Cricut Petition

Older machines like the Cricut, Expression, Cake, and a few others are no longer supported by Cricut software so you can still use them with cartridges only.

Newer machines from the the Explore and Maker line require Design Space to cut - they aren't cartridge based (although you can still link cartridges in the software if you have an attachment). Many people design detailed cutting files in Inkscape or Illustrator and import to Design Space. 

I can understand why Cricut wants to start charging for the software. Upgrades to support new Windows, Mac and mobile devices take time and $.

And I'm sure all those cutting files uploaded are taking up space. It takes money to support that infrastructure. Everyone wants a monthly subscription fee these days for guaranteed income. My guess is somewhere in the fine print is the fact that they can change the terms of the license with notice.

A lot of small businesses are based on the Cricut as inexpensive plotters. For them, $400 for a machine is big deal, plus the cost for Illustrator CC, etc. Unfortunately, they're going to have to get used to paying to store their designs.

(I personally don't own a newer Cricut - I don't love the idea of it needing constant internet to cut).

I have both a Silhouette Cameo and a Cricut Explore Air 2. If I want to cut a Silhouette design on my Cricut (which I have done), then yes, I need to upload it.

The issue sounds like it might be about uploading non-Cricut designs. Silhouette has unlimited Cloud storage for designs that I have purchased, and I would hope that any Cricut files you have bought are not included in the limitation. A lot of crafters buy the machine, but then download free files from the internet, which they have to upload to cut. Cricut is trying to get users to buy and cut Cricut designs, or subscribe to their monthly plan, and it sounds like they are limiting how many of the non-Cricut files you can upload.

However, you can delete files you have uploaded. I deleted a design that my son had created when I realized that their terms of use make it sound like they “own” anything you upload. (They can’t really, but they probably figure that their legal team will scare anyone who challenges that.) So theoretically, you might be able to upload long enough to cut something, then delete it when done, and you’d never exceed your 20 file upload limit that way. I am guessing, however.

I had somehow missed the OP’s comment that she just had an Expression and cartridges. Unless she is using the much older online software, it shouldn’t be affected. If older software users are affected, then hopefully designs can be deleted to stay within allowed 20 files.

This is a complete load of BS. The more I learn about Cricut, the more I dislike them.

I bought a Cricut Explore Air 2 in January and it's been a bit of a task to learn how to use it but I do absolutely love it.

I often make my own designs and cut files and I don't always get them right straight away, so I upload multiple iterations to the Design Space to test different variants, before I choose my final design and delete the other images.

With this new plan of theirs, I'd be able to do like one project a month in that way. I didn't buy a nearly £300 machine to have limitations placed on how much I can use the tool.

The new Offset feature in the next update should have been available from the start, but I'm glad it's being included now.

I should have clicked on the link given in the OP sooner. I think I understand better what this is about.

Users have been asking for literally years to be given the offset feature. It’s so basic, and it was part of the Gypsy software. So they are finally giving it to users, but offsetting (no pun intended) that good news with a bitter pill.

After reading the policy, this appears to be about forcing users to join their Cricut Access subscription plan. If you are subscribed, you can upload as many designs as you want. If you aren’t, you are limited to 20 designs per month. Many hobbyists will be doing 20 or fewer, but those who use their machine for a business will be forced to pay the Cricut Access fee, which is about $10/month or $96 if you pay by the year. A lot of people use their machines for a small business. Chances are, most of those business owners are doing their own design work, importing the designs into the Cricut software for cutting, and see no need to join Cricut Access. Multiply the number of business owners (who are suddenly forced to subscribe) by nearly $100/year, and Cricut could be raking in the money IF people accept the new policy.

I think it will backfire. Silhouette doesn’t require you to do anything like that. Many of the Silhouette designs (which I tend to like far better than Cricut’s) allow you to use them commercially if you pay a small, one-time fee, but you own the design. You don’t have to keep paying a monthly subscirption fee. Their subscription lets you purchase the designs for less, but those designs are yours to keep and use forever. You can create and use your own designs in a business venture, without Silhouette trying to get a piece of your profits. The Silhouette software is not as simple, but it allows you to do so much more. You can upgrade for a one time fee, which they offer on sale at least a couple of times a year,

In the past, when Cricut upset owners, a lot of them dumped their machines and bought a Silhouette. If Cricut persists with this change, the same thing may happen again.

I love both my Silhouette Cameo and my Cricut Explore, but Silhouette is so much more user and business owner friendly than Cricut, and this really shows the difference between the two companies.

I bought my first bug when it came out in 2003. The cartridges were $80 a piece. I think they have had 12 new machines in the last 17 years. Cricut is raking in the money. I can see if they raised the number to 75 - 100 designs per month, but less than that, you are going to lose a lot of customers. When people ask on FB which machine to buy, I always recommend Silhouette. My Cricut machines are great, but the customer service and gouging for machines and cartridges has always turned me off.

I’m sorry. Hoping the get some pushback and make some changes. 

Is the offset feature going to allow me to place the image where I want it to cut on the canvas? For example, centering a large star because I want to back the negative space. This has been the most frustrating part for me. I have used SCAL with my baby bug, and it is so easy and intuitive. But I want to cut large 12x12 files, and Design Space has been so frustrating!

There was one time when they did something that made customers think they had finally started to listen to customer concerns. It was when they released the first Explore, along with their subscription program. They said that importing SVG files would be limited to those who were Cricut Access subscribers. Even long time, extremely loyal customers who were excited about the new machine were upset. Many of the hand picked Cricut fans at the unveiling were so mad that they sounded like they wouldn’t buy the new machine. Cricut had spent big bucks to develop that machine. It seems like it was within 1 to 2 days that Cricut suddenly reversed their position. Nothing like it had ever happened before. Customers suddenly thought that Cricut was listening to their concerns. Looking back now, I suspect that the real reason was the potential of being stuck with a new machine that might not sell because even their most loyal customers were upset.

Maybe the petition will sway Cricut, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. They just released their Mug Maker (or whatever it’s called), and I don’t think it has been as popular as they hoped. They may be trying to recover some of the money that went into developing it. $10/month for a business owner to pay for the Cricut Access probably doesn’t seem like that much (to Cricut) for a business to pay, and it’s presumably tax deductible as a business expense. I’m guessing that Cricut is betting that few business owners will be willing to switch machines over $10/month.

I was watching Damask Love's Instagram stories today about this and she said some interesting things. First, she said that she heard that when WRMK came out with the Foil Quill, Cricut was NOT happy because they want their users to stay within their ecosystem. (I know all the stories about SCAL etc, but this was interesting to me because it's more of an accessory.) This explains why they came out with the Foil Transfer system not that long after. Also, someone DMed her and said that Cricut's company goal is basically to be the Apple of the craft world, from their simple, sleek style of packaging and product design to basically being a lifestyle choice. Now that I think about it, this explains so many of Cricut's business decisions, even why they came out with their own heat press and mug press, despite those products existing in a cheaper and more multifunctional form. (As an aside...this company philosophy makes me pity Cricut a little bit. Obviously Apple is a hugely successful company, so it's not that lessons can't be learned from their company, it just seems to me like it's a lack of imagination on Cricut's part. Form your own identity, don't mimic another company!)

Another option is to create an 11.5 x 11.5 square on the canvas, add the shape and center it on the canvas using the alignment options. As long as you attach the layers, it will cut in the middle of the mat. It does mean you don't get the full 12x12 sheet this way but as long as you used the alignment tools, you know it's dead centre.

Thanks! I’ll try that. I’ve been unsuccessful with the “Make it” in trying to cut something in a specific location on a 12x12.

I agree that anything that is internet dependent leaves you vulnerable. That is why I will not get a Glo Forge - same problem.

I'm sure the changes announced have nothing to do with this. seekingalpha.com/article/4407546-cricut-aims-for-100-million-ipo-effort

I rarely use the projects or images in Cricut's Access but if you use the Cricut you still have to use Access. I buy projects from svgcuts, Dreaming tree, among others & each part has to be uploaded. Oftentimes this is well over 10 uploads just for 1 project. Fortunately, some companies are now combining the individual parts into one big upload but the old projects don't have that feature. I'm very upset by this & will spend lots of time until this change is made, uploading the files. they claim they will not remove them if they are there already but as we now see, they do go back on their promises.