The New Cricut Heat Press Collection: A Review & Projects

This Post Is Sponsored By Cricut. As Always, My Reviews And Opinions Are 100% My Own!

Something super exciting happened- the Cricut Heat Press family got some new members! I have the review, all the details you need & even sharing some of my first projects with my new Cricut Heat Presses!

On March 7th, Cricut announced 3 new heat presses; The Cricut Hat Press, EasyPress 3 & the AutoPress! Over the last few weeks, I have been testing the Hat Press & EasyPress3, the app & gaining experience using them to share with you!

Before I jump to the tutorial part, here is a Q & A with most asked questions and things you just need to know!

Cricut Heat app

Before I can jump into the machines, we need to talk about the Cricut Heat app. The app is what makes these machines even extra innovative! The app allows you to choose your transfer material, base material, pressing surface, & sends it automatically to the press.

Along with allowing you to choose materials, you can find guided instructions when pressing your designs which is extremely helpful.

The app is also available in 13 languages including; Spanish, French, German, English, Korean, Chinese both traditional and simplified, Portuguese, Dutch, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Turkish.

New Cricut Heat Press Collection

The Cricut Hat Press

First, let’s dive into the NEW NEW here! The Cricut Hat Press is such an exciting release! What makes the Cricut Hat Press so special is its curved heat plate! Along with the curved heat plate, the hat form is going to be your new BFF I promise!

Kiss the days of struggling with getting a hat done right good-bye! So let’s chat about some nitty-gritty details:

• Price: $149.99 USD
• It is bluetooth compatible with Cricut’s new Cricut Heat app available on Android & iOS devices
• Auto-off feature after 13 mins of inactivity
• The Hat Press firmware will be updated automatically when you activate through Cricut Heat app
• 3 Temperature settings; low, medium, high
• Infusible Ink Compatible with Cricut Infusible Ink Hat Blanks
• Comes with the Cricut Hat Pressing Form for easy application

The EasyPress 3

The biggest question is- how does the EP3 Cricut Heat Press collection differ from the EP2? It is Bluetooth compatibility which allows it to connect to the Cricut Heat app!

You no longer need to look up the Cricut Heat Guide! I highly recommend the Cricut Heat Press collection to my new crafters.

Now down to the details:

• 9×9 Price: $199 USD
• 12×10 Price: $249 USD
• It is bluetooth compatible with Cricut’s new Cricut Heat app available on Android & iOS devices
• Works with sublimation
• No dual voltage- they are manufactured with power requirements specific to the region which it is sold.
• The EasyPress3 firmware will be updated automatically when you activate through Cricut Heat app

Now, let’s use the new Cricut Heat Press members!

Hat Press Projects

I am hooked! This new Hat Press is going to make gifting beautiful hats such an easy task and my hat collection is about to GROW! The first step is to activate your Hat Press with the Cricut Heat app.

Supplies

• Cricut Hat Press & Press Form
• Cricut Trucker Hat Blank- 3 pack sold
• Maker 3, Maker, Explore Air 2, Explore 3
• Infusible Ink Transfer Sheets in Black
• Standard Grip Mat
• Strong Grip Heat Tape

Project Design

With my parent’s birthdays coming up I found this to be the perfect opportunity to use my new Cricut Heat Presses. The design of the hats can be found in Cricut Design Space. All you need to do is search for “Grandma” and “Grandpa”!

Sizing Tip: 4.25 x 2.25 is the optimal size for a design to cover the front of the Cricut Trucker Hat Blank.

Cutting & Prepping Your Design

Load your standard grip mat with your infusible ink sheet & follow the steps on Design Space to cut your design. Rememeber to keep the color side up and mirror your image when cutting.

After your design is done cutting, remove your Infusible Ink transfer sheet from the mat by flipping it upside down and peeling the mat from your design. *This helps with rolling*

Weeding an Infusible Ink Transfer Sheet is simple and requires little tools. You can simply use your hands for large parts and sort of fold to crack and remove the excess material. Always have your weeding tool handy for details.

Prepare Your Hat for Cricut Heat Press: Hat Press

The Cricut Heat app has great visuals to guide you through how to press using your hat press and how to position your hat on the pressing form correctly. It is such a great feature that you can easily access any time!

It’s so important to remember to undo the backing of your hat prior!

• Please keep in mind the Cricut Hat Pressing Form contains a firm core surrounded by walnut shells. The inside is 91% Walnut Shells & 9% Polyester

Next, select your materials on the Heat app and send to your hat press. While your hat press is heating up go ahead and grab your Strong Heat Resistant Tape to adhere your design well on the hat. Always use Strong Heat Resistant Tape, it is much stronger and better at securing your design to your pressing area.

Pressing Your Hat

You are now ready for the fun part! The best way to hold the hat blank and pressing form is by resting it upright with the pressing area facing up. You want ot hold wiht one hand and use the other to press.

The movement here is to move the Hat Press side to side in a continuous motion with the speed you would use an iron or computer mouse.

Once your hat is done you will remove your Infusible Ink transfer sheet like you normally would and boom you have yourself a super cool and totally personalizable hat!

My Opinion

As a Cricut hobbyist I think this is hands down one of my favorite Cricut products! I love being able to personalize hats for myself and as gifts. Living in Southern California hats are such a staple year round and the Hat Press opens up a world of possibilities.

In my years creating with Cricut I had been one to bend hands and twist them every which way trying to personalize them only to end up with a bent hat and giving up. The Hat Press is so user friendly!

The EasyPress 3 Projects

A hat and coordinating shirt felt like the right gifts for my parents. My parents are very into neutrals and my mom is a classic black & white combo type of woman so I kept things simple & they are TOTALLY COORDINATED!

Now, for this project we have one shirt that is made with Infusible Ink and one made with Iron On! Both materials are super easy tow ork with and the EasyPress 3– your choice!

Supplies:

• EasyPress 3
• Cricut Maker 3, Explore 3, Explore Air 2, Maker
• Standard Grip Mat
• Black Infusible Ink Transfer Sheet
• Black Everyday Iron On
• Heat Resistant Tape
• Infusible Ink Blank T Shirts
• Baseball Tee
• Weeding Tool

Shirts Design

My kids have always called my parents Mama & Papa, which gave me the cute idea of making them shirt with the words “Mama est. 2010” and “Papa est. 2010”. You can find my design with the exact font HERE.

Once you size your design to your liking go ahead and move foward to Create! Now the beauty is I get to load 2 mats with my materials and get a jump on things this way. The ability to see what is being cut next on Design Space saves me so much time. My biggest tip- HAVE EXTRA MATS!

Having lots of mats to load with the fast cutting ability of the Maker 3 make crafting so quick!

Weeding Your Design

To weed your design you will grab your weeding tool and remove any excess material from your design. Infusible Ink is even easier to weed and requires you bending to almost crack where the cut lines are and simply removing the extra material.

I find this SUPER therapeutic to be honest! There is something relaxing to revealing your design!

Pressing Your Design

The Cricut Heat app makes pressing with the EasyPress 3 Cricut Heat Press collection so easy! Once you activate your machines with the app you will be guided step by step on how to layer materials when working with Infusible Ink as well as Iron on.

*For my Infusible Ink Project I did use Heat Resitant Tape to keep in place

You will select your material, base material, whether you are using a Cricut EasyPress Mat or a towel. Following the selection you will see the preset settings on the app and have the ability to send to your EasyPress 3.

You are definitely able to override settings or use it without the app, however- IT REALLY MAKES THINGS EASY! Follow the prompts on your Cricut Heat app and get to pressing! Once you’re done pressing you can carefully remove the backing.

My Opinion on the EasyPress 3

The EasyPress 3 with the Cricut Heat app makes things super convenient. You no longer need to look up the Cricut Heat Guide. To my new crafters this is for you! No more guessing time and temperature with an iron. You can simple input your materials and let the EasyPress 3 do the work for you!

To my EasyPress 2 owners, if you wanted to upgrade you definitely can. Howevever, the difference is Blueooth technology and your EP2 will do the job well too. I think this is a matter of your budget and whether the app capability is a must have for you.