Makerfern vs Design Space's own image upload
Design Space can upload a PNG or JPG and turn it into a cut image itself, and it's free. For a one-color silhouette that's often all you need. Here is where converting to SVG first saves time and material.
| Makerfern | Cricut Design Space upload | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free for SVG | Free with Design Space |
| Multi-color designs | One cut layer per color | A raster upload becomes a single cut image, or a print then cut image |
| Removing the background | Automatic, including inside letters | You select the areas to remove on the upload screens |
| Stacked layers for layered vinyl | Yes | Not from a raster upload |
| Tiny pieces removed at your cut size | Yes | No |
| Thin-spot warnings | Yes | No |
| Stencil bridges | Automatic | Manual |
"No equivalent found" means we looked through their public site and settings and didn't find the feature. Products change; if something here is out of date, tell us and we'll fix it.
When Cricut Design Space upload is the better choice
- The design is one color and you're cutting it right away. Uploading directly skips a step.
- You want print then cut from a photo. Design Space's print then cut upload keeps the full photo, while a vector converter reduces it to flat colors.
When Makerfern is the better choice
- The design has more than one color and you want each color as its own layer.
- The art has lettering, which means clicking the inside of every letter to remove it on upload.
- You want to catch weeding problems before the vinyl is cut.
Try both on the same image
Makerfern is free and needs no account, so the comparison costs nothing.
Sources
- Cricut Help Center, uploading images in Design Space: https://help.cricut.com/