Update: MTC 3 is out of beta. Download MTC 3.2 to take advantage of these and many more features.
I played around with the beta version of Make-The-Cut 3 last night and I am amazed at the results. 2 issues have been standing in the way for reliable print and cut on the Cricut. One is being able to print at a specific size and position on the page and the other is the inaccuracy of the Cricut, especially its tendency to get further off course as you move away from the starting point. Somehow Andy (MTC’s developer) has magically overcome both of these problems to create a simple, flexible and accurate print and cut process using any printer and a Cricut machine.
Here’s a quick video
And here’s the step by step because I go really fast.
1) Open MTC and click on the Pixel Trace button and navigate to where your graphic is stored and click open. (I recommend you start with a simple graphic with a well-defined outline for your first try). I picked one from Lettering Delights, of course.
2) Set the threshold to 254. You want to be sure you capture the entire outer edge of the graphic.
3) Check the “Set Image as Texture” checkbox and click Import.
4) Click on the imported graphic to select it and click on the Blackout button.
5) Uncheck “outline shapes” at the bottom of the Visual Mat tab.
6) Choose File>Print and print to the printer of your choice. I used the default settings on both a Brother and an Epson printer, but you want to be sure anything that would change the size of the print (such as shrink to fit, etc.) is deselected. You also do not want it set to borderless printing.
7) Place the printed paper on the Cricut mat carefully aligned along the outlines in the upper left hand corner (as shown in photo above).
8 )Select Cut with Provocraft Cricut and cut using settings appropriate for your type of paper.
That’s it you’re done!
Note: If you don’t get satisfactory results using the simple process above you may need to make adjustments to your printer or cutter. I’ve put together a step by step process for finding and fixing problems here.
Thank you ever so much for putting all of this data together for us all.. Your a sweetheart..
[[[[[Hugs]]]]]
Joanne
Martinsburg, WV
I have just found your blog and all I can say is WOW WOW WOW!!! Thank you so much for this plethora of information. I am new to the Cricut and thought I may be limited (vs. Wishblade/Silhouette) and I do not feel that way anymore! Can’t wait to get started. 🙂
AWESOME tutorial!!!! LOVE it!!!!!
Hi Kay! Love, love, love your tutorials. Thank God you make them or my MTC would sit idle. I left you a blog award over on my blog, so if you would like, come get it! http://www.CreatingWithScrapbooks.com PS – I’m ScrappyKristin on the MTC forum 🙂
Thanks for the great tutorial! I just got MTC but I don’t think this feature downloaded onto it. Do I have to do the update for it? I got two weeks ago.
Also, I don’t know if you post these, but I left you a blog award on my blog, so feel free to come by and grab it for your blog. Thanks!
I watched the video and read the printed tut. did everything. when I selected the image and clicked the blackout button I get a message saying “there have been no changes made since there is nothing to blackout”. can you tell me why I am getting this?
If the image is just an outline with no internal shapes (like the letter C as opposed to the letter A, for example), then you will get that message because there truly is nothing to blackout. However, I seem to get this message at random sometimes and when I do, I just try again and it seems to fix itself.
thanks for the reply. I have tried different images with some working and others not working. not sure why some won’t work since they are very similiar. just keep working with them!
I have just obtained MTC and have viewed and printed out your video for Print and Cut. When I preview some graphics I see the image that will cut and others I just get a red rectangle and that is what it cuts rather than my image. What am I doing wrong?
Karen
Sounds like you might need to adjust the threshold down until you get the shape, not the rectangle.
Thanks. Will give that a try. The tut is great. The step by step directions are just what I need.
this is nice! I have a cricut personal electronic cutter though, not the expression. Will it work on my cricut? thanks.
yes it will.
I downloaded the newest version now. I also have the Imagine. It’s not for everyone, but it is cool. I am so glad that you all can use MTC for print and cut. This will be very useful for me as I want to make earring cards with my own logo I create! Woo hoo! Best of both worlds! Happy New Year!
Thanks so much for showing how to do this. I have had SCAL2 for quite sometime now and still don’t have the hang of it. I just purchased MTC a few weeks ago and I am loving it. Thanks again for showing me how to do this. You Rock!!
Great tutorial…I’ve been hesitant to try it, but you make it look easy…thanks!
I just tried this and everything went so well, except my cut was just a little off. Do I need to have my E at a certain setting to match up?
Thank you,
Dee
PS…please email me if you can! Thanks!
Dee, please refer to the troubleshooting steps (PDF download) at the bottom of this post for details on how to correct for machine differences.
Good grief! How in the world did I miss that?!? Thank you! I’m going to try to see where I’m going wrong.
Thanks again!
The printer is printing correctly, it’s the cricut that’s smidge off. So far I haven’t found any way to calibrate the E.
Dee,
There is no way to calibrate or adjust the E itself. SCAL has a recently added calibration feature, but barring that, you will need to shift your paper on the mat (or your design on the virtual mat) to compensate.
I was able to make some adjustments on the Y to make the cut a little closer. I need to tweak it a little more. I also have SCAL2, maybe I should try PnC with that program as well.
Thank you ever so much!
wow! can you still buy the mtc and have this feature compatible with the e?
visiting you from the circle blog. I hope you check out my blog as well.
http://sweetsassydiva.com
Sadly, no. This is only available for Cricut owners who purchased MTC prior to March 17. SCAL has greatly expanded it’s print and cut capabilities though and is still available for Cricut users, but best to act fast. Have visited your blog many times! Thanks!
i totally agree that this is the best ever print and cut(evven better than the silhouettes own software)
I must be so behind the times……Everything I’ve seen online until this very minute said that the MTC would no longer work with the Cricut…..I had previsouly downloaded the new version but then had to remove it and go back to my old version because it wouldn’t work on my Cricut. I just bought an Imagine but I want to take it back if MTC will work with my Expression…..HELP somebody!
I found the problem….you had to have downloaded the 3.0 version before a certain date…..right? Because the 3.2 version won’t work with the Cricut Expression. Drat!
Wow I just tried this in SCAL with my expression and it worked perfectly on the test square, now off to print and cut. Thanks soooooo much to all involved.