Starting your first Cricut project can feel like learning a completely new language.
You open Cricut Design Space and suddenly see words such as weed, weld, flatten, offset, and attach. Then you download a design and have to choose between an SVG and a PNG file. Before long, you may be wondering whether you accidentally signed up for a crafting course instead of a fun new hobby.
Don’t worry. Most Cricut terms are much easier to understand than they initially sound.
This beginner-friendly Cricut glossary explains the most common words you will encounter while creating projects with vinyl, cardstock, sublimation designs, stickers, and other craft materials.
Bookmark this guide so you can return to it whenever you come across an unfamiliar crafting term.
Cricut Design Space Terms
Let’s start with the tools and actions you will use most often inside Cricut Design Space.
1. Attach
Attach keeps selected objects in the same position on the cutting mat.
Without attaching your design, Cricut Design Space may rearrange the different elements to save material. This is useful in some situations, but not when your design needs to stay in a particular layout.
For example, imagine you create a sign with three words placed underneath each other. If you send the design to the cutting mat without attaching it, Cricut may move the words around. Attaching the words keeps their original position.
Use Attach when:
- Creating stencils
- Making multi-part signs
- Positioning writing or scoring lines
- Keeping several design elements aligned
Attach does not permanently merge the shapes. You can detach them again later.
2. Weld
Weld joins overlapping shapes or letters together to create one continuous cut shape.
This tool is especially useful when working with script fonts. Script letters often overlap, but Cricut may still try to cut around every individual letter. Welding the word removes the overlapping cut lines and turns it into one clean shape.
Use Weld when:
- Joining script letters
- Combining overlapping shapes
- Creating one solid silhouette
- Making connected cake toppers or signs
Welding changes the design into a single layer, so it is a good idea to duplicate your original design before welding.
3. Slice
Slice cuts one shape out of another shape.
To use Slice, you must select exactly two layers. Cricut Design Space will use the top layer as a cutting tool and divide the shapes wherever they overlap.
For example, you can place a heart over a circle and use Slice to cut a heart-shaped opening from the circle.
Use Slice when:
- Cutting words out of shapes
- Creating windows or openings
- Separating part of a design
- Making custom shapes
After slicing, several new pieces may appear. Delete the pieces you do not need.
4. Flatten
Flatten converts multiple layers into one printable image for a Print Then Cut project.
When you flatten a design, Cricut will print the complete image with your printer and then cut around the outside edge.
This is commonly used for:
- Stickers
- Printable labels
- Gift tags
- Planner decorations
- Printable iron-on projects
Flatten is different from Weld. Weld creates a single cut shape, while Flatten creates a printable image.
Unflatten
Unflatten reverses the Flatten action.
It separates a printable design back into its individual layers so you can edit the colors, shapes, or arrangement again.
5. Offset
An offset creates an extra border around a shape, word, or image.
Offsets are popular for sticker making because they create the white border often seen around die-cut stickers. They can also make words easier to read when placed over a busy background.
You can create:
- A larger outer border
- A small outline around text
- An inset that appears inside the original shape
Use Offset when:
- Making stickers
- Creating layered vinyl designs
- Adding outlines around text
- Making cake toppers more stable
- Improving contrast
A smooth offset usually works best. Very small details can sometimes create uneven or unwanted shapes.
6. Contour
Contour allows you to hide individual cut lines within a design layer.
For example, if an SVG contains several small stars but you only want to use three of them, you may be able to hide the unwanted stars using Contour.
Contour does not permanently delete the hidden pieces. You can reopen the Contour tool later and make them visible again.
7. Group
Group keeps layers together while you are editing your canvas.
Grouping makes it easier to move, resize, or organize several elements at once. However, grouping does not keep the objects in the same position on the cutting mat.
That is an important difference:
- Group organizes objects on the canvas.
- Attach keeps objects positioned together on the mat.
Ungroup
Ungroup separates grouped layers so you can select and edit each element individually.
Many SVG files open as grouped designs. Ungrouping allows you to change individual colors, move specific pieces, or remove parts you do not want.
8. Align
The Align tool helps position selected objects evenly.
You can align objects to the:
- Left
- Right
- Top
- Bottom
- Horizontal center
- Vertical center
You can also use Distribute to place equal spacing between several objects.
This tool is extremely helpful when making signs, labels, cards, and repeating patterns.
9. Mirror
Mirror flips your design horizontally before cutting.
You usually need to mirror designs when working with materials that are applied face down, including:
- Heat transfer vinyl
- Iron-on vinyl
- Infusible Ink
- Some sublimation projects
When using heat transfer vinyl, the shiny carrier sheet normally faces down on the cutting mat. Mirroring ensures the design appears correctly when transferred onto your project.
A forgotten mirror setting can leave you with backwards text, which is a Cricut beginner mistake almost everyone makes at least once.
Duplicate
Duplicate creates an exact copy of the selected layer or design.
Duplicating is helpful when you need several identical shapes, such as flowers, stickers, gift tags, or decorative elements.
It is also smart to duplicate a design before using tools such as Weld, Slice, or Flatten. That way, you still have an editable copy of the original.
10. Print Then Cut
Print Then Cut combines your home printer with your Cricut machine.
First, your printer prints the design. Then your Cricut scans the page and cuts around it.
Print Then Cut is commonly used for:
- Stickers
- Printable labels
- Gift tags
- Planner stickers
- Printable iron-on
Your Cricut does not print the design itself. You still need a printer.
