Cricut EasyPress Mini Review

We said we wanted a heat press for small and challenging projects — and Cricut delivered. Introducing the EasyPress Mini!

The Cricut EasyPress Mini (available to buy from Amazon or the Cricut Store) is the latest machine in the EasyPress line — Cricut’s answer to the professional heat press.

Easier to use than a household iron and just as effective as a traditional heat press, the EasyPress is a must-buy for any crafter who does a lot of heat transfer projects.

The EasyPress Mini is exactly that — mini. Ideal for all your smaller and more unusual projects.

Let’s find out whether it’s worth the money and if it would make a valuable addition to your craft room.

What Is The Cricut EasyPress Mini?

Unless you’re relatively new to the craft cutting community, there’s a good chance that you’ve heard of the Cricut EasyPress line.

First came the original EasyPress, which Cricut marketed as an iron meets heat press.

It promised all the things that were missing from either a traditional heat press or a household iron:

• Safe
• Easy to use
• Adjustable, precision heating that heats evenly
• Timer
• Lightweight
• Compact and easy to store
• Effective, quality prints

About a year later, Cricut released the much-hyped EasyPress 2, which was essentially an improvement on the original EasyPress in every way — no mean feat, considering how much we all valued the original.

Here’s how they compare:

The EasyPress 2 was released in 3 separate sizes, with the smallest version’s plate measuring 6″ by 7″.

The brand new Mini is just a tiddler by comparison with a plate measuring just 3.5″ by 2″.

Here’s a look at it fresh out of the box:

What Projects Can We Use The EasyPress Mini For?

You may be thinking that such a small surface area will really restrict the projects you’ll be able to use it for, but the truth is that it’ll actually open you up to a whole load of new projects that you wouldn’t have been able to do before.

Sure, you’ll have to use the full size EasyPress for your more standard t-shirt and cushion heat transfer projects, but have a think about all the smaller things you’ll be able to sink your teeth into…

• Pockets
• Sleeves
• Cuffs
• Hats
• Shoes
• Applique patches
• Stuffed animals
• Coasters
• Cake toppers
• Doll clothes
• Luggage tags
• Mugs

The new sublimation heat transfer system Infusible Ink has opened up a whole new world of materials and projects — and the EasyPress Mini is perfectly designed to help you make these a reality.

These smaller projects are usually much more difficult to accomplish with a regular size heat press and iron as they simply can’t navigate the smaller spaces well.

The EasyPress Mini, in contrast, is perfectly sized to fit between buttons, around seams and in any other hard to reach places.

Cricut EasyPress Mini Features

Mini Plate Size

The defining feature of the EasyPress Mini is, of course, that it truly is mini.

The plate size is just 3.5″ x 2″ — which is significantly smaller than the smallest version of the EasyPress 2 (6″ x 7″) and much smaller than the 9″ x 9″ plate of the original EasyPress and the EasyPress 2 regular size. And, of course, it’s got nothing on the behemoth 12″ x 10″ plate of the largest EasyPress 2.

But you’re buying it for its small size and contours that can easily glide into the smallest and hardest to reach of places.

Three Heat Settings

Unlike the EasyPress and EasyPress 2, you can’t select the exact temperature you want the EasyPress Mini to heat up to — instead you have a choice of 3 heat settings.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing — in fact, it takes most of the guess work out of estimating how much heat your project needs — and is certainly easy to use and set.

The highest heat setting is the one you’ll need to use with Cricut Infusible Ink materials. Just like the larger EasyPress machines, it can reach highs of 400°F.

Ceramic Coated Heat Plate

One of the things we love about the entire Cricut EasyPress line is the fact that the plates always heat up evenly.

There are never any hot or cold patches, not to mention there’s no chance of accidentally singing your material — all possibilities when you’re using a household iron for your heat transfer projects.

This even heating is down to the ceramic coated plate, which ensures that heat is even, dry and completely edge to edge.

Think of it as like a really sophisticated straightening iron for your hair 😂

Insulated Safety Base

Another hugely valuable feature of the EasyPress Mini is the insulated safety base — a major pro for safety, especially if you’ve got younger children in the house or you’re prone to clumsiness.

Both households irons and traditional heat presses usually suffer in this regard, often being incredibly hot to the touch and frankly an accident waiting to happen.

Cricut have mastered this, however, with the insulated safety base.

Auto Shut-Off

Another great safety feature is the auto shut-off, where the EasyPress Mini will automatically turn itself off after a certain period if it isn’t being used.

Again, this is a great feature for those of us that tend to be a little clumsy and forgetful when it comes to household appliances! 🙈

Rounded Handle

Like the rest of the EasyPress line, the Mini is blessed with a rounded, ergonomic handle that makes it easy to use and manage.

It’s infinitely more maneuverable than your typical heat press and more like a sophisticated ergonomic iron in this case.

The handle also makes it easier for kids and those with wrist problems to use.

Cricut EasyPress Mini Review

The Positives

Very Effective On Small Projects

You’re buying the EasyPress Mini for its effectiveness at heat transfer on small and challenging projects — and it definitely delivers on this front.

Thanks to its small plate size, even heating and intuitive contours, it’s highly maneuverable and perfect for small, tricky spaces.

Avoiding buttons and seams is a cinch with the Mini, and it’s well designed for uneven surfaces like stuffed toys too.

If you do a lot of these small projects, we think you’ll be getting a lot out of the Cricut EasyPress Mini.

Safe And Easy To Use

Just like the rest of the EasyPress line, the Mini is a real joy to use — the rounded handle is comfortable and ergonomic and the safety features are unparalleled.

We wouldn’t recommend anything this hot for use by unaccompanied children, but it’s certainly very well set up for people concerned with safety thanks to the insulated base and automatic shut-off.

Got kids running around the craft room? No problem.

Got kids interested in trying it out for themselves? No problem — just make sure you keep a careful eye on them!

Will Work With Infusible Ink

When we first heard that Cricut were bringing out a teeny-tiny version of the EasyPress, we were skeptical that it would be able to work with their brand new Infusible Ink system, but it turns out we had nothing to worry about.

The three heat settings on the Mini will cover all possible heat transfer projects and the highest setting — a whopping 400°F — is specifically designed for Infusible Ink as well.

Great for small transfer projects you want to use digital sublimation for.

Easy To Store And Handle

One of the best things about the EasyPress Mini being so small is just how easy it is to store when you’re not using it.

Unlike a traditional heat press which typically takes up loads of room in your craft room, the Mini easily fits into its insulated safety base and has a super small footprint.  You arguably wouldn’t even need to put it away, it’s so small.

And people love the Mini as it’s so easy to handle — not only is it compact, but it’s super lightweight too. And that rounded handle means it’s easy to pick up and maneuver around.

Reasonably Priced

As the smallest of the EasyPress line, it makes sense that the Mini is the cheapest machine so far — Cricut are advertizing it at $69.99.

This is certainly on the lower side when you look at the other EasyPress models, and significantly cheaper than most heat presses on the market.

Having said that…

The Negatives

It’s More Expensive Than A Small Iron

… It’s still a premium machine with a matching price tag.

Some readers may be wondering what the benefit of the EasyPress Mini is over other small irons that might arguably be able to compete alongside it at a fraction of the price.

Ultimately, it’ll depend on your circumstances.

We firmly believe that this is a high quality machine that will give you better results than other cheaper small irons on the market — but you may only be comfortable forking out for it if you do a lot of small projects that require such a machine, or if you’re running a small business and so looking for professional results.

If you’re price sensitive, we’d recommend doing an analysis on how often you think you’ll actually use the Mini and so if it’s truly worth your hard-earned cash.

You’re Restricted To The Smallest Projects

Much in the same vein as what we’ve written above, it’s worth bearing in mind that the EasyPress Mini is very much a specialist machine.

It’s only going to be worth buying for you if you want to do small heat transfer projects — anything bigger and you may as well stick with the original EasyPress or the regular size EasyPress 2.

As we listed above, there are plenty of projects that the Mini is perfect for — but it’s worth being realistic about how often you intend to use it before you buy.

Overall Conclusion

All things considered, we highly recommend the Cricut EasyPress Mini.

It’s a very sophisticated machine — despite its tiny size! — and is perfectly suited to small and tricky heat transfer projects that larger heat presses and irons simply can’t accomplish.

Like the rest of the EasyPress line, it’s safe and easy to use and promises professional results thanks to its high heat settings, edge-to-edge even heating and maneuverability.

One thing we would caution is that this is a specialist machine and it’s worth considering how much you’re planning to use it before you buy.

Where To Buy The Cricut EasyPress Mini

The EasyPress Mini will be available to buy from Cricut, Amazon and other online retailers from 6 September 2019.

You can check it out on the Cricut website right now.

Are you tempted to buy the Cricut EasyPress Mini?

Be sure to visit our Latest Reviews for similar products to the EasyPress!