Would you love to create custom scrapbooking layouts or paper crafts? Do you ever wish that you could cut any shape you wanted to and not be bound by the limitations and problems that accompany using punches?

Look no further; the Cricut (pronounced ?cricket?) is a revolutionary personal cutting machine, brought to you by the innovators and paper crafting leaders at Provo Craft. The Cricut does not require a computer or any additional hardware, but instead makes use of cartridges to give you abundant choices of die cut shapes and fonts.

The Cricut machine is growing in popularity, but perhaps you are in need of a little Cricut how-to. The Cricut, although complex in its creative possibilities, is a simple machine to use, and a little Cricut how to will certainly go a long way!

Cricut How-To

Our Cricut how to will begin with a basic run-down of how the machine works. The Cricut cutting machine is a portable unit that will conveniently plug into any grounded 110 wall outlet, which is the standard for household outlets.

After reading the Cricut how to instruction and idea booklet, simply press the ?on? button and go from there. Cricut will do the cutting for you to free more time for you to create and imagine. The Cricut is a cartridge-powered tool, so you must insert a cartridge into the machine in order for it to produce die cuts.

Purchase of the Cricut machine includes one cartridge, George, and additional cartridges may be purchased at craft stores, discount retailers, local scrapbooking stores, or online. The cutting blade itself is guided by an electronic cutting process. This means that you do not have to do anything to power the machine or actually cut the paper! The machine cuts letters/shapes/phrases ranging from 1-inch to 5 ? -inches tall, as well as titles and borders as long as 11-inches.

You will need to insert paper into the Cricut, from which your die cuts will be made. The machine has a paper saving option that cuts letters/shapes/phrases in an arrangement that minimizes the amount of waste from every cut.

The Cricut can cut a wide range of paper from vellum to cardstock up to .5 mm thick. Provo Craft has created cardstock pads and designer paper pads that coordinate with the Cricut shape cartridges. These papers fit perfectly in the Cricut.

You can unload the paper and remove just the pieces you need. You can then reload the paper at a later time and navigate to any open area to resume cutting. There is even a Paper Save mode, which will pack in any selected cuts to optimize the space needed.

The Cricut personal electronic cutting machine comes with a Cricut how to booklet to address any basic start-up needs you may have. A quick visit to the Cricut website (www.cricut.com) will yield video Cricut how to and basic training. Contact information and a list of retailers are also available to help offer you some extra help if you have any questions or concerns.