Can I Use A Cricut Mat With My Silhouette Cameo?

We are well aware these days that crafting supplies are not as cheap as they were earlier. In fact, the ones that are repetitively used by us get a bit torn with the passage of time. One such important yet very useful crafting supply is a cutting mat. I am sure you are here because you already have a Cricut cutting mat and want to know about the multiple ways you can put it to use.

We all know that both Cricut and Silhouette Cameo companies are primarily in the business of manufacturing cutting machines. And often times they require certain additional accessories. Since both the cutting machines are basically solving the same purpose, so are their additional accessories. In case you have been wondering - can I use a Cricut mat with my Silhouette Cameo - then the straightforward answer is yes, you can. So, wait no more and keep reading to find out everything I did to use a Cricut mat with my Silhouette Cameo. This insightful blog will actually be a perfect guide for when you start putting your Cricut mat to use with your Silhouette Cameo cutting machine.

How Many Types Of Cricut Mats Are There?

A Cricut machine mat holds material firmly in its place as the cutting machine cuts, writes, or embellishes on it. These mats are primarily compatible with Cricut Explore and Cricut Maker series cutting machines. But they work perfectly well with cutting machines from other brands as well. There are four varieties of Cricut cutting mats available in the market, and each has a different color, namely, Blue, Green, Purple, and Pink. The blue one is also known as the light grip mat, which is used for lightweight materials like printer paper, pearl paper, Vellum, wrapping paper, etc.

The green-colored Cricut mat is known as the Standard Grip mat, which is used for medium-weight materials like Iron-on, Vinyl, Acetate, Matboard, Truebrush paper, glitter cardstock, embossed cardstock, etc. The purple-colored cutting mat is called the Strong Grip mat that is used for Heavyweight materials that include Wood veneer, Basswood, Felt, Aluminum sheets, Chipboard, Corrugated paper, and Leather. And lastly, the pink-colored Cricut cutting mat is known as the FabricGrip cutting mat, which is used for all kinds of fabrics and crepe paper.

Can I Use A Cricut Mat With My Silhouette Cameo?

Yes, you can use a Cricut mat with your Silhouette Cameo cutting machine. See either one you have at present; both are interchangeable. But without a doubt, the mats are slightly different. This difference can be a bit tricky while performing precision cuts like cutting vinyl scraps. It can be hard to print and cut those materials where the Silhouette Cameo needs to read the registration marks. When I purchased the Cricut mat and compared it with my Silhouette mat, that was torn. I found out that the Cricut mat is slightly smaller than my old and worn-out Silhouette mat. The only reason why I had to buy a Cricut mat even though I had a Silhouette Cameo cutting machine was that first thing; I wanted to rule out all the possibilities. And secondly, I did not have enough time to wait for the shipping and delivery, which was quite a long process.

The black line where the top of the paper that we use for our creative endeavors would usually go on the Silhouette mat a little higher than on the Cricut cutting mat. The white-lined grids on the Cricut mats are surrounded by a small shaded border. So, like I did, you can also line up the paper along the top of the shading, leaving the shading on the side exposed. Then, I loaded the Cricut mat along with the paper material into the Silhouette Cameo. By doing so, the edge of the Cricut mat lined up with the edge of the roller in my Cameo machine. The best part was that I thought that I might need to adjust the blade settings since the Cricut mats are usually a little thicker, but luckily, I didn’t have to.

How To Use A Cricut Mat With My Silhouette Cameo?

We can use the Cricut mat with a Silhouette Cameo using the template method. You will need certain crafting supplies before we get started:

●     Cricut cutting mat

●     Masking Tape

●     Razor Knife

●     Straight Edge Metal Ruler

●     Marker

●     A clear sheet (same size as that of your Cricut mat)

●     Silhouette Cameo Cutting Machine

1. First, lay your Cricut cutting mat on a cutting-safe work surface. Then place the clear sheet on your Cricut mat and cover it completely by lining up all the corners.
2. Next, tape the clear sheet as well as the Cricut cutting mat on your work surface.
3. Mark the corners using the marker after you secured them well.
4. This is a basic template you can use to cut using a Cricut mat, and that is pretty much it.
   
   Source:- Silhouette Cameo 4 Pro, Silhouette Cameo 4 Pro