Many crafting enthusiasts have fallen in love with their personal electronic die-cut machine, the Cricut. A new addition to the already popular product is the development of a software program created just for Cricut users.

Cricut Design Studio is a computer software program created by Provocraft, the designers of the Cricut machine. While the machine itself allows the user to cut various shapes and fonts in a rage of sizes, the Cricut Design Studio takes it to a whole new level. Simply connect the Cricut to the computer via a USB port, install the software, and unleash a whole new dimension of crafting.

The main benefit of the Cricut Design Studio is the ability for users to weld, or connect letters together to form a single cutting. Gone are the days of gluing each letter one at a time. Now letters, phrases, and shapes can be welded together before cutting making it faster and easier than ever to add cuttings to projects.

Another benefit of the Cricut Design Studio is that the shapes and letters can be manipulated extensively before cutting. Users are no longer limited to only adjusting the size, but can now change the shape properties to better support their overall design. Each image can be stretched, slanted and flipped to get the exact look the crafter is needing.

While the Cricut Design Studio has benefit after benefit, my personal favorite is the ability to incorporate images from various cartridges into one design. The user can now design with all the cartridge options at once instead of being limited to cutting with one cartridge at a time.

Advanced and ultra-creative users have created awe inspiring projects by combining several different cartridges into one incredible cutting.

The Cricut Design Studio is, in my opinion, a necessity for every Cricut owner. While there is a learning curve to it, once it is understood the creative options are absolutely unlimited. The Cricut and the Design Studio have become a must-have resource for every scrapbooker and card maker today.