In Design Space, attaching is usually used to do one of two things: fasten a write or score layer to a cut layer, or hold cut placement. Normally, Design Space will arrange your images on the mat to conserve material. However, if you want your images to cut in the same positions relative to each other on the cutting mat, you will need to attach them.
Attaching tells Design Space to keep the selected items together on one mat. If I select items that are different colors, they will all turn the same color. So, if I want to keep images together and still send different colors to different mats, I will need to attach by color. Cricut images will already be attached by color. However, uploaded images will need colors attached separately.
In this design from LoveSVG, there are two different colors. When it comes into design space, it is grouped. Remember, grouping doesn’t affect cut placement. The design is in one big group. First, ungroup the main design by selecting it and clicking “Ungroup.”
Once the design is ungrouped, all the layers will be selected. Click on the canvas to deselect them.
Select all the colors of the first color, which is orange in this example. The easiest way to do this is to hold down the shift key and select all the orange layers in the layers panel. When all the layers of the first color are selected, click “Attach.”
Next, hold down the shift key and select all the layers of the second color. There will now be two attached layers. The design is ready to be cut.
OPTIONAL STEP: The attached layer sets can be renamed to whatever you want to call them. To do this, right click and select “Rename,” or double click and type the new name.
After clicking “Make,” the each color goes to a different mat and the images are in the correct positions.
Watch me demonstrate attaching by color in this video:
