How to Flatten Your image in Cricut Design Space

Does flatten, attach, weld, and slice confuse you too? No worries, we get asked this question all the time! In this tutorial we will show you how to flatten an image in Cricut Design Space as well as why you might want to do this.Check out our guide on how to slice images in Design Space.

When you flatten an image, it merges it all into one layer. This is great for making Print then Cut projects like printable stickers, so you can cut around the outside edge.

To get started, open Cricut Design Space and create a new project. For this tutorial we will be using the adorable Underwater Creatures 3D SVGs by Okadee.

If we were to upload the SVG file to Cricut as is, it would cut out as many layers. But wouldn’t these designs be SO cute as stickers? Let’s do that!

Step 1: Insert Your Images

If you like the design as is, you can move on to step 2. But for this tutorial we’re going to show you how to change the color first, before flattening.

If the files come grouped, you’ll need to click on the design then in the layers panel click on Ungroup.

You’ll now be able to freely move the layers around if you want.

Change Your Design Color:

If you want to change your design color before flattening, you can do so by clicking on the layer you want to change then click on the material color.

Do this with each layer you want to change. I just wanted to brighten up the green before printing, since I knew the dark green and black didn’t provide as much contrast.

To center your layers back how they were, click Align then Center.

Step 2: Flatten Your Image

With all layers selected, click on the Flatten button in the bottom of your screen.

Next, you may want to add an offset to your design. If you do that you’ll need to flatten the image again.

After flattening, Cricut will read your project as a Print then Cut project. This means you will need to use your printer, and may receive an error message.

If you have the error message as shown below, you will need to scale your design down. You can see our design is currently 12” tall, which is larger than the allowed print area. You can scale it down to whatever size you need for your project, we chose 3” tall.

Step 3: Make Your Design

Now you’re ready to hit Make It and get crafting! If you want to print multiple designs at one time, you can increase the number of project copies and Cricut will determine the best placement for your designs automatically.

And that’s how you flatten an image in Cricut Design Space! This beginner Cricut tutorial is great for making stickers, or other print then cut projects.

Make sure to check out our other Cricut Design Space guides like how to change cut lines to score lines and how to organize your Cricut library.