Having problems with the Cricut Print then Cut Calibration? Is your Cricut Explore not reading the Print then Cut sensor marks? Here’s the fix to one possible problem.
You all know that I seriously love my Cricut Explore. But as with all relationships, sometimes we hit a bump in the road.
Today that bump was calibrating my Cricut to work with the Print then Cut feature. Print then Cut allows you to print a full-color image on your home printer, and then have the Cricut cut around the edges of that image.
The first time you use this feature, you’ll be asked to calibrate your Cricut Explore (the Cricut Air and Cricut One come pre-calibrated).
Here’s the general calibration process:
- In the Cricut Design Space, select a Print then Cut image, and click “GO.”
- If this is your first time using Print then Cut, it will prompt you to calibrate.
- Print the calibration sheet provided by the software.
- Place the printed sheet on your Cricut cutting mat and hit the GO button on your Cricut.
- The Cricut will read the sensor marks and make a test cut on the paper, and ask you some questions about it.
- Then it will make a few more cuts, and ask a few more questions.
- Calibrated!
For me, the process completely shut down at #5. No matter what I did, the Cricut would NOT read the sensor marks.
This is not a new problem. There are lots of posts and videos of people who had a similar issue, and the Cricut site itself addresses it. If my method doesn’t work, feel free to Google something else. It sounds like there are a few different fixes. Based on other peoples’ answers, I thought it might be that the light in my room was too bright, or my cutting mat was dirty, or I didn’t have the sheet aligned on my mat properly.
Nope.
What actually happened was that even though I didn’t touch the settings for my calibration printout sheet (as advised by the Cricut software), it didn’t print correctly. You can see in this photo that the sensor marks on the top sheet (the one I printed first) were cut off. The correct sheet is the one that’s on my mat — it has the full sensor marks.
I’m not sure why the software and my printer couldn’t get along and print the calibration sheet correctly. Instead, you can download the calibration sheet directly. I didn’t have to change any settings for it to print properly — just make sure that the entire sensor marks are showing.
Once I got the correct calibration sheet into my Cricut Explore, it calibrated perfectly! Tomorrow I have my first Print then Cut file for you — I am so happy with how it turned out and can’t wait to share!
Stop pulling your hair out and start creating confidently with your Cricut! Finally understand how to use your Cricut with my Learn Your Cricut eBooks!
Comments & Reviews
Megan says
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! My page would not print correctly and I messed with settings for over an hour trying to get it to print right. You’re the ONLY one with the fix. You are so wonderful for sharing your knowledge!
Brittany says
I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. It’s late, I need to get something done and I was about to cry. I’ve had my machine for a year now and always run into this problem and it takes hours to resolve. I will keep this in mind next time because IT WORKED!
Cori George says
I am SO GLAD!!
Melinda H says
Thank you! I was losing my mind — this solved the problem immediately!
Cori George says
I’m so glad!!
Leslie says
Whew! Tried several times yesterday to calibrate and wasn’t successful. Mine was stopping at the 2nd mark and would quit each time saying it couldn’t read the scan mark. I found your site and thought I had found the fix. I printed the page you linked and it still didn’t work. My heart sank. Then, I read where you need to make sure there are no special settings for the printer. I had checked “fit to page”, so I unchecked that and tried again. Still no luck. Then I printed your linked page and Woohoo! The combination of unchecking the box and printing from your link did the trick I am happy!
Cori George says
I am SO glad this worked for you!!
Terry says
how did you get the sensor marks printed on your image/
Cori George says
Are you printing it through Design Space? It automatically puts them on there.
Amy says
I can’t get mine to print either. Where you able to find a fix?
Tami says
Thank you, SO MUCH!!!! After spending 2 hours on the phone with Cricut yesterday, and viewing other sites for tips, to no avail, I was ready to GIVE UP!! I found your suggestions today, and ta-dah!! Using this PDF for the calibration was just the thing I needed! THANK YOU for taking the time to share!!
lulu says
WOW. Pretty sure your article just saved my Cricut from going through the window! LOL I was feeling totally helpless, and then, poof! Your article saved the day. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Cori George says
I’m so glad!! I swear, comments on this post of people finding success are pretty much my favorite comments I receive! :)
Sue says
I’ve been having issues trying to calibrate my Cricut since I bought it last year. Unfortunately the calibration file on the Cricut website doesn’t exist anymore (404 error). Do you happen to have a copy of it saved that you don’t mind sharing?
Julie says
I need it also. Mine won’t print with the sensor marks
Amy says
You are not alone. I just updated my firmware and wondered if that had something to do with it.
Melissa says
Having the same issue, and getting the 404 error for the direct link to print the page. This has been most frustrating. :(
Melissa says
FINALLY got it to work, by using Firefox as my web browser. When I used chrome, it would not recognize the sensor marks. I even tried writing over the marks with a sharpie, as suggested on other sites. It was so discouraging. I don’t know why it will work on Firefox and not Chrome, but it does. I’m working from a Mini Mac, with an Epson printer and Cricut Explore.
Sabrina Thompson says
Thank you so so so much, i have been trying to figure this out all day. Thank you so much.
Sarah says
Does thins applies to Cricut one that what I have I print out the print from the link how do I get it to scan if I don’t have the image in my design space?
Tammie says
I have a question I hope you can answer. I have a cricut air. I’m trying to print and cut tinker bell. When tinker bell prints she will only print in a funny pink color. O checked my printer settings and they are ok. When I print from word tinker bell prints in color it seems to be just from my cricut. Can you help?
Terra Frank says
Thank you so much for writing this post! I’ve been troubleshooting for two days, I’ve bought new ink cartridges, cleaned the printer heads, moved to every possible lighting situation in my home, adjusted settings ad nauseam, and etc all to no avail! I’m up against one of those crafting deadlines (you know the situation where the time the project took in your head ended up being way less than the project in actuality! Lol no? No idea what I mean? Just me then? Lol), and I was about in tears. Your fox did the trick! Thanks again for sharing.
Cori George says
I’m so glad you found it helpful!
Nicey says
Morning, when trying to calibrate it gives me error as in the wrong blade .what should I do
Cori George says
Hi Nicey — what blade do you have in your machine and what blade is saying you have?
jacqui munoz says
Hello,
When I tried to calibrate my explore air 2 the sheet that prints looks different from the one in this post. Mine has a full square around the whole thing instead of just the 3 corner marks.
Cori George says
I believe that Cricut tried to fix their Print Then Cut calibration with this new printed sheet. Are you still having trouble with it?
mk says
My issue is when I use the Print and cut, I designed a text within a circle. When I “group” and then flatten, Cricut continues to change the “cut” circle to “print” and then on the layout to cut and print, there is a square not a circle. I have tried repeatedly but each time in the flatten mode it changes EVERYTHING to print. It worked previously, but through the years I notice ANY TIME Cricut updates it firmware there are all kinds of bugs. I am also having issues with Cricut adding images to my canvas I did not choose. I am frustrated as no one at Cricut has any answers – except the scripted answer to use a different browser ( that REALLY messes things up!)
Cori George says
Can you hide your circle (using the “eye” in the Layers Panel), flatten your image, and then place your circle again? OR, if your Print Then Cut has a flattened circle around it, it should cut around the edge of it. Does that make sense?
Tracey says
This is kind of off subject but not totally….my computer doesn’t recognize my Explore Air during the calibration. When I attempt to use the pull down menu to locate it it’s not there. Do you know what’s wrong?
Liz, HLMS Reader Support says
You will want to make sure you have connected your machine via Bluetooth or have the USB cord connected and the machine turned ‘on’ in order for Design Space to detect your machine.
Here are the steps to set up your Bluetooth connection on Cricut’s support page:
http://help.cricut.com/help/setup-cricut-machine
Happy Crafting!
Liz, HLMS Reader Support
Darell Dickey says
Thanks for the assist! I’ve recalibrated my machine perfectly (so better than how it came “pre-calibrated”). And yet… my specific problem remains: My Explore Air 2 still won’t read those cut lines when I use a glossy vinyl. Other folks seem to be able to do it… I can’t. It gives up and leaves an error. Tells me to make sure the lines are all printed completely… which they are.
Liz, HLMS Reader Support says
Print Then Cut is not recommended for reflective materials such as epoxy papers, glitter paper/cardstock, or some embossed papers. These may reflect the light from the cut sensor, causing it to fail when scanning for the cut sensor marks. Again, you may have some success with Print Then Cut on these materials, but the results may vary from one attempt to the next. Always complete a Print Then Cut test first to be sure it will work with your material.
Liz, HLMS Reader Support
Donna says
It works if you “trick” your machine. I printed a copy of my project on regular paper and then cut out the “frame” of the sensor and taped it around the project. then my machine (an older Explore) easily scanned and then cut out my project which was on temporary tattoo paper which is glossy and would not scan on it’s own
Jerry says
i found with the glossy vinyl if you put masking tape over the lines, then go over the tape with a sharpie pen, the sensor is able to pick it up and works fine. Is an extra step but does the trick.
Jami says
Hello! Found your page on troubleshooting the calibration for print and cut. I have tried to do this and I get a message that there are no printer options. I have a wireless printer that works with my HP computer. I am able to print to it from other things but it won’t show any printers under the calibration or even if I try to print and cut. No printer options come up to even move forward. Would you be willing to help me figure out why the printer isn’t showing up? Thank you for help
Liz, HLMS Reader Support says
That is so strange!!
You will want to check your printer settings and make sure that you have your Network Printer wireless settings set up if you’re trying to print wireless.
If you have the printer plugged in to your computer, make sure the cord is attached firmly and the printer is turned on.
Let me know if this works for you.
Happy Crafting!!
Liz, HLMS Reader Support
print on canvas says
thanks for sharing very helpful post.
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Brother Printer Offline says
nice post. thanks for sharing.
Pamela says
hi i uploaded an image to print and cut on my Cricut/Explore Air 2 and when i send it to my printer, the color of the image comes out black and white, i’ve tried everything that i could think of, but i just can’t seem to figure out what the problem is, Can you help me when this please?
Autumn says
I had to uninstall all instances of my printer in my computer and then re-install my printer to fix this color issue.
Kathy says
I’ve done a print and cut and it cut fine, but then for some reason, it’s now way off the marks. I’ve recalibrated the machine and everything worked fine. For the life of me, I can’t figure out what’s wrong!
Amy Motroni says
Hi Kathy,
That is so frustrating!
I would call Cricut support for that one. I’ve had the same issue lately and I think it’s a software glitch!
Hopefully they can help!
Amy, HLMS Reader Support
Kathy says
I think I figured out the issue! Apparently, clear coat can throw off your sensors. If you cover up the registration lines with painters tape or paper when you spray it with clear coat, it senses the proper cut lines. I’ve had no issues with cutting since doing this!
HANNAH KESSEL says
Ever have the problem with the printed image when you go to cut it, the cricut only cuts across the very top of the paper and that’s it?
Pamela Snow says
thank you for your post. It is helpful. I just got a new explore 2. I have calibrated it but of the 3 pages that were print then cut, it will only cut 2. I get an error message on the 3rd that says it cannot read the cut sensor lines. I have NO clue why and have reprinted several times. I’m very familiar with print then cut so this is so frustrating :-( any ideas from anyone??? :-) thanks
melissa smith says
Hello, when I use print you to cut . It’s printing out the image but not black box I even sent it to a different printer and got the same thing.
Isabella says
Thank you sooooo much for this!
I have struggled for so long trying everything So that it would cut properly and nothing I did worked! I was never actually asked to perform a calibration cut when I first got my cricut, so this has been a breakthrough for me! Thank you again you wonderful human! 🥰
Brenda Jalomos says
Completed calibration everything went ok. But when I send project to print, my printer does not recognize the project at all. Please help.
Amy Motroni says
There have been a lot of problems with Print then Cut this week—that’s one of them. It’s a glitch. I’m hoping they get it resolved too!
Amy, HLMS Support
Kim LaHait says
I’ve used Print to Cut a number of times with no issues. Last night I printed 1 of 2 pages with no problems. Page 2 is giving me serious issues. It prints the black box but is not printing the actual image i need to cut. Suggestions?
Amy Motroni says
Hi Kim,
Can you upload the pages separately? Print then cut has been soooo glitchy lately!
Hope that helps!
Amy, HLMS Support
MintLady says
Hi there
After you calibrate do you ever manage to get the cut to go perfectly around the large rectangular box? I never have managed this and hence my cuts seem to be out all the time.
Amy Motroni says
That is soo frustrating!
Mine does work.
I would contact Contact Cricut support to see what they say.
Hope that helps!
Amy, HLMS Support
Cathy says
Hello! This calibration sheet you provided looks so different than the one they give you to print. Did they upload the wrong one? I have a solid box on mine and not corner marks. I have yet to be able to calibrate my cricut explore air 2.Argh!!!!
Amy Motroni says
Hi Cathy,
We may need to update that post. The Cricut calibration sheet is probably newer new.
You should contact Cricut support and see if they can make it work.
Hope that helps!
Amy, HLMS Support
Destiny says
My sheet is the same as yours, and I can’t seem to get my Explore Air 2 to calibrate ether!! After it cuts the test marks, there is not a cut on ANY of the test marks that is in the middle. I don’t know what to do. 😭
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Chelsey says
Hi, My print and cut is not working properly. I’m able to print my project out and load it into my machine, However after the sensor reads the cutting sensor when it’s time to cut the project my mat gets pushed completely out. I already calibrated my machine but it’s still doing the same thing.
Crystal Summers says
Hi Chelsey,
I’m sorry to hear you’re having an issue. Unfortunately, that sounds like a technical issue, so I don’t think we can provide much guidance. Cricut Support should be able to help, though!
Good luck!
Crystal, HLMS Community Manager
Sherry Morris says
My images show the sensor black squares but they don’t print. I’ve contacted Cricut support but they claim too many inquiries and I’m days away from getting help!
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Cori says
You are so welcome! :)
Diane says
I’m having trouble with constantly having to calibrate my cricut maker. Do you have to calibrate EVERY single time you want to print and cut? I want to make stickers. But I find myself having to calibrate EVERY single time I want to make something. Is anybody else having this issue? I’m so annoyed!!
Cori says
Hi Diane,
Sorry to hear you are having difficulties with your Cricut Maker calibration. I would suggest that you reach out to Cricut for assistance. Here is their contact information: https://help.cricut.com/hc/en-us/articles/360020316674-Cricut-Contact-Information
Jennifer Snell says
Mine won’t start the process. Anyone gave that issue?