This post is sponsored by Cricut and contains affiliate links.
What is the Cricut Joy?
Brand new and hot off the presses from the folks at Cricut is CRICUT JOY! I’m going to tell you all about it and show you how it works. Cricut Joy is for all of you folks out there like me who wish they had more time and space for crafting. I have a Maker and an Explore Air 2—and although I love them, they do take up a lot of space.
The machines don’t fit in a drawer, so that makes storing them out in the open quite difficult. That isn’t a problem with the Cricut Joy, though. At 5.5″ x 8.4″ x 4.25″ and just under 4 lbs, the Joy is a smaller machine that can slide right into a drawer when not in use.
- Details & what it can do
- What makes the Joy different?
- What blade does the Joy use?
- How is Smart Vinyl different from regular vinyl?
- What size design can I cut with a Cricut Joy?
- Project examples
- What is Cricut Access—I thought the software was free?
- What do I get when I buy the Cricut Joy?
- What else should I know about Smart Materials?
- Can I use regular Cricut materials on a Joy?
Details & what it can do
You can use your Joy anywhere you have a power connection, a compatible computer or mobile device with Cricut’s free Design Space software (the machine has Bluetooth built in), and an internet connection. Kitchen counter? Cool. Coffee table while binging Netflix? Me too. Bathroom? I’m not here to judge how you craft.
Sitting in the car with your laptop and a power source to your car’s old cigarette lighter? Good news! The Joy works offline, too. Just make sure you download images, fonts, and projects while you have an internet connection so you can design and cut while offline.
It’s perfect for those smaller projects that require only one cut and one color. Cricut is marketing the Cricut Joy as perfect for practical, everyday projects, but I think they’re shortchanging themselves on that front. I think you can use the Cricut Joy for a wider range of projects.
Sure, you can make labels, but you can also make greeting cards, decals for just about anything, cupcake toppers, iron-on materials, party decor, and more. Joy can cut iron-on, card stock, vinyl, and paper. It can draw any shape and can also write in a variety of pen types and line weights.
What makes the Joy different?
If you’re wondering what makes the Cricut Joy different from the Explore series and the Maker, it’s not just the compact size and portability. Although that is something I want to highlight again. I don’t have a craft room or a lot craft storage, and check this out…fits right in a drawer!
It’s also the ease of setup and cutting. You can complete projects in 15 minutes or less and—wait for it—YOU DON’T NEED A MAT! We all know the mat…the bane of our existence sometimes. You have to find somewhere to store them (I hang them on a small command hook on the side of my desk). They wear out. They are a necessary evil to a lot of projects. With the Joy, mats can be optional.
Along with the Joy rollout comes a brand new suite of materials specifically designed for this machine. That includes the new “smart vinyl,” which comes in long rolls that have up to a 20 feet (yes feet) repeated cut capability. You can also cut one image up to 4.5 inches wide and 4 feet long. All without switching out a mat. Cricut Joy, you’re hired.
And if you’re brand new to Cricut, the Joy comes with a free 30-day trial membership to Cricut Access (for new subscribers). Lots of fun fonts and design elements to choose from. And 50 free projects to get you started as soon as you take your Joy out of the box.
What blade does the Joy use?
The Cricut Joy uses an all-purpose cutting blade. Its blade is not interchangeable with the cutting blades used in other Cricut machines because this machine is much smaller. The blade works on all Smart Materials, Infusible Ink Transfer Sheets, Insert Cards, vinyl, iron-on, paper, cardstock, poster board, and more.
How is Smart Vinyl different from regular vinyl?
Smart materials include Smart Vinyl, Smart Iron-On, Smart Label Writable Paper, and Smart Label Writable Vinyl. They are different from other similar Cricut materials in that they work without a cutting mat and are adhered to a special backing.
These materials can be loaded straight into the Cricut Joy machine. They are specifically designed with extra space above and below the material you’re using. That’s because the machine needs that space to grip and load the material. The Joy also needs to make a small cut (never over your project!) to align the blade before cutting.
For more Cricut, see my Cricut Joy Xtra Review, my Guide to Using the Cricut Explore 3, and my article What is the Cricut Venture?
What size design can I cut with a Cricut Joy?
If you’re using one of the Smart Materials, your machine can cut an individual, continuous shape up to 4.5in wide and 4ft long. However, if you’re making repeated cuts (like cutting out a bunch of circles or any shape), it can cut up to 20ft long. That’s the huge advantage of this small machine! Opting to use a cutting mat? Joy cuts up to 4.25in x 6.25in or 4.25in x 11.75in.
Project examples
Enough talking, let’s see some projects with this thing. I’m going to be making three little projects to illustrate a few of the different capabilities: one using smart vinyl without a mat, one using deluxe adhesive paper with a small mat, and one using the greeting card inserts and a card mat.
Project 1: Making a decal with Smart Vinyl
The first project illustrates using the smart vinyl, which doesn’t require a mat. Super convenient and easy—I’ll show you how! Here’s what I’m using:
- Cricut Joy
- Smart Vinyl (no mat required), removable
- Transfer tape
Step 1: For the decal, I used a Design Space font to type my daughters name. I paired my Cricut Joy with my Design Space mobile app to do this all from my phone! Here’s a pic—note that I did typ
Step 2: I followed the prompts on Design Space mobile and loaded my smart vinyl when it prompted me to. It will tell you how much vinyl you need to load. Once I’d loaded the vinyl, I started the cut from my phone. It cut just as any other Cricut would.
Step 3: After the machine was done cutting, I weeded the excess vinyl and used transfer tape to transfer it to my daughter’s chair. So cute and easy! It really did take me only about 15 minutes from start to finish—included typing everything out in Design Space and choosing a font.
Project 2: Using deluxe adhesive paper for decor
This project wasn’t necessary…but I did it anyway! I just loved the deluxe adhesive paper with the lemon print and didn’t really know where to use it. So I decided to cover the little fake tablet that R’s play kitchen has on it. I always feel like it looks like a price tag (I know, I’m too type A). And the lemons seemed perfect for a play kitchen!
This quick project also illustrates a cut using the Cricut Joy mat for a material that isn’t a “smart” material. Here’s what I used:
Step 1: This one was super fast. I just measured the size of the rectangle, then I created a rectangle with the same measurements in Design Space. I did this from my laptop just because I had it out, but you could do this on mobile.
However, I did cut this project from my Design Space mobile app. Super convenient to be able to save designs and projects to the cloud so you can access them across multiple devices.
Step 2: Since the rectangle had slightly rounded corners, I used my true control knife and self-healing cutting mat to neatly nip off the corners and round them out a bit. It fit perfectly!
Project 3: Making greeting cards
I went a little nuts for this third project. At first I was just going to design my own card and share that with you guys, but I couldn’t resist cutting a bunch of ready-to-make card projects from Design Space. There are some great designs ready to go!
This project illustrated how to use the pre-made card, inserts, and card mats to make greeting cards with Cricut Joy. Here’s what I used:
- Cricut Joy
- Insert Cards
- Card Mat
- Design Space mobile app—here is the design I made. The rest are available in Design Space and were designed by others.
Step 1: First open the file I designed in Design Space. Make sure you’re logged in so you’re able to access it. For this project, I’m also going to walk you through the prompts I got on Design Space mobile.
After clicking to make the project, it showed it to me on the screen and I clicked “Continue.” It then brought up a box showing my Cricut Joy (that I’d previously paired with this device), and I clicked “Connect.” Next I clicked that I was using “On Card Mat” for my cut. Finally I chose my material, which was “Insert Card—Cardstock.” Then I started the cut.
Step 2: When the machine was done cutting, I clicked “unload.” I peeled the card off of the mat, and most of the material I needed to weed stuck to the mat anyways. I carefully weeded the areas that didn’t pop out.
Step 3: I then added the insert card and I was done! Here’s the finished card I designed, as well as a bunch of other cards I made from Design Space ready-to-make projects! A tip for making your own cards—when you’re in Design Space, click to add pictures/graphics and search for “Cricut Joy Card” and you’ll get the nice corner templates you need for the card inserts!
What is Cricut Access—I thought the design software was free?
Cricut’s Design Space software is free (and probably always will be!) to download and use. You’ll use Design Space to create and send projects to your Cricut machines to cut. Design Space works on your computer (Bluetooth-enabled Windows or Mac) and on both Android and iOS mobile devices. Don’t be scared of Bluetooth—it means fewer cords! Yay!
Cricut Access is a subscription option within Design Space. It gives you access to Cricut’s extensive library of images, fonts, and ready-to-make projects. Remember that the Joy comes with 30 free days of Cricut Access so you can try it out before committing to a subscription. Not ready to subscribe? You can choose from the free elements and fonts in the Design Space library, or you can upload your own files to use.
What do I get when I buy the Cricut Joy?
Along with the tiny little craft-cutting powerhouse, you get a blade already installed in the machine, a .4mm black pen, a StandardGrip mat for projects you choose to use a mat for, and a power adapter. You’ll also get the 30-day Cricut Access free trial, information about 50 ready-to-make projects, and materials for a practice cut.
If you’re just getting starting, consider a bundle of Cricut products, too. They are often offered up at a steep discount when purchased in a bundle. This bundle includes Smart Vinyl in two colors, Smart Iron-On in two colors, insert cards, and a card mat.
What else should I know about Smart Materials?
Not much, really, since they come ready to go. Save your scraps, though. And make sure anything you load into the machine has a straight edge to ensure the sensors and loading mechanisms work properly. If you want to use a material scrap that is shorter than 4 inches or thinner than 4.5 inches, use a cutting mat. That’s the minimum size for going mat-less.
But, keep in mind that Cricut Joy needs the allowances on the top and bottom of your material for loading and sensing. So, for example, the maximum design length you can cut using a 4-inch piece of Smart Materials would be 2.5 inches. That’s because it needs 1 inch on top and .5 inches on the bottom. If your material loads crookedly, simply unload and try again.
Can I use regular Cricut materials on a Joy?
Yep! You can use materials you already have that would be compatible with a regular blade (including vinyl, iron-on, Infusible Ink sheets, and much more). So, for example, you can’t cut wood on the Cricut Joy because it doesn’t have a knife blade option like the Maker does.
When cutting materials that aren’t Smart Materials, you have to use the Cricut Joy mat that comes with your machine. And you have to trim them down to size. Sounds like a great use for scraps if you ask me!
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Brittany is a seasoned DIY home and garden expert, running a creative brand since 2014 that inspires others with approachable plant care guides, woodworking tutorials, and decor projects. She is a certified project manager and has completed extensive coursework in the art and science of growing your own plants. Her work has been recognized by major publications, and she routinely collaborates with fellow DIY industry leaders—but her favorite thing to do is inspire you! Learn more about her here.
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