EveryCutFileWhat each format carries
| Format | Carries | Leaves out |
|---|---|---|
| SVG | Outlines, colors as separate layers, and the size in the file | Nothing a cutter needs, if it holds no pictures, live text or effects |
| DXF | Outlines | Colors, fills and often the size: check the width after opening |
| PNG | Pixels, with a transparent background | Cut lines: the software traces them, or prints the picture and cuts around it |
| A page to print, often with outlines inside | Not every program opens it as a cut file |
What your software opens
| Software | SVG | DXF | PNG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cricut Design Space | Yes, on every device | Windows and Mac only | Yes, cleaned up as a single layer | No |
| Silhouette Studio | Designer Edition or above | Yes, every edition | Yes, to trace | Designer Edition or above |
| Brother CanvasWorkspace | Yes | Yes, up to Release 14 | Yes, to trace | No |
| Glowforge app | Yes | Premium members | Yes, to engrave | Yes |
| LightBurn | Yes | Yes | Yes, to engrave or trace | Yes |
| xTool Creative Space | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
A worked example
Every design page here offers the same drawing as SVG, PNG, DXF and PDF. Take our arch label: in Design Space or CanvasWorkspace, upload the SVG and it opens at 60 × 62 mm. In Silhouette Studio Basic Edition, open the DXF and check it reads 60 mm wide. For Print Then Cut, use the PNG. To see the label on a jar before cutting, print the PDF at 100%.
Convert when you need to
A clean SVG converts to DXF or PNG in your browser; the DXF keeps each outline as many short straight segments. Going the other way, a PNG or JPG has to be traced, and the outlines are only as good as the picture.
From the maker’s documentation: Cricut: image upload instructions, Silhouette Studio editions, Silhouette: Studio file types by edition, Brother: CanvasWorkspace file formats, Glowforge: upload a design, LightBurn: file management, xTool: importing images.