Left: what goes in
Type text, or drop a file on the dashed box: SVG, DXF, CorelDRAW CMX, or PNG, JPG and WebP artwork that is traced on the spot. Under it are the tool's options: sizes in millimetres, fonts, thresholds, gaps, sheet presets.
Guide
How to use CutReady
Type it, shape it, cut it: every tool follows the same workbench, and every export is in real millimetres. This page explains the workbench once, then walks through the jobs people come here for.
The workbench
Right: the cutting mat
The result draws on a mat with a millimetre grid, and the readout above it shows the number of paths and the total cut length. What you see is exactly what the export contains.
Under the mat: export
SVG for design software, DXF (R2000, mm) for lasers and CNC, PLT / HPGL for vinyl plotters, PNG 300 dpi for previews, and Copy SVG to paste straight into another program.
Curves are flattened to 0.3 mm segments, finer than any blade or beam reproduces. Holes stay holes (compound paths), welds are true welds, and offsets never cross themselves. Live text inside an imported file is skipped: convert it to outlines in your editor, or retype it in the calligraphy tools here.
The jobs, step by step
A calligraphy sticker or name plate
- Open the calligraphy maker for your script (Arabic, Urdu, Hindi or English) and type the text. Joined letters, conjuncts and ligatures are shaped for you.
- Pick a face and set the real width or height in millimetres. Add outline, shadow or a backing plate if the job needs one.
- Turn on Weld for vinyl and stencils so overlapping strokes become one outline.
- Export: PLT for a vinyl plotter, DXF for a laser or CNC, SVG for CorelDRAW, Illustrator or LightBurn.
Trace a logo or drawing into cut paths
- Open Image to SVG and drop a PNG, JPG or WebP (up to 15 MB). Logos, hand lettering and clean scans trace best; photographs become blobs.
- Slide Threshold until the preview matches the artwork, then raise Remove specks to drop dust and Smoothing to calm jagged edges.
- Set the Output width in millimetres. Node tolerance simplifies the path so the machine cuts smoothly.
- Export SVG or DXF, or send the result on to a stencil, offset or nesting tool.
Fit parts on a sheet with the least waste
- Open Sheet Nesting and add your parts: SVG, DXF, CorelDRAW CMX, or PNG/JPG artwork that is traced on the spot. Several files at once are fine; each file is split into its pieces and every part gets a quantity.
- Choose True shape (parts tuck into each other) or bounding-box nesting, and the rotation step (every 90° or finer).
- Pick a sheet preset (A4, A3, acrylic 600 × 900, MDF 4 × 8 ft, laser beds) or type the width and height. Set the gap between parts and the sheet margin.
- Read the utilisation and waste per sheet, flip between sheets, and export one sheet at a time or every sheet as a ZIP.
A stencil that holds together
- Make or load the design, then open the stencil tool from the Stencils category.
- Bridges are added automatically wherever an island (the inside of an O, a counter in Arabic) would fall out. Adjust bridge width and count.
- Export DXF or SVG for the laser, or PLT for a vinyl mask.
Prepare a file for laser or CNC
- Run Open Path Detector first: lasers and CNC controllers need closed shapes, and it names every path that is not.
- Use the offset tools for kerf (laser) or inside/outside tool-path offsets (CNC), and the tab generator so parts do not drop before the cut ends.
- For CNC, the G-code tools order the paths and write the file; for a laser, export DXF R2000 in millimetres.
Files in, files out
| Direction | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| In | SVG | Sizes read from the viewBox or width; otherwise 96 DPI pixels. Up to 25 MB. |
| In | DXF | Lines, polylines, arcs and splines are flattened; units taken from the file. |
| In | CMX (CorelDRAW) | Opens directly, no CorelDRAW needed. Save as CMX from CorelDRAW's Export menu. |
| In | PNG, JPG, WebP | Traced into paths on the spot (Image to vector), up to 15 MB. |
| Out | SVG | Layered, millimetre units, compound paths for holes. |
| Out | DXF R2000 | Millimetres. For LightBurn, RDWorks, laser and CNC software. |
| Out | PLT / HPGL | 40 units per millimetre, for vinyl plotters and their drivers. |
| Out | PNG 300 dpi | A raster preview for mock-ups and approvals, not for cutting. |
By machine
Plotters
Export PLT. Weld the letters, add weeding boxes or lines, and mirror only for heat-transfer vinyl. The roll layout and roll nesting tools pack designs along a roll width.
Acrylic, MDF, wood
Export DXF. Check open paths first, apply kerf offset, add tabs for parts that must stay in the sheet, and nest on a bed preset so nothing runs past the edge.
Routers
Use inside and outside offsets for the tool diameter, tabs and drill holes, then order the paths and write G-code from the CNC category.
Every category
Each tool page has its own three-step guide and answers under the workbench. This is the map.
Calligraphy & text23 tools · Arabic, Urdu, Hindi and English text shaped into clean cutting paths.Wall stickers12 tools · Quotes, names and Islamic art sized for walls, glass and mirrors.Vinyl cutting17 tools · Weeding boxes, HTV mirroring, kiss-cut lines and roll layouts.Vector editing23 tools · Resize, clean, simplify and repair SVG and DXF files.Boolean & shape11 tools · Weld, subtract, intersect and divide shapes.Offset & contour10 tools · Outlines, borders, contour cuts and corner rounding.Image to vector13 tools · Trace logos and artwork into cut-able SVG paths.Stencils8 tools · Automatic bridges so islands never fall out.Laser cutting15 tools · Kerf, tabs, layers and cut-length checks for acrylic, MDF and wood.Acrylic design13 tools · Name plates, layered signs, backing plates and mounting holes.MDF & wood10 tools · Wall art, monograms, jali panels and layered wooden signs.CNC14 tools · Inside/outside offsets, tabs, drill holes, path order and G-code.Nesting & layout17 tools · Fit the most parts on every sheet or roll and know the waste.Pattern generators12 tools · Islamic geometry, honeycomb, jali and mandala lattices.Signage11 tools · House, shop, office and desk name plates with mounting holes.Box & product generators8 tools · Finger-joint boxes, pen holders and tab-and-slot templates.QR & barcode3 tools · Vector codes that survive cutting and engraving.File conversion13 tools · SVG, DXF, PLT/HPGL and PNG in and out.Print & cut10 tools · Contour cuts, registration marks, bleed and sticker sheets.Measurement12 tools · Dimensions, path length, area, scale and unit conversion.Material & cost13 tools · Vinyl, acrylic, MDF and wood pricing, time and margins.Production checks12 tools · Catch open paths, tiny objects and live text before cutting.Mockup & preview10 tools · See designs on walls, glass, wood and acrylic before making them.
AI assistantsComing soon · Describe the job in plain language and get a cutting-ready file.
Common problems
My file loads at the wrong size
Files without a viewBox or physical width are read as 96 DPI pixels. Use the Resize operation (Vector editing) to set the exact width you need; every export is then in true millimetres.
The Arabic text is joined here but breaks in CorelDRAW or Illustrator
Export from CutReady as SVG or DXF. The letters are already outlines, so the other program has nothing to shape and nothing to get wrong. Do not retype the text there.
The DXF will not open, or opens tiny
CutReady writes DXF R2000 in millimetres. If your software asks for units on import, choose millimetres. Very old cutters that only read R12 should be given PLT instead.
The plotter cuts the design mirrored, or not mirrored
Heat-transfer vinyl must be cut mirrored; sign vinyl must not. Use Mirror for Heat Transfer Vinyl (or the Reverse tool) deliberately rather than relying on the plotter driver.
My traced photo is a blob
Tracing turns dark pixels into filled shapes, so it needs artwork with clear edges: logos, lettering, line drawings. Raise the threshold, remove specks, or redraw the photo as line art first.
The laser stops or complains about open paths
Run Open Path Detector and close the paths it lists (Close Path in Vector editing), then export again.
A tool says Coming soon
It is listed so you can see what is planned; it has no workbench yet. Every other tool is live.
Is anything uploaded?
No. Shaping, tracing, booleans, nesting and export all run inside your browser. Closing the tab discards the work, so download what you need.
Your files, your device
Nothing is uploaded and there is no account. The fonts are published under the SIL Open Font License or Apache License, so the artwork you make with them can be sold. CorelDRAW, LightBurn and Illustrator are trademarks of their owners; CutReady is independent of all of them.