Tested Cricut Maker new debossing tool (photos attached)

[AmyK]

Working on a project for my kid’s school. Just got in the new Cricut debossing tool and decided to test it out. 

Cutting

First off, all the cuts were made on the maker on the leather setting appropriate to the weight of the scrap used. I’ve had NO TROUBLE cutting leather up to 5oz. It will cut a hole small enough for rivets. 
 

Tip- put transfer tape on the back of your leather before applying to strong grip mat to keep the fuzzies off your mat and avoid compromising the stickiness of your mat. Use a piece small enough not to go under the black roller wheels as it CAN get stuck and bunch up. use masking tape around the edges and remember to move the white star wheels all the way to the right so they don’t damage your leather. 

Tests done:

Old scoring stylus tool, wet (line type: draw)

New Debossing tool, wet (line type: deboss)

New Debossing tool, dry (line type: deboss)

Fiebings Dark Brown antique paste was then applied. 

I also tested out Cricut pens on dry leather: 0.4 fine point black as well as 1.0 tip in green (metallic petal)

All tests done with Apple Chancery Font. 
 

Results (see photos)

The old style scoring stylus (pen shaped) gave the cleanest impression but wasn’t very visible. The debossing tool was disappointing in that it was messy looking and you could see the dimple where it had started. I think either of these tools might be fine for a larger piece, especially in the case of the stylus if you were looking for a subtle effect or wanting to subtly mark a pattern for painting or stamping. I think this is where it would really shine. For the project at hand, I’m going with the pens. Caveat: the petal metallics are water based and the black pen’s composition was not on the packaging I had- I have not tested putting finish on them. Also note there are third party adapter for using other pens. I’m curious to see how refillable dye pens or the colored dye pens from Real Leather perform. Hopefully I receive some for Christmas so I can let you all know how it works. 
 

Bottom Line

I like the Maker, and plan to use it more. I think I’ll import my patterns and use it to cut out patterns, mark alignment and fold lines when I have lots of pieces or small pieces that need precision. I might experiment with using it when I’ve got SO MANY HOLES to do as I tend to use a micro punch 0.5-1mm for my sewing holes (I know, I’m a heretic with joint problems, sue me). The debossing tool is not ready for prime time when in comes to leather though I can see some applications for it. I look forward to trying the forthcoming engraving tool which fits in the same quick change housing. 
 

Will it replace the laser cutter in my heart? No. But the Maker was affordable, worked for my many crafts, and doesn’t require me to drive across town to the maker space to use! Additionally, the company has made good on their promise to continue to release new tools for the adaptive tool system they introduced with the Maker. 

[DJole]

An interesting experiment! Thanks for sharing your results. If the pen is permanent, then it has a lot of potential. 

[AmyK]

I hope to be able to test some alcohol markers and sharpies in the Maker soon. I also asked for some Inktense pigments Christmas which could be very interesting. 

[Daffy]

Following this. Very interesting stuff it can do.

 

[HaloJones]

Been thinking about one of these for a while, what software can you use with it?

[AmyK]

To do the actual cutting, you use Cricut Design Studio which isn’t too hard to use. It can also remove backgrounds and isolate parts of images you import. You can create a design completely from scratch complete with text etc. 
To actually create something from scratch I typically use Inkscape though (which is free). 

[HaloJones]

AmyK, thanks for the reply, so I can draw a thing in 3rd party software & then import it in to Cricut DS to convert it to a cut pattern? 

[AmyK]

Yep. SVG, PNG, JPG, DXF, GIF, and BMP

[AmyK]

People get hung up on the fact that Cricut sells their own content. I’ve literally never used any of it- you don’t have to with the modern machines. With the old Cricut machines you had to buy proprietary cartridges and only use those. Every font, image, you name it. Now  you can exclusively use your own if you wish. And unless you’re trying to make a bunch of “country chic” crap for Pinterest there’s little for sale in design space that will interest you. 

[HaloJones]

I don’t mind if they sell content, I would even consider buying some of it, I just wanted the option to draw a thing & import it.

am giving it serious thought (helps that I have a birthday soon  )

 

thanks for your comments 

[HaloJones]

I don’t mind if they sell content, I would even consider buying some of it, I just wanted the option to draw a thing & import it.

am giving it serious thought (helps that I have a birthday soon  )

 

thanks for your comments 

[maxdaddy]

I know that this is an old thread, but I just got a Cricut Maker being and this kind of information is very helpful.

Thanks  @AmyK  for putting it together and sharing

[HaloJones]

This post also made up my mind & I got one too, it’s great for general craft stuff, just getting into using it to cut thin leather & testing to see how detailed/ intricate a design it can manage 

so thanks again for the info

[LumpenDoodle2]

On 1/13/2020 at 3:42 PM, AmyK said:

People get hung up on the fact that Cricut sells their own content. I’ve literally never used any of it- you don’t have to with the modern machines. With the old Cricut machines you had to buy proprietary cartridges and only use those. Every font, image, you name it. Now  you can exclusively use your own if you wish. And unless you’re trying to make a bunch of “country chic” crap for Pinterest there’s little for sale in design space that will interest you. 

Well put.  

Cricut got all protective over customers using other companies software, and for a while, if you wanted to do your own designs, then you had to buy an older machine, and use ‘‘Sewalot’ software.   Also, buying cartridges at £25+ a pop, was an expensive way to get a font for a one off project.

The Maker seems to have finally got back to being a proper creative little machine, again.   

Thanks for the review, and look forward to more.