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Home » DIY » Cricut » Cricut Space Design FAQ: Everything You Need to Know

Cricut Space Design FAQ: Everything You Need to Know

Updated on April 22, 2019 | Published on April 22, 2019

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Cricut Design Space FAQ: Everything You need to Know / Cricut Maker / Cricut Explore Air 2 #Cricut #DesignSpace  via @clarkscondensed

Does Cricut Design Space have you confused? You aren’t alone. Here are some of the most commonly asked questions we get about Design Space!

Cricut Design Space 3

Throughout all my time in the Cricutting world, the biggest frustrations I see have to do with Design Space.

It can be overwhelming and confusing – especially if you are coming from an older Cricut machine that relied on cartridges.

Me? I love Design Space and all that you can do with it. In fact, it’s introduction is why I jumped ship from Silhouette!

But I know that it can be frustrating to jump into it and have no clue what you are doing.

In fact, I recently created an online course called DS Demystified. It is full of informational videos on how to use Design Space a little bit easier. Just $15 and you can sign up here.

However, today I thought it might be beneficial to address a few of the commonly asked questions and frustrations I hear over and over again.

These are questions that are often keeping people from using their Cricut Explore Air or Cricut Maker – and I want to make sure everyone is able to use their machines to the best of their abilities!

This post won’t really go into a ton of detail on designing in Design Space. However, it will be going over a lot of technical issues people have. My course shares a little bit more about how to use the design features of Design Space.

If I don’t answer your question – don’t be shy. Leave a comment below, and I will do my best to respond as quickly as possible.

Cricut Design Space Troubleshooting

What is Design Space?

Cricut Design Space is the online platform that Cricut designed to be used with their newer machines.

It’s not software – you download a plugin on your computer (or the app on your table/phone), and then you are able to design to your heart’s content.

You can use designs and images that are already uploaded into Design Space, or you can upload your own!

What machines does Cricut Design Space work with?

Cricut Design Space works with the following machines:
Cricut Maker (Buy on Cricut / Amazon)
Cricut Explore Air 2 (Buy on Cricut / Amazon)
Cricut Explore Air (Buy on Cricut / Amazon)
Cricut Explore One (Buy on Cricut / Amazon)

What Does Cricut Design Space cost?

Cricut Design Space is 100% free. You do need to create an account, but if you don’t want to, you don’t have to spend a penny.

While they have some free images and fonts built into the program, there are ones that you can pay money for. You can also sign up for a Cricut Access Plan, which will give you access to thousands of images and fonts – you can learn more about Cricut Access here.

However, you can install your own fonts onto your computer and upload images to Design Space (that you’ve created, found for free, or purchased on your own).

Here are a few places I really like that offer free and paid SVG files:

LoveSVG.com
SoFontsy.com

How Do I Download Cricut Design Space?

Cricut Design Space is an online program, so you don’t download it onto your computer.

However, you will need to download some plugins, which should auto popup and prompt you to download when you go through the initial process.

Here are some instructions on how to install Design Space –
https://help.cricut.com/hc/en-us/articles/360009556033-System-Requirements-Design-Space

If you are wanting to download Cricut Design Space onto your iPhone or iPad, then you will just need to go to the Apple App Store, search for “Design Space”, and it should be the first option to pop up. Download it like you normally would.

Here is what you should look for in the App Store:

Where are Cricut Projects Saved?

Any project that you create in Design Space can be saved to the Cloud. You just need to make sure you save your project – that button is in the top right hand corner.

This allows you to view your project on any device where you are logged in.

However, if you are working on an iPhone or an iPad, you have the option to save it just to your device. I would usually always suggest saving it to the Cloud though!

What Devices Can I Use Cricut Design Space on?

You can use Design Space on Mac computers, PC computers, and iOS devices.

Your computer must be running a Windows or Mac operating system, and for that reason, Google Chromebooks CANNOT be used, as they run on a Google OS.

As far as the system requirements, visit this page for the specifics on that:

https://help.cricut.com/hc/en-us/articles/360009556033-System-Requirements-Design-Space

Here are a few computers to consider (I have linked to Best Buy
—MacBook Pro 13 (this is what I have. I always buy my Macs from Best Buy).
—iPad Pro with Apple Pencil – I would suggest getting the largest screen (11″) if you can
—ASUS VivoBook

Can I use Design Space with an Android Phone/Tablet?

While Cricut has had a beta version of an app for Android phones and tablets available, it’s super glitchy.

Why is Cricut Charging Me to Cut?

Sometimes when you go to cut your design, it will stop you before you at the mat preview page and say you need to pay.

You may have accidentally added an image that requires payment – you can go back to your canvas and check each image to see if there is a dollar sign next to it (or see if the font you selected has a dollar sign. Keep in mind that even if you have Cricut Access, you don’t have access to ALL the images and fonts).

If you selected a project from Design Space, it may have included an image or font that is paid. When you look at the project instructions, it should tell you if it is free or not.

Can Design Space be used with Cricut Expression?

No, it cannot.

Why is Cricut Design Space down?

I see this question all the time in Design Space, and it can be so frustrating! Most often, Design Space is down when they are making updates.

Sometimes they will send out an email when they expect an outage, but I don’t always see this.

If it’s down, I would suggest not contacting their customer support and just be patient. You can also try another browser or clear your browser cache, just to make sure it’s not an issue on your end.

Why Can’t I Slice?

Slicing is one of my favorite features in Cricut Design Space! I love cutting out fonts and images in other designs.

But sometimes it won’t work. If you are finding this to be a problem, here are a few ideas:

–Make sure the image/font you are cutting out of (so that’s on top of another image) is completely inside the other image. If a piece of it is sticking out, it won’t slice.
–Make sure everything is selected.
–Keep in mind that when you slice it, you will have two layers to remove from the image – the original image/font that you sliced, as well as the sliced

Why isn’t Print and Cut working?

I won’t dive too much into Print and Cut, as it is a beast on it’s own.

However, the biggest reason why I see people having trouble with Print and Cut is that they didn’t flatten their images! Before you go to print and cut, make sure you select all and press flatten.

Why Can’t I Open Cricut Design Space?

Most often you will get an error or a white screen with Design Space if you don’t have the most recently updated plugin.

If you get a blank page, try refreshing the page to see if the plugin update appears. DO NOT move away from this page when it’s updating, or it will turn white.

Can I use Cricut Design Space with a subscription?

Yep – Cricut Access is not required to use Design Space. It is a completely free program to use.

Why is Cricut Design Space slow?

There’s nothing more frustrating than logging into Design Space and having it be slower than a snail.

If this is the case, first make sure you have the latest plugin installed on your browser. You should be prompted to do this when you go to Design.Cricut.com, and it will typically start updating on its own. Here’s the screen you’ll typically encounter:




Another common reason for Design Space being slow is if your image is too large. Occasionally, you may accidentally (or purposely) size an image to be extremely large. This will definitely slow down your Design Space. Make sure that you don’t have anything sized larger than your largest mat.

I think the biggest culprit just comes down to people’s computers. Here are a few things to check:

–Make sure your computer and browser are completely up to date
–Delete any unnecessary files from your computer (the downloads folder can get bulky fast!)
–Don’t have too many tabs open in your browser
–Install anti-spyware, virus, and malware software on your computer. Nothing makes a computer slower than a good ol’ fashioned virus! I am a big fan of Norton Anti-Virus.

What is the Best Browser for Cricut Design Space?

While you can use it with most of the major browsers, Cricut does suggest not using Internet Explorer.

Instead, you should use a browser like Google Chrome (my personal favorite), Mozilla Firefox, or Safari.

Well, I hope that this has helped answer some of the questions you may have had. Feel free to leave a comment below with any additional queries you may have.

Other Cricut Posts You May Enjoy:

  • Must-have Cricut Materials
  • How to Use Iron on Vinyl with Cricut
  • The Best Cricut Tips and Tutorials
Katie

Katie is a Colorado-native, BYU graduated, and most importantly, wife to one and mother to three beautiful boys. She is passionate about sharing her experiences with others – especially about pregnancy, breastfeeding, cooking, and crafts. She is currently training to be a Certified Lactation Educator. She loves spending time with her family and helping others find joy in family life.

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Looking for even more Cricut help? Be sure to check out our Cricut Tutorials guide which has all of our best tips, tricks, and tutorials for mastering your Cricut machine!

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WELCOME TO CLARKS CONDENSED

Clarks Condensed provides uplifting and motivating information to share the joys of home and family living through parenting and pregnancy advice, easy DIY tutorials, recipes, and more – all with a frugal twist. Read more...

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April 22, 2019Katie

About Katie

Katie is a Colorado-native, BYU graduated, and most importantly, wife to one and mother to three beautiful boys. She is passionate about sharing her experiences with others - especially about pregnancy, breastfeeding, cooking, and crafts. She is currently training to be a Certified Lactation Educator. She loves spending time with her family and helping others find joy in family life.

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Comments

  1. Kezia says

    January 17, 2020 at 7:43 am

    I am think of purchasing a cricut air 2. How much do I actually get free with Cricut design space with out purchasing access?

    I will be initially looking for fonts and maybe some patterns. I didn’t really want to sign up to access but didn’t want to purchase the machine and not have access.

    I look forward to hearing your expertise.

    Thanks

    Kezia

    Reply
    • Katie says

      January 17, 2020 at 8:52 am

      Hi, Kezia:

      There are a bunch of free projects and fonts – and you can always upload your own fonts as well. You will definitely be able to use the machine. But you’ll not get full access. I would suggest getting Design Space, signing up for a free account, and seeing what comes up as free for you 🙂

      Reply
  2. Sarah says

    October 27, 2019 at 10:39 am

    I am trying to find any information pertaining to how Cricut uses uploaded images. Do they own the original artwork when it’s uploaded to the cloud? Are the images shared with other Cricut owners? This is the only thing that is preventing me from purchasing the Cricut Maker.
    I believe that when you load into their cloud, you are handing over your legal rights to owning the original artwork.
    Do you know of anything to the contrary? I can’t seem to find any information about it.

    Reply
    • Katie says

      October 28, 2019 at 1:45 pm

      Hi, Sarah: When you upload an image to Design Space, the file can’t be shared with anyone else. I have never heard that Cricut owns the rights to anything you upload to the Cloud, so I would imagine that’s not true, but I would recommend reaching out to them to see what they say 🙂

      Reply
  3. Elizabeth says

    September 4, 2019 at 7:29 pm

    Can I have two different cricut machines on one design space account?

    Can I have one cricut machines on two design space accounts?

    Reply
  4. Danny Tornio says

    May 29, 2019 at 3:54 pm

    Is there any way I can save my files to my computer instead of the design space cloud. I want to archive some because it is so slow opening up.

    Reply
    • Katie says

      June 1, 2019 at 7:58 am

      Unfortunately, at this time, you can’t save to your computer from Design Space.

      Reply

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