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Free Laser File Checker (SVG & DXF)
Check your SVG or DXF file before you send it to the laser. The checker finds the mistakes that waste material and machine time: wrong units, a drawing 25.4 times too small, open paths, double lines, text that is still a font, and colors your laser software will not map to cut or engrave.
Your file never leaves your computer. The check runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
How it works
- Choose or drop an SVG or ASCII DXF file (up to 5 MB).
- The checker reads it in your browser and measures it against a 300 × 200 mm work area.
- You get PASS or BLOCK, the real size in mm and inches, and a plain-English list of what to fix.
What it checks
- Units and DPI: mm, cm, in or px. Sizes in px are read at 96 DPI.
- Real size: width and height in millimeters and inches, compared with the work area.
- Suspicious scale: drawings that look 25.4× too small or too large (inch/mm mix-up), and missing DXF units.
- Open paths: shapes that are not closed, so the laser cannot cut them out cleanly.
- Duplicate geometry: exact double lines that the laser would cut twice.
- Text not converted to paths:
<text>elements in SVG, TEXT/MTEXT in DXF. - Colors and layers: red (#ff0000) = cut, blue (#0000ff) = engrave. Named colors like
redand short forms like#f00are understood. DXF layers CUT and ENGRAVE. - Binary DXF: detected, with a link to our guide on exporting an ASCII DXF.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my DXF 25.4 times too small?
Your drawing was made in inches but saved as millimeters (or the other way round). One inch is 25.4 mm, so a 4-inch part shows up as 4 mm. Set the DXF units ($INSUNITS) correctly when you export, or scale the drawing by 25.4. The checker warns you when a drawing looks this small.
My SVG is the wrong size: 96 or 72 DPI?
SVG files sized in pixels have no physical size of their own. Modern software (Inkscape, browsers) uses 96 pixels per inch; some older tools use 72. The same file is then 1.333 times bigger or smaller. Export your SVG with width and height in mm or inches to avoid this.
What is an open path, and why does it matter?
An open path is a shape whose start and end points do not meet. The laser can trace it, but the part will not drop out, and some software ignores it for cutting. Close the path (join the end nodes) before you export.
Why must text be converted to paths?
A text element only stores letters and a font name. If the laser computer does not have the same font, the text changes or disappears. Convert text to outlines/paths ("Object to Path" in Inkscape, "Create Outlines" in Illustrator).
What is the difference between a binary and an ASCII DXF?
Both hold the same drawing, but a binary DXF is stored in a compact computer format, while an ASCII DXF is plain text that almost every laser and CNC program can read. Save as ASCII DXF. Our guide shows how: How to export an ASCII DXF for laser cutting.
Which colors cut and which engrave?
This checker uses the most common convention: pure red (#ff0000, red) for cutting and pure blue (#0000ff, blue) for engraving. Any other color is flagged so you can map it on purpose. In DXF, use layers named CUT and ENGRAVE (or ACI colors 1 red and 5 blue).
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For Shopify stores
Running a Shopify store that takes customer files? CutReady checks them on the product page before checkout — coming soon to the Shopify App Store. Join the waitlist: cutready.2jagency.com/waitlist.
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The check runs in your browser. Your file is not uploaded. Results are for guidance; always verify critical jobs on your machine.