Tips for Cricut Design Studio Beginners

Hi, it's Diane from the Design Team.  Welcome back for another Design Studio Saturday.  If you missed the first installment, you can find it at THIS POST.  I hope that by now you have installed your program, done the updates and spent some time experimenting with all of the functions of the software.  Today I have some helpful tips for new Design Studio users to help you move from "frustrated" to "fascinated" as quickly as possible.  (All of the images can be enlarged by clicking on them to see the details).

Before we get started, I want to be sure that you know that two days ago, on "Hello Thursday," some new Cricut cartridges were announced.  "Hello Thursday" is the third Thursday of the month and you should always check the Cricut.com site to find out about new products and check for Design Studio and Gypsy updates.

If you have the current version of the software (1.0.31101.0), you will only need to download and install the updated Font Pack.  You can check your version by using the "help" menu and choosing "About" to pull up the information box.

To update your Design Studio program to include these cartridges, go to this LINK (you will need to be signed in to the Cricut.com site) and download the Font Pack.  Be sure to SAVE the download and then run it to install the new cartridges.  Your Design Studio software should be closed when you do this.  When you open the program, the new cartridges will be included in the "All by Category" list.

OK - now that we have that sorted out, let's get to the tips.  These are some common concerns and questions that I have been asked frequently and have seen posted over and over again on the Cricut Message Board.

1.  How to select an item that you have placed on the mat

When you first place an item on the mat by choosing it from the virtual keypad it will be surrounded by blue bubbles, commonly called "handles."  You can enter a number of characters in a group together and they will all be in a box defined by these handles.  An item is "active" when the handles are showing.  If you click elsewhere on the mat, the handles will disappear.

To make an image or group of images "active" again, you must click exactly on a line of the image or letter to make the handles reappear.  This can be a bit tricky if you are used to simply clicking near an item or within the lines as you do in some other graphics programs.  With a little practice you will quickly get the feel for choosing items this way.
  

Clicking on an exact line is critical for using one my favorite features of Design Studio ("hide selected contour") because you need to be able to choose an individual line in a design and precision is important.  In the image above, I have clicked on the inside of the letter "d" and it has turned red to indicate it is selected.  If you are using the 100% or 200% view, you can be a little bit off the line and still be able to select it.  I highly recommend using a wireless mouse or a tablet if you are working with Design Studio on a laptop.

2. Cursor placement and movement on the mat

The cursor placement determines where the items you select from the keypad will be placed on the mat.  If you want to enter a series of letters together you should be sure to place the cursor at the top left of the mat to give yourself as much working space as possible.  If you start somewhere else on the mat and realize that you are running out of room  it will not help to then move your group of letters to the top left.   The program remembers where you started and will start a new line, breaking the word into two sections, because it "thinks" you have run out of  room.  If your word is very long, you can switch the mat size to 12 x 24 in the View menu to enter the full group, adjust the size of the group to fit a 12 inch mat and then change the mat size back again.

The size of the cursor (and therefore the size of items you enter from the keypad) is set on the slider bar.  To move the cursor you can simply double click in the location on the mat where you want it to appear.  If your double click speed is a bit off you may have trouble doing this - don't be frustrated! - you can also move the cursor with the arrow keys on your computer keyboard.  In fact, you can move any item or group of items that have been selected and have the "handles" around them by using the arrow keys.

3. Paper Placement on Cutting Mat vs. Virtual Mat

When you place an item on the mat in Design Studio it will be cut in that position on the mat.  This makes it possible to use very small scraps of paper efficiently.  You do not need to set the paper size on the machine, you just need to be sure to place paper in the colors you want cut in the correct location on the actual mat.

Be sure that "Show Ruler" is selected in the View Menu.  This will help you quickly determine the size for the paper you need to cut certain elements.  You can set up an entire mat with all of the colors you need to cut a complicated layered character such as a Disney Princess using small pieces of paper.  If you'd like to see a video explanation of this, here is a LINK to a post on my blog with more help.

When you have set up a cut in Design Studio and you are ready to put the paper on the mat, you can turn your mat so the arrow is on the left and then use the grid on your screen and the mat to place the paper in the proper positions.  The key is to remember that the arrow goes to the left - it is not at the top of the screen.  I made this mistake once - and then I learned my lesson!

4.  Nudging - when it "doesn't work"

A common concern is that "the nudge arrows don't work" but this is simply a misunderstanding.  The nudge arrows do not move a solo item or the first item in a group of letters or images.  To move the single letter or first letter you use the handles around the selection box.

The nudge arrows will move all of the other items in the same box to adjust their position.  The most common reason to use the nudge arrows is to "fine-tune" a welded word by making tiny adjustments after negative kerning has been applied.  You can get creative and use the nudge arrows to help you create elaborate grouped designs but this requires some patience.

5.  Problems with "handles"

Sometimes the handles will cover the area between two objects that you are trying to place together for a design.

When this happens, hold down the "alt" key on your computer keyboard and the handles will temporarily disappear.  If you are having trouble with handles not appearing around an object, sometimes pressing the "alt" key will make them reappear.

If you have a large object on your mat and you move it and "lose" the handle you need (in this case the "free move" handle at the top left) use the arrow keys on your computer keyboard to move it into position.  You can also use the Shape Properties box to place the object.  The top left handle will appear at the location on the grid that you enter into the Shape Properties box so if you enter "0" in both the X and Y box the handle will be at the top left corner of the virtual mat.

Whew!  In order to prevent "Design Studio Fatigue" I will stop at five topics.  I hope these tips and explanations save you some time and help you avoid some common pitfalls.  I'll be back next month with another installment - "All About Welding."  The best way to become proficient in using Design Studio is to keep using it and experimenting to find out how to get the results you want for your designs.  Please leave comments with any questions.  You can also visit my blog Capadia Designs for lots more Design Studio help and free .cut files.

Now - go update your software and take a look at the new cartridges!  One of the great features of Design Studio is that it truly lets you "try before you buy" by letting you use the images to create designs and decide which cartridges need to be at the top of your wish list!