Cricut's New Cutting Machines Add Color Printing—Here's What That Means

Cricut announced two new cutting machines on February 26, 2026: the Joy 2 and the Explore 5. The headline feature of the Joy 2 is that it now works directly with home inkjet printers. You can print a full-color design on your regular printer, feed it into the Joy 2, and the machine will automatically cut it with precision. The Explore 5 is simply a smaller version of Cricut's larger machine—about 30% more compact than the old model.

How the Print-and-Cut Workflow Works

The Joy 2's main innovation is its Print Then Cut system. Here's the practical idea: your inkjet printer prints a design in full color onto paper or another material. The printed design includes small alignment marks around the edges. You then feed that printed piece into the Joy 2, which reads those marks and knows exactly where to cut.

Previously, cutting machines either worked with pre-made colored materials (and then you couldn't easily customize the colors), or you printed something separately and had to line it up by hand before cutting. That manual alignment step was fiddly and often led to mistakes. The Joy 2's sensor system eliminates that friction.

The machine can cut more than just paper. It works with magnetic sheets, making custom magnets easy. It also cuts temporary tattoo paper. This expands what kind of projects you can make at home.

Smaller Size, Same Cutting Power

The Explore 5 takes Cricut's mid-range cutting machine and shrinks it by 30% without losing the cutting area. This matters because desktop space at home is often limited. As more people work from home and set up creative spaces in small rooms or apartments, a machine that doesn't eat up your whole desk becomes more appealing.

Both machines come with Essential Bundles—packages that include tools, accessories, and starter materials, so you don't have to buy everything separately. The Joy 2 comes in different colors. Michaels, the craft retailer, has exclusive access to certain versions, including a Jade Green option.

Putting This in Context

The original Cricut Joy launched at $179 and created the category of small, affordable cutting machines. The Joy 2 builds on that by offering color output to people who don't want to buy a large, complicated machine.

This follows a pattern we have seen before in other types of desktop tools. When 3D printers first became consumer products, they were simple but limited. Over time, they gained the ability to use multiple materials and colors while staying affordable and staying small enough for a home workshop. Cricut is following a similar path—adding capability without making the machine bigger or more expensive to buy.

The real gap this closes is something that became apparent as home printers improved. You could print beautiful color designs, but integrating those printed images with precisely cut shapes was always awkward. The Joy 2 makes it seamless.

When and Where You Can Buy It

The Joy 2 will be available in Australia and New Zealand starting Friday, March 6, 2026. This staggered rollout is typical when a company ramps up production of new hardware. They typically start with regions where they already have strong customer bases and where shipping logistics are straightforward. Australia and New Zealand likely fit both criteria for Cricut.

The Sensor Technology Underneath

The Print Then Cut sensor is the technical core of the Joy 2. It's essentially a small camera that reads the alignment marks your printer placed on the page, then tells the cutting blade exactly where to go. The sensor has to account for the fact that different printers and different paper thicknesses will vary slightly—so the software behind it has to be smart enough to adjust.

Think of it like the difference between manually lining up a photo under a picture frame and using a tool that automatically centers it for you. The automation removes the step where a person has to get it exactly right.

What This Means for the Broader Picture

In the consumer cutting machine market, most options force you to choose: you can get precise cuts but limited color options, or you can print in full color but then have to cut it yourself with scissors or a dull utility knife. The Joy 2 closes that gap. It lets you do both, automatically, in sequence.

The smaller footprint of the Explore 5 also addresses something real. As more people work and create from home, the constraint isn't capability—it's square footage on the desk or shelf. A tool that does the same job but takes up less space has genuine value.

The fact that Cricut is already talking about retail partnerships and planning regional rollouts suggests they expect this to sell well. The Essential Bundles lower the barrier to entry—you get what you need to start rather than buying the machine and then discovering you need to buy accessories separately. This bundling strategy has worked across consumer electronics for years, and Cricut appears to be betting it will work here too.