Cricut Attach vs Weld: Which Tool Is Right For Your Projects?

Today, we will compare the Cricut Attach vs Weld tool in the Cricut Design Space. Are you wondering what’s the major role of both tools in Cricut Design Space while using your Cricut machine? This post will explain everything about the Cricut Attach and Weld tools. Also, we will go through the step-by-step process with sample images to show you when to use them.

We are excited to share another Cricut Design Space tutorial with you. Today we will discuss two tools within the Cricut Design Space that often get confused: Attach vs Weld comparison. Once you understand both these tools, Cricut Design Space will be so easy to use and a lot of fun. You can use it better with your Cricut machine and create designs more quickly. Read this post for a detailed Cricut Attach vs Weld comparison. 

Overview

Let’s take a close look at the Cricut Attach vs Weld tools in the Cricut Design Space below:

Attach, and Weld may seem similar at first glance, but they will show you different results when it comes time to send the design to the mat.

In short, the Attach Tool holds your shape in the same format as when you send your design to the mat for cutting. The shapes are still individual pieces, but their layout is frozen in place. On the other hand, the Weld tool joins two or more different shapes into a single shape. The shapes are no longer separate but combined into a single shape.

Cricut Attach vs Weld: When To Use?

Let us talk about these concepts in a little more detail.

Attach: When you’re working on a project with different letters or shapes and want your layout to remain stable when cutting it out, use the Attach button to freeze it.

If you’ve a colorful design, attach pieces of the same color so they can be cut on the same mat. Your design elements do not need to overlap or touch to Attach. And, if they are also overlapping, the Cricut machine will cut the attached shapes into separate pieces.

You’ll know your images are attached because they will be labeled Attach in the Layers panel. Later, if you want to make layout changes, you can use the Detach button to unfreeze your layout.

Weld: You can use the Weld tool whenever you want to permanently join two or more different shapes into a single shape that you want to cut as one piece.

For example, use the Weld tool to merge cursive letters, cutting them as one piece. When you Weld overlapping letters, the lines between the letters disappear, and the different letter shapes combine to become a single shape.

Also, you can create more complex shapes by overlapping simple shapes found in the Cricut Design Space. Then, when you Weld them and send your resulting image to the mat, it will be cut into a single shape.

How To Attach and Weld Text in Cricut Design Space

Let’s look at an example of using the Weld tool to join script letters in the Cricut Design Space.

First, open a new Canvas page in Cricut Design Space and use the Text tool to enter a word in the script font. Tap that Advanced drop-down menu bar, and tap Ungroup to Letters.

Drag the letters until they overlap. Then, select all letters of the word, and tap the Attach button.

Looking around each letter, you can see a thin black line. The line informs you that each letter has its own different shape. They are “attached” to each other in that they have a fixed position relative to each other. But, they are still different overlapping sizes.

You’ll know letters are attached because you’ll see the Attach title in the Layers panel, each letter as a separate image.

When you send your attached letters to the mat, you will notice that their position relative to each other stays the same. The order is fixed. But, each letter will be cut separately. (as shown in the picture below, that thin black line indicates where the Cricut will cut.)

Welding Script Fonts

Now, let’s go back to the Cricut Design Space canvas. Select all the letters and tap on the Weld button.

You will start seeing the difference immediately. The thin black lines between each letter are gone. This informs you that all your letters are connected, making a single shape.

You’ll know letters are welded because you’ll see a single shape in the Layers panel on the right.

Then, moving to the mat, you’ll see the word as a shape again.

Cricut Attach vs Weld: How To Attach and Weld Shapes in Cricut Design Space

Let’s see an example of using the Attach and Weld tools with basic shapes in the Cricut Design Space.

First, open a new canvas, and use the Shapes tool to draw 6 circle shapes. You can resize the shapes into ovals and rotate and move them to make flower petals.

When you send the image to the mat, you can see that the Cricut software rearranges the position of your petals to save mat space and material.

So, go back to the Canvas and use the Attach button to freeze the layout.

When you send the image to the mat again, you can see that using the Attach button has set the position of your petals relative to each other.

But, the thin black lines around every 6 petals inform you that the Cricut will cut each petal separately.

Alternatively, go back to the Canvas and use the Weld button to connect all the petals into a single flower form.

Then, when you send the image to the mat, you can see that Cricut will cut all 6 petals into a single flower form.

So, the above instructions are the complete process of using the Cricut Attach and Weld tool in Cricut Design Space and the detailed comparison of both the tools. 

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Source: https://cricutdesignncut.blogspot.com/2022/08/cricut-attach-vs-weld-which-tool-is.html