Laser engraving: which file format and which line width?

Updated on 11 October 2026

To engrave a line, export the Single stroke trace as SVG or DXF, one pass per line; to engrave an area, keep the filled shapes of Logo, which the laser software fills; either way, compare the details with your beam diameter using “Ready for cutting?” at the real width.

Felt-pen bicycle sketch scanned askew as a JPEG: lines of varying width on yellowed, grainy paper. — 1,000 × 760 px JPEG scan and the engine SVG, “Single stroke” preset, untouched: the paper is gone and each line becomes a single pass at the measured width. Downloading a single-stroke trace counts as a production export.

The same sketch as a centreline trace: a single stroke per pass. — 1,000 × 760 px JPEG scan and the engine SVG, “Single stroke” preset, untouched: the paper is gone and each line becomes a single pass at the measured width. Downloading a single-stroke trace counts as a production export.

×6 detail: the woven basket: paper grain and bleeding felt tip, then a single stroke per hatch. 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

Which format: SVG or DXF

Both carry the same geometry. The SVG keeps curves, colours and, with Single stroke, the measured width of each line; it is free, except transparent background and recolouring (Pro), but with Single stroke every download counts. The DXF keeps the geometry only: curves flattened into polylines, one layer per colour, in millimetres at the “Drawing width (mm)”; it is a production export.

One layer per colour means one power and speed setting per colour in the laser software: lower “Number of colours” to the number of settings you want.

Which line width

An engraved line has the width of the beam, not of the drawing: with Single stroke, the DXF writes no width, the laser follows the axis once.
“Minimum width” (Advanced, Single stroke), in image pixels: no line in the SVG is thinner. Set it so the preview looks like the engraving.
A thick line to engrave solid is an area: keep Logo, and the check flags strips narrower than the beam, at the real width.
Very thick lines with Single stroke give wobbly axes: the workshop then suggests “Line art”, without applying it.

Steps

Drop the image into the workshop.
Line: Single stroke; area: Logo or Black and white.
In Export, choose the format and the “Drawing width (mm)”, the width of the piece.
In “Ready for cutting?”, set “Tool diameter (mm)” to your beam (0.2 by default).
Download, import, set power and speed.

To cut rather than engrave: converting an image to DXF for laser cutting; the full preparation is in the laser guide. A greyscale photo engraves better as a raster image than as vectors.

Nothing leaves your computer: see vectorize without uploading.

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.

The other trades: the production page.

Frequently asked questions

SVG or DXF for engraving?

The SVG if your laser software reads it and you want to keep curves; the DXF for geometry in millimetres, one layer per colour. The trace is the same.

Does a single stroke have a width?

In the SVG, the measured width of each line; in the DXF, none: the beam gives it.

Engrave an area or a line?

An area: the filled shapes of Logo, filled by the laser software. A line: Single stroke, one pass per line.

Is engraving counted?

The DXF, and any download with Single stroke, are production exports: 2 free per month with an account, then 1 credit each, unlimited with Pro.

Guides and conversions

Try it with your image