How to get the Draw function on a Cricut Maker to actually work
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- čas přidán 24. 08. 2024
- Some Cricut machines are capable of drawing. Well, supposedly. Unlike the cut function though, the draw function on these machines is not at all user friendly! Unless you want an outline of every line you drew. After wasting many hours trying out what feels like every tutorial on the internet on this topic only to have nothing actually work, I eventually figured something else out. I've done so much mucking around that I'm bound to forget what worked by tomorrow, so I decided to add yet another tutorial video to the mix on youtube for keepsake and in the hopes it helps another tired, frustrated soul out there. Best wishes, cricut friends.
If your design is simple and you don't mind some resketching, it's not so difficult.
Download Inkscape: inkscape.org/
Step-by-Step Instructions:
1. Download Inkscape.
2. Open Inkscape, create a new document.
3. Import your original drawing. Resize it to fit on the canvas.
4. Add a second layer.
5. Reduce the opacity of the first layer (your original drawing) to 20%.
6. Switch back to the second layer.
7. Click on the "Draw freehand lines" tool. For mode, select "Create regular Bezier path". For smoothing, change to 50.
8. Draw first line. Change opacity to 100. Go to "Fill and Stroke" menu. For fill, select X for no fill. For stroke paint, select the first filled in square for Flat color. For stroke style, change width to the width of the cricut pen you will be using.
9. Draw the remaining lines.
10. Save the file as an SVG file. Then delete the first layer. Save again as a separate SVG file.
11. Upload the second file (the one with the single layer) into Cricut Design Space.
12. Add to canvas. Then lastly click "attach" to combine all the stroke layers into one. Then go ahead and make it!
OH MY GOD. THIS IS THE VIDEO IVE BEEN NEEDING! I didn't even search it, it just came to me. THANKS!
Your a hero. They really put all their money in promotion and none of it in software development and costumer training or interfacing. Most people just give up on drawing and use text instead in youtube tutorials... tells you how bad it is. We need more people explaining how to exually use the program and machine even if that means stepping away from the brand itself and using third party or self thought selutions.
Absolutely incredible.
Thank you so much for taking the time to create this tutorial that was super easy to follow. This was exactly the answer I needed and if it's the only way to do it I'm so grateful you shared the secret. It's unfortunate we have to redraw everything out but I'll take it until there's a new "hack". Thank you again. It worked for me!
I use Corel Draw, but can be done in most if not all vector programs. I set the line thickness to "Hair". This means the line has no thickness. It only represents the path, which is all you need. Export as SVG, upload, attach, set to Draw and that's it.
Thanks HG, that attach function was the key to success. Cricut Design Space is a steaming pile, but this video helped take some of the stink away if not briefly.
I've found simply vectorizing works sometimes too. Thanks for the amazing info though!! Didn't find this anywhere else on the Internet.
Wow. This was SUPER helpful! I can now use Inkscape for the ideas I have as well as finally knowing how to get rid of that awful process of cramming it all up at the top when I hit 'make'. You rock!
Just what I was looking for! Thanks for this tutorial. Can’t wait to use this for my silly little projects.
Thank you so much!! I have spent so much time trying to get my drawings to work on the cricut!
I refuse to believe that I will have to manually draw over ever line. The machine can perfectly cut amazing outlines and pictures- why would there not be a setting to follow those same exact cut paths with a pen or marker. There has to be a way or a program that is able to turn drawings into single svg files. This is insane if it can’t. I might just somehow put the pen in the spot the knife is supposed to go.
If you find a way, would you mind sharing? When I try putting a pen in the blade slot, the machine somehow knows and refuses to continue. I would truly love to discover a better method, and this seems to be a common challenge people have with learning how to use the draw function. I spent hours and hours, also in disbelief, and failed to find an easy way. :-( Converting to an SVG unfortunately didn't do the trick. I believe the way a cricut works is it's not simply printing like a printer -- you essentially have to teach the machine how to draw, and it does that by recognizing individual stroke paths. It's tedious work and I wish I knew the draw function was going to be so difficult to use when I bought the machine.
If you’re still looking to avoid redrawing everything, apparently Clip Studio Paint has an option to change an image to a vector layer, which can then be exported as an svg file. Other programs might also have this as an option!
The problem is that cricut design space is no design program. Its basically a converter witch doesnt even do that job well. For text you are ofthen better of just using the type function om cricut and for outlines i noticed its better to use something like illustrator or other vector programs. Is this dumb... yea for a machine that cost half to a full 1000 euros with everything you need to make the machine function the fact the software is lacking so much is a real turnoff. But compared to bigger plotters that do only one material its a cheap device. So you need to kindof compare it to other cheap products in that sense. You need to compensate for the functions it doesnt have. The whole reason i got into this rabbit hole of fuckery is because i wanted to draw a curved line of 90 degrees and well you can get half a circle or a full circle but get lost if you want a free line. Its really bad but what are you gonna do right. Complain about it or do the work.... i mean ofcours both, but eventually the selution aint complaining. So if you want results yea... this is the way.
Not in a million years would I be able to redraw what I want by hand. So frustrating!!
I had really high hopes I could make some cool custom colouring books for Xmas. But I think I need to abandon that dream.
Ok. After watching a short by @howtomindcraftsbysabrina and making my own adjustments, I think I’ve got something pretty close to acceptable.
When first importing the imagine remove the black lines instead of the white background (soooo much faster!!).
In the contour settings remove the background.
Then in the offset settings move the slider until the lines disappear.
That’s following HowToMindCraftsBySabrina.
My addition is to change the pen size to marker (I’m using a fine liner), this seems to have been the biggest help. The lines look really thick and chunky, but they’re single lines on the paper for the most part, you can use the contour tool to remove any unnecessary lines.
Doing The Lords Work 👏🏼
DITTO WHAT RONALD SAID THANK YOUUUU
Oh wow thank you so much!!! I've spent days trying to figure this out. I am so happy I came across your video.
Brilliant you are awesome I went through that whole process too - its crazy that you cant just upload t design space as a single line :)
THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR!!!!!!!!!
me tooooo
You are a hero
This was so very helpful. Thank you!
Great video!!! Thank you for creating it.
Best video EVER !!! Thank you SO MUCH.
If i had an AUTHORITY…… I would have given You OSCAR For this Video. THANKS A LOT !!! You can not imagine I am working on this for like 2 wks now. And even if your video helped i still have a problem. Does this do single cut when used for cut ? Bcz whenever i draw something and want to cut it, it always end up in double line cutting. Its so frustrating ! Please help if you have any idea, Thanks in Advance.
You rule! Thank you for sharing.
God bless you for making this video. ❤️🙌🏻
thank you so much for this it worked perfectly for me
So you just need to convert it to an SVG file to draw just the lines?
Thank you soooooo much!!!
Thanks you
Does this only work if you use inkscape? I use ProCreate for my designs, and when I upload, they still want to draw outlines, even if my drawing is FINE. :(
You can use other programs but the approach might be slightly different. I’ve used Inkscape and Illustrator with success. I’m sorry but I’m unfamiliar with Procreate!
Does the drawing have to be a certain size perhaps? I am trying to use my cricut to hand-write my handwriting for example, but even when I size it down and upload a photograph, it wants to make outlines :|@@HGrimes
I can’t get Inkscape downloaded on my iPhone is there an app that works for it?
I just Spend the last two days wondering why lol
This was so helpful but there HAS to be an easier way. I hate that cricut does this to us
thank you sooooo much for this