Using the Cricut Pens with CCR and the E2

If you've been wondering if you can use the Cricut pens when you're using Cricut Craft Room, the answer is yes. The E2 is the easiest to use for this exercise as it doesn't automatically unload the mat when it has finished cutting. This allows you to remove the pen and replace it with the blade.

The Expression on the other hand (and most likely the Cricut Personal and the Cricut Create) do unload the mat after it has finished cutting when using CCR. This means that it's difficult to reload the mat in exactly the same position the second time, which can result in your cutting line not exactly lining up with the drawn line. But it can be done. You need to take care when you load the mat. Load it snugly to the right hand side for both the drawing and the cutting and you should get your two layers to line up.

I haven't been able to use the Cricut Pens on the Imagine while using CCR. For some reason it just unloads the mat instead of drawing the design. The Cricut Pens do work with the Imagine however if you're not using CCR. Go figure!

I don't have a Cricut Mini so have no idea whether it works with the pens but I suspect it would.

Here's the instructions for using the pens using the E2.

I'm using the Window image from the Christmas (Solutions) cartridge.

• Place your image on the mat and poisition it to where you want it.

• Remove the blade housing from the E2 and replace it with your pen.

• Make sure your E2 is connected to your computer and powered on.

• Press the Cut button

• Select your Expression 2 then press the Select Device button

If your cartridge isn't linked to your Cricut.com account you will be prompted to insert the cartridge if you don't already have it in the machine. 

• You can change the blade depth and speed here. The recommended settings for the pens are a speed of 3 and a pressure of 2 however you should experiment with what works best for you.

• Press the Cut button to send the project to the Cricut.

• Load your mat into the E2 using the Load mat button on the E2's Home screen.

• Press the Continue button on the CCR screen.

You'll see this box and the project will shortly start to "cut" with the Cricut pen.

When the E2 has finished drawing your image it should stop and not return to its home position.

CCR will return to the mat screen.

• Very carefully (making sure you don't move the blade carriage) remove the pen from the housing and replace it with your blade.

• Again, press the Cut button, select the E2 and press Select Device

• Adjust your blade depth settings to suit your cardstock

• Press Cut

• Press Continue

The blade housing will return to the top right of the mat then proceed to cut the design on top of the drawn layer.

• Press the Eject Mat button on the E2 and your should see something like this:

And here it is removed from the mat.

Not too shabby!

Incompatible Template error

Have you ever clicked the Cut or Go button and seen this error when you go to select your device?

The error says "The project was created using an incompatible template and cannot be cut/printed on this machine". 

The most likely reason for this error is that you are trying to cut/print to a Cricut that has a different size mat than the one you created your design on.

In the above case I created my design on the 6" x 12" mat for the Cricut Personal and tried to cut it on the E2. 

There's two ways to fix this error. 

1. Go to Options menu, Project tab and select the E2 as the Default machine

2. Leave the Default Machine setting the way it is and connect the Cricut Personal.

In both cases when you go to Cut/Print your machine will now be available to select and you won't see the error.

Cutting with the Gypsy promotional carts

Update - March 3, 2012

Unfortunately it looks like the latest CCR update removed the link to those promotional carts.

I'm hopeful that the update that gives us the ability to link all our Gypsy carts to CCR will fix that problem. 

But for now - the info below doesn't work. Sad face.... :(

I'll update when I know more. :)

Narelle

When you purchased your Gypsy it will have come pre-loaded with 2 carts - Gypsy Font and Gypsy Wanderings.

Last year there was a promotion where if you registered your Gypsy by a certain date (I think it was around October 2010) you received five free downloadable cartridges. They were Blackletter, Christmas, Indie Art, Printing Press and Tags, Bags, Boxes and More.

PC had a further promotion where you could receive another downloadable cart - Smiley Cards.

So which ones can you cut with CCR?

Provided you have used Cricut Sync to make sure your Gypsy is up to date the following carts will be available for you to cut with in CCR:

Blackletter
Christmas
Indie Art
Printing Press
Tags, Bags, Boxes and More
Smiley Cards

Currently CCR won't allow you to cut with Gypsy Font or Gypsy Wanderings. We'll have to wait for an update by PC for those carts to be linked to our Cricut.com account before we can cut with them with CCR.

Any digital carts you purchase from Cricut.com will show up as linked in CCR automatically. They will also show up on your Gypsy as a linked cart once you connect your Gypsy to Cricut Sync and update the cartridge content.