Illustrator Instructions
How to prepare and export a vector PDF for laser cutting.
Your file is ready if...
- LANDSCAPE 1000×700 mm document in RGB
- Red (255,0,0) 0.25pt stroke = cut
- Blue (0,0,255) = marking (grayscale raster optional)
- Strokes only, no fills
- No clipping masks, text converted to outlines
- At least 0.4 mm between two nearby cuts
- Exported as PDF, ONE single page
Minimum distance between elements
Keep at least 0.4mm distance between two adjacent cut lines.
Materials thinner than 0.4mm are extremely fragile and will break easily when handled.
For example: if you want to create slots or grids, make sure the material "bridges" between cuts are at least 0.4mm wide.
Create a new document
Create a document with correct dimensions in millimeters.
Bringing a custom panel?
If the panel is smaller than 1000×700, leave at least 5 mm between the design and the panel edge, on every side.
Set RGB
Document must be in RGB color mode to recognize cutting/marking colors.
Use correct colors
The laser recognizes lines by color. Use RED for cutting and BLUE for marking.
Strokes only, no fills
The laser follows only strokes. Fills are ignored.
Set stroke weight
All stroke weights must be set to 0.25pt.
Remove clipping masks
Remove all clipping masks from the document.
Convert text
Convert all text to outlines to avoid font issues.
Raster marking (optional)
In addition to vector marking (blue lines), you can insert raster images (photos, logos) that will be engraved on the material.
Images must be in grayscale. Black (0%) is engraved at maximum power, white (100%) is not engraved.
Recommended resolution: 300 DPI. Images that are too large slow down the process.
Raster marking works best on materials like wood, leather, and some types of plastic.
Export as PDF
Save file as PDF keeping vector information.
Don't flatten transparency and keep layers if possible.
Calculate cutting length
To know the cutting cost in advance, you can check the total path length directly in Illustrator, without any additional plugins.
How to view total length
- Select only the vector elements of the drawing (Ctrl+A selects everything, but make sure there are no raster images in the selection).
- Open the panel Window → Document Info.
- From the panel menu (icon at top right), choose "Objects".
- Read the "Path Length" value: if the document unit is set to millimeters, you'll get the length directly in mm. Otherwise, go to Edit → Preferences → Units and set millimeters.
Example: if path length is 12,500 mm → 12.5 meters → cutting cost: € 12.50 (minimum € 10.00).
Quick Summary
- Document 1000x700mm in RGB
- Minimum distance between cuts: 0.4mm
- Red (255,0,0) for cutting
- Blue (0,0,255) for marking
- Strokes only, no fills
- Stroke weight 0.25pt
- Remove clipping masks
- Convert text to outlines
- Grayscale raster marking (optional)
- Export as PDF - ONLY ONE page!
- Calculate total path length to estimate cost