Edited: August 29, 2023
Note: This article applies to Smart Materials for Cricut Joy and Cricut Joy Xtra machines.
What are Smart Materials?
These clever crafting materials work without a cutting mat, so you can just load the material directly into your Cricut Joy or Cricut Joy Xtra machine and go. Smart Materials come in a variety of material types, including Smart Vinyl, Smart Iron-On, Smart Label Writable Paper, and Smart Label Writable Vinyl.
What are the benefits of using Smart Materials?
With Smart Materials, Cricut Joy machines can cut an individual, continuous shape up to 4 feet (1.2 m) long, and make repeated cuts (like stars, hearts, and confetti) up to 20 feet (6 m) long! For all other materials, the size of your mat would limit the size of your design.
How do Smart Materials work?
Smart Materials come adhered to a special backer that can feed through Cricut Joy machines without the need for a cutting mat.
The software will prompt you when it’s time to load your Smart Materials and will tell you how much you need. Once material is loaded, your machine will measure it to ensure there’s enough for your project.
Cricut Joy machines allow 1 in (2.5 cm) of material above your design and 0.5 in (1.2 cm) of material below for the rollers to grip and load the material, for the sensor to sense that enough material is loaded, and to feed materials back and forth through the machine. The software takes this allowance into account when estimating the amount of Smart Materials needed for your project. To ensure you have enough Smart Materials for your design, wait to trim them until after your cut is complete.
Why doesn’t my Smart Vinyl go all the way to the edges of the backer?
The exposed liner at the edges allows you to easily feed Smart Vinyl through your machine.
How should I prepare Smart Materials for cutting?
Smart Materials come ready to load into your machine. If you don’t use all your material in one cut, trim the excess and save for a future project. Trim the material straight across rather than at an angle if you plan to load it without a mat in the future. The loading mechanism does not engage until the machine sensors detect the material. Materials trimmed at an angle may not engage the loading mechanism.
For Cricut Joy, to use scraps of Smart Materials shorter than 4 in (10.16 cm) or narrower than 4.5 in (11.43 cm), place them on a cutting mat. For Cricut Joy Xtra, to use scraps of Smart Materials shorter than 6 in (15.24 cm) or narrower than 9.5 in (24.1 cm), place them on a cutting mat.
How do I straighten Smart Materials if they loaded crookedly?
Cricut Joy machines will attempt to straighten your material when it measures your material length prior to cutting. If you notice that the material is still misaligned after measuring, choose Unload in the software, then reload your material.
What do I do with leftover scraps of Smart Materials?
Smart Materials need to be at least 4 in (10.16 cm) long to feed through Cricut Joy without a mat. Smart Materials need to be at least 6 in (15.24 cm) long to feed through Cricut Joy Xtra without a mat. For scraps shorter than that, use a cutting mat.
Keep in mind that Cricut Joy machines allow 1 in (2.5 cm) of material at the top of your design and 0.5 in (1.27 cm) of material at the bottom. The maximum design length you can cut using a 4 in (10.16 cm) piece of Smart Materials would be 2.5 in (6.35 cm). The maximum design length you can cut using a 6 in (15.24 cm) piece of Smart Materials would be 4.5 in (11.43 cm).
Tips for working with specific Smart Materials
Cutting Tips
- Wait to trim material until cut is complete
- Make sure to select the Smart Vinyl setting that applies to your specific material (i.e., Smart Vinyl Removable, Smart Vinyl Permanent, Smart Vinyl Shimmer, etc.)
- Leave 10 in (25.4 cm) of space behind the machine so materials have room to feed through
- When feeding materials into your machine, make sure they are straight
- Guide vinyl into a roll as it feeds out the back of your machine while being measured to keep your workspace tidy
- Cricut Joy machines can cut any single image up to 4 feet (1.2 m) long. To fill a longer piece of material with repeated cuts, adjust Project Copies in Design Space.
- Smart Materials must be at least 4 in (10.16 cm) long to use feed through Cricut Joy without a cutting mat. Smart Materials need to be at least 6 in (15.24 cm) long to feed through Cricut Joy Xtra without a cutting mat. For scraps shorter than that, use a cutting mat.
Application Tips
- Refer to these Smart Vinyl application instructions to find recommendations for applying your vinyl
- Regular Transfer Tape works for most vinyl types. Use StrongGrip Transfer Tape for vinyls with a textured finish, like Shimmer and Glitter. StrongGrip Transfer Tape is too strong for other vinyl types.
- Transfer Tape is available in a 5.5 inch x 20 foot roll for applying long designs
- For easier application, cut your finished design into smaller (4 ft / 1.2 m or less) sections before applying Transfer Tape
- For best results burnish front and back after applying Transfer Tape
Other
- Smart Vinyl liner is exposed on two sides to make feeding the material through the machine easier
- Smart Vinyl packaging is recyclable
Cutting Tips
- Wait to trim material until cut is complete
- Make sure to choose the Smart Iron-On setting that applies to your specific material (i.e., Smart Iron-On – Glitter, Smart Iron-On – Holographic, Smart Iron-On – Patterned, etc.)
- Leave 10 in (25.4 cm) of space behind the machine so materials have room to feed through your machine
- When feeding materials into your machine make sure they are straight
- Guide iron-on into a roll as it feeds out the back of your machine while being measured to keep your workspace tidy
- Cricut Joy machines can cut any single image up to 4 feet (1.2 m) long. To fill a longer piece of material with repeated cuts, adjust Project Copies in Design Space.
- Smart Materials must be at least 4 in (10.16 cm) long to use feed through Cricut Joy without a cutting mat. Smart Materials need to be at least 6 in (15.24 cm) long to feed through Cricut Joy Xtra without a cutting mat. For scraps shorter than that, use a cutting mat.
Application Tips
- Refer to Cricut Heat Guide to find instructions for applying Smart Iron-On
- Be sure to choose Smart Iron-On material in the heat guide for correct settings. Smart Iron-On liners are a little bit thicker than other iron-on materials, so the time and temp settings will differ
- In most cases, the liner adhesive will hold your design in place on your base material during transfer. Patterned Iron-On liner is less sticky than other iron-on liners. If needed, use Heat Resistant Tape to secure your design in place for pressing.
Smart Label
There are two kinds of Smart Label: Smart Label Writable Vinyl, and Smart Label Writable Paper
Drawing and Cutting Tips
- Smart Label Paper is compatible with all Cricut Joy Pens & Markers
- Smart Label Vinyl is compatible with all Cricut Joy Pens & Markers except for Cricut Joy Gel Pens and Cricut Joy Metallic Markers
- Allow ink to dry before handling
- Smart Label Vinyl & Paper are not compatible with printers
- When using Design Space, use the Attach tool to fasten your Draw layer to your label shape before sending the project to your machine
- The software will prompt you to load your pen and again when it’s time to insert your blade
Application Tips
- Peel like a sticker. Do not use Transfer Tape with Smart Label as it may damage the label surface
- Use care when peeling Smart Label from backer to avoid tearing. Smart Label Vinyl and Smart Label Paper are thin
- Smart Label Vinyl & Paper have permanent adhesive, which may leave residue upon removal from your surface