Cricut came out with a statement on March 16th regarding the contents of this article. Check out the updated article on the letter from the CEO.
Last Friday, the home cutting plotter company named Cricut made big changes to their machines. Cricuts, which many cosplayers use to make designs that will then be scored or cut onto EVA foam, will now be limiting how many design uploads people can make on the machine unless they pay a monthly subscription fee.
Most cosplayers use the free Design Space app to create designs for their Cricut. Design Space is the machine’s main software program that allows cosplayers to create custom pieces from scratch, or use a library filled with downloadable fonts, graphics, and patterns. Some of these downloads are free for users, but others can only be accessed through the paid subscription.
The change will force users to upload only “20 personal images and/or patterns” if they don’t buy the subscription. The standard subscription of Cricut Access is $9.99 a month or $95.88 a year, with the premium subscription being $119.88 a year.
Both cosplayers and crafters were angry about this new change, since many of them had already bought the machine for over $250. In addition to this, cosplayers usually upload at least 10-20 designs onto the Cricut to test the design before it is perfected to their liking. This means that cosplayers and crafters alike would not be able to make any mistakes whatsoever with their designs if they want to make 20 different pieces to be cut or scored on the machine.
Many went to both social media to complain about the new Cricut changes. Some went to Reddit to give a list of actions to take. Another person on Twitter noted that Cricut will also be deactivating any devices that people attempt to sell, which will also keep users from getting rid of their machines.
So in other Cricut news, apparently Cricut prohibits you from selling your Cricut machine, and if you do sell it they will deliberately choose to use its cloud lock-in crap to permanently destroy your machine. pic.twitter.com/s5yqCO0aiS
— Luke Weston (@lukeweston) March 15, 2021
Cosplayer Cowbutt Crunchies has also made an Instagram post explaining the ordeal with Cricut to the masses, which has already had over 3,700 likes in the first 18 hours. Many voiced their displeasures in the comment section, with some saying that they will be looking at Cricut’s main competitor Silhouette in the future.
At the moment there is no official date for when the new changes will go into effect, but cosplayers and crafters have already been voicing their displeasures and calling for the company to remove the new limitation. A petition on Change.org has been created calling for Design Space uploads to remain free, which has already garnered over 54,000 signatures. At this time Cricut has not made any statements in response to the backlash on their new limitations.
This article will be updated as more information from Cricut is released regarding the new changes.
