Guides
Turning images into cut files
How to get from a PNG or JPG to a file your cutting machine or laser will cut cleanly. Each guide starts with the free way to do it by hand.
- How to convert a PNG to an SVG for Cricut Design Space
Three ways to turn a PNG or JPG into a cut file for Cricut: Design Space's own upload, a free Inkscape trace to SVG with color layers, and Cutline. Step by step, with what each one keeps.
- How to turn an image into a DXF for a laser cutter
Convert a PNG or JPG into a DXF of closed outlines for LightBurn, xTool, RDWorks or a CNC: the free Inkscape method, the settings that matter, and the mistakes that make a laser skip or double-cut.
- Silhouette Studio Basic Edition: why SVG won't open, and what to use instead
Silhouette Studio Basic Edition can't open SVG files. Use DXF, or trace a PNG with the built-in Trace panel. Step by step for Cameo and Portrait owners who don't want to buy an upgrade.
- How to prepare an image so it traces into a clean cut file
Before you trace a PNG or JPG for Cricut, Silhouette or a laser: pick the biggest original, flatten the colors, fix contrast on photos of drawings and thicken thin lines. A checklist that saves vinyl.
- A pay-per-image alternative to Vectorizer.AI for cut files
Vectorizer.AI downloads need a $9.99 a month subscription. If you only trace a few images for Cricut, Silhouette or a laser, here is how it compares with free tools and with Cutline at $2 per image.
Cutline traces a PNG or JPG in your browser into closed, speck-free cut paths, split into color layers, and writes the file for Cricut, Silhouette, Glowforge, LightBurn or a sign plotter. Tracing, the preview and a one-color test cut are free, so you can cut a test piece on your own machine first. The full-resolution files for one image are $2, paid once. No subscription, and the image never leaves your computer.
Trace an image free