How To Make Svg Files For Cricut

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Learn the nuts for creating a simple SVG cut file in Illustrator that can then be cut using a Cricut Explore or Silhouette Cameo.

create a simple SVG cut file in Illustrator that can then be cut using a Cricut Explore or Silhouette Cameo.

Ane of my goals recently is to tackle the reader questions I get a lot. One of those is how I pattern my own cut files for my Cricut Explore and Cricut Maker. While I sometimes pattern cutting files using the Cricut Design Infinite, I prefer using Adobe Illustrator to design my own files.

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To first, we'll create a uncomplicated design to show the basics of creating a cut file in Illustrator. Illustrator is a highly powerful software and tin exist intimidating for beginners. So let's start with something like shooting fish in a barrel—a quote: "Live Loved."

I am working on a Mac, but I will as well give the PC commands. I am a HUGE proponent of keyboard shortcuts, and so I am going to share those as well in teal . Apply THEM. I am twice equally fast at designing files now because my hands rarely get out the keyboard.

Notation: the layout of your workspace might exist different than mine—I have found the menus that work best for me. If you don't have a console that I reference, go to Window and scroll down to find it, making certain to look in sub-menus if necessary.

Step ane: Create a New Certificate

Create a new document that is 12″ x 12″ — the size of a Cricut cutting mat.

File > New (cmd+North / ctrl+North)

You lot can specify both the dimensions and the unit of measurement here. I choose 12 x 12 and set the unit to inches.

Pace 2: Type Your Quote

Click the Type Tool (T) in the left-paw panel and blazon your words: alive loved. I used separate text boxes for each word, because I prefer to exist able to move each line individually. It'south easier than dealing with line spacing and centering and all that.

Screenshot showing how to Create Text In Illustrator

Step 3: Change Your Font

I didn't love the default font (does anyone?) then I went to the bill of fare Type > Font > Beloved. (Get the Beloved font hither.) Once the new font was selected, I moved each line effectually until I was happy.

Pace four: Outline Your Fonts

The next step is to outline your fonts. This basically turns them from fonts into shapes. You must outline your fonts or the Cricut Pattern Space and Silhouette Studio will not be able to read them. Y'all'll go an error when y'all try to upload them.

Type > Create Outlines (shift+cmd+O / shift+ctrl+O)

An of import note about using fonts. The Cricut and Silhouette cut "simple" artwork the best. And past this I mean that the motorcar software prefers fewer "nodes." Information technology tin cut incredibly intricate designs, but the more mathematically simple they are, the meliorate. The easiest style to see your font'due south nodes is looking at your fonts once you've outlined them. You'll come across that Beloved is a fairly straightforward font—a reasonable number of "nodes" (those tiny squares) around the font.

To illustrate a complicated font, I used one of my favorites, Midnight. Notice just how many more than nodes there are in this font! For each of those nodes, the blade will change directions ever so—and at that place's a good gamble that it will mess upwards your materials with then many unlike cuts.

Footstep 5: Unite

As our file is right now, the Cricut will yet read each alphabetic character equally an individual shape and cutting them separately. Yous tin can come across in the above screenshot that the bluish outlines of the letter of the alphabet tails overlap each other. To make each word ane single shape, you lot'll employ the Unite tool under the Pathfinder Panel.

Window > Pathfinder (shift+cmd+F9 / shift+ctrl+F9)

The Unite tool is the commencement peak left pick under Shape Modes (if you hover over each button, it will tell yous what they are). Brand sure all of your text is selected and click the Unite option. Y'all'll see that the tails of each alphabetic character are gone and you now have 1 continuous shape.

Pathfinder Tool in Adobe Illustrator to create a simple SVG cut file in Illustrator that can then be cut using a Cricut Explore or Silhouette Cameo.

A close up of a text that says, \"Live Loved\"

Step 6: Make a Compound Path

If y'all want, you lot can keep to saving as an SVG at this betoken. But I like to exercise one more quick step to salve myself some time in the Cricut Design Infinite. Right now, this image nosotros've made is actually three shapes — "alive," "loved," and the dot over the "i" in lived (it's separate because it's non overlapping either of the other 2 shapes). If you bring this file into the Cricut Pattern Space every bit is, you'll take these three shapes and you lot'll demand to attach them to cut them properly. Instead, I make everything a compound path in Illustrator and it imports information technology equally one shape.

Object > Compound Path > Make (cmd+8 / ctrl+eight)

Step 7: Save as an SVG

Illustrator files are natively ".ai" file extensions. Normally I will relieve an Illustrator version of my artwork, and so save a separate SVG for cutting.

File > Salvage Equally (shift+cmd+Due south / shift+ctrl+S)

In the dropdown Format card, select SVG and save! Don't worry about whatsoever of the options in the popular-upwardly—just hit OK and your file will save as an SVG that you can open up in the Cricut Design Space or Silhouette Studio Designer Edition.

And then yous're set up to cut your file and use it however you'd similar!

finished coffee mug with SVG made from Adobe Illustrator

I hope this tutorial helps you get your feet wet in using Illustrator to design cut files for the Cricut and Silhouette! Illustrator is such a wonderful program with and then many capabilities—it's time to offset exploring them!