Are you a Cricut crafter wanting to learn how to use your machine, but just can’t find the time to watch a tutorial? Well, then this Five Minute tutorial is just for you! Today, I am going to share how to use the Material Settings in Cricut Design Space.

This week I showed you how to make four ornaments using iron-on, infusible ink, and cardstock. Since this project required the use of four different materials, I had to make changes to the material settings each time I cut out pieces of my project.
Before you view the five-minute tutorial, let’s look at how material settings work on all three machines and how you can change them to match the materials you are using.
Material Settings for the Joy, Maker, & Explore
If you have a Joy, Maker, or newer Explore machine, your screen will look like this when you choose your materials.

If you have an older Explore, you have the option to use the dial. Each time you turn the dial the material setting changes. When you place the dial to “Custom” you can choose a specific material to match your project.
I tell my Cricut students to keep their Explore Machine dial set at custom. When these machines were made, there were not as many material options available. Now we have so many more products available to use. To get the best cut, you want your machine setting to match the material you are using.


Now that Explore users have their machine dial set to custom, let’s take a look at the Material Settings options.
Make Changes to the Material Settings
You have the option to choose from a Favorites or Popular Menu or Browse All Materials. If you see a material listed under Favorites or Popular, you can select that material.

If you don’t see the material you are using, you can select “Browse All Materials” and narrow your selection.
You can also search for the product you are using with the search bar. In the Materials List, items marked with a “C” are Cricut-specific Materials. For those of us who use other materials, we have some generic options as well.


It is always best to do a test cut before cutting a new material. This prevents you from wasting products and helps you to determine which cut setting is best for the material you are using.
For those who want to learn more about setting up your Favorite Materials and selecting the best option, here is a quite five-minute tutorial for you.
I hope that today’s Five Minute Cricut Class helped you understand material settings for your machine. If you have any questions about this tutorial or the projects I share, feel free to leave me a comment below.
Now go dust off that Cricut machine and start creating!!

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