Basically, it's a die cutter. Provocraft has made all of these cartridges ("carts", as the veterans call them) that have different fonts and shapes that you can cut out with this machine. But each cart, at its cheapest, is $40. Yikes! So, with a little research, I found software (retails around $60) that allows you to use any TT font on your computer as well as any clipart to cut! Do you know how many free fonts and free shapes there are online? TONS AND TONS! Plus there's this great free drawing program (very similar to Adobe Illustrator) that allows you to draw your own images/text and convert images you find online to cut with your Cricut.
There's been a little bit of a learning curve with both sets of software, but it's been fun fun fun to play around, and I'm so excited about all the things I'll be able to do! You know those cute chinese take-out boxes? Got a pattern for that. Cute tags and nameplates? Got that too. Oh, the possibilities are almost endless!
And if you find yourself in the market for one of these bad babies, skip the smaller sized Cricut. Go with the 24" Expression... it seems that almost everyone who buys the smaller Personal sized Cricut (which is much cheaper) ends up upgrading to the Expression and having to sell their Personal sized Cricut for much less than they bought it for.
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