The Best Cricut Machine For Shirts?
The best feature of the Cricut machine is that it can turn a plain-looking item into something magnificent. If you have a vision and you want to turn it into a reality, that's where the Cricut machine shines. A Cricut machine can do many things, including making custom shirts. You will find many options on the market when you begin your shirt-making journey.
Choosing the right Cricut machine can be a little confusing, but with our help, it can be fun too. The first thing you need to do is know your budget and your shirt needs. These Cricut machines range from $130 to $400; you want to make sure everything runs smoothly. Once you have a clear idea finding the perfect Cricut machine will be very simple. To keep it simple, we have listed some of the best Cricut machines to create pro-quality shirts, T-shirts, and hoodies.
Cricut Maker
The Cricut Maker is a powerful DIY machine. It can do everything that Explore Air 2 can, but more. Its cutting size is also bits bigger, 12 x 24 inches, making it one of the best shirt makers. You can even purchase specific tools to improve your shirt designs and increase workflow, such as a rotary blade for fabric and a knife blade for thicker materials. If you ever get bored with shirts and want to work with other materials, Cricut Maker lets you do that. During the slow season, you can use Cricut Maker to create decals or cards; it's a great way to keep yourself busy during seasonal ups and downs. Its operational cost is also low. Wirelessly connect your smart devices, such as a laptop, tablet, or smartphone, via Bluetooth.
Reasons to Buy
● 4000g of cutting power
● Cuts over 300 materials
● Bluetooth connectivity
● Double tool holder
● Fastest Cricut machine
● Accessories costs are less than other machines
Reasons to Avoid
● The accessories are inexpensive, but the machine is on the pricier side.
● Requires an internet connection for most projects.
Cricut Explore Air 2
Although the Explore Air 2 has been around for a while, still a worthy contender for the title of best shirt maker. It's an affordable machine but can give you a run for your money. You can rely on it to create great-looking shirt designs again and again. It can handle HTV very easily and boasts a cutting force of 350 g, which is more than enough to cut vinyl. Its cutting size is 11.5 x 23.5 inches, meaning you have enough space to craft any shirt design. This model also comes with noise-reduction technology and a double-speed upgrade.
Reasons to Buy
● A powerful cutting machine that can cut over 100 materials
● Bluetooth Connectivity
● Dual carriage for cutting and writing simultaneously to speed up the workflow
● Easy to handle
● Have the lowest-priced accessories, such as replacement blades, mats, and vinyl.
Reasons to Avoid
● A bit outdated
● Doesn't have specialized blades like the Rotary or knife.
Cricut EasyPress 2
EasyPress 2 is the best heat press for home use. It makes the whole shirt-making process a breeze. It is available in three sizes: the smallest is 6 x 7 inches, the medium is 9 x 9 inches, and the large is 10 x 12 inches. EasyPress 2 can heat up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit; the smallest one can heat up in less than a minute; the medium one takes two minutes, and the large one takes less than 3 minutes. For the T-shirt, we recommend using a medium or large one.
Reasons to Buy
● Even the large model is portable and lightweight.
● Easy to use.
● It doesn't require much storage space
● Heat is evenly distributed
Reasons to Avoid
● It can't handle uneven surfaces, such as caps.
● It's tricky to complete bulk jobs with this press.
● Still fairly pricey.
Cricut EasyPress Mini
The smallest heat press from Cricut features a tiny 3.5-inch ceramic-coated heat plate. The press only weighs 0.8 lbs. It's great for accessing hard-to-reach areas such as around buttons and seams. It features three heat settings: low, medium, and high. The plate distributes the heat evenly, giving you flawless results every time. Cricut also provides a guide for heat transfers to ensure the right heat settings for your project.
Reasons to Buy
● It comes with a safety base and a timer to avoid any mishaps.
● Can access hard-to-reach areas.
● Auto shutoff feature
● Three heat settings
Reasons to Avoid
● Pricey for its size
● Limited range of project compatibility
● Only available in the 'raspberry' color.
Cricut Joy
It's made for crafters looking for a portable crafting machine. Cricut Joy can be used to create labels, stickers, and decals. You can work on a 4.5 x 6.5 inches workspace, but it only works with paper and vinyl, including HTV. The newer model is also compatible with smart materials, so you won't need a mat for cutting.
Reasons to Buy
● Compact and lightweight.
● It only requires a small storage space.
● It can continuously cut up to 4 feet and repeated cuts up to 20 feet.
● Compatible with Smart materials, paper, and vinyl.
Reasons to Avoid
● Accessories are overpriced.
● You can only use its cutting mat and blades in Cricut machines.
Conclusion
Among all the contenders, the Cricut Maker emerged as the winner. It's powerful, fast, affordable, and at a low operational cost. EasyPress falls between a cheap home iron and an expensive professional heat press. With these two machines, you can customize shirts, T-shirts, and hoodies according to your liking.
FAQ
Other than a Cricut machine, what other accessories do you need to make shirts?
Apart from the Cricut machine, you will need a handful of items to craft your shirts. Heat Transfer Vinyl or Iron-On-Vinyl and infusible ink are the important items. The former melts the vinyl's glue to stick to the fabric, whereas the latter infuses the ink onto the fabric. Other accessories include:
● Cricut Mat
● Cricut Blades
● Blank T-shirts or shirts
Is creating a customized shirt or T-shirt hard?
Like other projects, Cricut makes the whole shirt-making process a breeze. You can use vinyl or infusible ink to imprint a design on the shirt. A Cricut machine also enables you to work on numerous other materials, such as paper and cardstock. The Cricut machine Maker series lets you work with more than 300 materials.
How is Cricut Mini different from other models?
Cricut Mini is way more compact and light than other Cricut machines. Due to its ergonomic design, you can access hard-to-reach projects, which is impossible with other big heat presses. It also comes in handy when working on tricky projects, such as materials with unsmooth surfaces.
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