// file guide

Preparing your DXF or DWG file

On a next-day job, a clean vector file is the difference between an instant price and a lost day chasing emails. The good news: it takes about five minutes to check, and most CAD packages export a laser-ready DXF natively. Here's exactly what we need.

Why DXF and DWG are ideal

A laser cuts a vector path — lines, arcs and curves with real-world coordinates. DXF and DWG carry exactly that, so we can quote from your true cut length and drive the machine straight from your file. PDF and STEP work too, and we'll start from a clear photo, sketch or sample via our CAD service — but a clean DXF is the fastest route to a price. A JPEG or screenshot is not cuttable: it's pixels, not paths.

The six things to get right

  1. Units in millimetres. DXF has no universal unit, so a file drawn in inches can arrive 25× out. Set units to mm before exporting and tell us the overall size as a sanity check.
  2. Draw at 1:1 scale. Model the part at its real size — never to a paper scale. From a scaled PDF, give us one known dimension so we can verify.
  3. Close every contour. Each cut profile must be a single closed loop with no gaps and no duplicate lines on top of each other. Open ends and overlaps are the number-one cause of a file bouncing back. Run your CAD's "join" / "close polyline" tool first.
  4. One layer for cut geometry. Put everything to be cut on one named layer. Want some lines etched/engraved rather than cut through (logos, part numbers)? Put those on a separate, labelled layer and tell us.
  5. Strip out everything that isn't cut. Delete construction lines, dimensions, hatching, title blocks and stray points. A bare profile is unambiguous.
  6. Convert text to paths. Live text relies on a font we may not have, so it can reflow or vanish. Outline / "convert text to curves" so every letter is a closed vector — then check it against the minimum stroke widths in the design guide.

Line colours and layers. If your CAD lets you, use one colour/layer for cut-through profiles and another for etch/engrave. We don't insist on a specific scheme — just keep cut and etch separate and named, and we'll map them.

How to export from common software

  • AutoCAD / DraftSight: PURGE to clear junk, OVERKILL to remove duplicate lines, then Save As → DXF (R12 or 2018). R12 is the most universally readable.
  • Fusion 360 / SolidWorks / Inventor: open the flat face or sketch and Export / Save As DXF. For sheet-metal parts export the flat pattern, not the folded model, and note the bend lines if you want it folded.
  • Illustrator / Inkscape / CorelDRAW: set the document to mm at 1:1, outline all strokes and text, then export DXF (Inkscape: Save As → Desktop Cutting Plotter DXF). Watch the scale — vector apps love to default to points or pixels.

Pre-flight checklist

  • File is DXF or DWG (or PDF/STEP), in millimetres, at 1:1 scale
  • Every cut profile is one closed loop — no gaps, no duplicates
  • Cut geometry on one named layer; etch lines on a separate layer
  • Construction lines, dimensions, hatching and title block deleted
  • All text converted to outlines/paths
  • Smallest hole and slot are sensible for the thickness
  • Material, thickness and quantity noted on the quote form

Not sure? Send it anyway — every file gets a manual review before cutting, and if something's open, mis-scaled or ambiguous we'll tell you exactly what to change. No clean file at all? Our CAD service builds one from a sketch, an old print or a sample part.

Keep reading

Designing for laser cutting → Material selection →

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