How To Address Envelopes With Cricut Design Space SnapMat Feature

Learn the secret of how to write on mailing envelopes using your Cricut machine and the SnapMat feature for perfect holiday greeting cards.

Ever wish your Cricut machine could address your envelopes for you with those pretty new kerned fonts inside Design Space? You may have tried to line up envelopes on the mat and arrange the text on the mat preview before, and you probably gave up really quickly. But before you throw in the towel and hand-letter every single envelope this holiday season, let me get you in on a little secret called SnapMat.

What Is SnapMat?

SnapMat is a special feature in the Cricut Design Space IOS mobile app. (Sorry Android users, your app doesn’t have this yet) It allows you to arrange your mat before you arrange your designs on the mat preview in Design Space. You can put pieces of scrap vinyl, scrap paper, gift tags, and envelopes on the mat, then take a photo of the mat placement. Once the photo uploads, you can move the design elements exactly where you want it.

How I Used SnapMat For My Holiday Greeting Card Envelopes

To start, I placed two 5×7 envelopes on a Cricut LightGrip mat. Then I opened up the Design Space app on my phone and typed two names, one for each envelope. I changed the font to a writing style, then I resized those names to be 5″ long. (If you’re using a 4×6 envelope, your text should be 4″ long)

Once the names were sized correctly, I clicked Make It, just like I normally would for any other project. But when the mat preview screen comes up, I clicked the SnapMat button in the bottom lefthand corner of the screen.

To grab a photo of the mat, just hold your phone’s camera over the mat and line it up according to the grid on your phone screen. You’ll need to line up both the square and the blue dots. It takes a little getting-used-to, but once you get the hang of it you can get it to snap the photo pretty easily.

When the photo of the mat layout pops up, you can then move your envelope’s text to the exact place you want it on your mat preview. Choose 20lb Copy Paper as your material option, then load the mat just like you normally do.

Things You Should Know About Cricut SnapMat Feature

• SnapMat only works with the Design Space IOS mobile app for Apple phones. It’s currently not compatible with the desktop app or Android phones/tablets.
• SnapMat works with Cricut Maker 3, Cricut Maker, Cricut Explore 3, and Cricut Explore Air 2. It doesn’t work with Cricut Joy or older machines.
• You have to hold your hands very steady in order to take the photo. If you have trouble keeping your hands still, try putting your mat in the floor and let your phone hang off a table over it, or use a 90 degree angled tripod.

• The SnapMat photo only lasts for one use, so if you’re making a bunch of envelopes like I did, you have to redo it for every set of two.
• The SnapMat photo also only works for square machine mats. You can’t use the longer 12×24 mats with it.
• It’s a great way to use up your vinyl scraps! You can plop them all around a mat in no specific order, then make stickers and decals of all colors and sizes all at once.

My Finished Holiday Greeting Card Envelopes

Aren’t they so cute?! It looks like I hand-lettered each one myself. (If I could hand-letter, that is) I considered having the Cricut write the addresses, too, but I decided I would add that in by hand to save time.

Honestly though, I don’t think it really saved me that much time. Next year I’ll probably have it write the whole envelope, from the recipient email to even my return address. It will make it look more cohesive and streamlined.

And how cute are these wax seals on the back? This was my first time trying wax seals, and I was instantly obsessed with them. You can check out my blog post with all my best tips for wax seal beginners, along with my favorite products needed to get started.

Want My Cricut Guide For Perfect Envelope Font Pairings?

I got you! I created a Cricut Font Guide that breaks down the top fonts for all kinds of projects like labels, kids’ room projects, and even script fonts. Plus I share the perfect pairings when you need two at a time, which are perfect for holiday envelopes like these.. You can download the Cricut Font Guide for free by dropping your email below. I’ll send it straight to you!