I am impressed with the Cricut EasyPress™

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You may have heard about the second generation of the EasyPress™, the EasyPress™ 2, and it is now available to order on Cricut’s site!

There are three different sizes, and the new models offer higher temperatures, among other improvements. I love my current EasyPress™, but I’m definitely interested in the smaller version for the children’s clothing projects I do.

What I love about my Cricut EasyPress™

When I got my first Cricut, I had no plans to do heat transfer vinyl. But after a few successful experiments, I was hooked! Only one problem: my clunky home steam press was too cumbersome and too inexact to get the vinyl adhered correctly every time.

Enter the Cricut EasyPress™. It gives great results in a small package. Its main advantages are:

exact temperature within 5 degrees Fahrenheit or celsius like a commercial heat press
targeted heat right where you want it
no hinges or fixed parts to get in the way
light and easy to store
has an optional matching mat for support and even heating
easy to take it to a craft night or a friend’s house

A lot of us probably don’t have enough crafting space for a commercial heat press, and I don’t feel comfortable having one with kids in the house. The EasyPress™ can be quickly tucked away out of sight in a cabinet or closet.

Note: Cricut uses the term “iron-on” instead of heat transfer vinyl or HTV. They’re all the same thing.

What to iron on for your iron-on: the base layer

You can use a folded bath towel or the EasyPress™ mat as a base layer. I recommend spending just a little bit extra for the EasyPress™ mat as it will ensure great results and is engineered to absorb seams like when you’re adhering vinyl to baby clothes. Amazon usually has a good price on the 12″ by 12″ size. The Cricut site has the other sizes.

Recommended Settings

Cricut has a great interactive tool on their help site where you can enter your iron-on type and fabric type, and it will give you the recommended temperature along with easy-to-follow directions for application.

There is also a printer-friendly pdf file with the recommended settings that you can download. I laminated a printout and put it right beside my work area.

Reverse Canvas

I never would have attempted this without an Easy Press. It’s so much easier than I thought it would be. I’ve created gifts for friends, and done several home decor projects. I love looking around our home and seeing projects I’ve made that have special meaning for our family. Here’s my tutorial and video on reverse canvas projects.