Deep Dive: Cricut’s Joy 2 makes creating stickers easier for beginners, and...

While the machine itself is $99, the bundles offer better value right now: the Essentials Bundle starts at $119 ($20 off) at Amazon and Cricut and includes supplies for 35 projects, while the Ultimate Bundle is down to $169 ($50 off) at Amazon and Cricut, and adds extra tools — including an iron press — for over 75 projects right out of the box. The Cricut Joy 2 doesn’t take up much desk space and looks pretty cute. | Image: Cricut If you’ve ever thought about making your own stickers for Etsy or just for fun but don’t know where to begin, I’d recommend taking a look at the Cricut Joy 2. I’ve been testing one for a couple of weeks now, and as someone completely new to the Cricut ecosystem, I’ve found it to be a relatively beginner-friendly way to get started. It also costs less than most Cricut models and is currently discounted as part of the company’s sale.

$139 $119 at Amazon (Essentials bundle) $169 $209 at Amazon (Ultimate bundle) $139 $119 at Cricut (Essentials bundle) Designed for smaller, everyday projects, the Cricut Joy 2 brings the company’s Print Then Cut feature to its entry-level lineup. That means you can print full-color designs using your home printer and then have the machine precisely cut them out, making it possible to create sticker sheets. In my testing, that’s been one of the most satisfying activities — and once you get the hang of it, it’s fairly quick and straightforward. (Just note that while you can use a laser printer, you’ll need to supply your own compatible sticker paper, as Cricut’s are designed for inkjet printers.) Beyond stickers, it can also create custom cards, simple vinyl decals, labels, bookmarks, and iron-ons, which I’ve found useful for both creative projects and more practical things like planner templates and drawer labels. Setup is relatively straightforward, though Design Space — Cricut’s app for creating your design — does come with a bit of a learning curve. I struggled to get the hang of it, but after a few days of tutorials and using pre-made templates, it started to click and projects came together much more quickly. A big part of that was the free 30-day trial of Cricut Access subscription, which I used to experiment with a much larger library of templates, images, and fonts than what’s available for free. Just keep in mind it auto-renews after the trial, starting at $9.99 per month unless you cancel.