Edited: September 30, 2024
To load mats and materials into your machine, follow the steps below.
How to load and unload a mat
If you’re not using Smart Materials, you’ll need to use a machine mat. Machine cutting mats have an adhesive area with just the right grip to hold your material in place during cutting, then allow you to easily remove it when finished. Select your machine below for instructions on how to load and unload a mat.
Note: For information on using Card Mat visit Card Mat 101.
Cricut Joy Instructions
Important: Do NOT place your mat on/in the machine until after you have selected a material setting and the light on the machine starts to blink. Adding the mat early can confuse the machine sensors.
- Place your material on the adhesive area of the mat, aligning it with the upper left corner.
- Select your mat Type in Design Space, then select Continue.
- Select your Cricut Joy machine from the Connect machine drop-down.
- Select the right setting for your material. Select Browse All Materials to search or browse through all compatible materials.
- After selecting your material, the light on the top of the machine will start blinking.
- Using both hands, insert mat under guides. Continue feeding into machine until rollers grip mat.
- The machine will measure the mat to ensure it is the right size for your project.
If your mat loads a little crookedly, it will try to realign mat as it measures. - Select Go and watch the magic happen!
- When your cut is complete, select Unload in Design Space.
Cricut Joy Xtra Instructions
Important: Do NOT place your mat on/in the machine until after you have selected a material setting and the light on the machine starts to blink. Adding the mat early can confuse the machine sensors.
- Place your material on the adhesive area of the mat, aligning it with the upper left corner.
- Select your mat Type in Design Space, then select Continue.
- Select your Cricut Joy machine from the Connect machine drop-down.
- Select the right setting for your material. Select Browse All Materials to search or browse through all compatible materials.
- After selecting your material, the light on the top of the machine will start blinking.
- Align mat against BOTH of the left guides on the machine: the guide on the door of the machine as well as the guide near the roller bar.
- Make sure the mat is between both guides on the door.
- Firmly push mat into the rollers at either side of the bar. This will help to get a straighter load.
- Select Go and watch the magic happen!
- When your cut is complete, select Unload in Design Space.
Be sure to align mat against BOTH left guides and firmly push mat into rollers:
Avoid crooked mat loads:
On Cricut Joy Xtra sometimes a slightly crooked load can lead to the mat catching inside the machine or bending. If one side of the mat feeds under the roller wheels before the other side does, this can cause a crooked mat load. If the mat is loaded at an angle this can also cause issues.
Slightly crooked load
A slightly crooked load can cause the mat to warp and bend. A warped or bent mat will always have problems when loading into the machine. If only one corner of the mat is bent, attempt to bend it back into place. If the whole mat is warped, use a new mat.
Bent corner
Warped mat
How to load and unload Smart Materials
Smart Materials for Cricut Joy machines allow you to cut an individual, continuous shape up to 4.5 inches wide and 4 feet long or make repeated cuts up to 20 feet long, without a machine mat!
| Maximum Cut Size on Smart Materials* | ||
| Machine Model | Continuous Shape | Repeated Cuts |
| Cricut Joy | 4.5 in x 48 in (11.4 cm x 121 cm) | 4.5 in x 20 feet (11.4 cm x 6.09 m) |
| Cricut Joy Xtra | 8.5 in x 48 in (21.5 cm x 121 cm) | 8.5 in x 20 feet (21.5 cm x 6.09 m) |
*Size maximum will vary depending on the length of Smart Material you’re working with.
Follow the instructions below to load and unload Smart Materials in Cricut Joy machines.
- When your project design is complete, select Make It.
- Select what you'll be loading into your machine from the Type drop-down. Design Space will tell you how much material you need. Then select Continue.
Note: Cricut Joy machines allow 1 in (2.5 cm) of space at the top of your design and 0.5 in (1.27 cm) at the bottom of your design for the rollers to grip and load your material, for sensors to sense that enough material is loaded, and to feed materials back and forth through the machine. To ensure you have enough Smart Materials for your design, wait to trim them until after the cut is complete.
- Select your machine from the Connect machine drop-down.
- Select the right setting for your material. Select Browse All Materials to search or browse through all compatible materials.
- When material is selected, the light on top of the machine will blink, indicating it’s ready to load your material.
- Using both hands, insert material under guides. Continue feeding into machine until rollers grip material.
- For best results, make sure your material has a straight edge.
- Once the machine senses materials under the rollers, it measures your material to ensure there’s enough for your project.
- If your material loaded crookedly it will try to realign the material as it measures.
- Smart Materials may bow up in the middle when loading. If your material isn’t lying flat by the end of the measuring process, select Unload in Design Space, then reload
- Select Go in Design Space and watch the magic happen!
- When your cut is complete, select Unload in Design Space.