Four years after Covid lockdowns began, some of the hobbies we took up to kill time have endured. It may have been a while since you saw someone’s home-made banana bread or sourdough showcased on Instagram, but the crafting boom appears to have taken root.
One of the beneficiaries of that has been Cricut. The company makes a range of digital cutting machines for projects covering everything from paper and cardstock for handmade greetings cards to personalised vinyl decals for clothing and other items. And, if you are feeling adventurous, it offers extra tools for engraving metal or cutting thin wood.
Now it has a new machine, the Cricut Joy Xtra, which sits between the larger Explore and Maker machines and the more portable (and cuter) Joy mini cutting machine. More flexible than the latter and less intimidating than the former, it is the perfect introduction to the world of Cricut.
So what can you do with it? The Joy Xtra cuts more than 50 different types of material, including heavy card stock, iron-on vinyl and permanent vinyl, with settings built into the software so you don’t have to guess what cutting pressure to use or (most of the time) mess around with it.
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The Joy Xtra also brings print and cut (officially) to the Joy line. Although the Cricut machines are digital cutters, you can create material inside Cricut’s Design Space software, send it to your standard inkjet printer and then cut it with the Joy Xtra. The machine comes with new sensors that will scan the material for the Design Space markings and accurately cut out stickers and other print and cut projects.
The standard Joy Xtra box includes the machine itself, a few material samples for practice cuts, a mini weeder and a pen that is compatible with the Joy line of machines. The Starter Bundle (€279) includes more material, including Cricut-branded waterproof sticker paper.
It’s relatively easy to get started. You will need a mobile device or laptop on which you can install the Design Space software. It is compatible with Windows, Mac iOS and Android, although the mobile versions of the device differ slightly in functionality from the desktop software.
There isn’t a power button on the device, which means the only way it turns on and off is via its plug. That may be irritating for some users
Design Space is needed to send your projects to the machine for cutting, but it can also be used to create bespoke designs and access projects and images in the subscription-based Cricut Access library. Access isn’t necessary, but total beginners would do well to spend some time in Design Space and take advantage of the free month of Cricut Access to give you an idea of what you can do with the machine.
During the set-up process, Design Space asks you to run a test cut – that’s where the material samples are useful – and then directs you to its learning section so you can familiarise yourself with the new machine.
The first project out of the box is a vinyl decal, which cuts perfectly, even with the more intricate design. Next up are some card Easter decorations; the Xtra handles the intricate design on the card stock perfectly, but thinner paper does not fare too well.
Then it is time to test out the sticker feature, with some Cricut-branded waterproof sticker paper. One tip here: when setting the pressure for the cut, go for “More” rather than the default. The first batch of stickers do not cut entirely through the waterproof layer and need a bit of help to be removed. The second batch has zero issues.
There are plenty of projects that Joy Xtra can handle with ease. Apart from the card and vinyl, it also deals with some very thin faux leather for hair bows. It does, however, have a more limited cutting depth than other machines in the Cricut range, and it won’t do scoring, so if your project requires that, you’ll have to find a workaround.
The best thing about the Joy Xtra is not only its compact size, but that it is fuss-free. It is small enough to tidy away on your desk, unlike the larger devices that need a dedicated space and are considerably heavier. And the Joy Xtra, like its smaller sibling, connects to your device over Bluetooth so there are no extra cables to juggle.
In fact, there isn’t even a power button on the device, which means the only way it turns on and off is via its plug. A small light on the top of the device shows when it is powered on, but plenty of times I forget to switch off the machine, coming back an hour later to discover it is still turned on. That may be irritating for some users.
Good
The Joy Xtra is bigger than the Joy, which makes it more flexible when it comes to the size of projects you can cut, but it is still compact enough that it won’t take over your desk.
The new machine also supports the print and cut feature that allows you to create stickers, personalised temporary tattoos, printable iron-on vinyl, and so on. The smaller Joy lacks the sensors required for automatic cutting of printed material, so including them on the Xtra gives it an advantage over its smaller sibling.
Bad
Larger projects will not work on this machine, and any material over A4 width will have to be trimmed down to fit inside it.
The automatic settings don’t always get it 100 per cent right on cutting, so before you remove the material or the mat, check it has cut through enough and, if not, send it back through for another cut.
It can be a little noisy when operating too.
Everything else
The Joy Xtra has its own line of smart materials that are sized to fit, but if you have a mat to hand, you can use any vinyl or card stock in the machine. One mat is included in the box, but you might need additional ones of different grip strength for different materials. It also works with the Joy markers and pens.
Verdict
A great introduction to digital crafting.
