Cricut Explore 3: The Basics You Should Know

In this blog post we are going to go over the new Cricut Explore 3: the basics you should know. Cricut came out with two new products on June 10^th, the Cricut Maker 3 and the Cricut Explore 3. Both machines have several really neat upgrades that we are diving into. You can find the blog post for the Cricut Maker 3 here.

Before we go into this post, I just want to mention that I am only covering the very basic differences here to help anyone quickly decide on whether they want to upgrade or not.

Differences between Cricut Explore 3 and Cricut Explore Air 2:

• The new Cricut Explore 3 can cut materials without a mat. That is the biggest and most exciting news. You must use the new line of smart materials. Basically the smart materials are what allows you to cut without a mat. This includes
  • Smart Iron On
  • Smart Paper 
  • Smart Vinyl
• The Cricut Explore 3 can cut up to 12 feet without a mat.
• The cut time on the new machine is almost twice as fast as the previous machine.
• The dial is gone, so the buttons are very similar to the Cricut Maker. When you are in Cricut Design Space it is going to ask you to choose a material. So you no longer have to choose that on the dial.
• The buttons have changed slightly as well, but the main difference is the “C” button has been replaced with a play button.
• The tool holder is larger!
• Cutting guides and sensors have been added to help the matless process.
• There is a dock on the trop of the machine where you can place you phone. This is such a convenience for any folks who use their smart phone for these projects.

I do want to mention that the Cricut Explore 3 can do everything that the Cricut Explore Air 2 can do, including using the same tools…

• Fine point blade – which the machine comes with.
• Deep point blade
• Foil tool
• Bonded fabric blade

You probably also noticed that the word “air” was dropped from this new model. We went from Cricut Explore Air 2 to Cricut Explore 3. This Cricut Explore 3 still has the capability to connect viz Bluetooth to your smart phone or computer. So don’t let the missing “air” throw you off.

The most exciting difference in my opinion is that the new Cricut Explore 3 can now do print then cut on colored paper. The Cricut Explore Air 2 could only print then cut on white paper, which tended to be kind of annoying. With this new upgrade, the Cricut Explore 3 can use colored paper just like the Cricut Maker!!

I hope you enjoyed this blog post on the Cricut Maker 3: The Basics You Should Know. See you next time and happy crafting!