Uploading Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) into Cricut Design Space

Posted by Delia Ivanoff on

In our previous blog post, we talked about using Scalable Vector Graphics (SVGs) and images available in Cricut Design Space. But, what if you don't find what you want there? What if you find free SVGs elsewhere or bought them from Etsy or other digital stores, and want to use them in Design Space? Before we talk about the step-by-step process, here's a quick lesson on digital images and SVG files.

Types of Images

There are two main types of image files you will use in Design Space: Raster images and Vector images.

Raster Images – These are the images captured with a camera or a scanner, or those created with pixel-based programs. Pixels are tiny squares that are grouped, arranged, and colored to build images. This category of images includes the following file types: .jpg, .bmp, .png, and .gif. When you try to make this type of image larger, the image becomes pixelated, resulting in reduced quality. 

Cricut Design Space - example image jpg pixelated

Vector Images
Vector images are not made of pixels. Instead, they are made of points, lines, and curves to form shapes, as specified by mathematical formulas. They are scalable up or down without losing the quality. Vector images include the following file types: .svg and .dxf. 

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVGis an Extensible Markup Language (XML)-based vector image format for two-dimensional graphics. SVG images and their patterns and designs are defined in XML text files (the same type of language used to create web pages). So, while we see "a picture," developers actually see strings of text, numbers, and symbols that make up the image. This makes these images searcheable, and they can be indexed, scripted, and compressed. SVG images can be created and edited with any text editor, as well as with drawing software. 

We'll focus this post on SVGs, and stay tuned for our post on using and processing Raster images in Cricut Design Space.

Step-by-step Process for Using Externally-sourced SVGs in Cricut Design Space

1. Download SVG files - You can find SVGs everywhere, many are free, much more are sold for minimal costs. If you purchase from places like Etsy, go to your order history or look for notification from the store, with the link to the files. Click download. This places the file into the Download folder on your computer. File packages from different vendors will come in different organization styles; here's an example of a downloaded package:

This is a good organization because you can see clearly where the SVG files are. You can see that I was also provided other file types: DXF, EPS, and PNG. Most digital image vendors will provide you with these other file types along with the SVG files. 
2. Extract the file (unzip)
In most cases, the files will come from the vendor or your other sources as compressed files. This is done to save space, as these images can be quite large. This means that you need to extract or unzip the files to make them usable. To do this, click on Extract All.
This will prompt another window that looks like this:

Extracting and uploading SVG files into Cricut Design Space

Click Browse to specify where you want the extracted files to be saved. I make a separate folder for each downloaded file, and give the folder a clear name so I know what files are in it. 

 

3. Find the SVG file in Your File Folders

Go to the folder where you saved the extracted file, and find the SVG files. The files are not always organized in folders based on image type, but usually, the file type is displayed as HTML document.

Uploading SVG into Cricut Design Space

 

4. Upload the SVG file into Design Space

SVG files are uploaded into Design Space as is and will automatically be separated into layers after uploading and saving. To upload, click on the upload icon on the left bar, then click on the upload image bar in the middle of the screen, as shown below. 

You can then Browse through your folder, select the file, and upload it, or, simply drag the image from your computer file folder into the canvas.

Upload SVG into Cricut Design Space

 

5. Insert SVG file into a new or existing design canvas

Once the image is uploaded into Design Space, you can insert it in a new or existing design canvas anytime. To insert an image, click on the Insert Images button on the bottom of your Design Space screen. 

Insert SVG file in Design Space Canvas

The uploaded image will remain in Design Space and, and can be searched by clicking on View All.

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