Bitmaps can only be engraved (not cut)

This may be an obvious question, but why is it that bitmaps can only be engraved, i.e. why can’t you cut with a bitmap? It seems obvious that you couldn’t but yet you can cut a “trace” image using the GF camera by clicking outside the image and it then ends up “cutting via a bitmap”. Was this just a design decision by GF to only allow cutting from a bitmap via the trace function on the camera and not from user uploaded bitmaps?

I ask because when I want to cut out a bitmap, I seem to have 2 options: a.) Trace it to a vector in either Inkscape or AI, or b.) print the thing out, put it in the bed, use the trace function and voila. The latter seems really low tech and hokey but often times is faster, but just seems wierd to have to do that.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

a bitmap is a series of dots. that’s all the GF can read is those dots. it doesn’t see a bitmap as a line to run a laser along.

cutting is a vector line, which is a series of points that have lines running between them. the software reads that as a line that can be cut or scored along.

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What’s crazy then is how does the trace function using the camera do a cut? Those are just dots too or is the cloud based GF software actually converting the scanned item you put in the bed into a vector on the fly? Just seems that if it can do that on the fly with something the camera has scanned, it could do the same with uploaded images?

Yeah, that’s exactly what’s happening. The Trace function is an Auto-Trace that drops a vector path into the interface between two colors. :slightly_smiling_face:

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I see no reason this could not be a thing but most people are happier running through an art program because of the control it gives you.

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what @markevans36301 said is correct. i’m sure it’s possible that GF could try to add a mode that could create an outline of a bitmap that you could use to cut. but design software will do it significantly better and you’ll be able to see where things mess up and fix them.

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This all makes perfect sense. Seemed like a curious omission, but this thought process does make sense. Just wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing something.

Thanks!

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Thanks for the help everyone! I’m glad @eric12 has an answer.