Can We Use Other Materials Besides Cricut Paper?

Cricut personal electronic cutters are really interesting gadgets to own. All knowledgeable scrapbookers seem to own one or are planning to buy one. You can cut just about anything with these intelligent cutters.

However, special Cricut paper is necessary to ensure the quality of your cut outs. Colored and patterned paper may be bought from the Cricut website and other online sellers. The price is very much the same. Each pack of 6 by 12 special paper pads would cost you $5.99.

You can also try other kinds of specialty paper from bookstores or scrapbook shops. It is nice to experiment with different colors, patterns and even textures. But since some of these papers are quite expensive, it would help to know which ones can be cut by the machine.

There are basic guidelines provided by the Cricut company in their tips and tricks section in their website. The paper should be firm and stiff so as to assure that the blade would smoothly glide and cut into it. However, it should not be too thick that whatever blade depth would not suffice to tear into the material.

Textured material like vellum and Bazzill can be used. However, there are other textures that may not deal well unlike official Cricut paper. Some materials may be too stretchy that the cutter would not work well. Stretchy paper may not stay in place. This can still be remedied though through the use of a Wonder-Under, another accessory from Cricut.

You can still experiment though. Some stretchy paper may still work well with the Cricut apparatus, like vinyl. According to the Cricut manufacturer, vinyl fairs well with the machine as long as it is 0.05 millimeters thick or less.

Besides paper, it can cut other materials which are paper-like. All you have to do is try a small amount and use your imagination.

With hundreds of varieties of paper out in the market, you have a lot to pick from. There are construction and art papers which make for great base material. There are glittery and parchment papers which are illuminated under the right lighting. Besides Cricut paper, you may also try metallic material (if it can go through the machine). If it can’t, then just paint your paper with metallic finish.

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