Cricut Set Up Guide for Beginners!

GET STARTED

Congratulations are in order as you’ve become the owner of the new Cricut machine. First, you must unwrap it and make space for your new Cricut machine in your craft room. Now, you need to set it up before you can move on to creating your first Cricut project- but how to do that? If you are a beginner, setting up a new Cricut machine can be intimidating. To help you and others, we have come up with this blog. The blog will guide you through the entire Cricut setup process. This blog will cover each Cricut machine model- Cricut Maker 3, the Cricut Explore 3, and Cricut Joy.

What Comes in the Cricut Box?

One of the great things about the Cricut brand is that it offers a few accessories and tools to help crafters get started. Let’s review what you get with each of the three models. Both Cricut Explore 3 and Maker 3 come with similar tools and accessories.

In the box, you will find the following items:

The Cricut machine
Power adapter
USB cord
Premium Fine Point Blade plus blade housing
Sample materials
Cricut Access membership (Free trial subscription)

The older version of the Cricut Maker bundle also included a rotary blade, a Cricut pen, and two Cricut mats, which were missing in the new Cricut Maker 3 bundle. Whereas with the older model Cricut Explore Air 2, you get a LightGrip cutting mat and a fine-point pen which doesn’t come with the new Cricut Explore 3. In the Cricut Joy Box, you will find the following items:

The Cricut Joy machine
Power adapter
Cricut Joy Blade and housing
Fine Point Pen
StandardGrip Mat
Sample materials.

Cricut Machine Tour

Now that you’ve unwrapped the box and laid out all the items, check whether you’ve received all the items or not. If any of the items are missing, return the package. Next, you must be eager to learn about your new Cricut machine, so let’s look closer at the machine’s layout.

Cricut Maker 3

Plug the power cord into the back of the machine. Plug in the USB cable in the USB port present on the right-hand side of the machine. Lift the lid to open the machine; the front door will open automatically. When you open the machine for the first time, you will see the carriage/tool clams are wrapped with a piece of protective foam. Go ahead and unwrap it.

Clam A and B are two tool clamps inside the machine. These tool clamps hold the blades and pens. You will also find the mat guides that aid you in aligning the smart materials and cutting mats. Lastly, you’ll see the roller bars, which move the mat around when the machine cuts. There is a tray inside the front door to store tools and pens. On the left side of the machine, there is also a tool cup to store weeding tools and tweezers. There is also a docking slot to hold your mobile or tablet as you use the machine.

Cricut Explore 3

Like Cricut Maker 3, plug the power cord into the back of the machine. The USB port is present on the right side of the machine. Press the Open button on the top of the machine to open the machine. When you press the Open button, the lid will lift, and the front door will open automatically. Like Cricut Maker 3, the Cricut Explore 3’s carriage/tool clams are wrapped with protective foam. Go ahead and unwrap it. And the rest is pretty much the same.

Cricut Joy

Plug the power cable into the back of the machine. You won’t find a USB cord in the box since the Cricut Joy can only be connected via Bluetooth. Flip down the lid to open the machine. There you will see a single-tool clamp that holds the blade or pen. You will also see the mat guides and roller bars. Cricut Joy has no physical buttons; the Design Space app controls all the machine’s functions.

Download & Install the Cricut Design Space

You will need the Design Space app to activate your machine for the first time. Once your machine is activated, you can use it without the Design Space app. To download the app, you need to follow the steps mentioned below:

Launch your internet browser and visit cricut.com/setup.
You will be redirected to the Cricut sign-up page.
Enter the required details in fields such as Name, email address, etc.
Read the Terms and Conditions and click on the Agree option.
Your account will be created as soon as you click Create My Account.
An email will be sent to your email address to confirm the account creation.
Sign in using your Cricut credentials.
From the device drop-down list, select your Cricut machine and click Download.
When the setup is downloaded double, click it to start the installation process.

Ref.https://help.cricut.com/hc/article_attachments/1500005770541/1_Navigate_to_download_site.PNG

Connecting Your Cricut with Smart Devices

Pat on your back as you have made it this far. Once you’ve opened your box, plugged in your machine, and downloaded and installed the Design Space app. You need to connect your Cricut device with your smart device. Follow the steps below to connect your Cricut and smart devices.

Once you’ve downloaded and installed the Design Space app on your smart device.
Follow the on-screen instructions to create your Cricut account and sign in to your Cricut account.
Select your machine on the next screen.
Plug in the machine with the power cord and turn the machine on by pressing the Power button.
Connect the Cricut via USB cable or Bluetooth (Cricut Joy can only be connected via Bluetooth).
You may have to wait a while as the Design Space updates your machine.
You will be prompted to register your device and asked if you want to try a free trial of Cricut Access Membership.
Finally, you can move to make your first cut.

Conclusion

Congrats, you’ve successfully set up your Cricut machine. Now you can move to the fun part of craft making, which is making your first cut. You can connect Cricut Explore 3 and Cricut Maker 3 via USB or Bluetooth. With USB, you get a more stable connection, but with Bluetooth, you can control your Cricut device from anywhere. But Cricut Joy can be connected to your smart devices via Bluetooth only. This blog has covered all the relevant topics related to the Cricut setup process.

FAQs

What items do you get with Cricut Maker 3 bundle?

With a Cricut Maker 3 bundle, you will get various smart materials, including smart paper, smart vinyl, or smart iron-on. You also get transfer tape, Cricut pens, and an Essential toolset, including weeding tools, a scraper tool, and scissors.

How is Cricut Joy different from other Cricut Models?

Cricut Joy is a portable machine, so compared to other Cricut machines, it is smaller. Also, it doesn’t have any USB ports or physical buttons. You can control Joy with the Design Space app.