The Pen Holder and Tool Clamp on Cricut Explore 5 work differently than previous models. Rather than moving independently, Pen Holder and Tool Clamp move at the same time, whether the machine is meant to be drawing or cutting.  

This means that it’s important to follow the prompts in Design Space that tell you when to insert or remove pens or cutting tools.  

Tips

Pen Holder – Snap-in Loading

Cricut pens & markers that are compatible with Cricut Explore 5 are marked with this symbol: . These pens click solidly into place when properly inserted in the Pen Holder. Make sure you push the pen down until it clicks into place.  

Other pens will not click firmly into the Pen Holder, so they can gradually slip upward, resulting in a very lightly drawn line or no line at all. This can also allow the Cutting Tool to make unintended contact with your material, creating a shallow cut line parallel to your intended drawing line.  

To prevent this, use only Cricut pens & markers with the symbol, and make sure they’re firmly inserted until they click into place

Important: Make sure to remove pens/markers when instructed by Design Space. If left in the Pen Holder, the pen will make unintended contact with your material during cutting, creating a draw line parallel to your cut line.

Tools can remain in the Tool Clamp while Drawing

You do not need to remove the tool from the tool clamp while drawing. When your project also requires the Scoring Tool, Deep Cutting Tool, or Foil Transfer Tool, carefully follow the prompts in Design Space to know when it’s time to swap tools.