The Cricut Expression Machines by Provo Craft are very popular with crafting fans. Winner of many awards and receiving rave reviews from all over, anyone who likes to create craft projects might want to look at the benefits and drawbacks of the Cricut Expression.
With the Cricut Expression Machines you can cut cardstock, paper, vinyl, vellum and other materials into phrases, letters, shapes and various designs fast and easy. You have two mat sizes to choose from: 12in x 12in or 12in x 24in. With the Expression, you can use up those paper scraps you’ve saved from other projects since you can cut pieces as small as .25in. There’s also an assortment of lightweight cartridges containing lots of designs to further widen the Cricut Expression’s adaptability.
The Cricut Expression, even with its expanded features, can use the same knife blades and cartridges as the original Cricut (sometimes knows as the “little bug”). The “little bug” is smaller, utilizing the smaller size mat, 12in x 12in, and capable of cutting designs half the size created by the Expression. Some of the things the Expression can do the original Cricut cannot are: cut in landscape or portrait view, change languages and units of measurement, make multiple cuts to cut through thicker material, and use the flip feature to make mirror images. The Expression also has an LCD display that lets you see what you’ll be cutting before you make a cut.
The size and weight of the Cricut Expression makes it more difficult to carry around to friends to work on projects or carry to craft fairs. It takes up more space. It’s more expensive. But the larger design variety and the capability of cutting larger items makes the Expression terrific for making banners or signs, or fill up a bulletin board or any large space with eye catching layouts.
Crafters like the new options on the Cricut Expression Cutting Machine. The Expression is especially helpful for people who have problems with their fingers or hands, whether arthritis or some other problem that makes their hands unsteady and unsuited for hand cutting designs. The savings in time and not having to buy designs will soon make up the initial investment for most crafting fans. Shopping wisely could enable you to find the originally priced $499 Expression for as low as $300. And you don’t need a computer or a lot of technical expertise to plug in the Expression and get started on a project.
The required maintenance will be items such as replacing the cutting mat or knife blade from time to time. And you might want to splurge sometimes by buying a new cartridge to make new designs. There is also a nice optional tool kit that helps in lifting the paper from the cutting mat. Owning the Cricut Expression Cutting Machine is easy, and you’ll soon wonder how you managed without it.
Tags: Cricut machines, cricut tools