Most new Cricut machines launched after 2021 can make use of Smart Materials, available from Cricut, which don’t require a cutting mat. They are simply fed into the machine on their own and the ...

For most Cricut projects, you’ll need to use an adhesive cutting mat (Cricut’s software doesn’t allow the Explore 3 to cut designs any longer than 6 inches without a mat).

I've been using the new Card Mat 2x2 for about a week now, and if you've ever used the Card Mat for the Cricut Joy you'll immediately understand how this works.