New to Cricut!? Read this blog to get started in DS!

Getting started can be overwhelming but let's go over some of the basics and make it a little less daunting! Cricut has a variety of machines but no matter which one you're using they all run with a desktop or mobile application called Design Space, commonly referred to as "DS". To download Design Space for Desktop for your Windows computer open an internet browser and go to design.cricut.com This article will give you step by step instructions to download. https://help.cricut.com/hc/en-us/articles/360009378474-Design-Space-Download-and-Installation-Instructions You will need to create a user ID and password to login. The home screen features new projects, images and how-tos! It also houses the Cricut heat guide, this gives time and temperature guidelines for iron-on vinyl!

The canvas screen pictured below is where you will create your projects.

1. Navigation Bar Switch between the home screen and canvas, access your projects, save projects, settings and more!

2. Design Panel Use the left toolbar to add text, shapes, score lines & images to the canvas. You can also browse premade projects with the project button or create personalized monograms.

3. Edit Bar

The Edit bar in Design Space gives you access to features such as Operation, Fill, Size, Rotate, Mirror, Position, etc. for editing images and text.  The operation box (found within the edit bar) is important to control what the machine does, you can cut, draw, score with your machine.

4. Layers panel

The Layers panel to the right is where you will find options to manage layers on your canvas. Here you will find buttons to group, weld, attach and flatten layers.

Grouping layers together will hold them together on the canvas screen to be moved or resized on the canvas but will not hold the pieces together when it comes time to cut!

Flatten is a feature to be used with the print and cut feature. The Cricut machine is not a printer, you will need an inkjet printer to use the print and cut feature, Flatten turns any image into a printable image, merging all selected layers into a single layer.

Attaching layers will hold the layers cut placement together when it comes time to make!

Attach can also fasten a draw or score layer to a cut layer to tell the machine to draw or score on a piece of material. Example would be to score a card to make a fold line or to write on a piece of paper.

This article discusses the Combine options to create new shapes in Design Space: https://help.cricut.com/hc/en-us/articles/9503908902551-Using-Combine-Slice-and-Weld-to-create-new-shapes-in-Design-Space Cricut help has a TON of articles on all Cricut subjects https://help.cricut.com/hc/en-us