Cricut’s Joy 2 makes sticker making easy for beginners, and it’s on sale

If you’ve ever thought about making your own stickers for Etsy or just have fun but don’t know where to start, I highly recommend checking it out Cricut Joy 2. I’ve been testing one for a few weeks now, and as someone new to the Cricut ecosystem, I’ve found it to be a great way to get started. It also costs less than most Cricut models and is currently discounted as part of the company’s sales. Although the machine is $99, the bundles offer a better value right now: the Essentials Bundle starts at $119 ($20 off) at Amazon and Cricut and includes goods 35 jobs, while Ultimate Bundle dropped to $169 ($50 off) at Amazon and Cricutand add additional tools – including a metal press – for more than 75 jobs out of the box.

Designed for small, everyday projects, the Cricut Joy 2 brings the company’s Print Then Cut feature to its entry-level line. This means you can print full color designs using your home printer and then the machine will cut them precisely, so they can make stickers. In my testing, this has been one of the most satisfying features – and once you get the hang of it, it’s quick and straightforward. (Just note that when you use a laser printer, you need to provide your own custom writing paper, just like Cricut’s is designed for inkjet printers.) Beyond stickers, it can make custom cards, simple vinyl sheets, labels, bookmarks, and stickers, which I’ve found to be useful for all things crafting and other useful things like writing notebooks.

Setup is easy, though Design Space—Cricut’s software for creating your own designs—comes with a learning curve. I struggled to understand, but after a few days of training and using the pre-made templates, it started to click and the projects came together very quickly. A big part of it was the 30-day free trial Cricut Access subscriptionwhich I like to try out a much larger library of templates, images, and fonts than those available for free. Just remember that it automatically renews after a trial period, starting at $9.99 per month unless you cancel.