Upgrade: How to Use Different Pens in your Cricut

I may have broken my Cricut pen holder that came with my machine. Oops! I was using adollar store pens to write on cards and I pushed a little too hard to insert the pen – snap! But, this is one of those things I like to call a happy accident. This is how I came to figure out how to use various pens in your Cricut. See: silver lining! For the record, I did get the dollar store pens to work in my Cricut, but it was hard to get them in and I wasn’t exactly sure how far down the pens needed to be to write.

Adjustable Pen Holder for Cricut

After a little research, I found these adjustable pen holders (affiliate link) that work with Cricut. I fell in love with the pen holder the first time I tried it. Very easy to install the pen holder into my Cricut machine. Even more important than that, these pen holders come with a plastic block you put under the pen to ensure you have the pen in far enough, but you aren’t marking up your machine or design. Love them so much!

Different Pens in my Cricut Designs

So, what pens did I use? I bought a variety pack of gel pens (affiliate link), so I had a lot of different colors to pick from. It’s really simple to use the pen adapter. I opened slot A on my Cricut, took out my existing (broken) pen holder. I slid in the new adjustable pen holder and closed the clasp on slot A. To install a pen, simply place the block underneath slot A (see the second picture with my finger pointing to the block). Slide a pen into the tube ensuring the tip of the pen is resting on the block. Then tighten the black knob to secure the pen in place. If you don’t secure the pen in place, the writing will be wobbly. Remove the block under the pend and press the load button on your Cricut.

The Cricut Design Space will help you with what color pens to change out, so you know what’s being drawn next. I made a golf themed Father’s Day card with 3 colors. If you are interested in buying the golf themed Father’s Day card design, click here.

I took a look at changing out the colors, while the design is the same, the look is quite different. These gel pens (affiliate link) are awesome. They write the first time, without priming. I’ll be honest, my first few projects using my Cricut gel pens, the ink didn’t work the best. I had to prime the pens and sometimes the ink skipped. In all fairness, the pens sat for months before I tried them out. I am SO happy with these gel pens. I have a variety of colors to pick from, including glitter and metalic finishes. For about $20 (between the pen adapter and the gel pens – affiliate links) I have dramatically increased my design options with my Cricut. What a win!