How to Cut Button Badge Templates with a Cricut
A Cricut turns a printed sheet of badge artwork into perfectly cut circles, squares, hearts or ovals — no hand-trimming, no wobbly edges. The trick is giving it the right file. My Badge Studio exports a cut file made for exactly this: your artwork plus machine-readable cut lines, at true size. Here's the whole workflow, start to finish.
Why you can't just use the PDF
Cricut Design Space does not accept PDF — the PDF is your print file. Design Space imports SVG, PNG and JPG. My Badge Studio gives you a dedicated SVG cut file that carries both the printed artwork and the cut outline, so Design Space knows precisely where to cut. Because SVG is vector, there's no loss of quality and the badge lands at its real millimetre size.
What you'll need
- A Cricut (Maker or Explore — any model with Print Then Cut).
- A home inkjet or laser printer.
- Your material: printable sticker paper, printable magnet sheet (for fridge magnets), or cardstock you'll assemble into pin-back button badges.
- A badge design in My Badge Studio.
Step 1 — Design your badge sheet
In the badge studio, pick your template (button badge, fridge magnet or name badge), set your Badge Shape & Size, and upload your artwork. Fill the sheet with as many badges as you want — or mix sizes with multiple sizes on one page. Everything is already at true print dimensions.
Step 2 — Download the Cut File (SVG)
Open Paper Size & Layout and click Cut File (SVG). You'll get one file containing your artwork and a red cut line tracing each badge's outer edge — circle, square, heart or oval, whatever your template uses.
SVG vs DXF: use SVG for Cricut — it holds artwork + cut lines. The DXF button is cut-lines-only, for Silhouette Studio's free edition; with DXF you print the artwork from the PDF and use the file purely to cut.
Step 3 — Don't add your own cutting marks
This trips people up: for Cricut you should not bake registration marks into the file. Design Space adds its own marks during Print Then Cut, and a second printed set confuses the machine's sensor. That's why My Badge Studio's Cricut option under "Show Cutting Mark" deliberately prints no marks — the machine handles registration. Just download the SVG and go.
Step 4 — Upload to Cricut Design Space
- In Design Space, click Upload → Upload Image and drag in the SVG.
- Add it to your canvas. The artwork comes in with the cut outline attached.
- Check the size on the canvas — Design Space occasionally rescales SVGs (a 72 vs 96 DPI quirk). If the dimensions look off, set the width/height to your intended size and everything stays accurate.
Step 5 — Make It → Print Then Cut
- Click Make It, then choose Print Then Cut.
- Design Space prints your artwork — with its own registration marks — on your home printer.
- Load the printed sheet on your cutting mat. The Cricut scans the marks and cuts every badge outline exactly on the edge.
- Weed, assemble into pin-back badges or peel your magnets, and you're done.
Troubleshooting
- The SVG looks empty in Illustrator (only cut lines show). That's an Illustrator limitation, not a broken file — Illustrator doesn't render the colour-adjustment filters the artwork uses. The artwork is in the file. Preview in Cricut Design Space, a web browser, or Inkscape instead.
- The cut is slightly off. Almost always a scale issue on the canvas (Step 4) or a light-coloured printer calibration — reprint and re-check the size first.
- Design Space rejected the PDF. It won't take PDF — download the SVG cut file instead.
Which plan do I need?
Badge & magnet cut files unlock on the Business plan and above (see pricing). Die-cut sticker cut files stay on Business Plus and Business Pro. You can design and preview on any plan; the cut-file download unlocks on the plans above.
Selling badges at events? Pair this with the Event/Client portal so guests design on their phones while you print and cut on the spot. Open the studio, fill a sheet, and let your Cricut do the trimming.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Cricut Design Space accept PDF files?
No. Design Space imports SVG, PNG and JPG — not PDF. Use the Cut File (SVG) from My Badge Studio's Paper Size & Layout section: it contains your artwork plus the cut lines, at true size.
Should I download the SVG or the DXF for Cricut?
SVG. It carries the artwork and the cut lines together, which is what Cricut's Print Then Cut needs. The DXF is cut-lines-only and is meant for Silhouette Studio's free edition — with DXF you print the artwork from the PDF separately.
Do I need to add cutting or registration marks?
No. Cricut Design Space adds its own registration marks during Print Then Cut, so you should not bake any into the file — a second set confuses the sensor. The Cricut option under 'Show Cutting Mark' prints none on purpose.
My SVG looks blank in Illustrator — is the file broken?
No. Illustrator has weak support for the SVG colour filters the badge artwork uses, so it often shows only the cut lines. The artwork is in the file — open it in Cricut Design Space, a web browser, or Inkscape to see it.
Can I cut fridge magnets this way too?
Yes. Print your badge artwork onto a printable magnet sheet, then run the same SVG through Print Then Cut. The Cricut cuts the outer shape to size, and you peel and stick.
Will the badges come out the right size?
The SVG carries true millimetre dimensions, so it imports at the correct physical size. Design Space occasionally rescales SVGs, so after uploading, glance at the width/height on the canvas and set it to your intended size if it looks off.
