On a wood table, a teal and white Cricut Joy sits. The front piece is laid flat so the machine is open. Metal bars are showing in the middle of it. |
A Cricut Joy is a machine that cuts and draws on a variety of materials.
Accessories:
• Cricut Joy cardstock and inserts (you can use regular cardstock and
inserts, they just have to fit the size of your project)
• Cricut Joy pens
• Cricut Joy markers
• Cricut Joy card mat
• Exacto knife
• Cricut Joy weeding tool
Pros:
Cricut Design Space lets you either make your own design or use designs that are already included in the app. Professional card designers like Anna Griffin have elements on there. As a side note, you can pay for a monthly subscription through Design Space, but it is not necessary to use the Cricut Joy.
It has access from tablets or other mobile devices via Bluetooth.
It's faster to make cards (for me) with the Cricut Joy than assembling ones solely by hand.
The application tells you when the blade or an accessory (like a marker or pen) needs changing and how to do it step-by-step.
Cons:
The Cricut Joy mat is sticky, and it is sometimes hard to line up the cardstock on it.
The machine doesn't always cut though the cardstock (that's what the Exacto knife is for).
Even though the card mat is sticky, the cardstock may not stick completely so it can move while cutting (which can ruin the card). One way to fix this issue is to tape all four corners.
The Cricut Joy pens and markers can only be used with that particular machine.
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Overall, the Cricut Joy works good for card making.
P.S. The reason I didn't include the prices is because the prices differ depending on where you purchase the Cricut Joy.
Jennifer's note: The lowest I've seen it go for is $130 USD without accessories.