SVG vs DXF: which cut file does your machine need?

Updated October 25, 2026 · Rasterklar

Short answer

Use SVG for Cricut Design Space and for Silhouette Studio Designer Edition and up; use DXF for laser and CNC software and for the free edition of Silhouette Studio, which opens DXF but not SVG (Silhouette America; Silhouette School, 2024). Both carry the same cut lines: the SVG keeps filled colours and groups, the DXF keeps outlines on named layers in millimetres. LightBurn and Design Space read both.

The two formats describe the same shapes in different ways, and each program accepts a different subset. Picking the wrong one usually means a file that will not open, or one that opens at the wrong size or without its layers. Here is which program wants which, and what is actually inside each file.

Drop a PNG or JPG hereor click to choose a file · up to 4 MB · never storedChoose an image

Preset

Mode

Automatic threshold

Trace the light side

Corner threshold1Lower keeps sharp corners; higher rounds them.

Smoothing0.2Higher merges curves: fewer nodes, softer outline.

Despeckle4Shapes smaller than this many pixels are dropped.

DPI (sets the size in mm)

Pass

2 free images a day without one. Lost your code?

Which file does each program open?

The import lists below are from each publisher’s own pages or documentation, read on the dates given under Sources.

Program	SVG	DXF	Note
Cricut Design Space	Yes	Yes	Both arrive as vector images, separated into layers on upload.
Silhouette Studio, free edition	No	Yes	Opens DXF, PNG, JPEG and its own .studio files.
Silhouette Studio Designer Edition and up	Yes	Yes	Saving as SVG needs Business Edition.
LightBurn	Yes	Yes	Layers can be mapped to cut, score or engrave settings.

What is different inside the two files?

An SVG is an XML drawing: shapes with fill colours, grouped, with a width and height that can be stated in millimetres and a viewBox in the same unit (W3C SVG 1.1). Holes are expressed by the fill rule, so the inside of an “O” stays empty. Our SVG puts each colour in one group marked as an Inkscape layer.

A DXF is a CAD exchange file: entities on layers, with a unit declared in the header ($INSUNITS) and colours as AutoCAD colour indexes, no fills (Autodesk DXF reference). Release 12 (AC1009) is the version every laser and CNC program reads. Our DXF puts each colour on its own layer as closed polylines, in millimetres, with curves flattened to within 0.02 mm.

HEADER    $ACADVER AC1009 (Release 12) · $INSUNITS 4 (millimetres) · $EXTMIN / $EXTMAX
TABLES    LAYER COLOR_1_1A1A1A (colour 7) · LAYER COLOR_2_C0267A (colour 6) · …
ENTITIES  POLYLINE closed (70 = 1) on COLOR_1_1A1A1A → VERTEX × n → SEQEND
          POLYLINE closed on COLOR_1_1A1A1A (a hole) → …
          POLYLINE closed on COLOR_2_C0267A → …
EOF

The structure of a traced DXF, checked by re-parsing before download.

When is SVG the better choice?

Pick the SVG when:

You cut on a Cricut, or on a Silhouette with Designer Edition or higher.
You want to see the colours and edit the design in a vector editor before cutting.
You use the free tier: it gives the SVG at up to 480 px on the longest side.

When is DXF the better choice?

Pick the DXF when:

You run the free edition of Silhouette Studio, which does not open SVG.
Your laser, CNC or CAD program asks for DXF, or treats SVG units unreliably.
You assign cut, score and engrave settings by layer: each colour arrives as a named layer.

How do I keep the size right in either format?

Both files are sized from the DPI you choose: millimetres = pixels × 25.4 ÷ DPI. At 300 DPI, a 1,200 px wide design is 101.6 mm wide. The preview shows the size in millimetres and inches before you download, and both formats carry that same size.

Longest side	96 DPI	150 DPI	300 DPI	600 DPI
480 px	127.0 mm	81.3 mm	40.6 mm	20.3 mm
1,200 px	317.5 mm	203.2 mm	101.6 mm	50.8 mm
3,000 px	793.8 mm	508.0 mm	254.0 mm	127.0 mm

Questions

Can I get both formats of the same design?

Yes, with a pass: download the SVG and the DXF of the same image; on a 20-image pass they count as one image.

Does a DXF keep the colours?

As layers, not fills. Each colour of the trace is a layer named after it (COLOR_1_1A1A1A and so on) with the nearest AutoCAD colour index, so your software can show and select them; the shapes themselves are outlines.

Why does my DXF open at the wrong size?

Older programs ignore the unit in the DXF header and assume inches or drawing units. Ours declares millimetres; if your program asks for the unit on import, choose millimetres.

Sources

Cricut blog — How to upload images to Design Space (basic images .jpg .png .gif .bmp; vector images .svg .dxf, separated into layers on upload) (dated October 24, 2026)
Silhouette America — Silhouette Studio software (FAQ: opening SVG needs Designer Edition or higher; saving SVG needs Business Edition) (read October 25, 2026)
Silhouette School — "What is the best file type for Silhouette?" (the free version opens .studio, PNG, JPEG and DXF; SVG needs Designer Edition) (dated August 15, 2024)
LightBurn documentation — importing SVG and DXF files (dated October 24, 2026)
W3C — Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) 1.1, coordinate systems, units and viewBox (dated August 16, 2011)
Autodesk — DXF Reference, AutoCAD Release 12 (AC1009) group codes (dated February 1, 2011)