You don’t need to hack the CriCut

by Joseph Flaherty on January 4, 2009

A lot of the search traffic to this site comes from people looking to hack the CriCut, an “open” CriCut, or downloadable CriCut patterns. These are all complex workarounds, but a simpler solution exists.

The Graphtec CraftRobo.

CraftRobo – An affordable, open, X/Y cutter

Why should you choose the CraftRobo over the CriCut?

1. It is cheaper. Starts at $274

2. It connects to your computer via USB.

3. It comes with software and thousands of fonts and clipart options, though you should use Adobe Illustrator to get the most out of it. No more $49.99 cartridges.

4. You aren’t confined to preset options. Your imagination (or whatever you can find on iStockPhoto) are your only limitations.

5. It works really well. I own one and it is a versatile, low cost personal fabrication tool.

Here are some videos showing it in action:

What you can make

To get a sense of what the CraftRobo can make, check out this great Flickr Photostream.

CriCut – An easy alternative

If you are unfamiliar with CriCut it is a CNC plotter that can cut shapes out of paper, foil, plastic, or other thin sheet materials. It is a great machine, has it’s own infomercial, serves a giant market, but is VERY expensive.

The units costs $299-499, and it will only cut clip art or fonts from special CriCut cartridges that cost $49.99 each. So to have the same fonts that you already have on your computer you could easily spend over $1000.

Note: CraftRobo = Not For Everyone

I use a CraftRobo and I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who isn’t at least a little savvy with Adobe software or willing to get experienced with it. The CriCut’s great value is the simplified user interface. It doesn’t require a computer to function, provided you are willing to pay $50 for the privilege of using a font like Comic Sans. It is a closed system, but as with the iPod, a lot of people see that as a benefit rather than a drawback.

However, If you are up to the challenge of the CraftRobo or looking to Hack the CriCut for fun, please be in touch, I’d love to publish the results.

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Tagged as: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Systems, Clip art, User interface, Vector Based

  • Jasen
    Sure Cuts A Lot (http://www.craftedge.com/index.html) lets you use any font on your system and any SVG file with the Cricut. It is not powerful drawing software like Illustrator, but does support some basic shape tools. With this software, the comparison comes down more of which device, Cricut or CraftRobo, is made better.

    Any opinion on that?
  • It doesn’t require a computer to function, provided you are willing to pay $50 for the privilege of using a font like Comic Sans. It is a closed system, but as with the iPod, a lot of people see that as a benefit rather than a drawback.


    Thanks and Regards
  • This is such a wonderful information you have written.. Definitely we really get good information about this product.. Thank you!!
  • Thanks for sharing this info to all of us, well the product has satisfied my cravings for technology I'm gonna search more info about
  • me
    This is only a great option for graphic artists. Many a home user has limited or little skill of Adobe software (also very expesive) to utilize the stand alone (mock) cnc cutters. True, the Robo is a fantastic option, but for those willing to spend the hours necessary to create the vectored layers, the cricut cartridges already contain. Nice option to the graphic professional! Thanks for the info.
  • fernando
    It is great to small mock-ups and prototypes, but not meant to production. I've been using craft robo for 4 years now and it good, but if you plan to have it as production, it will take you ages to load and unload the papers...
  • Shelley Noble
    Holy Guacamole. Maybe I could make my own paper cuts, pop-ups, and automata designs with this?
  • Kristen, The CraftRobo is a great tool. I'm fortunate enough to have access to a laser cutter so I don't use mine a ton anymore, but it is pretty amazing what it can do.

    re: the typo, just sign on for Disqus and you can edit:) get the Ponoko blog on it too!

  • Thanks for writing about this. I will probably by a robo. And I'm really enjoying that, in the wake of the DIY movement, the field of design is looking at the crafts for tools and inspiration.
    And I totally wish I had written about this before you. : )
    ::Kristen over at Ponoko blog
  • I meant buy. Sorry, that's an embarrassing typo so I had to leave another comment.
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