Which software Should I Use for Laser Cutting?

So you’re new to laser cutting, you have ideas and you’re raring to go. But what software can you use? Procreate, Corel Draw, Illustrator, Inkscape, Photoshop?! If you’re just getting started, hopefully our quick guides will get you going in no time!

What we use

We use Adobe Illustrator, which is a program that creates ‘vector’ images. You can use almost any version of Illustrator and as long as you save your files as a .PDF we will be able to open them.

What software can produce vector files?

We would advise that you use Adobe Illustrator if you can, this is because as we mentioned before, it’s what we use and so we’ll be able to help you out if you get stuck. It also means it’s very unlikely that we’ll have any sort of compatibility issues.

Other options are Corel Draw (paid), or Inkscape which is an Open Source (free) vector software. Inkscape can have the odd glitch but if you’re patient and using free software is a necessity then this is a good option.

Procreate for the iPad Pro, you can export the files as .SVG files but you won’t be able to set up the files to our guidelines in the software itself. You may need to export to Illustrator or something similar to finish off your files.

There are also other 3D Modelling/ CAD programs that export to .SVG but again, you may not be able to set up the cut and engrave lines to our laser cutting specifications without editing in another vector software.

What you can export your file as?

Once you have created your file we prefer for it to be exported in either a .PDF, .SVG or .DXF file. You can also sometimes export as an .Ai or .Dwg.

What you definitely can’t use to make vector files?

Photoshop, Paint or Gimp. Or anything that says that it creates ‘Raster images’. These can’t be read by the laser cutter as the lines are made up of pixels. 

What to do if you can’t use a vector program?

If you’ve never used a vector program before, Adobe have a 30 day trial and lots of online tutorials to help you out.

What to do if you’ve created your artwork in a raster image program (pixel based)?

Either contact us for a quote to see how much it would cost to convert your image into a vector file, or redraw your design in one of vector packages we have suggested above.