The Cricut is a paper cutting machine about the size of a small printer. It has the ability to cut out shapes, letters and phrases, and doesn’t require the use of a PC.

The Cricut really has rocked the world of scrapbooking (and paper arts in general) – it makes so many of those jobs a lot faster and a lot more accurate, though many scrapbookers are in two minds as to whether it’s worth the initial cost. Here’s a brief review to help you decide.

Features

•    Portable machine,
•    Items to be cut can range from 1” to 5.5” by 11” (unless you get the larger version),
•    Can cut cardstock up to 0.5mm thick,
•    Does not require a computer,
•    Comes with a 1 year warranty,
•    Measures 17-4/5 by 9-2/3 by 12-8/9 inches.

Cricut DISNEY TINKER BELL & FRIENDS Cartridge Brand-New & Ready To Ship US $22.02 (11 Bids) Auction Ends: Wednesday Feb-22-2012 20:03:36 PST   | Watch this Item

Cricut BATMAN Cartridge Brand-New & Ready To Ship US $9.09 (9 Bids) Auction Ends: Wednesday Feb-22-2012 20:04:54 PST   | Watch this Item

Cricut ELEGANT CAKES Cartridge Brand-New & Ready To Ship US $20.50 (14 Bids) Auction Ends: Wednesday Feb-22-2012 20:04:58 PST   | Watch this Item

The main benefit of this machine is that it makes die cutting much easier and is perfect for scrapbooking projects, greetings cards and other crafts. It’s also perfect for projects if you have a family, and it’s portability means you can easily take it with you on scrapbooking retreats.

It gets rid of the need to buy sets of letters, for example, and finding that you run out of the ones you really need. The Cricut gives you flexibility to produce the style and size you need, when you need it.

Cricut Cartridges

Part of the success and versatility of the Cricut machine comes down to the fact that you can buy cartridges full of hundreds of new designs. Cartridges may include different fonts, different shapes, themes, cartoon characters and famous figures, and more. Each cartridge has its own set of designs, so you can buy just a few or the whole set depending on what you want to create.

The main downside of the product is that it can get expensive, when you consider the original cost and the cost of buying new cartridges. On the plus side, you’ll find that you aren’t buying so many scrapbooking embellishments when you’ve got a machine that can do so much, and most people who own a Cricut wondered how they ever did without it!