are printing on white cardstock. Thus, you will only see what requires ink from your printer.

The cut is not accurate and there is an offset between the image and the cut

You probably need a calibration. In the menu at the top left (3 lines), click on "Calibration".

Then select "Print then Cut" and follow the instructions.

Design Space "loads" non-stop

It may be that your computer is not powerful enough or that there are too many images to print and cut at the same time and design Space cannot manage them.

You can either try to reduce the quality of the images to a minimum before importing them into Design Space or reduce the number of images you print and cut at the same time.

I have a warning next to my image in the layer panel

And when I press "Make It", it says "Project incompatible. This project is not supported by your current machine selection. To resolve, select OK and adjust affected layers."

In fact, what you need to know is that the Print and Cut feature is limited to 6.75" x 9.25" (17.1 cm x 23.4 cm).

If you click on the small warning icon in the layer panel, the information is clearer.

My images are distorted when I print

Wondering why the outline of your images "thickens" as shown in the image below?

Well, that's completely normal. This is to leave a margin to the Cricut during cutting and thus allow a cleaner edge.

This setting is controlled by the "bleed" button that can be found in the print window:

So you can toggle it off, but I advise you to keep it. Once your sticker is removed from the paper, your image will be like the orginal:

Other "Print and Cut" projects

You can really do a lot of fun projects with the "print and cut" feature. Here are a few others that might interest you:

• School Labels
• Valentine's Day notes
• Separator tabs to organize DVDs

Don't forget to download the Free Cheat Sheet to help you see clearly the 5 main functions of Cricut Design Space

Please Pin It!

Here it is! Finally! Kerning has arrived in Cricut Design Space. I will tell you what it is and everything you need to know.

I hear you say "what?". Yes, I know, after glyphs, SVG and other terms, what does kerning means?

Get ready, because when I'm going to explain it to you, I promise you will do a happy dance too!

What is kerning?

Kerning is the adjustment of the spacing in the letters of a font. This refers to the process of grouping letters within a word to join them or put them closely so that they read better.

Impact in Cricut Design Space

This question came up so often: Why are the letters not attached or how do you link the letters?

Well, we had to ungroup the word and then, one by one, move the letters! 😓

I've often told you in my videos that this is what I hate to do the most! Well, with this new option, the letters of the font with kerning will be automatically attached!!!! 🎉

Now you understand why I'm doing a happy dance!

Here's an example with the Annie Leu font of Cricut Access.

Before kerning, here's what we had:

With kerning 😍:

Small note you need to know! By changing the colour of the font you might notice that the word do not seem to be welded!

But if you hit "Make it" you'll see that it is welded and everything is perfect!

What you need to know about kerning in Design Space

Not all fonts have the ability to kern.

The kerning option will be checked by default in Design Space. So, if you're looking for one of your favourite fonts and can't find it, you may need to uncheck the box to find it.

In addition, kerning is only available on the desktop version of Cricut Design Space.

Check out the video!

If you have any other questions, feel free to leave them in the comments or better yet, come and ask them in my Facebook group!

P.S. Spread the word by pinning it!

People often think that installing new fonts into Cricut Design Space is complicated. This post will show you how to do it with a PC or Mac and you will see how simple it is!

If you're looking at how to add glyphs (you know, those little swirls) to your words, head to this post instead.

Where to find free fonts

There are several sites on the Internet that allow you to download new free fonts. A very popular site is Dafont.com.

A small warning, however, is required.

The fonts found on these sites are mostly for your personal use only. Meaning that you can't create a product from these fonts to sell it (such as writing a quote, cutting it into vinyl, applying it on a t-shirt and then selling it).

For more details, read this post on copyrights. This post contains links to affiliated products for your convenience and at no additional cost to you. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Since I create SVG files for you (I don't sell them, but it's not for my personal use either) I often turn to Design Bundles and its sister site for fonts, Font Bundles.

For the 3rd point, if you don't know about the $1 Deals Event,this is really something you shouldn't miss. These are 30 products (SVG, images, Bundle, fonts) put on sale for $1 each.

The only problem is that the sale is once a month and lasts only one hour. So you need to be ready! But I'm here for you! Sign up for my newsletter below 👇 and I'll remind you every month, I promise!!! (in addition, it will give you access to my free library which includes several free SVG cut files for your Cricut!)

While waiting for the $1 sale, you can always check out the free fonts section on Design Bundles' site. 🙌

Install fonts in Cricut Design Space

People think that installing fonts in Cricut Design Space is very complicated. The truth is that it is the same process that if you wanted to install a new font on your computer to have access to it in Word, Excel or any other software.

In other words, what I show you below will allow you to have access to your new fonts with the majority of the software on your computer, including Cricut Design Space.

In Design Space, in the "Fonts" menu if the word Cricut is in green, you have access to Design Space's exclusive Fonts.

In addition, by clicking on "Filter" and "My Fonts" you will only see the fonts you have access to. Thus, if you are not a Cricut Access member, you will only see the free fonts and those you have already purchased. (This feature seems to be missing in the 6.10 version of Cricut Design Space. I hope it comes back).

On the other hand, if you are a Cricut Accessmember, you will see all the fonts with the green "a".

If you click on "System" you will see all the fonts that you personally have on your computer. These are the same fonts as if you open Word or other software.

It is also here that the new installed fonts will be found.

If you have a PC

If you prefer, feel free to scroll down to see the video!

I show you here as an example, how to install a free font from Design Bundles.

First of all, you need to register and create an account. This account will be valid for both Design Bundles and Font Bundles.

Click "Download Free Now".

In Chrome and Microsoft Edge, your download will appear at the bottom left.

Press the small arrow and select "Show in folder".

You will then find a folder with a zipper. It is a ZIP, a compressed folder.

To unzip it, select it, press the right button of your mouse and select "Extract All".

Choose where you want to save the file and press "Extract".

You can delete the folder with the zipper and keep only the "normal" one.

By clicking on it, you will find all these elements. The font file to install is the "OTF" or OpenType font file.

Right-click on the "OTF" and click "Install for all users". (You can also double-click on the "OTF" and click on the "Install" button)

Your new font is installed!

If you have a Mac

Follow the same steps to download the folder to your computer. Open the folder and double click on the "OTF".

This window will appear. All you have to do is click on "Install Font".

After installation, your "FontBook" font manager will open and confirm the installation.

Don't forget!

In either case, to see the font appear in Design Space, you must close it if it was open during installation.

Also, you need to be in "All" or "System" to see your new font. You won't see it if you're in the "Cricut" section of Cricut design space's fonts menu.

Check out the video for all the details!

Don't forget to sign up to have access to NeliDesign's free library AND be notified of the $1 sale of Design Bundles and also many other deals!

Do you have a favourite font that you downloaded yourself? Leave it in the comments below!

P.S. Please pin to Pinterest

Here's a question I'm often asked: How do you use a JPG or PNG image and turn it into a cut file. I will show you how and only by using Design Space.

What images to use

This technique is great when we try to use an image that we have drawn ourselves or even an image made by our children.

But, I will allow myself a little advice and a caveat.

If you use this technique to transform an image taken on the Internet, you have several things to check. Especially if it's for commercial use. You can see my article on the subject here.

And if you use this technique to avoid paying for an existing cut file, well you are no longer my friend!

Seriously, designers offer great beautiful files and what better way than to pay them to encourage them to make some more for us! It takes a long time to do this kind of file and we have to support them. This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience and at no extra cost to you. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Advanced Options for Design Space when importing images

You may never have noticed them because they are almost as well hidden as the storage panel in the door of your Cricut!! 🤣

No kidding, I'm talking about the advanced options available when importing images into Design Space. They are only visible if you click the button!

And yes! By clicking this button, you will see two new options:

• Reduce colors
• Color tolerance

For this tutorial, I use a free file that I found on Design Bundles. These are only available in EPS and JPG. So I'll show you how to take the JPG file and turn it into a cut file.

File used in this tutorial:"Peru Printable Patches"

If you prefer to see instead of reading, feel free to watch the following video (I also add more tips!)

Reduce colors

As the name suggests, reducing colors reduces the number of colors in the image. This is the equivalent of "simple, moderate, complex" options when importing.

If we select "complex" and try to remove the background of this image, we still have some grey spots.

On the other hand, if you reduce the number of colors to "5" as in the example below, the background becomes a single color and will be very easy to remove.

But you can also notice that the two shades of green have disappeared.

If we increase the number of colors to "10", the background is still only one color, but the two shades of green are still present which is much better.

Color tolerance

For color tolerance, the larger the number, the more similar colors will be erased.

If we go back to the starting point, we remember that a "color tolerance" of 16 failed to remove all shades of white-grey from the background.

By changing the tolerance to 100 or event only 50, all shades of grey are captured and the background can be completely eliminated.

The best trick to avoid abusive use of the eraser!

Suppose we want to keep only the shades of green and eliminate the black and white.

It may be that despite our best efforts and manipulation of advanced options, we end up with these kinds of unwanted lines.

You could, of course, use the eraser and clean the image by removing all these small lines one after another.

No!

Stop!

Don't do that!!!

I don't know about you, but I'm really not patient enough for that!!!!

The best trick to clean an image quickly

The best trick is to forget the eraser! Press "Continue" and save the image as a cut image, with all its small littles lines.

Once on the canvas, press "Contour."

Click "Hide all the contours."

Then select only the shapes you want to keep.

Click the X to close the "Contour" window

And that's it, your shape cleaned in the blink of an eye!

I hope you now have one more trick up your sleeve.

Don't forget to support SVG file creators by purchasing their files. They create so many beautiful things!

Did you know that the majority of images found on the Internet are copyrighted? And what about SVG cut files (or other formats)?

In this post, I will try to make things a little bit clearer for you.

My goal is not to tell you what to do or not to do.

My goal is simply to turn on some "lights" in your mind so that you are aware of what exists and to encourage you to inform yourself before using anything found on the Internet.

Also, the laws may vary depending on where you live, it's up to you to verify.

Also, note that I am not a lawyer and that this text should not be used as a legal opinion.

Copyright on images

We often see "Copyright" or "©."

The majority of images found on the Internet are copyrighted. This means that they belong to the author who created them.

It is your responsibility to verify if you are entitled to use the desired image and in the affirmative, what use is allowed.

How to find copyright-free images

You may have seen this logo before:

"Creative Commons" is a non-profit organization that offers free legal tools to facilitate the distribution of images.

Thus, "CC0" (or CC zero) indicates that the creator has given his image to the public domain and that it can be used without conditions.

But beware, the letters "CC" can be accompanied by different other letters that require different actions when using this image (like the one just above that required CC BY-NC)

You can click here to see all the definitions, but basically, the images you're going to prefer are the ones using "CC0." 😉

Cut files

Did you know that the majority of SVG cut files, even if you paid for them, are probably only for your personal use?

For this too, it is your responsibility to verify this information yourself in particular if you want to use the files for commercial purposes.

Most sites will offer you to pay an additional amount to obtain a commercial license if that's what you want. This article contains links to affiliated products for your convenience and at no additional cost to you. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

That's one of the reasons why I love Design Bundles and Font Bundles. Their "Premium License" automatically comes with a commercial license. No confusion or extra charges. You can see the details of their licenses available here.

Also, watch out for some independent sellers of SVG cut files (such as on Etsy) who do not respect copyright laws and will sell you SVG files of licensed images, logos, etc. Again, it is your responsibility to properly get the information.

What about the Cricut Design Space files?

Cricut has an"Angel policy" that allows the sale of products made from files included in Design Space (except licensed images like Disney, Marvel, etc.).

There are still several conditions that you can read here. Tip: scroll down to the "FAQ" section.

In conclusion, I won't tell you what to do and what not to do!

My goal was simply to encourage you, for your safety, to make some verifications when using different images or SVG files. I hope I succeeded!

The Contour tool in Cricut Design Space is difficult to understand at first. But once you get my awesome trick, you'll easily be able to hide portions of a design and modify existing SVG files like a pro.

Do you know the Contour function? It's the one at the bottom right in Cricut Design Space.

It enables you to hide portions of an image or an SVG file giving you the possibility to modify an image that you wouldn't be able to change otherwise.

Now, I hear you saying: "When I tried it, there were just grey shades and I couldn't understand anything!"

Yes, I know. That's the first reason why it's hard to understand!

But with my simple trick, you'll get it in no time! Just watch the video.

In it, I'll show you how you can modify this SVG file:

This is one of my numerous cut files that you can get when you subscribe to my newsletter. If you're interested, you can do it by filling up this form:

I will also use one of Cricut Design Space free images and show you how to change the colour of part of it.

Check the video now!

The best trick to use Contour in Cricut Design Space

I hope you now understand the Contour tool and will be using it all.the.time!

If other Cricut functions are giving you headaches, just see these other tutorials:

PS: Don't forget to Pin it to remember it!