Adobe Illustrator: Vector Design for Laser Cutters & More
Best For: Glowforge, Trotec, Zund, and Cricut
Adobe Illustrator is a powerful vector design tool that creates scalable, layered graphics ideal for laser cutting and vinyl work. If you're working on designs that need precision (like engraving wood or acrylic, or cutting out exact sticker shapes), Illustrator can be a huge help.
Why Use Illustrator?
- Vector-based: Designs can be resized without losing quality
- Precise control of paths, curves, and anchor points
- Essential for machines like Glowforge, Trotec, and Zund
- Works with Cricut when exporting as SVG or PDF
Illustrator for Glowforge
Glowforge reads vector paths as cut, score, or engrave. Here’s how Illustrator helps:
- Cut: Solid stroke, 0.001 pt line
- Score: Line paths (also 0.001 pt) without filled areas
- Engrave: Filled shapes or raster images
Color-coding your layers (red for cut, blue for score, black for engrave) helps Glowforge recognize operations.
Helpful Tutorials:
- Illustrator Basics Tutorial (Adobe)
- The Adobe website has many available tutorials for beginners! You can find them all here!
Andy Tells Things Adobe Illustrator for Beginners: Get Started in 10 Minutes- Fab Crafts and More Create an SVG in Adobe Illustrator for Glowforge and other laser printers beginner tutorial
- How to Set Up Cut/Engrave Files for Laser Cutter
- How to Make a Sticker Sheet