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Use Inkscape to create and size your vector design, then open it in the software that controls your laser cutter to assign operations and prepare the machine-ready job. Before cutting, verify the imported design’s physical dimensions, position, paths, and operation assignments in that software. The steps below use LightBurn as a documented example; your cutter may require different software or file formats.

What Inkscape does—and what the laser software does

Inkscape is for creating and editing vector artwork. An SVG describes that artwork, but it does not by itself define universal laser power, speed, or machine output. Your laser-control application or controller handles machine-specific operations and produces output compatible with the hardware.

LightBurn is one example of a separate layout, editing, and control application. Its documentation says it can import SVG files and send work to a laser, but that does not mean every cutter accepts SVG or uses LightBurn. Check your machine’s manual and the exact control software for supported formats and output requirements: LightBurn: What Is LightBurn?

Prepare a correctly sized design in Inkscape

  1. Set the intended physical dimensions. Create the artwork at the size you want on the material, and use Inkscape’s document or object controls to set and check width and height. Keep a simple reference shape with a known dimension in the design until you have confirmed the import scale.
  2. Understand units and SVG scale. The unit shown in Inkscape is an authoring display choice; the SVG’s scale also depends on its root width and height and its viewBox. Inkscape’s units reference describes the CSS/SVG basis as 96 pixels per inch. For details, see Inkscape: Units.
  3. Make text portable if needed. If the receiving software needs text as vector outlines, select the text and use Path > Object to Path in Inkscape before saving. Keep an editable copy of the original design if you may need to revise the wording. If you want to retain editable text instead, the matching font must be installed in the receiving application. LightBurn’s documentation discusses text handling in its SVG import guidance: LightBurn: File Import.
  4. Save in a format the target software supports. Save as SVG when the control application supports SVG import; LightBurn does. If your software requires another format, follow its documentation rather than assuming an SVG workflow will work.

Import the SVG and verify its scale

After opening or importing the file in the laser software, compare the reference shape’s measured size with its intended physical size. Do this before assigning or running a cut job: a design that looks right on screen can still import at the wrong scale.

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If you use LightBurn

LightBurn’s SVG Import Settings include 96 DPI, the documented Inkscape default reference, and 72 DPI, the documented Adobe Illustrator default reference. These are import assumptions, not laser-performance settings. If an SVG imports at the wrong size, LightBurn advises trying the alternate setting, then measuring the known reference dimension again. See LightBurn’s file import documentation.

Also check where the design sits on the software’s work area. Confirm its position against your intended material placement and the machine’s work area before proceeding.

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Check paths, colors, and operations in the control software

Inspect the imported artwork rather than assuming that colors or layers carry universal meanings. In LightBurn, unique source colors found in fills or strokes are assigned to different cut layers; when an object has both, its stroke color takes precedence. Review the resulting layer assignments and choose the cut, score, or engraving operation settings in the control software according to the machine’s documentation. Other applications may map colors, fills, strokes, and layers differently.

  • Confirm that the intended shapes and paths imported, and that unwanted objects are not included.
  • Check whether fills and strokes produced the layer assignments you expected.
  • Assign each operation in the receiving application; do not treat a color convention in the Inkscape file as a universal instruction to the laser.
  • Use the output format required by your controller. LightBurn documents different output file types for different controller families, so the required output is machine-dependent.
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Preview and prepare the job safely

Before starting, use the laser software’s preview or framing function to check the job’s placement and extent on the material. Then follow the laser manufacturer’s manual for material choice, focus, ventilation, and safe operation. The appropriate power and speed depend on the machine and material; there are no universal settings established here, so use the machine-specific instructions rather than guessing.

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If the imported design is wrong

  • Wrong physical size: Recheck the Inkscape design dimensions, then check the receiving application’s SVG scale interpretation. In LightBurn, test the alternate SVG import DPI setting and measure the known reference shape again.
  • Text changes or disappears: Convert text to paths in Inkscape when outlines are needed, or install the matching font in the receiving application if text must remain editable.
  • Unexpected operation layers: Inspect the imported fills and strokes and the receiving software’s color-to-layer mapping. In LightBurn, stroke color takes precedence when an object has both fill and stroke colors.
  • File will not run on the machine: Confirm that the control application supports the imported artwork format and that its generated output is compatible with your controller. Consult the documentation for your exact machine and software.

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