Homotope for production: cutting, screen printing, laser and embroidery

Updated on 11 October 2026

Homotope prepares your images for production, in your browser: one file per ink for screen printing, closed shapes at the real width for vinyl and signs, a DXF for the plotter, the CNC router or the laser, a single-pass trace for engraving and embroidery, and a “Ready for cutting?” check before the machine.

Blurry JPEG illustration: a fox sitting at dusk, banded sky, pine trees and mushrooms, some forty colours. — 1,200 × 860 px blurry JPEG and the SVG produced by the engine, Illustration preset, “Number of colours” set to 20, untouched: each colour of the drawing becomes a clean flat area: one per thread, screen or vinyl.

The same illustration traced to SVG, each area a single colour. — 1,200 × 860 px blurry JPEG and the SVG produced by the engine, Illustration preset, “Number of colours” set to 20, untouched: each colour of the drawing becomes a clean flat area: one per thread, screen or vinyl.

×6 detail: a mushroom: cap, shadow and cream dots, one ink, thread or vinyl per colour. Drag the slider to compare; hover over the image or hold your finger on it to move the magnifier.

Try it with your image Open this example in the workshop

What you get, trade by trade

Screen printing: your inks as a fixed palette, no invented colour, then one knocked-out file per ink (ZIP) or a layered SVG. One file per colour, and the screen printing guide.
Vinyl and signs: closed shapes, one colour per vinyl, at the real width of the piece. Preparing a logo for vinyl, and for Cricut or Silhouette, the cut-ready SVG.
Plotter and CNC router: a DXF R12 in millimetres, one closed polyline per shape, one layer per colour. Lettering to DXF.
Laser: contours to cut or a line to engrave, set against the beam. DXF for laser cutting and format and line width for engraving.
Embroidery and plotter: a centreline trace, a single stroke per pass. Single-thread embroidery, the pen plotter file, and for flat shapes, the embroidery guide.

The “Ready for cutting?” check

Before sending the file to the machine, the “Ready for cutting?” (“ready to cut?”) section of the Export panel analyses the DXF you would download: open contours, overlaps, self-intersections and double cuts (blocking), details finer than your tool diameter, tiny islands and overloaded contours (to check). Clicking a problem highlights it on the preview. “Simplify for cutting” writes a separate DXF and leaves your result untouched.

The check reads the DXF at the “Drawing width (mm)” (200 by default), the width of the file, and compares every detail with the “Tool diameter (mm)” (0.2 by default): blade, bit or beam. The check is free, with no account.

Formats, and what is counted

SVG and PNG: free, with no account, except transparent background and recolouring (Pro); a Single stroke SVG is a production trace, and is counted.
DXF, EPS, PDF: production exports, counted.
Separations (ZIP of one file per ink, layered SVG, layered DXF): one export per download, whatever the number of inks.
Simplified DXF from “Simplify for cutting”: one export.

Production exports (DXF, EPS, PDF, separations): 2 free per month with an account, unlimited with Pro; without Pro, 1 credit each beyond those 2. A new account gets unlimited production exports for 7 days, once. The preview and the “Ready for cutting?” check are free; the conversion runs in your browser and the server only counts the export. The details: how much vectorizing costs.

Plans are on the Pricing page. Through the API or an assistant, processing runs on the server: see the API documentation.

All the questions from makers

Cut-ready SVG for Cricut or Silhouette
Make a cut-ready SVG for Cricut Design Space or Silhouette Studio from a picture: closed shapes, few colours, and a check before you cut.
How to convert an image to DXF for a laser
Go from a PNG or JPG to a DXF for laser cutting: closed contours, one layer per colour, millimetres, and a check against your beam width.
Single-line file for embroidery or plotter
Get a centreline trace, one stroke per pass, from a drawing: for a pen plotter, laser engraving or running-stitch embroidery. In your browser.
One file per colour for screen printing
Separate a logo or illustration for screen printing: your own inks as a fixed palette, one knocked-out file per colour or a layered SVG, in your browser.
Prepare a logo for vinyl cutting or a sign
Vinyl cutting, sign lettering or a shop sign: a logo as closed shapes, one colour per vinyl, the real width in mm and a check before you cut.
Lettering or logo to DXF for a plotter or CNC
Lettering or a logo as a DXF for a cutting plotter or a CNC router: closed polylines, curve tolerance, real width in mm and a check against your tool.
Laser engraving: which format and line width
Laser-engrave a logo or a drawing: SVG or DXF, filled area or single stroke, line width against your beam, real width in mm. What changes and why.
Line embroidery: one path, a single thread
Prepare a drawing for line embroidery: a single-thread centreline trace with spurs removed, as an SVG or DXF for your embroidery software.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an account for production exports?

Yes, a free account: 2 exports per month, then 1 credit each, unlimited with Pro; a new account gets unlimited production exports for 7 days. Tracing, the preview and the cutting check need no account.

Is my image uploaded for a DXF?

No, not from the workshop: tracing, conversion and the check run in your browser, and the server counts the export without receiving the image. Through the API or an assistant, the job runs on the server.

Does Homotope produce an embroidery file or a toolpath?

No: it produces SVG, PDF, EPS or DXF. Stitches, toolpaths, tool offset and machine settings are set in the machine’s software.

Does the cutting check change my file?

No. It analyses the DXF you would download; “Simplify for cutting” writes a separate DXF and leaves the workshop result untouched.

More guides

Try it with your image