Edited: September 30, 2024
You can adjust the pre-programmed cut pressure – or create a new setting – for any material that uses a fine-point blade. This is accomplished through the Custom materials settings screen.
What are Custom materials?
Cricut smart cutting machines can cut a wide variety of materials, and we've added a vast list of pre-programmed settings to Design Space so you have a lot of flexibility when working with various materials for your projects. You can select from these pre-programmed settings, or even create your own!
Select a platform below for step-by-step instructions on how to use, create, edit, and delete custom material settings.
Note: Custom material settings cannot currently be created or edited when using Design Space on your Android device, but any changes to custom material settings made using Design Space for Desktop or iOS will appear when using Android.
Using a Custom material setting
- Sign in to Design Space and create or open a project.
- Ensure that your Cricut cutting machine is powered on and connected to your computer.
- Proceed to the Project Preview screen.
- If you have a Cricut Explore Air 2 or older, set the Smart Set Dial to Custom.
- If you have a Cricut Explore Air 2 or older, set the Smart Set Dial to Custom.
- Select Browse All Materials.
- Scroll to browse the list, use the All Categories drop-down, or search for a material by name. Materials with the Cricut logo next to them are Cricut brand materials.
Creating a new custom material
If your material is not in the Custom materials list, you can try the closest matching settings or create your own! Follow the steps below to create a new material setting.
Note: Custom material settings cannot currently be created or edited when using Design Space on your Android device, but any changes to custom material settings made using Design Space for Desktop or iOS will appear when using Android.
- Open the Custom Materials screen. To do so, select Material Settings at the bottom of the page when browsing materials for your project.
You can also find this list by going to the Design Space menu at the top right of Design Space > Settings > Machines > Custom Materials List > Start.
- Scroll to the bottom of the list and select Add New Material.
- Specify the name of the material and select Save.
- Once the material is saved, you can adjust:
- Cut Pressure (adjust the slider or use the +/- buttons)
- Multi-cut (this directs the machine to cut multiple times over the same image and is recommended for thicker materials)
- Blade Type (select the preferred blade so Design Space can prompt you accordingly)
- Once configured, select Save.
- Select the X in the top-right to close the materials screen. Your new material is now available in the list of materials and can be found using Search.
Tip: Select the bookmark icon to add the material to your bookmarked materials list.
Editing or Deleting Custom Materials
To edit or delete a custom material, first go to the Design Space menu at the top right of Design Space > Settings > Machines > Custom Materials List > Start.
Scroll to the material, select the Edit button, then make the needed edits or select Delete.
Using a Custom material setting
- Sign in to Design Space and create or open a project.
- Ensure that your Cricut cutting machine is powered on and paired with your device via Bluetooth.
- Proceed to the cut preview screen.
- If you have a Cricut Explore Air 2 or older, set the Smart Set Dial to Custom.
- If you have a Cricut Explore Air 2 or older, set the Smart Set Dial to Custom.
- On the Set material screen, select All Materials.
- Scroll to browse the list or search for a material by name. Materials with the Cricut logo next to them are Cricut brand materials.
Creating a new custom material
If your material is not in the Custom materials list, try the closest matching settings or create your own! Follow the steps below to create a new material setting.
Note: Custom material settings cannot currently be created or edited when using Design Space on your Android device, but any changes to custom material settings made using Design Space for Desktop or iOS will appear when using Android.
- Open the Custom Materials screen. To do this, open the app menu and select Manage Custom Materials, or select Settings in the upper right when browsing materials for your project.
- Select the + icon on the top-right of the screen.
- Name the material and select Add.
- Select the preferred blade so Design Space can prompt you accordingly any time you use this material setting.
- Now you can select:
- Cut Pressure (adjust the slider or use the +/- buttons)
- Multi-cut (this directs the machine to cut multiple times over the same image and is recommended for thicker materials)
- Once configured, select Save in the upper right of the screen.
- Navigate back to the cut preview screen. Your new material is now available in the list of materials and can be found using Search.
Tip: Select the bookmark icon to add the material to your bookmarked materials list.
Editing or Deleting Custom Materials
- Select the app menu, then select Manage Custom Materials.
- Select the custom material you wish to edit or delete.
- Make the needed changes and select Save, or select Delete at the bottom of the screen if you wish to delete the setting.
Note: Exercise care when editing the pre-programmed material settings. If you modify any default setting by mistake, you can select Reset at the bottom of the screen.
Note: In the iOS app the option to delete settings will only be available for settings that you have created.
Tips for creating custom settings
- When creating a new custom material setting, refer to the settings for the material which most closely matches yours to get an idea of the pressure and possible multi-cut setting needed for a successful experience
- Thicker or denser materials may not always require more pressure, but may require a multi-cut in order to cut through completely
- You may have to perform several tests and adjust pressure or multi-cut settings to achieve the desired result
- The maximum thickness of your custom material should be less than 2.0 mm for Cricut Explore series, Cricut Joy series, and Cricut Venture machines, and less than 2.4 mm for Cricut Maker machines
- Non-rigid materials may be thicker (such as craft foam and leathers) but will be compacted when fed under the roller bars, and will be imprinted by the star wheels* on the roller bars that help to feed the mat through the machine. To avoid this, slide these star wheels to the side before loading your material.
*Cricut Venture and Cricut Joy do not have star wheels to move.
Important: While Cricut smart cutting machines can cut a wide variety of materials, Cricut does not guarantee that they will be able to cut all materials.