Boxes Small Binder
 |
US $24.74
Storing And Using Cricut Design Cartridges
Once you start using the Cricut Cake cutting machine, you are bound to build up a stockpile of design cartridges you use to create cake decorations. It's hard to withstand, when there are so many cartridges that offer designs for every conceivable occasion, hobby, or season, alphabets for writing names or sayings, and lots of different styles, from sophisticated to ultra-cute.
Each cartridge holds a set of several dozen individual designs. The cartridge is used by plugging it into a slot in the Cricut cutting machine. Every cartridge you buy comes with a booklet of designs and a keypad overlay to use when you select designs on the Cake Cricut. With the keypad overlay on the keypad, you can choose the design you want to cut. Once you select a design, you can move it to any spot on the cuttin mat, resize it, or alter it using keys on the Cricut Cake machine.
All Cricut cartridges can be used with the Cricut Cake machine. Some cartridges are designed just for cutting edibles to decorate Cricut Cakes. Cartridges made specifically for the Cricut Cake machine include Elegant Cakes, Wedding Cakes, and Holidays. A special line of Cricut Cake cartridges is also available from Martha Stewart.
Cricut Cartridge Storage Options
You can store Cricut design cartridges in the boxes they came in, this isn't the best solution. The boxes are bulky and hard to use. You might prefer to use binders that hold both the cartridges and their companion booklets and keypad overlays. Provo Craft (Cricut's manufacturer) offers binders that hold 12 cartridges, booklets, and keypad overlays. When you buy the Cricut Cake machine, you get one binder for design cartridges.
You can also find many different plastic storage boxes made specifically to hold Cricut cartridges. Some people use generic plastic craft boxes to store design cartridges and accessories.
As you accumulate more cartridges, though, all these storage methods have the same flaw: it gets harder to find the precise design you're looking for.
Store and Use Up to 7,000 Cartridges with The Cricut Gypsy®
The Cricut Gypsy is a completely different way to manage a library that includes lots of design cartridges. The Gypsy is a small design and storage computer that creates a database of up to 7,000 cartridges.
With the Gypsy, you can load your whole Cricut design library onto one portable device. Better still, you can search for a particular type of design, such as "Santa" or "flower," and see all the Santas or flowers available in your entire cartridge library.
Once you choose a design, you can use the Gypsy's virtual cutting mat to lay it out exactly where you want it, resize it, or alter it. You can also "weld" together several designs into one design unit and store the combined designs. You can use this feature to combine letters into words or reuse elements that look good together. The Gypsy stores up to 10,000 projects, enough for the most active cake decorator.
The Gypsy connects to a USB port on the Cricut Cake (or any Cricut cutting machine).
Here's how the Gypsy works with the cartridge library: you purchase a cartridge, then use a cable to attach the cartridge to the Gypsy and download its designs onto the Gypsy. Once loaded on the Gypsy, the cartridge can't be loaded onto any other Gypsy. It can still be used in the slot on the Cricut Cake machine, though.
The downside of the Gypsy is its cost. The Gypsy is certainly designed for a regular Cricut user, not an occasional dabbler. But for someone who has already invested hundreds of dollars in a Cricut machine and design cartridges, the convenience of using the Gypsy instead of dealing with individual cartridges can be a major benefit.
Trade binder update:12/11/11 (small binder)
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Comments are closed.