In this tutorial you will learn how to set up an Adobe Illustrator file for laser cutting and engraving, including artboards, rulers, and guides. You will practice turning images and text into clean vectors using Image Trace, and you will learn how stroke size and color determine whether the laser engraves (raster) or cuts (vector).
Prerequisites
- Adobe Illustrator installed
- Basic comfort selecting objects and using panels (Transform, Align, Image Trace)
- A source image or silhouette that you have permission to use (include credit)
Risks to avoid
- Hidden/double lines can cause the laser to cut the same path twice, which can overheat material and increase fire risk.
Material List
Safety First
Laser cutting safety notes for Illustrator files
- Avoid double lines: Use Image Trace → Ignore White, then Ungroup and check for duplicate outlines. Before sending to the laser, use Pathfinder → Outline when appropriate to condense to single paths. Cutting the same area twice can increase heat and fire risk.
File setup + guides
Set up a correctly sized artboard, then use rulers and guides to keep designs aligned and ensure everything fits your material.
Steps
- Open Adobe Illustrator.
- Create a new file: File → New.
- Set artboard size:
- You can resize later if needed.
- Show rulers:
- Mac: Command + R
- PC: Ctrl + R
- Create a guideline by dragging from a ruler onto the artboard (guides appear cyan).
- To create a guide shape for your material:
- Draw a rectangle (or another shape).
- Hold down shift when resizing shape to make a perfect square
- Open Window → Transform and set W and H to your material size.
- Move the shape to the top-left corner.
- Good practice for laser cutting
- Right click → Make Guides.
- Manage guides by right clicking the artboard: Hide/Show/Lock/Unlock Guides, or Release Guides.
Tip: Use guide shapes to represent material size so you do not design something that will not fit.
Preparing artwork
Turn silhouettes, photos, and text into clean vectors. Decide whether elements should raster engrave, vector engrave, or vector cut based on stroke size and (when applicable) color mapping.
Raster & Vectors
Raster
- Drag and drop an image onto the artboard.
- If you engrave as-is, the printer will print/engrave the pixels. Low resolution images can look blocky.
Reminder: Give credit for images that are not your own.
Common issue: If you see unexpected cut lines, check for hidden strokes or leftover traced shapes.
Text
- Add text with the Type Tool.
- Center with Window → Align.
Vector (Image Trace: clean up + vectorize)
- Select the image.
- Open Window → Image Trace.
- Expand Advanced.
- Check Ignore White.
- Click Trace.
- Adjust settings as needed:
- Threshold (more or less black)
- Paths (more or fewer curves)
- Corners (sharper or smoother points)
- Noise (remove tiny shapes)
- Click Expand (Window → Properties → Expand).
Engraving Outline only
On the bottom of the tool bar you will notice two squares. The filled in square represents your fill color while the outline square represents your outline color.
- Set fill to none (white square with red slash).
- Ungroup and check for duplicates.
- Use Window → Pathfinder → Outline to condense to single paths when appropriate.
Photos and multi-color traces (optional)
- Select the image.
- Use the Image Trace preset dropdown (the v next to Image Trace) to try:
- Silhouettes for a single-color outline
- 3 Colors or 6 Colors for a posterized look (fewer colors is easier)
- Open Window → Image Trace to adjust the Colors value.
- Click Expand, then Ungroup so each color becomes editable shapes.
- Combine small pieces:
- Use the Shape Builder Tool to merge shapes into larger, easier-to-cut regions.
- Use the Eyedropper Tool to fix colors if they shift.
- Organize by color:
- Select one shape → Select → Same → Fill Color.
- Cut, create a new layer (Window → Layers), then Edit → Paste in Place.
- or drag selected items to new layer
Drawing tools
- Use the Pencil tool for free drawing.
- Use Direct Selection to move anchor points and adjust endpoints.
- Use the Pen Tool (plus add/delete anchor tools) for precise curves.
Save + export
- Save your working file as an .AI so you can edit later.
- If your laser workflow requires a specific format, export one of the following (depending on your laser/software):
- SVG
- DXF
- When exporting, double check that your scale is 100% and your units match your workflow.