Questions for Cricut users About This Page:

[Nala]

How long do your mats last before they loose their stickyness (is that a real word?)??? I haven't used mine that much and already had to replace it. Any tips to make them last? I know, I could probably find this in the instruction manual, but what's the fun in reading that? I have some deep cuts in my mat and I am thinking I have the depth of my cutting blade too deep. For normal cardstock, what number do you set the cutting on that works best?

Also, how long do the blades last?

Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated!

[rescuesk]

I would love this answer! I hardly used mine, too, and had to replace it! I wonder if there's a way to make it last longer! from a new Cricut owner!

[Nala]

Well, Sue, I'm glad to know I'm not alone!

I considered using some temporary spray adhesive, but was worried it might gum up or dull the blade.

[kmurburg]

That's been my experience with the mats as well - they sure don't seem to last long enough for me! One thing that helps a little is to use different areas of the mat to make your cut. I was always cutting along the first 1 -2 inch strip and that area lost stickiness fast. Now I try to go to the opposite edge more often if possible. For regular cardstock, I have my blade setting on 3. That has worked well. I have not replaced my blade yet. I've had the Cricut since May (I think) but have not used it as much as I would like. Hopefully I'll remedy that in January and February - I hope to be scrapping alot then!

[Marv]

I would guess the mats are about the same for a cricut and wishblade. I've used my mats A LOT!! I found instructions on paperthreads.com for how to respray mats (what spray to use and how to do it) and even how to make your own mats. There is a section just about mats. It's free to register there.

There is also a thread about how to make your own mats. I bought the supplies to make my own but haven't done it yet, but I respray the ones I have all the time. I have 3 mats in varying degrees of stickiness! That way when one starts to lose it's stickiness I've got two for backups and can spray the one that needs it. If I use a full sheet of paper, I don't need it as sticky as when I use a partial piece. Plus, if I'm doing a lot of cutting in different colors, it's nice to have a couple of mats going. While I'm cutting one color, I can get the other mat set up with a different color and ready to go. Then when the first one comes out, I put the second one in to cut while I'm taking off the ones I just cut. Hope that makes sense. This way it goes quicker.

[Nala]

Karen and Michelle,

Thanks for the info, tips, advise and the website! I guess my idea of the spray adhesive was not so far out there!

Michelle, I really thought your post would say "If you bought a Wishblade instead of a Cricut, you wouldn't have this problem" JK! Truth be known, I would probably like the Wishblade better, but the price of the Cricut on Black Friday was too good to pass up.

I appreciate the help!

[LilMarcieMouse]

Glitter paper with shorten the life of your mat. I used mine quite a bit but I have bought extras. I don't think it lasted the what is it, 500 uses? I think I need new blades now too.

[Carousel96]

I just opened my Cricut on Tuesday so I don't have much real-life experience. But my friend told me to buy lots of mats -- keep red on one, blue on another, green on another, etc. She said it saves paper and stickyness because you aren't always peeling the paper off.
I had the same thoughts about sticky spray -- sounds like a good solution, but what will it do to the blade?

[happyhedgehogs]

Each mat is supposed to last 100 cuts, which isn't much, but I manage to stretch them longer than that. Here are the tips that seem to work best for me:
--Flip the mat each time you use it. One time, put the "correct end" in first, the one with the arrow on it. The next time, put the other end in first, the one with the hanging hole on it. You can use a sticky note or some other marking to remember which side to use next.

--Cut in color groups. Think through the next several images you plan to cut, and go ahead and cut everything you'll need from a particular color. The less you put on and take off paper, the longer the adhesive will last. However, I recommend against leaving the paper on the mat long-term, especially thinner paper. My experience is that it tends to stick a little too permanently if it's left for more than a few hours, and you may have trouble getting the paper back off in one piece!

--Have three or four mats and rotate between them. I stack mine up, and as I use one I put it at the bottom of the stack. Then whatever is at the top of the stack is the next one I should use.

--Always put the protective plastic sheet back on as soon as you take the paper off. The more dust that gets to your mat, the shorter its sticky life will be!

--Use newer mats for thicker paper like cardstock, but don't throw your mats away as soon as they get less sticky. You can still use them for a while longer, with thinner papers. In fact, I don't cut vellum on new mats at all; I always wait until I have an old unsticky mat, because it is too delicate for the super-stickies.

I probably get 200-300 cuts from one mat, though it's hard to count since I have several mats going at once. The mats I'm using now are around 11 months old (2 of them) and 6 months old (2 more), so I'd say they last me an average of 3 months each.

The blades last much longer. I just changed the blade for the first time last week, after using it for a year or so. I do think I should have replaced it a month ago, though. I didn't realize until I changed it that some of the uneveness and tearing I'd had was because of a dull blade. When even the highest pressure and lowest speed won't make clear cuts, go ahead and change your blade!

[jmlaw]

I picked up one tip that seems to work pretty well. I clean my mats with baby wipes when they start to lose their stickiness. It doesn't remove the stickiness, but takes off all the lint and paper scraps. I just wipe them down and then let them dry and they are almost good as new.

[rescuesk]

This is great! Thanks for all the advice!!

[Nala]

More great tips! Thank you everyone.

[tigger22]

Just a word of warning about spray adhesive - Cricut has said that you will void your warranty (1 year parts and 90 days labor) if you use spray adhesive on your mats. Not sure how they will know (reside in the machine?) but I would wait until after your warranty is up to use it. I have also heard to use the blue painters tape along the edges to tape your stuff down especially as for some reason the latest batch of my mats lost stickyness around the edges first.

As for blade depth and pressure, I use 5 speed and 5 depth for heavier/textured cardstock (typically Die Cuts with a View or Bazzill). For untextured cardstock, I use 4 and 4. For thinner paper (normal patterned paper), I use 3 and 3. For vellum, I use 1 and 1. Also if the cuts are very detailed, I will slow the speed down as to not tear or drag paper when cutting.

I haven't changed a blade yet and have had my cricut since about May.

BTW if you have any problem with your machine, Provo Craft has outstanding customer service. My little bug quit loading the mat shortly after purchase and they sent me a whole new machine after going through steps with me over the phone to fix the machine.

[Marv]

Originally Posted by jmlaw

I picked up one tip that seems to work pretty well. I clean my mats with baby wipes when they start to lose their stickiness. It doesn't remove the stickiness, but takes off all the lint and paper scraps. I just wipe them down and then let them dry and they are almost good as new.

This is really interesting. I think I'll take my oldest mat and try this. Even though I keep respraying it, it just looks kinda yucky with lint and paper debri (sp?!).

It was a really good tip to keep the plastic cover on the mat. I forgot to do this once and by the time I used the mat again it wasn't sticky. My house gets dusty fast!

One other thing, I also sharpen my blade. I am still usining my original blade. (I've had my wishblade for 9 months now and have done A LOT of cutting. I sold on ebay all summer long when I wasn't teaching and sometimes had orders for 420 titles!) I read how to do it on the paperthreads I put heavy duty Reynolds aluminum foil on my mat and then cut out a series of circles and squares. I'm not sure how wishblade blades compare to cricut blades though.

Interesting about Cricut warranty. I would guess they want you to buy the mats each time. They would lose a lot of money if everyone used the spray. It hasn't harmed my WB and like I said, I've been doing that for 9 months.

[wdwlovers]

Great question, and the replies are wonderful. I figured I better pick up another mat or two to rotate with.