If you’re new to Cricut or vinyl cutting, you might have heard about cutting mats and wondered, do I really need one? Trying to use your Cricut machine without a cutting mat is going to cause you so much headache, wasted vinyl, and in the end you will still need to buy one. Cutting mats are essential for Cricuts (unless you’re using Smart Materials with newer machines like the Cricut Maker 3 or Explore 3). But for most materials and machines, the mat is your best crafting friend. Let’s break down why you need a cutting mat together.
🧷 What Is a Cricut Cutting Mat?
A Cricut cutting mat is a mat you attach your material to, to hold it in place while you’re cutting. They are sticky and reusable and stop materials like vinyl, paper, and fabric moving around, causing incorrect cuts, wasting material, or even damaging your machine or blades.
There are different types of cutting mats depending on what you are cutting. Take a look at our Cricut mat guide here.
Why You Need a Cutting Mat
Cutting mats are a must to be able to cut anything on older Cricut machines like the Cricut Explore Air 2, Maker, or Joy. The mat prevents slippage, enabling precise cuts every time while also protecting your machine. Using different types of mats allows you to cut delicate materials such as paper, fabric, or foils. Cutting mats may seem like an inconvenience but come in super handy when you have a collection of scrap pieces of vinyl and want to create something from them.
🖨️ Do I Always Need a Mat?
If you’re using an older Cricut, then yes! But if you are using a newer model like the Maker 3, Explore 3, or Joy Xtra, you can use Smart Materials which don’t need a mat in order to cut. See our guide on Smart Materials here.
Not always! If you own a newer Cricut machine like the Maker 3, Explore 3, or Joy Xtra, you can use Smart Materials—which don’t need a mat.
🧽 How to Keep Your Cricut Mat Sticky
To get the most out of your cutting mat you must take care of it. After cutting, always remove materials gently and use a scraper to clean leftover bits to ensure it is fully clean. Avoid touching the adhesive side of the mat with your hands or placing it down without the clear plastic cover. You can clean your mat with baby wipes or with warm soapy water; however, do this sparingly. When your mat stops feeling sticky, it’s time for a new one. There are a few ‘hacks’ out there to make the mat sticky again using spray adhesive that you could try; however, this can void the warranty so take care and do your research before trying this.
🔄 Can I Reuse Cutting Mats?
Cricut mats can be used over and over. If you look after them, you can use them around 40 times or even more before the stickiness fades. It depends on what you are cutting and how you look after them.
💡 When Not to Use a Mat
Only use your Cricut machine without a mat when you’re cutting Smart Materials such as Smart Vinyl, Smart Iron-On, or Smart Paper with the correct machine that is compatible with this. If you try to cut regular vinyl or paper without a mat, it can damage your blade, material, and/or the machine.
🧵 What Happens If I Don’t Use a Mat?
There’s a reason for these mats, and if you don’t use one when it’s required, you could run into issues like your material slipping which may cause incorrect cuts. Jamming is also another common problem when not using a mat, which can cause damage to your blade or machine rollers. Most commonly, the biggest issue when not using a mat is wasting material, and material costs add up, so it’s not something you want to be doing often.
💬 FAQs About Cricut Mats
Can I use non-Cricut brand mats?
Yes, many crafters use off-brand mats with good results. Just make sure the grip level matches the material you are cutting.
Can I cut fabric without a mat?
No, always cut fabric using a mat. The FabricGrip mat is best for this.
Can I use the wrong color mat?
You can, but it may damage your material when trying to remove the material from the mat if it’s too sticky. The material may slide if it’s not sticky enough, so always match grip strength to material.
Cricut cutting mats are made for a reason and help you achieve the results you want without errors. Unless you’re using Smart Materials a cutting mat is needed to be able to cut. It’s a small step that makes a huge difference in the success of your project.
🔗 Ready to Craft?
- Browse our Cricut-compatible SVG files
- Not sure which Cricut mat to buy?
