The Cricut Expression is one of Cricut’s most popular cutting machines. While most Cricut machines are quite easy to hook up to a computer just like how most accessory machines are, the problem with the Expression is that it is now a legacy machine that Cricut no longer supports. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t use it with a computer anymore. So, how do you connect your Cricut Expression to a computer?
You will need third-party software to connect your Cricut Expression to your computer. The software that you can use includes Sure Cuts a Lot and Make the Cut. As long as you have these software on your computer, you will be able to hook up your Cricut Expression with your computer and use it normally.
The problem with the Cricut Expression is that, even though it might be pretty popular and is very simple to use, it is no longer supported by the company behind it. That means that you will have to find other means to use this machine so that it won’t end up becoming useless lying around in your home without being able to do what it was specifically designed to do.
Can you still use Cricut Expression?
With how the world has been moving forward technologically, even those who are into arts and crafts and DIY projects have been able to make use of computers for their own hobbies and personal endeavors. From using scissors and box cutters to cut out intricate designs on papers, DIY experts are now using Cricut machines that basically act as printers but cut out different designs on papers instead.
The popularity of Cricut can be traced back to more than a decade ago. Back then, one of the most popular Cricut machines was the Expression, which is a simple machine that a lot of people have been able to easily use to cut out designs on their favorite types of paper. However, the thing you need to know is that it has already been more than a decade since Expression was released.
Like most other companies that continuously release new models of their machines, Cricut has since continued to produce different paper cutting machines to the point that they eventually phased the Expression out. However, that didn’t mean that they completely stopped supporting the Cricut Expression as, even though Cricut stopped producing the Expression, you could still use it with your computer using Cricut’s own software called Craft Room.
However, Cricut stopped supporting the Craft Room as well, and that has made it almost impossible for people to use their Cricut Expression because they couldn’t connect the machine with their computers. After all, there was a point in time when the Cricut Craft Room was the only way for you to connect your Expression to a computer. And the Expression isn’t even compatible with Cricut’s current software called Design Space.
In that regard, does that mean that you can no longer connect your Cricut Expression to a computer? Was the phasing out of the Cricut Craft Room the final nail in the coffin for Cricut Expression machines out there?
So, the good news here is that, even though the Cricut Craft Room was once thought of as the only way for you to connect your Expression to your computer, there are other ways for you to actually connect the two machines with one another so that you could use your Expression with your computer.
But the thing you need to know here is that connecting your Cricut Expression to your computer will require you to make use of third-party software that aren’t licensed by Cricut but are still very much compatible with the Expression. And you also need to know that it might take a bit of work for you to be able to connect an older machine with third-party software that are pretty old as well.
How do you connect Cricut Expression to a computer?
Now that you know that you could still connect your Cricut Expression to a computer, let’s now look at how you can do so. Again, the Expression can only be connected to a computer using third-party software. The two that we have in mind here are Sure Cuts a Lot (SCAL) and Make the Cut (MCT). Let’s look at how you can use these software to connect your Cricut Expression to your computer.
SCAL
What you need to know about SCAL is that this is a pretty popular software used for plenty of different die-cutting machines as people who may own different cutting machines are big fans of this software. And the reason why SCAL is so popular is that you have full control over your designs and that you can use it even when you are offline.
However, the problem with SCAL is that it is no longer compatible with the latest Cricut Expression firmware, which was the final one before Cricut discontinued the Expression. That’s because Cricut made it a point to make sure that you couldn’t use SCAL with your Expression. As such, the only way for you to use your Expression on SCAL is to downgrade the machine back to its firmware version 2.1.
Downgrading the Cricut Expression to version 2.1 should be impossible according to Cricut. However, there is a workaround that you could use to actually downgrade your Expression back to 2.1. See our detailed guide on how to downgrade the Expression back to 2.1. After you have downgraded it, you can now connect your Expression to your computer through SCAL.
MCT
Make the Cut or MCT is also a pretty popular software that you can use with die-cutting machines such as the Cricut Expression. And it is also compatible with the machines sold by other brands as well.
The thing that makes MCT stand out is that it has plenty of different tools that will allow your cutting machines to have an easier time when you finally use them to cut out your designs on the paper of your choice. MCT isn’t as easy to use as SCAL but it also has its good sides as well.
To use MCT, what you need to do is download the software on your computer and then connect your Cricut Expression to it. But the problem here is that you will have to look for a specific plugin that will allow MCT to become fully compatible with your Cricut Expression. This can be a pretty difficult process to do because the newer MCT versions no longer support that Cricut plugin.
As such, the only way for you to use MCT is to look for an older version of the software and then find the Cricut plugin so that you could use it to connect your Expression to your computer. This is a bit more tedious than using SCAL, which has a more detailed and easier process. That’s why, if you want to connect your Cricut Expression to your computer, the best way to do it is to use SCAL.
Be sure to check out some other nifty functional craft ideas through our other posts here on Craft-ILY as well as checking out some videos on DIY and How To’s over on YouTube. Look for “Crafting Unedited” or just click the name in blue to see!