Load the design
SVG, DXF, CMX or text. Holes are recognised, so the offset around a letter keeps the counter offset inward as well.
Offset & contour · 10 tools
Offsets, outlines and contour cuts
Outlines at a set distance, inset paths, contour cuts, borders, corner rounding and stroke expansion for stickers, layered signs and kerf compensation.
An offset is a path that follows another path at a fixed distance. In cutting work it appears everywhere: the border around a die-cut sticker, the backing layer behind acrylic letters, the contour a plotter follows around printed artwork, the compensation that makes a laser-cut part come out at its nominal size instead of a kerf smaller. Drawn by hand, an offset around a curved letter self-intersects at every tight corner; computed properly, it is a single clean loop.
These tools compute true offsets on flattened polygons, with rounded, mitred or square joins, and clean up the self-intersections a naive offset produces. They work outward (outline, border, contour) and inward (inset, kerf compensation), and can stack several offsets for multi-layer signs.
Try it here
Offset Path Generator
Grow any shape outward by an exact distance.
How a offset & contour job runs
Set the distance and join style
Positive distance grows the shape, negative shrinks it. Round joins suit stickers and signs; mitre keeps sharp corners on boxes and plates; square is the safe middle.
Choose what to keep
Contour Cut Generator keeps only the outer loop for a plotter; Outline Generator keeps the offset as a separate shape; Border Generator returns the ring between two offsets; Multi-Contour stacks several distances.
Export on layers
The original and each offset export on their own layer, so the cutter can run the contour, the design and the backing as separate passes or on separate materials.
All offset & contour tools
10 tools · Outlines, borders, contour cuts and corner rounding.Offset Path GeneratorGrow any shape outward by an exact distance.Inset Path GeneratorShrink shapes inward for inlays and pockets.Outline GeneratorWelded outline layer around the design.Contour Cut GeneratorRounded contour for print-and-cut stickers.Sticker Contour GeneratorSticker-style bleed contour with smooth corners.Multi-Contour GeneratorSeveral concentric contours for layered work.Border GeneratorA border band around the design.Outline Thickness ToolThicken thin outlines to a cut-able width.Corner Radius ToolRound every sharp corner to a set radius.Stroke Expansion ToolExpand strokes into filled shapes.
On the machine
Sticker borders
2 to 3 mm of white border around a printed sticker keeps the blade off the artwork and hides small registration errors. The Sticker Contour Generator applies that offset and rounds the joins so the sticker peels without catching.
Kerf compensation
A laser removes 0.1 to 0.3 mm of material along the cut, so a 50 mm part comes out at 49.8 mm. Inset Path Generator with a negative distance of half the kerf (offset outward for outer contours, inward for holes) corrects it. Measure the kerf with the Kerf Test Generator in the laser group.
Layered backings
A backing layer for acrylic or MDF letters usually sits 5 to 10 mm outside the letters at the letter size you cut. Multi-Contour Generator produces two or three backings at increasing distances for a stepped sign.
Corner radius
Corner Radius Tool rounds sharp external corners; on vinyl that stops corners lifting, on acrylic it stops stress cracks, and on CNC it should match or exceed the cutter radius so the toolpath does not undercut.
What usually goes wrong
- Offsetting a stroke instead of a shape. Use Stroke Expansion Tool first so the offset follows the visible edge, not the centre line.
- Using a mitre join on script text. The mitres spike at every acute angle; use round joins for anything with curves.
- Applying kerf compensation in the wrong direction. Outer contours grow, holes shrink; the tool handles the sign automatically when it recognises holes.
- Stacking offsets on an unwelded design. Weld first, or each letter gets its own overlapping outline.
- Very large negative offsets that collapse a shape to nothing. The tool warns when the inset removes a region entirely.
Common questions
What is the difference between offset, outline and contour?
They are the same geometry used differently. Offset returns the offset path on its own; outline returns it alongside the original as a separate layer; contour returns only the outermost loop, which is what a print-and-cut plotter follows.
How much does the offset add to the size?
Exactly twice the distance to the overall width and height, plus the rounding at corners. The preview reports the new bounding box in millimetres.
Can I make a border that is a ring, not a filled shape?
Yes; Border Generator subtracts the inner offset from the outer one and returns the ring, which cuts as a frame.
Does Outline Thickness Tool change the letters?
It thickens or thins every stroke by the amount you set, which is how a delicate face becomes cuttable at small sizes without changing the font.