DXF vs SVG vs AI — Which File Format Should You Use for Laser Cutting?

If you’ve ever bought or downloaded laser cutting files, you’ve seen “DXF”, “SVG”, and “AI” thrown around. They’re not interchangeable, and using the wrong one for your machine guarantees pain.

This guide explains in plain English which format to use, why our designs ship in both DXF and SVG, and the conversion gotchas that destroy perfect files.

TL;DR

Your machine	Use this file
Fiber laser (LightBurn, EZCAD)	DXF
CO2 industrial (LightBurn, RDWorks)	DXF (SVG also OK)
Glowforge, xTool, Aeon, Atomstack	SVG
Hobbyist CO2 with K40 / Cohesion3D	SVG
Plasma table (Mach3, SheetCam, Fusion 360 CAM)	DXF
CNC router (Fusion 360, Aspire, Carveco)	DXF
Adobe Illustrator workflow	AI (if available)

For laser cutting, DXF is the universal industrial format and SVG is the universal hobbyist format. AI (Adobe Illustrator native) is rarely needed unless you’re modifying designs heavily.

DXF — Drawing Exchange Format

What it is: AutoCAD’s exchange format from the 1980s. Despite its age, it’s the dominant format for industrial CAM software because:

• Every CAD/CAM tool reads it
• Stores geometry losslessly (lines, arcs, circles as math, not pixels)
• Supports layers (you can put cuts on layer 1, engravings on layer 2)
• Compact file size

Strengths:

• Universal compatibility
• Lossless precision
• Industrial standard
• Layers preserved

Weaknesses:

• No native text styling (only point + stroke)
• No fills / textures
• Older versions don’t support splines well
• Can have unit ambiguity (mm vs inches)

Use for: Fiber laser, CO2 industrial, plasma, CNC router. Basically everything except consumer “design tools” like Glowforge dashboard.

SVG — Scalable Vector Graphics

What it is: The web’s vector format, born in the late 1990s. The dominant format for hobbyist laser machines that use web-based dashboards.

Strengths:

• Universal in web browsers (you can preview SVG by opening in Chrome)
• Stroke colors map to laser operations (red = cut, blue = engrave, etc.)
• Tools like Inkscape are free
• Supports complex paths, gradients, text
• Modern format, well-supported everywhere

Weaknesses:

• Can include raster content (which laser software might try to engrave)
• Stroke widths matter (must be hairline for cuts)
• Unit handling varies between tools

Use for: Glowforge, xTool, Aeon Mira, Atomstack, K40 with LaserGRBL, anything with a “drag and drop SVG” workflow.

AI — Adobe Illustrator native

What it is: Adobe’s proprietary vector format. Generally not needed for laser cutting unless:

• You’re heavily modifying the design first
• You’re sending to a service bureau that requires AI

Strengths:

• Native Illustrator features (gradient meshes, complex text)
• Industry standard for graphic design

Weaknesses:

• Proprietary — only Illustrator opens it natively
• Most laser software cannot read AI directly
• Overkill for “cut along these lines” jobs

Use for: Only if you have Illustrator and need to edit before exporting to DXF/SVG.

Why DXFForge ships DXF + SVG

Every DXFForge design pack contains both:

• <design>.dxf — for LightBurn, EZCAD, RDWorks, Fusion 360, Mach3, SheetCam, and any plasma/CNC software
• <design>.svg — for Glowforge dashboard, xTool Creative Space, Inkscape, and web-based hobbyist tools

We don’t ship AI because:

1. 90% of users don’t have Illustrator
2. AI doesn’t add anything for cut-along-lines jobs that DXF/SVG already do
3. Adobe charges $20+/mo for one format we can replicate for free

If you specifically need AI (rare), you can convert SVG → AI in Inkscape (Save As → choose AI format) or in Illustrator (File → Open the SVG, then Save As AI).

Common conversion gotchas

Converting SVG → DXF

Done in Inkscape (Save As → DXF). Watch out for:

• Curves get faceted — Inkscape converts splines to polylines. Set “Flatness” to 0.05 mm for tight tolerance.
• Stroke widths disappear — DXF doesn’t have stroke width, only path. Width info is lost.
• Multiple layers — Inkscape SVG layers map to DXF layers, BUT only if you check the option in Save As dialog.

Converting DXF → SVG

Tools: Inkscape, online converters, LightBurn (File → Export → SVG).

• Splines might fail — older DXF versions don’t have proper splines, you get straight-line approximations
• Inches → mm — if DXF was authored in inches, SVG will be 25.4x off unless you set up units correctly

Converting either → AI

Open in Illustrator, File → Save As → AI. Caveats:

• Stroke widths must be set in Illustrator after import
• Fill colors carry over but laser software ignores them anyway

The “file works but cuts wrong” diagnosis

You imported the file. Your machine cuts something. But it’s not right. Common causes:

1. The laser engraves instead of cutting along lines

Fix: every shape needs stroke, not fill. In Inkscape: select all, Fill = none, Stroke = solid color.

2. Cut is mirrored

Fix: somewhere in your software pipeline, an axis got flipped. In LightBurn: Edit → Flip Horizontal. Or fix in CAD before export.

3. Cut at wrong scale (25.4x off)

Fix: unit mismatch. Re-import and explicitly set units to mm.

4. Cut path doubles back on itself (cuts same line twice)

Fix: in LightBurn, Edit → Delete Duplicates. Or fix in CAD by checking for overlapping geometry.

5. Some shapes don’t cut

Fix: those shapes might be on a different layer that’s set to “skip” or different color that maps to “engrave” or “off”. Check layer assignment.

What format DXFForge designs are saved in

For the record, every DXFForge file is authored as:

• DXF: AutoCAD 2018 format (R2018), units explicitly tagged as mm, single “cut” layer, all polylines closed, splines flattened to 0.05 mm tolerance
• SVG: SVG 1.1, units in mm, single layer named “cut”, stroke = 0.025 mm black, no fills, viewBox set correctly

This is the format laser software expects. Drop it in, cut it. No conversion needed for 95% of machines.

Quick decision tree

Are you on Glowforge / xTool / hobbyist consumer machine?
   → Use SVG

Are you on LightBurn / EZCAD / RDWorks / plasma / CNC?
   → Use DXF

Are you in Illustrator first, then exporting?
   → Save AI, then export to either DXF or SVG matching your machine

That’s it. Don’t overthink it. Most of you reading this need DXF. If you’ve never heard of LightBurn — you probably need SVG.

Get cut-ready files

Every DXFForge design ships in both DXF + SVG, ready for any machine. No conversion, no setup, no troubleshooting. Drop it in, cut it.