Cricut Gypsy, Design Studio, Jukebox, huh?

I got a great question from Donna who wanted to know what each of these different things do and what the differences between the items were and why you need this but maybe not that, etc. Great things to talk about!

Gypsy:
Let's cover the Gypsy first, since it's the newest! Currently, at this time, the Gypsy has almost all the features of Design Studio software and one important addition (grouping). The Gypsy can:

* weld
* copy and paste (on the one mat open)
* grouping function
* search for keywords - better than Design Studio
* hold all your cartridges inside the Gypsy
* can eliminate the need for the Jukebox (JB) since it holds all the cartridges within it, once you've loaded yours onto it.
* has almost all the cartridges available for preview, with the exception of Designers Calendar
* open a file as a template
* can work with Mac computers with OSX version 10.5 and above
* portable and does not require the Cricut machine to be hooked to the computer

Design Studio Software:
The Design Studio software is loaded onto your computer (not Mac compatible). The Design Studio can:

* weld
* copy and paste between mats and files - Gypsy cannot copy and paste between files, but Design Studio can. You can get around this on the Gypsy somewhat by using the "open as template" function to make additional mats.
* Allows you to have multiple mats within a file so that when designing a word book, you can preview and see all the pages at once, thus making lining up the pages easier.
* search for keywords (not as good as the Gypsy, though)
* uses a larger screen (i.e. your computer screen, which is way bigger than the 3"x4" screen on the Gypsy)
* shows you all the cartridges (except Designers Calendar)
* lets you use the "Hide Selected Contour" button which is handy in getting rid of cuts you might not want, such a score cuts on the cards in Wild Card cartridge. Currently, Gypsy does not allow this.
* works best with the Jukebox (JB) when using more than one cartridge in a design as you don't have to manually switch out cartridges if JB is plugged in.
* Currently, cuts faster than the Gypsy, when cutting an intricate design.
* Does NOT have a grouping function (like the Gypsy does) which can be frustrating when designing an intricate cut
* requires the computer to be hooked to the Cricut machine

Jukebox:
The Jukebox is a device that allows you to plug in six cartridges and then hook all of those up, using one cord, to the Cricut machine itself. That means that you could then access all six of those cartridges at one time. You can also hook Jukeboxes together. You can hook up to three Jukeboxes together and then have access to 18 cartridges at once. You can then either use the Jukebox in combination with the Design Studio software or on its own and just change out the overlays on the machine to find all the designs you need.

Gypsy/Design Studio Interaction:

Today, the software that runs the Gypsy is different than the Design Studio software. It is planned that the Gypsy will be able to import/export files to and from the Design Studio. Stay tuned for Gypsy updates and more information on how to do that. Currently, this is unavailable but in the near future, should be up and running.

So, the questions that arise are:

1) Do I need the Jukebox anymore if I have the Gypsy? Well, if you plan on using the Gypsy exclusively, probably not. THIS IS JUST MY OPINION, though! If you still want to use Design Studio, you may want to hold onto the Jukebox as it is convenient not to have to keep unloading/loading your cartridges. Or if you still plan on cutting using your cartridges, the JB is really handy.

2) Do I need all of these things - Jukebox, Design Studio and the Gypsy? Well, it depends on what you are doing. Right now, there are things that the Gypsy does that Design Studio doesn't and vice versa. However, that may not be the case in the future. How long until the Gypsy has some of the Design Studio features that people want ("Hide selected contour", etc.) is unknown to me at this time. How long until Design Studio has a "group all" function is another question. It may be a case of wait and see. Also, if you are someone who always loves to get new technology the minute it is released, then you may want the Gypsy no matter what. It really depends on what you need and want and what kind of consumer you are.

I hope this helps! If you have more questions, please put them in the comment section! Also, remember that this info is good as of today and they could update the Gypsy tomorrow with new functions, and then some of this might not apply. Since the Gypsy is so new, it's getting frequent updates so stay tuned. I will try and edit this as needed as time passes to keep it as current as possible!