How the Glowforge app reads your file

Upload an SVG and the Glowforge interface lists each distinct color as its own step, which you then assign as cut, score or engrave. That single behavior determines the whole workflow: color is your instruction channel. A file drawn entirely in black gives you one step and no control.

Document setup

In File → Document Properties set the unit to inches and the page to your material — 20 × 12 in matches the Glowforge bed, and a smaller page is fine for a single part. Draw at final size. Scaling later in the app works but makes it easy to lose track of exact dimensions on parts that have to fit together.

Color convention for operations

  • Cut lines — thin strokes in one dedicated color, for example pure blue.
  • Score lines — another color, for example red, for lines that mark without going through.
  • Engrave areas — filled shapes in black or grayscale; grayscale is useful for depth variation.

Keep each operation on its own named layer as well. It costs nothing and makes revisions sane six months later.

Cut and score geometry

Cuts should be strokes, not filled outlines, and every cut path should be closed unless you genuinely want an open line. Give strokes a small visible width such as 0.02 in so you can see them; the laser follows the path center regardless. Union overlapping outlines (Ctrl++) so the head does not travel the same line twice, and delete duplicate paths sitting on top of each other — a common cause of doubled cuts and scorched edges.

Engraving artwork

Vector fills engrave cleanly. Photographs engrave as rasters: place them at the size and resolution you want, and expect to test on scrap. Text intended for engraving should be converted with Path → Object to Path so the font is irrelevant. Thin serifs and small type below roughly 10 pt tend to blur on wood — test before committing to a batch.

Kerf and fit

The beam removes material, so slots and tabs cut to exact nominal size end up loose. Use Path → Inset/Outset, or Path → Linked Offset for an adjustable version, to compensate by a few thousandths of an inch, and cut a test comb in the actual material — kerf differs between plywood, acrylic and draftboard.

Export

Save a copy as Plain SVG and keep the Inkscape SVG master. Before exporting, run File → Clean Up Document, confirm nothing is hidden, and check that each intended operation still has its own color. PDF export is an alternative when a design mixes large engraves with cuts and you want a smaller upload.

Quick pre-flight

  • Artwork at real size, document in inches.
  • One color per operation; no accidental extra colors.
  • Text converted to paths.
  • No duplicate or overlapping cut lines.
  • Kerf compensation applied to interlocking parts.
  • Exported as Plain SVG.

Related reading: SVG structure and cleanup, path operations, and Cricut cut files if you use both machines.

Questions people ask

Does Inkscape work with Glowforge?

Yes. Inkscape exports the SVG and PDF files the Glowforge app accepts. Separate cut, score and engrave operations by color so each appears as its own step after upload.