My image was 5″ tall, the piece I had inserted was only 6″ but it told me I needed 6.5″.

When using the Smart materials, it initially measured the material I had inserted and indicated that it wasn’t quite long enough. It started at the top and worked its way down the design. No more bouncing from one place to another when cutting. But the thing I really noticed was that the new Cricut Maker 3 was much quieter and the process was smoother. I then cut it again using Smart Vinyl and this time it was much quicker – taking only 2 minutes 18 seconds. I cut the exact design on plain copy paper on the Cricut Maker 3 and it actually took a tiny bit longer – 3 minutes 44 seconds. The material/mat guide along the left side is a great aid for getting either the cutting mat or the Smart materials lined up in exactly the correct place and inserted straight.įirst Project – Before setting up the Cricut Maker 3, I cut a fairly detailed design on plain copy paper using the Maker and recorded a cutting time of 3 minutes 20 seconds. The maximum you can cut is 11.7” wide and 12 FEET long without a mat when using the Cricut Smart materials.

While it was stated that the new Cricut Maker 3 is the same suggested retail price as the original Maker was when it was introduced, I personally feel that the additional materials aren’t of the same value as what they are now leaving out.Ĭutting Size – One of the benefits of the Cricut Maker 3 is that you are able to cut larger images, without the use of a cutting mat. Noticeably missing, when compared to the original Maker, is the fabric cutting wheel and a cutting mat. Under it you will find the power cord and USB cord as well as a package of additional materials (12×12 sheets of Smart Vinyl, Smart HTV, Smart Paper, and a transfer sheet to be used with the vinyl) and the power cord.

The Cricut Maker 3 is shrink wrapped in clear plastic to keep it from getting scratched up. On top is an envelopes containing a Get started card with the web address to set it up and on the back is the web address for “help” and a 6″ piece of Smart vinyl for your first project. The packaging is similar to the prior Cricut machines. The Maker 3 has the ability to cut longer lengths of material and when you use the Cricut Smart Materials you can cut them without the use of a cutting mat. I personally have not been able to use one of these yet, but a friend of mine who is also a moderator in my Teach Me Cricut Design Space Group on Facebook just received a Maker 3 and here are her totally honest opinions and observations. I am going to start off by talking about the Cricut Maker 3 since this is the newest of the Cricut machines, as of June 2021, and that is being promoted as the top of the line of Cricut machines.

Using cartridges with cricut maker