Every laser-cutting project eventually hits the question: SVG or DXF? They can describe exactly the same outline, yet each shines in a different world - and each has classic failure modes that waste material. Here’s the practical version.
The short answer
| Your situation | Use |
|---|---|
| Design apps (Illustrator, Inkscape, Figma) | SVG |
| Hobby laser software (LightBurn, xTool XCS, Glowforge) | Either - both import fine |
| Jewellery workshop / fiber laser / CNC | DXF |
| CAD (AutoCAD, Fusion 360, SolidWorks) | DXF |
| Sending to a laser service you don’t know | Send both, let them pick |
What an SVG actually is
SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) is a web-native format: readable XML describing curves, fills and units. It’s what browsers render, what design tools speak fluently, and what most hobby laser software imports happily. Its curves are true Béziers, so nothing is ever approximated.
Where SVG bites: units. An SVG saved in “pixels” has no fixed physical size - different programs assume 72, 90 or 96 pixels per inch, and your 40 mm pendant imports at 42.3 mm. The fix is an SVG authored in real millimetre units with a matching viewBox (GemTheName files are - the width you chose is the width that cuts).
What a DXF actually is
DXF (Drawing Exchange Format) is AutoCAD’s interchange format and the lingua franca of workshops: every fiber laser, CNC router, plasma and waterjet controller ingests it. It carries pure geometry - polylines, arcs - with no concept of fill or style, which is exactly what a cutting machine wants.
Where DXF bites: flavour chaos. DXF has dozens of versions and entity types; splines exported from one app can import as garbage in another, and text saved as a “text entity” (rather than outlines) silently disappears or renders in the wrong font. Well-made DXFs for cutting use plain polylines with all text converted to geometry.
The three classic disasters (and their fixes)
- The resized pendant: SVG imported at the wrong DPI. Fix: use mm-unit files, and confirm one overall dimension with your shop before cutting.
- The vanished name: DXF carried live text instead of outlines. Fix: always convert text to paths/outlines before export.
- The double-cut joint: letters overlapped but were never welded, so the machine cut through every overlap. Fix: boolean union first - our welding guide explains.
Why serious cut files ship as both
You often don’t know today where a design will be cut tomorrow - a Glowforge this month, a jeweller’s fiber laser for the metal version next month. That’s why every GemTheName design downloads as both SVG and DXF, generated from the same geometry: identical outline, true millimetres, text already outlines, already welded. Whichever file your machine prefers, the pendant is the same.
What to tell your laser shop
- “Here are SVG and DXF - use whichever suits your workflow.”
- “The design is 40 mm wide - please confirm on import.”
- “Cut the outline as-is; it’s a single welded piece with the holes intentional.”
- “One test piece first, please.”
Ready to see it in practice? Generate a name and you’ll get both formats side by side - or read how the whole pipeline works.