Glossary · Accessories

Makerspace

Cutting mat

A carrier board with a slightly sticky surface on which the material is placed for the cutting plotter so that it does not shift during cutting.

Explained in more detail

The mat holds paper, card, fabric or film in position without a rigid carrier of its own while the plotter feeds it in and the blade cuts. Cricut offers mats with different levels of tack, as well as dedicated mats for fabric. Without a mat, Cricut machines cut only Smart Materials, and the Silhouette Cameo 5α cuts material with a carrier sheet up to 4.87 m. With a mat, its size limits the cutting length, to about 30 × 60 cm on the Maker 5 and Explore 5. The tack wears off over time.

Where does the term come from?

A cutting mat is the mat on which the material is cut. Cricut names its mats after their tack, such as LightGrip, StandardGrip or StrongGrip.

In practice

• Choose the adhesive strength to suit the material: thin paper on a strongly adhesive mat tears easily when removed.
• Put the protective film back on after cutting so that no dust gets onto the adhesive layer.
• If material slips despite a clean mat, the adhesive strength is used up.

Not to be confused

The plotter's cutting mat is not the cutting mat for cutters and rotary cutters: that one is thick, self-healing and not sticky.

Frequently asked questions

Can you plot without a mat?

Only with material that has a firm backing. With Cricut these are the Smart Materials, with the Silhouette Cameo 5α material with a carrier sheet.