Cut, score or engrave
The SVG contains filled shapes. Engraving a filled shape is right for a logo burned into wood. To cut a shape out or score its outline instead, select it in your laser software and set the operation to cut or score; the laser then follows the shape's edge.
Settings that cut well
- Drawing preset: one colour, traced with Potrace for smooth curves with few nodes, which means smoother, faster laser moves.
- Lower Detail removes specks that would otherwise become tiny holes or burn marks.
- Higher Smoothing turns wobbly hand-drawn lines into flowing curves.
- Even out lighting helps with a phone photo of a drawing on paper that has shadows across it.
Photos on a laser
Photo engraving works from the photo itself and does not need a vector. Vectorize a photo when you want a graphic, stencil-like look: the Photo preset with 2 to 4 colours, or black and white mode, gives bold shapes that engrave with high contrast.
Questions
More tracing tips in the complete guide, or go back to the converter.
Sources
Each quote opens at the passage itself, and each page was captured when we read it: a screenshot with the quoted words highlighted and a full copy of the page.
- 1.
LightBurn, File Management. No date shown on the page.
“LightBurn can Import the following formats:”
- 2.
LightBurn, File Management. No date shown on the page.
“Scalable Vector Graphics”
- 3.
Glowforge, Upload Your Own Design File. No date shown on the page.
“The App supports JPG, PNG, SVG, and PDF, as well as DXF for Premium members.”
- 4.
xTool, Import Vector. Dated 30 December 2024.
“In the pop-up file selection window, import your vector files (in SVG or DXF format).”