How To Design In Illustrator For Cricut – This article and accompanying photos may contain links from Amazon or other affiliates. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Did you know it’s possible to create a score line in Adobe Illustrator so that it is natively imported as a score line into Cricut Design Space? It’s easy to do and works with other Cricut line types too!
How To Design In Illustrator For Cricut
August 2021 Update: The tutorial below may or may not work for you. It looks like Cricut changed the code names unfortunately. I’d love to hear how you get on in the comments!
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Hello creative friends! If you create files for your Cricut using Adobe Illustrator, you’ll love today’s tutorial. Illustrator is my favorite design program for creating SVG and is probably a program you should become familiar with if you want to create high quality files for cutting machines.
I often get asked how to create a score line in Illustrator that actually imports as a score line into Cricut Design Space. For years I thought it was impossible. Cricut once told me that this had to be done on their own system and I assumed that was true.
But with the help of my friend Maggie, I can now share the process of creating a score line in Adobe Illustrator that will be natively imported into Cricut Design Space, with the score line actually imported as the score I connected to the correct layer.
Note: I haven’t had a chance to test this in the iPad version of Illustrator, and a reader told me that he couldn’t get it to work with that version of Illustrator.
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The process of creating a score line in Illustrator involves naming the elements in the Layers panel. I’ve given the Illustrator shortcuts in parentheses to help you out as well.
To see it in action, let’s create a simple 4″ x 6″ folded card. Create an 8″ x 6″ (M) rectangle in Illustrator (folded will be the correct size).
Next, create a line () in the center of your score line. The stroke (weight) of your line won’t matter here – the standard width in design space will always matter.
Group the rectangle and break line (Shift + G). If you don’t group the layers, they won’t attach correctly to the design space.
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If I zoom in on the Layers panel, you’ll see that Illustrator has given these layers default names, nested under the Group heading.
If we rename these layers, they will import correctly into Cricut Design Space! Double-click a layer to rename it. Each image element should have what it is, a plus sign, and then the linetype. In this case, I want the line to be marked and the card to be cut:
If you have multiple score lines that need to be connected to a single layer (like if you’re creating a 3D box with multiple places to score), you’ll want to create a compound path with your lines.
To do this, select all your lines that need to be together and make them a compound path by going to Path > Compound Path > Create or using the cmd+8 or ctrl+8 shortcut. This will tell Illustrator and Design Space that these separate lines are meant to function as one piece.
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You can see an example of this in this gift card holder I designed. There are several score lines to fit this card into the gift card end holder. I selected the three black lines for the red image layer and made a composite path out of them.
If I zoom into the Layers panel, you can see all the grouping and renaming I did to properly import this file into Cricut Design Space. You can also see that the three score lines of the composite path are shown as a single layer (called Map + Score; it’s a bit hard to see in the screenshot):
If the two layers are not connected correctly, go back to Illustrator and make sure you have them grouped together.
So all of this begs the question: Can you use this renaming process for the other Cricut line types? YES!
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I was able to make this work using the following naming conventions (you’ll need Cricut Maker to make the last three work):
I could NOT get it to work for laminating or punching. I’ve tried dozens of ways to name the punch and different types of paper in Illustrator, but I just couldn’t find the right naming convention to import it correctly. I’m sure it’s there…I can’t figure it out.
HELP: A reader pointed out that drawing doesn’t work for the Cricut Joy, I guess because the pens are different sizes. If you can get the Cricut Joy pens, punch, or foil to work, email me at hello@ so I can update this post AND I’ll send you one of the great SVG packs (your choice!) in my store as thank you to you for your help!
I hope you find it useful if you create SVG designs! It’s so nice not having to tell the tinkerers with your file how to ungroup and change linetype, group and attach – everything is built right from the start!
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Did you know that it’s possible to create a score line in Adobe Illustrator to be natively imported as a score line into Cricut Design Space? It’s easy to do and works with other Cricut line types too!
Hey guys, my name is Cori George and I’m the creative mind behind this colorful business! With a focus on “craft technology”, I’ve been sharing tutorials for crafters of all levels since 2004. As a three-time published author of craft books and a recognized figure in the craft world, I’ve collaborated with brands. like Cricut, JOANN, Glowforge, Sawgrass and xTool to bring you the latest in crafting technology and creativity. Whether you’re a seasoned crafter or a beginner, Hey Let’s Make Stuff is your go-to resource for living a more creative and joyful life! Read more… You’ve come to the right place if you want to create SVG files but don’t know where to start. This comprehensive guide will give you a quick overview of SVG files, the purpose of creating SVG files, and how to create SVG files for Cricut in Illustrator. Read it till the end to understand things well. First let’s focus on what SVG files are for Cricut.
Still wondering what SVG is? SVG stands for Scalable Vector Graphics. It is a type of graphic file used to store vector data. These files retain all vector layer data and are useful with our Cricut machine.
Illustrator is a vector program that can be used to create scalable artwork. You can use this great tool to create scalable artwork: create your own designs or convert an image to SVG in Illustrator. When you export to SVG from Illustrator, all of your cards will remain in the Cricut design space.
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Below are the procedures (step by step) to create an SVG file in Illustrator. We simply have to cover everything.
In the eight points above, we’ve covered everything you need to create an image for Cricut. After you have completed the above steps, click Continue and then click OK. We’ve now finished creating a vector project in Adobe Illustrator: How to Create SVG Files for Cricut and More. Now let’s see how to upload an SVG to Cricut Design Space.
These steps will add your artwork to the downloads collection. If you want to add this to “our project”, you just have to do one last step (one more step). Click on the image you want to insert into your project and select Images. You will now see your Cricut SVG file in your Cricut project file. Not only will you find that the background is transparent, but all object shapes are also preserved in the layer data. You can combine all the shapes or a single cut or cut all the shapes individually.
If you’re looking for an intricate floral design, this pattern is perfect. These SVGs are available in a variety of formats, including Illustrator and Cricut compatibility.
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Those looking for clean and crisp designs can check out this template in SVG format. You can import this SVG file directly into your Cricut and create your own Cricut Sunflower SVG.
To create a Cricut Butterfly SVG, you can check out this great template. Includes butterflies, birds and many flowers in vector format. With this collection you can create Cricut Butterfly SVG, Cricut Bird SVG and more.
So now is the time to brush up on your Cricut and Illustrator skills. I hope you have understood about SVG files, how to create SVG files for Cricut in Illustrator and many more on this topic. For clearer ideas, you can also check out some frequently asked questions from Cricut users.
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How To Upload An Svg File To Cricut Design Space
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