which printer is best to use with cricut?

Which is the best type of printer to use with a cricut? 

Is there any specifications that you need to know?

Will any simple printer be enough? 

Should I have a printer inorder to use a cricut?

Okay. Let me start by letting you know that you need not have printer to get your cricut projects going. But, of your works require some sort of printing, then it is best to have a printer. You can use certain hacks to use print then cut projects even without a printer of your own, but if you plan on doing large scale products especially for selling, and if it requires printing, then it is better to have a printer than to rely on the hacks. Because before you start selling products with your cricut, you have to make a lot of practice cuts to perfect it and this will be difficult if you have to keep outsourcing a printer.

Now which printer should you buy? 

Let me talk about my experience and observation. I have a wireless USB model printer (before i bought a better one) before i had my cricut i just needed my printer for a few basic printout that didn't require precision. I got all my works done perfectly. And then i got my Cricut. And i struggled really bad. So here's what you need to know so that you don't struggle. If you're searching for a new printer choose a model that has:

1. Wifi 

Even though you can get usb printers for way less, almost all gadgets being made now have wifi option and alot of them do not have usb option. It is always best to go for a wifi printer. 

Cricut does not require direct connection to a printer. It connects via the device you use it with. Now suppose you have a desktop, sure you can easily use a USB printer. But what if you decide to switch to a latest model laptop? Or an iPad? To get rid of any stress it is always best to go for a wifi model printer to pair with your cricut related works! 

2. Airprint (ipad related projects)

Only airprint enabled printers can connect with your iPad. So if you're someone who already has an iPad, go for an airprint printer. If you're an artist who aspires to work on an iPad, go for airprint printer. I have an iPad and i regret not having bought an airprint printer. I do have a laptop but most of my works are being done on my ipad and it's a lot of work going forth between all the devices to get a few simple works done. 

3. Borderless Printer

It is understood that if you're going to buy a printer to get your cricut projects done, you're looking into getting print then cut projects. In that case I would definitely recommend a borderless Printer. This is because there are so many hacks related to getting around the confined 6.5*9.9 print then cut space to going to a full page print then cut. Its actually a simple process. And I've seen alot of people do it. The only catch is, you cannot get your size or alignment wrong. No matter what. My printer is not a borderless Printer so this hack did not work for me as my printer kept messing up the perfect alignment by leaving that space for printing. So it took me quite a while to figure out the real issue. So definitely go for a borderless Printer. Because these hacks are definitely worth it. 

As for now, these are the spefications for a cricut project oriented printer that i have in mind. Incase i come accross any more, i will be updating it. Though I highly doubt if anything else should be an issue. 

Do head over to cricut to take a look at all the possibilities of what a cricut can do. I also follow cricut MEA as I'm from UAE and they share a lot of super cool projects and breathtaking offers every now and then! 

Picture courtesy: moon hollow design her stickers are gorgeous!