What Pens Can You Use With Cricut Maker
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Utilize Cricut Pens to write cards and souvenir tags, describe coloring pages and doodles, and illustrate your Cricut creations! Here'due south the ultimate guide to using Cricut Pens in Maker, Explore, and Joy!
If you lot know what a Cricut is, you're well enlightened of its cutting capabilities. Merely did y'all know it'southward also a writing and drawing machine? That'southward right! Cricut machines tin use pens and markers to write and draw text, illustrations, doodles, coloring pages, and more. There's even a cloth pen for marker material cut if you have a Cricut Maker!
Using the Cricut pens is fairly straightforward, but I wanted to write a comprehensive tutorial, including the different types of pens and how to make sure your file is prepare up correctly in Blueprint Space. That's probably the trickiest role of the process when writing with your Cricut—but information technology'due south not hard once you lot empathise how the Attach tool works!
Need more assist with your Cricut overall? Learn more here!
Table of Contents
- Which Cricut Machines Use the Cricut Pen?
- What Types of Pens Work with My Cricut?
- Cricut Pen Comparison
- Can I Apply Non-Cricut Pens?
- How to Load a Cricut Pen
- How to Describe Images with the Cricut Pen
- How to Write Text with the Cricut Pen
- Using Adhere when Using the Cricut Pen
- Turning a Cut Paradigm into a Draw Epitome
- How Should I Store Cricut Pens?
- Troubleshooting Cricut Pens
Which Cricut Machines Use the Cricut Pen?
Good news—all of the current Cricut machines can utilize a pen! This includes:
- Cricut Maker
- Cricut Explore Series Machines
- Cricut Joy
Cricut Maker and Cricut Explore have interchangeable pens—yous tin can apply all of the pens in both machines. Cricut Joy, even so, has its own line of smaller pens. You cannot use Cricut Joy pens in the other machines and vice versa. Cricut Joy pens say Cricut Joy on them and they are smaller while pens for the other machines just say Cricut.
What Types of Pens Work With My Cricut?
Cricut makes a huge assortment of pens and markers to employ with your Cricut. They have subtly designed the barrels and end caps of the pens to help y'all distinguish the pens at a glance. I find this SUPER helpful because I shop my pens upside down in opaque containers—it allows me to sort through and find what I need more apace.
Fine Betoken Pens
Cricut pens have a white barrel have an "F" stamped on the cease for "fine." They have a 0.4mm tip and come in a huge range of colors.
Cricut Maker & Cricut Explore: The Ultimate Fine Betoken Pen Prepare
Cricut Joy: Fine Point Pens
Extra Fine Point Pens
If you're looking for something even finer, the extra fine indicate pens are just 0.3mm thick. They have a white barrel (older) or a clear butt (newer) and accept XF stamped on the end for "extra fine." Some older extra fine point pens accept just "F" stamped on the end but they are moving to XF on all new pens. These are my get-to pens for writing on cards and souvenir tags.
Cricut Maker & Cricut Explore : The Ultimate Extra Fine Bespeak Pen Set
Cricut Joy: Actress Fine Point Pens
ane.0 Pens / Markers
The i.0 size is labeled both a pen and a marker, depending on the production. These pens / markers have a thicker felt tip and come up in a range of colors and metallic versions. They take an Grand on the lesser, for "marker." These are all-time for larger writing projects because the details can get easily lost when writing with the thicker felt tip.
I haven't seen sectional packs of these pens for Maker or Explore for a while (though they do be in multi-packs), but they are making them for Cricut Joy.
Cricut Maker & Cricut Explore: Metal Pen Set
Cricut Joy: ane.0 Tip Markers
Gel Pens
Gel Pens have a roller ball instead of a felt tip. They come in 0.8mm size. They have a white butt and accept "G" stamped on the end for "gel." I personally like how bold the ink is in gel pens—it looks very vibrant. I like these for paper projects that have doodles. These are not recommended on glossy or textured materials.
Cricut Maker & Cricut Explore: The Ultimate Gel Pen Set
Cricut Joy: Gel Pens
Glitter Gel Pens
Like their regular gel counterparts to a higher place, glitter gel pens have a roller brawl and come in a 0.8mm size. They accept a clear barrel, sparkly lid, and have "M" or "GG" (for "glitter gel") stamped on the stop cap. These are non recommended on glossy or textured materials.
Cricut Maker & Cricut Explore: Glitter Gel Pens
Cricut Joy: Glitter Gel Pens
Calligraphy Pens
Cricut pens have a gray barrel and have a "C" stamped on the end for calligraphy. Calligraphy markers have an angled tip and demand to exist inserted into your Cricut clench at a 45° bending to write properly. There are no calligraphy pens for Cricut Joy.
Calligraphy pens are only constitute as part of multi-packs equally far as I tin tell.
Cricut Maker & Cricut Explore: Multi Black Pen Gear up
Textile Marking
The cloth marking was designed to work in conjunction with the Cricut Maker's sewing patterns. It has a white barrel and a clear blueish cap with an "M" stamped on the end. Learn more than about specifically Using the Textile Mark. Note that you'll notice this marker in the color dropdown under Marker > Blue (washable fabric).
Cricut Maker: Textile Pen
Infusible Ink Pens
Infusible Ink is a relatively new product from Cricut. It's a sublimation product that infuses the ink into poly-coated surfaces. Cricut Infusible Ink pens have a 0.4mm tip. The barrels/caps of these pens are all a single color (vs. white or clear with a colored cap) with an "F" on the bottom for "fine." You can read more about using the Cricut Infusible Ink Pens.
Cricut Maker & Cricut Explore: The Ultimate Infusible Ink Pen Set
Cricut Joy: Infusible Ink Pens
Infusible Ink Markers
Cricut Infusible Ink markers have a ane.0mm tip. The barrels/caps of these pens are all a single color (vs. white or clear with a colored cap) with an "m" on the bottom for "marker." You can read more almost using the Cricut Infusible Ink Pens.
Cricut Maker & Cricut Explore: The Ultimate Infusible Ink Marking Set
Cricut Joy: Infusible Ink Markers
Cricut Pen Comparison
Here is a little comparison I did using the types of markers above on a relatively smooth piece of cardstock (though not every bit smooth equally copy paper). I was pleasantly surprised that I had adept coverage for all the pens. This isn't always the example—I've had my fair share of skipping pens in the past (run across the troubleshooting section at the bottom of this postal service).
You lot will notice, however, how thick those bottom markers are. These letters are one″ tall—whatsoever smaller and letters will start to run into each other a bit more than. For the almost role, I stick to the pens vs. the markers for about all of my projects.
Can I Use Non-Cricut Pens in My Cricut?
Yes! At that place are quite a few non-Cricut pens that people take fabricated work with their Explore and Maker machines using specialized adapters. I am working on a post showcasing some of these and will link dorsum when it'southward upward!
How to Load the Pen into a Cricut Automobile
Cricut Explore and Maker: Insert an uncapped pen in the auxiliary Clamp A. Hold the bottom of the tool holder as yous insert the pen, and button down on the pen until information technology clicks. Make certain your pen is snapped into the housing—it won't draw unless you hear that click!
Cricut Joy: There isn't a separate clench on Cricut Joy for the pen. So you'll accept to unclamp and remove the bract and and then set the pen within. Unlike the other machines, you do Non need to printing the pen downward (in fact, y'all could damage the machine if you do). Merely set the pen in and shut the clamp and you're expert to write.
Using the Cricut Pens
Whew! That was a lot of data on the pens themselves. Now permit'southward put them to work by setting upwardly a gift tag file in Cricut Design Space. Nosotros'll draw a film AND write text to show you how to do both.
How to Draw Images with the Cricut Pen
The Cricut Design Infinite library has a ton of images that are designed as "writing" images. When searching, yous tin utilise the "Describe Simply" filter to prove images that are designed to be drawn using the pen. You'll see that Cricut Pattern Space has three results for hedgehogs fatigued with the pen.
Nosotros're going to apply the friendly little guy on the left for this instance (Cricut Design Space #MF27BE5).
Because he's a drawing prototype, you'll detect it says "depict" in the Layers Panel on the left, equally well every bit in the linetype selection dropdown at the top in the Edit Toolbar.
When yous click the colored square box adjacent to the linetype dropdown, y'all can select the type of pen you're using. You'll notice that these letters match up to the pen end-cap labels I talked nearly before in this post.
And that's information technology for now—we'll get to attaching this guy to a label shape and draw him in a bit.
How to Write Text with the Cricut Pen
Before we begin, if y'all love fonts and writing, check out these posts:
- All Most Cricut Design Infinite Fonts (even more about what nosotros're talking near hither!)
- How to Upload Fonts to Cricut Design Space
- Working with Script Fonts in Cricut Design Space
- Where to Notice Inexpensive and Free Fonts for the Cricut
- 101 Fonts for Cut Machines
- How to Curve Text in Design Infinite
Writing text tin be a big source of frustration to Cricut users. We all want to be able to utilize our amazing organization fonts in Cricut Blueprint Space. Organisation fonts are ones that are on your computer exterior of Design Space.
Writing with System Fonts
I added a but of text below the hedgehog using a system font on my computer chosen Annihilation Goes.
But one time we change those fonts from a cut paradigm to a write image in the linetype dropdown at the top, things look like this:
The font outlines. Depending on what you're going for, it's not the worst affair in the globe—but it's not the best either. I would LOVE for Cricut to come with a fashion for their software to make full in those writing lines so the text is colored, but that's not an option right at present.
So here are a few workarounds:
- Keep the outlines as is—information technology'southward not so bad in a instance similar this when the whole project is drawn.
- Color in the text by hand subsequently it's been drawn past your Cricut
- Choose a Cricut "writing" style font, which is a font that has been specifically designed to be used with the Cricut pen
Writing with Writing-Way Cricut Fonts
Cricut's writing style fonts feature letters with single strokes that wait the most like a hand-written text.
In the Font Bill of fare, you tin filter by Cricut Writing Fonts. This will narrow information technology downward to just the Cricut fonts that already have a writing style congenital into the font. The writing fashion will non be bachelor for whatsoever of your Organisation Fonts (which are fonts you've downloaded outside of Cricut Design Space and can exist used in other programs).
Once y'all've gear up that filter, you have a range of fonts to select from that volition write more similar hand-written text as opposed to outlined text. I chose the Cricut font Felix, which you tin see looks like single-line writing.
Using Attach to Write and Draw Properly
I of the most of import things you need to know about using the Pen with your Cricut is that your drawing/writing layer MUST exist attached to the layer you lot desire to draw/write on.
Right now, our hedgehog and text don't have a layer to write on. So allow's create one.
I inserted a tag shape into my Canvass (Cricut Design Space #M3E1F1). From there I inverse the size, changed the color, and moved it to the back of my Sheet using the Align tool so I could see the hedgehog and text.
Now permit's attach the hedgehog and the text to the tag. This is pretty piece of cake to do—just select your drawing/writing layers and your base of operations layer and click "Adhere" in the lower right-hand side of the Layers Panel.
Y'all'll see that the three layers are at present nested nether a title that says "Adhere" in the Layers Panel.
Using the Cricut Pen to Make a Souvenir Tag
Now let'south make the gift tag! Brand sure the tag is the size you lot want it (mine ended up existence 10″ wide and so you could hands encounter it in the screenshots—I shrunk information technology downward to 3″ broad!) and click Make it in the upper right.
In the Ready Screen you will see your image on the mat. If the drawing layer is on a white mat that is different from your tag layer, go back to your canvass and make certain everything is attached properly.
Click continue. In the Make Screen, you'll select your fabric. In most cases it will exist some sort of paper. I chose medium cardstock and a 0.four pen. Cricut Design Space will prompt y'all to insert your pen and fine point blade. Insert your mat into your auto and your Cricut volition draw and cutting your tag!
Turning a Cut Paradigm into a Describe Image
Additionally, yous tin have pretty much any image in Cricut Design Space and make information technology a cartoon prototype past changing information technology from a Cut to a Write image in the Layer Attributes panel for that paradigm. For example, this hedgehog also comes in a layered cut file (Cricut Design Space #MF27D4D):
We can plow him into a draw file by irresolute the linetype dropdown to "draw." You'll meet all four layers in the Layers Panel are now gear up to draw.
Yous'll now see that the hedgehog looks like the original drawing prototype we started with…but there's i central difference.
There are now four layers to this drawing file. Some of the lines in this file are duplicated, like the line around the shape of the hedgehog. If I ungroup the layers (using Ungroup in the Layers Panel) you tin see the layers more than conspicuously.
The original "writing" hedgehog we used doesn't have these duplicated layers—information technology's all a single layer. Because of this, in the layered example the Cricut will draw around those duplicated lines and you lot'll terminate upwards with some heavier lines because the Cricut has drawn them multiple times. And then it's totally possible to change almost whatsoever image in Cricut Pattern Infinite to a writing/drawing image, just exist aware that y'all may encounter thicker/heavier lines if some of your layers contain indistinguishable lines.
All that is to say—if yous can observe an prototype that is "natively" a draw image (it imports into Cricut Design Space directly as a draw image and not a cut image), you'll probably get improve results!
What Else Tin I Depict with my Cricut Pens?
In add-on to writing text, there are so many fun options for drawing illustrations, doodles, embellishments, coloring pages and more. Yous'll observe a lot of these in Cricut Design Space past searching for an prototype and so clicking "Describe Only" in the sidebar under Art Type.
How Should I Store Cricut Pens?
I suggest storing your pens with the top facing downwards. This helps SO MUCH with ink flow and making your pens last as long as possible.
Troubleshooting the Cricut Pens
Ink is Skipping or Bleeds
Always do a practise scribble on a piece of the material you're going to be using so y'all can brand sure your cartoon/writing is legible and looks how you want it to wait. I often find that just a scrap of a scribble lets me know if my pen's ink is flowing, and using the project material gives. mea good thought if the ink is going to drain or spread.
Pen is Not Writing
First, make sure that your pens has ink. And then make sure that it has seated all the way into the Cricut clamp, double checking that it has "clicked" if you're using an Explore or Maker.
Pen Not Supported by Cricut Error
Sometimes yous'll get an error that the pen you lot accept chosen isn't available. Just select that layer and change to a pen blazon. If your pen doesn't exist in the listing, choose something similar.
WHEW! I hope you constitute this tutorial on Cricut'due south pens helpful and inspiring! If you accept whatsoever questions, as always just go out them int he comments and I'll do my all-time to answer!
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I'm Cori and I'one thousand so glad y'all've decided to stop past and make stuff with me! My blog is full of things to help you create a life you love: Cricut and Glowforge tutorials and files, sublimation crafts, fun printables, DIY home and decor ideas, and so much more. I alive in the PNW with my husband and our ambrosial twin boys.
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