How to Use Cricut Design Space

Learn how to use Cricut Design Space. If you recently treated yourself to a brand new or maybe even used Cricut cutting machine, congratulations! It is delightful and worth every penny if you know how to use it. You don't? Well, that is nothing to worry about because that is what tutorials are for, right? This blog post is especially for beginners looking for cues and pointers to getting started with Design Space. 

How to Use Cricut Design Space Tutorial

Whether you have the Cricut Explore, Cricut Maker, or Cricut Joy series cutting machine, you will need to learn how to use Design Space. All Cricut machines must be used with this program.

The good news is that the program is quite easy to use, and once you have read this blog post-end-to-end, you will be totally prepared to start.

So, tuck those worries away, install Design Space for free, and get ready to have all your questions answered and your ambiguities cleared. The glory days of making Cricut projects, including your own t-shirts, vinyl decals, mugs, and custom totes, are not far.

About Cricut Design Space

Is Design Space Free? 

Yes it is totally free! The Cricut Design Space app is essential for making projects with any Cricut cutting machine. While the Cricut Design Space is a free program, it does have a paid optional add-on subscription called Cricut Access.

Cricut Access membership gives you access to thousands of images and fonts, and without it, you only have access to very limited fonts, images, and Ready to Make projects.

However, you can upload your own images to save money on the subscription service.

What Does Design Space Do?

Cricut Design Space lets you design and tells your Cricut cutting machine what to cut, what material (for instance, fabric) it’s cutting, what pressure setting to use, and also the correct cutting mat and the right blade for it (for instance, rotary blade).

System Requirements for Cricut Design Space

For your Cricut cutting machine to work, it is vital to have a suitable computer system. While you probably don’t have to purchase a new computer to use it, it is important to ensure that your system complies with the requirements to work with a Cricut machine.

You can use a PC with Windows, Mac computers, and Android or iOS devices. Keep reading on to learn about the minimum system requirements for these devices. 

System Requirements for Mac OS

• macOS 10.15 or later
• CPU 1.83 GHz
• 2 GB free disk space
• RAM: 4GB
• Display: Minimum 1024px x 768px screen resolution
• A USB port or Bluetooth connection
• Broadband Internet connection with a Minimum of 2-3 Mbps Download and Minimum of 1-2 Mbps Upload

System Requirements for Windows OS

• Windows 8 or later
• CPU: Intel Dual-Core or equivalent AMD processor
• 2 GB free disk space
• RAM: 4GB
• Display: Minimum 1024px x 768px screen resolution
• A USB port or Bluetooth connection
• A Broadband Internet connection with a Minimum of 2-3 Mbps Download and Minimum of 1-2 Mbps Upload.

System Requirements for IOS Devices

• iOS 14 or later
• Supported Devices: iPhone 5s or later, and iPad mini 2 or later.
• A Broadband Internet connection with a Minimum of 2-3 Mbps Download and Minimum of 1-2 Mbps Upload.

System Requirements for Android Devices

• Android 8.0 or more
• Mobile devices and tablets only, and not Chromebooks
• Supported Devices: Samsung: Galaxy S, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Tab A, Galaxy Tab S series. Google: Pixel series. Motorola: Droid G, Z, E, Turbo, or Moto series. LG: G, K, or V series
• A Broadband Internet connection with a Minimum 2-3 Mbps Download and Minimum of 1-2 Mbps Upload.

How to Use Cricut Design Space Step by Step

Here we will discuss in detail how you should go about to learn how to use Cricut Design Space and create fun items.

1. New Product Setup

To set up your new Cricut cutting machine, follow these steps: 

• Plug it in and turn it on. 
• Pair the cutting machine with your computer or mobile device using a USB cord or Bluetooth.
• Go to Cricut.com to download Design Space or follow the automatic prompts. 
• Continue following the on-screen prompts to complete setting up.

2. How to Install Cricut Design Space

Start off with installing Design Space and setting up your device. When setting up your new Cricut cutting machine, it will automatically prompt you to download Design Space.

You can download Design Space to multiple devices, including your desktop computer, laptop, iOS or Android smartphone, and even an iPad or tablet.

3. Open Cricut Design Space

Once you have downloaded the program, you can open it from the Cricut icon on your computer or mobile device.

Once open, you will see a welcome screen with recommended projects, featured images, and many easy project suggestions.

Many of these suggestions tend to be seasonal. My screen is currently showing many Halloween images. I expect in another month it will be all Christmas suggestions.

Images and projects with the A symbol in the top left corner are available free if you have a Cricut Access membership. This is the subscription service to access additional projects, images and fonts. If you don't have this extra subscription, you can look for the images without that symbol. There are still plenty to choose from.

There is also a search bar in this welcome screen to quickly find a image or project to start cutting.

If you like one of the projects, just click on it and you can either start cutting by pressing "Make it" or customize it by pressing "customize" As long as you have your Cricut crafting supplies, cutting items with Ready to Make projects is super easy and fast.

5. Creating a New Project in Design Space

Most of the time, you will have a design that you would rather make from scratch. Cricut Design Space has plenty of images, shape,s and text options that you can easily put together to create a unique design.

Whenever you need to start a new project, pressing "new project'' at the top right of the welcome screen will give you a blank canvas to work on.

This is what the blank canvas will look like when it opens.

Grids

Notice all the grids. This grid style shows you the size of your design so you can accurately position and size it.

Under the settings (in the 3 line hamburge menu at the left) you can choose imperial (inches) or metric (cm) measurements. There is also the option to turn off the grid.

Top Black Bar

Here are some of the settings you will see in the top black bar:

• TITLE - The new project will come up called untitled. You can name and save your project to identify it later.
• MY PROJECTS - This will allow you to open previous projects. If you are new to Design Space, this will be empty at first.
• SAVE - Cricut will autosave projects, but it is a good idea to manually save at important points, so you don't lose any work.
• MACHINE - Start off by selecting your cutting machine type if you switch between multiple Cricut machines. If you only use a single machine, then its type will already be displayed. For selecting the type, you will need to select if from the top right menu on the window. Doing this will modify some functionalities and options depending on your model of use.
• MAKE IT - This button is what you will press once you have finished your design and are ready to start cutting. There is more about this later in the tutorial.

Zoom In and Zoom Out

At the bottom left corner of the screen, is a plus and minus symbol. You use this to zoom in and out of your design.

The 3 Main Menus

Notice there is a side menu, top menu, and right-hand menu.

• You will always start designing with the left menu, which allows you to insert or upload images or text.
• The top menu allows you to modify size and position.
• The right menu is for managing layers, grouping, ungrouping, and duplicating.

6. Left Menu (Design Panel)

We will start by discussing the options on the left menu, the design panel. 

New Project

The first button in the left menu is the new project button. If you have a blank canvas open, you don't need to press this again.

Cricut only lets you work on one canvas at a time, so you can always save the current canvas and open a new one.

How to Use Cricut Design Space Templates

If you prefer being able to visualize your design over using a blank canvas, then this option will help you do just that. With this, you can choose and set a specific type of template to help with sizing and spacing.

Options include t-shirts, aprons, bunting, bags, bibs, chairs and many more.

Some templates will allow you to modify the sizing to your needs by using the drop-down menu. T-shirts, for example, have kid's and adult size options. This template will not show in your final cut file. It is simply used to better visualize the sizing of your images.

How to Use Cricut Design Space Projects

This option is for when you want to make use of pre-made projects. With this option, you can check out and select any available Ready-to-Make Projects in Cricut Access.

You can see in the photo below I am filtering iron-on t-shirt ideas.

For beginners, there is a great "free" project feature you can try to get the hang of your machine.

When you select the project you like, you can go straight to cutting or customize it if you'd like to make changes.

How to Use Cricut Design Space Shapes

The shapes option in the left menu is used to insert basic shapes into your design.

A little window containing all the available shapes will slide out when you click it. You can pick any you like with just a click.

You can select basic shapes, like circles or squares, and you can also edit these shapes to create a custom shape in Design Space. You can resize and rotate the shapes too.

How to Use Cricut Design Space Images

Click on the Images tool to show the vast range of thousands of images in the Cricut image library.

You can browse the library and pick anything that catches your eye or make the process faster for you by simply typing what you are looking for in the search bar and skimming through the specified category.

You will also see "filters" on the left-hand side, which you can use to narrow down your results. You can open up your options by clicking on the plus symbol, and by clicking on the minus symbol, you can close the options.

You can select any filter by checking the box next to it and selecting multiple filters simultaneously.

• If you are a Cricut Access member, then check the box that says Cricut Access.
• However, if you are not, then use the Free filter to help you access all free images.

Click on the image or SVG file you would like to insert onto your canvas to select it, and then click on the "add to canvas" button. You can insert images singularly or in bulk.

How to Use Cricut Design Space Text 

By selecting the Text option, you can add text to your design. When you click on Text, a text box will appear, providing you an area to type in your choice of text, which will then show on your canvas.

When text is selected, a second line of menu options appears at the top. You can change the font size of your text or edit it in other ways.

Here are some of the options in the font menu:

• FONTS - You can change your font in the first drop-down box by selecting from All Fonts, System Fonts, or Cricut Fonts. You can find a specific font by using the search bar. It is also possible to upload your own fonts.
• USING FONT FILTERS - You can use the Filter option for text too. It is on the far right side of the text menu. When it comes to text filters, you can again select either just one or multiple filters simultaneously.
• STYLE - In addition to choosing the font, you can select its style. Options include regular, bold, bold italic, and writing styles.
• FONT SIZE - Easily change the font size with this option.
• LETTER SPACE - This function changes the spacing between letters to be more open or tighter.
• LINE SPACE - This will change the spacing between multiple lines of text.
• CURVING TEXT - You can make use of the Curve tool to make your text curvy and stylish. You will just need to select the text you wish to curve and slide the bar right or left to curve it downwards or upwards, respectively. 
• EDITING SINGLE LETTERS - To edit a single letter in your text, you will start by selecting your text on the canvas, clicking on Ungroup in the right-hand corner, and then editing that letter. For instance, if you want the first letter of your text to stand out. Once you have edited the text, reselect it, then right-click and click Group so that your text is grouped again. Alternatively, you will find this function under the Advanced button in the text menu.

How to Use Cricut Design Space Upload Image Function

As the name tells, this option will allow you to upload your own images, files, and designs.

When you click on Upload, you will see a screen with options to upload an image or a pattern fill. You can either use the drag and drop option to add a file or simply click a file to select it.

Image extensions of .jpg, .gif, .dxf, .bmp, .png files, and .svg, are supported.

Your recently uploaded images will show at the bottom of the screen. Cleaning and using images in the SVG cut files format is the most convenient. However, other formats are workable too. 

After choosing your image file, select the image type (simple, moderately complex or complex, and then click continue.

The screen that appears will show tools such as the Crop, Eraser, and Wand to erase the background and unnecessary parts of the image.

There are also some advanced options to tweak the coloring of the image and produce a sharper cut image for your final use. However, your original picture needs to be good. Otherwise, you will end up with an unimpressive cut image. 

Once you have fixed the image, you can select the final image and "add to canvas"

7. Right Menu (Layers) 

Now that you know about the left menu (design panel), we will discuss what the right side menu has to offer.

You will notice the right menu is split into a layers panel and the tools at the bottom.

Right Menu Layers

In the layers panel, you can select and deselect the different layers.

• EYE - The eye symbol on the side will hide layers if necessary.
• GROUP/UNGROUP - You can also group, ungroup, delete and duplicate the layers. Grouping can be useful for resizing or editing images or text together.
• DUPLICATE - Once you have selected an image layer, it is possible to duplicate it.
• DELETE - Select an image layer and delete it. Don't forget there is an undo button in the top menu if you make a mistake.

Right Menu Tools

Down the bottom right of the menu, you will notice 5 tool options - Slice, Weld, Attach, Flatten, and Contour.

While making your designs, these options will prove to be quite useful. Read on to learn about each of these tools:

• Slice: The Split tools enable you to split two overlapping layers into parts, and it is great for cutting out shapes, text, and designs.
• Weld: The welding tool lets you join multiple layers and shapes into a single shape. This is particularly important if you want to cut your layers as all one piece and not separately. Here you can see how I joined the starts and circle.

• Attach: Attach tool works by sort of grouping layers, as it allows you to hold images in position for cutting or adding text to the image layer.
• Flatten: This tool is particularly useful when working with Print and Cut, as it merges layers into a single printable image.
• Contour: The Contour tool allows you to hide and unhide lines and unwanted designs on a layer. However, it is only activated when a shape/design has such components that can be excluded.

Color Sync 

The last option available in the layers panel is Color Sync. It is at the top right of the right hand menu. Keep in mind that for each color you have on your canvas, it will print a separate piece of material. If you want to cut all your design from the one material color and type, the color of your design must be all the same.

If you are working with a design that has multiple shades of a color you don't need, Color Sync provides an easy way to replace them with just the shade you want to keep.

To do that, you need to just click and drag the shade that you want to remove and drop them on the one you want to keep.

8. How to Use Cricut Design Space Top Menu (Editing)

We have touched a little on the top menu in the text section above. The top menu allows you to edit and modify your images and text.

Once your image is placed on the canvas area, you can modify, rotate and flip the image to make it better suited to your liking.

Here are some of the options in the top menu:

• UNDO/REDO - The arrows on the left of the top menu will let you redo and undo your last edits.
• OPERATION - This has a drop-down menu allowing you to select what you want to do with your image. Options include a basic cut, wavy cut, or perforation, as well as scoring, debossing, and engraving. How many options will depend on your machine. The Maker 3 has the greatest variety of options.

• COLORS - You can also change the color of your material for a cut image by choosing different colors in the drop-down menu.
• SELECT/DESELECT - Images can easily be selected or deselected using this toggle button. You can also drag your mouse over to select and group images.
• EDIT - This gives you the option to cut, paste and copy as well as duplicate and delete.
• OFFSET - This is a relatively new function in Design Space. It allows an outline to be created around your images and text. The main instance when this is useful is in making stickers.
• ALIGN - Aligning allows you to center, position left or right, as well as vertically align and distribute. This is useful if you are printing multiples of the same image and need even spacing.
• ARRANGE - Arranging allows you to change the layering order. You can bring a layer to the front or back. This can also be used to group and ungroup layers.
• FLIP - The flip function allows you to flip horizontally or vertically. Keep in mind there is a mirror function in the cutting wizard so you don't necessarily have to flip all images that need to be mirrored before cutting.
• SIZING - You can change the size of the image. When you insert a design or shape, you can additionally unlock the design/shape and resize it however you want by clicking on the little lock in the bottom left corner.
• ROTATE - Rotate images in degrees.
• POSITION - Images can be positioned in a different place on the canvas using x and y coordinates.

9. Clicking Make it to Start Cutting

Before you start cutting, saving your project is a good idea. There is a save button on the black bar at the top. Give it a unique name and save it in an appropriate folder where you can easily find it later.

If you haven't already selected your machine type, do so now. Mine is a Maker 3.

Make It to Start Cutting

The top toolbar has an option called Make It in the right corner. This option is for when your project is ready. When you click Make It, the mat preview screen will open and present you with a range of different options that you can modify to your liking.

Changing Your Mat Size

While the default material size is 12X12 in Design Space, you can change it in the preview screen. To do so, pick the size you will be working with. 

Changing the Gridlines

To change the gridlines showing on your canvas, click on the corner square. If you click once, the gridlines will disappear. 

Making Project Copies

Project Copies is an option in the top left corner that lets you select the number of copies that you want to cut out of your image.

Start Cutting

Once you press start cutting, the machine will connect to your computer and start cutting. For the Maker 3 and Explore 3, the wizard you will ask what material you will cut. The Explore Air 2 has a dial on the actual machine to choose the material.

• Install the correct knife blade into your machine.
• You will attach the material to a mat and start cutting.
• Once cut, it is time to weed the background of the vinyl to reveal your design.
• If you would like to know more about the cutting process, read my article on how to use a Cricut machine.

How to Use Cricut Design Space FAQs

You are not the only one with questions as you tried to get started with Design Space. Here are users' most frequently asked questions and the answers. 

Are there any free images on Cricut? 

Yes, there are tons of free images in the Image Library in Cricut Design Space. Moreover, images with new designs are added weekly.

To access these images:

• Open the Design Space app.
• Select New Project.
• Click Image from the left of the screen.
• Click the filter icon and select FREE

Will Cricut work without a subscription? 

You can use Cricut without a subscription. However, the image and text options will a little more limited. While it is essential to have Design Space for using any Cricut cutting machine, it is not mandatory to have a subscription for Cricut Access to use it. Even without Cricut Access, you can make use of some limited but free images, fonts, and Ready to Make projects. 

How to Use Cricut Design Space - In Conclusion

Once you know about the menus and the toolbar options on the screen, using Cricut Design Space is quite easy. It is user-friendly and has a wide range of fonts, images, and Ready to Make Projects to get you started. You can bring your creative designs to life by using Design Space of Cricut cutting machines.

More Cricut Articles

• What is a Cricut Machine
• How to Use a Cricut Machine
• Cutting Vinyl with Cricut
• How to Clean a Cricut Mat