ACOT Message Board

I'm wasting alot of paper with my Cricut because I have to experiment with every new item I cut, it seems. If I choose 2" for, let's say, a swirl, how are they measuring that? Two inches top to bottom or two inches the length of the swirl or what? It takes so much time to figure out the way it's going to look by measurement and it's annoying. If you cut a rectangle at 4", is that 4" in height or 4" in length? I can't understand the way they are figuring it out, it should be fairly uniform so you don't have to make 3 or 4 experimental cuts before actually getting the size you want. I make cards so the sizes are important.

I have a Cricut but I can't help you. I haven't had the patience to try and figure that stuff out. I know that I do not utilize my Cricut the way that I should. I could be getting a lot more out of it.

yea, sorry I don't use my Cricut to it's full capability either. I have a Gypsy and I've only used that a couple times because it was too hard for me to get a handle on. I just experiment with scrap paper before I cut the actual piece.

Maybe you could search youtube for some videos.

Or try the boards on the cricut website - you might find some answers there.

I definately had the same issue, but since getting a Gypsy it is so easy for me to see how it will fit on my paper before I cut so it has solved that issue for me.
That being said, not everyone wants a Gypsy. The size you determine on the wheel is the height in inches, however the width varies depending on whatever it is that you are cutting. It would be nice if there were a website that gave dimensions for a standard height so one could calculate/approximate the width. Short of that my recommendation would be to

a) play with it like you have been; keep notes in a spiral perhaps as you detemine height to width ratios or

b) ask one of your friends with a Gypsy if they would mind letting you borrow it and you could create your own basic reference sheet for your carts. Time consuming to set up, but perhaps in the long run it would work out?

I have one as well...and i have found a lot of trial and error...because a 2 inch cut on one cartridge might be perfect and on the next be way too big/small. I would look on youtube as well....and search by the specific cartridge you are using.

I know on Stretch Your Imagination if you are making the cards if you cut the card at 4 inches you can't just cut the character at 4 inches because it won't fit (you actually have to get out the ruler and measure the little bugger and go by that measurement.) i wouldn't have known that if i hadn't seen it demonstrated.

Fonts can be tricky as well....i actually went thru at one point and was cutting each font out at about 4 diff sizes (i make cards mostly as well) and gluing them down and writing the info beside them so i knew the next time what to do.

If you find a cut that works write it on and index card and either keep in in the cartridge case or some where handy. I actually work with a dry erase board on my table so that if i'm making multiple cuts with different cartridges I can jot them down quickly and erase them when i'm finished.

Hope that helps!

oh i forgot to mention earlier...for those that don't already have it....
go to

www.aboverubiesstudio.com

she has a really nice paper cutting guide...tells you what settings you need for the paper types you are cutting...i always have mine right by my machine.

This is why I love using Design Studio or Gypsy - you get to see what it looks like on a mat graph

Queen Mum wrote:This is why I love using Design Studio or Gypsy - you get to see what it looks like on a mat graph

I agree - I use Design Studio so I can see it on the mat and resize as needed. Makes it sooo much easier! Gypsy does the same I beleive but DS is cheaper and is really all I need.... for now

3 Pals wrote:

Queen Mum wrote:This is why I love using Design Studio or Gypsy - you get to see what it looks like on a mat graph

I agree - I use Design Studio so I can see it on the mat and resize as needed. Makes it sooo much easier! Gypsy does the same I beleive but DS is cheaper and is really all I need.... for now

Yep, love my DS. And for my eyes, looking at on the computer screen is LOT easier than that little bitty screen on the Gypsy.

Hey there, I'm a newbie but maybe I can help out a bit.

I have the Expression, and I always have the Paper Saver button on. That's the number one thing because that's what allows you to save paper.

When you select a size for an image without using a Gypsy (which I so recommend, but I'll get to that in a second) the machine measures the image in terms of width. For example, if you want to cut something at 3.25 inches, the biggest layer of the image is going to be 3.25 inches wide.

Now, if you want something like a circle to be cut at 4 inches. Press the Real Dial Size button and it will be cut at 4 inches. But if you have Real Dial Size on and you're cutting a layered image, every cut will be cut at 4 inches and it will not layer.

Most of the time, I use my Gypsy because with it, I can see how everything will end up before I cut it. I'm mainly a card maker, but I've been branching out to scrapping and that's when the Gypsy really comes in handy because I can see all of the layers.

I don't generally have to make test cuts, but whenever I do, I use white Georgia Pacific CS that I get from Sam's Club. It's like $7.48 for 500 sheets. And, one thing I learned the hard way is that the thicker the paper, the better the cut. I wasted loads of money on cheap cardstock, but now I'm switching over to Papertrey Ink and Stampin' Up.

cort wrote:oh i forgot to mention earlier...for those that don't already have it....
go to

http://www.aboverubiesstudio.com

she has a really nice paper cutting guide...tells you what settings you need for the paper types you are cutting...i always have mine right by my machine.

You've mentioned this before and I went there and printed out the guide. THANK YOU for sending me there. It's been very helpful!!

letumom wrote:

3 Pals wrote:

Queen Mum wrote:This is why I love using Design Studio or Gypsy - you get to see what it looks like on a mat graph

I agree - I use Design Studio so I can see it on the mat and resize as needed. Makes it sooo much easier! Gypsy does the same I beleive but DS is cheaper and is really all I need.... for now

Yep, love my DS. And for my eyes, looking at on the computer screen is LOT easier than that little bitty screen on the Gypsy.

any tips on using Design studio? I have it and have not had much luck with it at all...i have little patience so i need like an idiots guide to it or something..

I know it took a lot of time to do, but this has sure helped me. I too was using paper way too fast. So I decided to make use of a ton of scrap paper, bought a 3 ring binder, and began cutting one of everything I have in a cartridge. I wrote the measurment next to it, so I could judge what size I needed when doing a LO. I have a long way to go, but it will be well worth it when I am done.

oceanbreezes423 wrote:I know it took a lot of time to do, but this has sure helped me. I too was using paper way too fast. So I decided to make use of a ton of scrap paper, bought a 3 ring binder, and began cutting one of everything I have in a cartridge. I wrote the measurment next to it, so I could judge what size I needed when doing a LO. I have a long way to go, but it will be well worth it when I am done.

Great Idea!! I have been thinking to write h or v by the pick in the manual to I know if a certain size scrap would work and not waste it.

I think I might make a notebook like that too. Great idea.

One of the things I remember from when I took my class on the Expression is the size of an item on a cartridge is based on the largest item in the cartridge. For example, if you have an font cartridge and want to cut a J at 4 inches and an O at 4 inches, the J will be taller than the O because of the width of the O. Each cartridge will be different.


I remove all of the white pages from my post bound albums and keep these pages a my scraps to do my test cuts.

oceanbreezes423 wrote:I know it took a lot of time to do, but this has sure helped me. I too was using paper way too fast. So I decided to make use of a ton of scrap paper, bought a 3 ring binder, and began cutting one of everything I have in a cartridge. I wrote the measurment next to it, so I could judge what size I needed when doing a LO. I have a long way to go, but it will be well worth it when I am done.

Great idea! Adding to my "to do" list.