It is “subtracted”, it’s just subtracted using the even-odd fill rule instead of the nonzero winding rule.
I don’t use Affinity Designer, but I’m a big fan of rasterizing engraves to avoid this whole foofaraw.
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I don’t quite understand when I should be using Alternate vs Winding fill. I tried changing it from Alternate to Winding but still have the same issue. Does anyone have any insight into this on Affinity Designer?
Thanks for the tip. I’ll consider rasterizing engraves going forward. Did you encounter this issue with other programs too?
I think this is a “known issue”, if you search the forum you’ll find a bunch of discussion going back years. It seems to bite people who use Affinity Designer. Technically, it’s not doing anything wrong, but the Glowforge software doesn’t seem to understand the way AD combines paths.
For whatever reason, the default behavior of Inkscape and Illustrator is to use the method that Glowforge gets along with.
Now that I know what to research, I think I understand the problem better.
Glowforge Support: Are there any plans to add support for even-odd fill mode? This is how Affinity Designer implements their Subtract operation.
One known issue after another…
And now I’m encountering (again) the issue where my thick Proofgrade plywood does not cut all the way through.
My entire day has been spent working on my GF, but with nothing to show for it…
/rant
Usually the first sign you need to clean your lenses. Try that before you get too frustrated!
I just cleaned everything last week. The camera lens, laser lenses, and mirror.
I’ve had this issue before, and it was attributed to the poor quality of my Proofgrade material.
I don’t want to speak for GF, but I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for a fix. I’m pretty sure I was the first to report it back in 2017 and I’ve been pulling my hair out over this ever since. Please feel free to bring it to their attention once in a while so I’m not the lone voice complaining about it. 
FWIW I’m a Corel user, but a few Affinity users have more recently brought it up as well.
If you want to laugh (or cry) about the horribly long road it took the community to figure out there’s a winding rule bug in the GUI, here’s the original link.
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That’s obviously not an optics issue. Unfortunately, you know the routine for support to diagnose this - GoGM on Medium Draftboard.
Last week is a long time ago if you’re cutting stuff with MDF in it (like PG plywood). It takes longer to open a support ticket by posting here than it does to clean them again, and you might find it’s all you needed!
Worth a shot…
@dan, are there any plans to add support for even-odd fill mode in GFUI? This is how Affinity Designer implements their Subtract operation.
The issue is with thick Proofgrade plywood having air pockets.
Thick PG plywood has a thick MDF core. If you’ve been cutting it for a week since you last cleaned lenses, Occam’s Razor says it’s far more likely to be dirty lenses than air pockets. But hey, you can wait on support instead of seeing if my suggestion might get you going again sooner. Your call! 
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If you found voids in your PG Ply, attach pictures of the edge that shows the gaps and Support will likely replace the ply for you. PG isn’t supposed to have voids or other aberrations in the construction.
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I’m confused, although this thread is now so far off-topic…
I’ve never had voids prevent cutting thru. I have had weird material inclusions that did, however.
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Sorry. To steer it back on topic, I have finally discovered the workaround for Affinity Design users. Before applying the Subtract operation, Reverse Curves using the Node tool. Also make sure Fill Mode is set to Winding (non-zero).
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I’m so sorry to hear that you’re running into trouble. I appreciate you providing so much information regarding the even-odd fill mode snag you are hitting. I’ll make sure your feedback gets back to my team.
In regards to the cut through trouble you are experiencing, I’d like to look at a specific print on your Glowforge to create a baseline and review. Could you please do the following?
Turn off your Glowforge, then turn it back on
We included an extra piece of Proofgrade Draftboard with your materials shipment for troubleshooting. Place Proofgrade Draftboard in the bed and load the Gift of Good Measure design.
Set the score and engrave steps to ‘ignore.’ Print the Gift of Good measure using the default settings. Allow the print to finish.
When the print finishes, leave the lid closed and wait until the fans stop and the picture of the bed updates.
Check the completed print:
If the Gift of Good Measure fails to cut, please let us know the date and time of the print
If the Gift of Good Measure cuts successfully, please try another print of the design you saw the issue with, and let us know the results.
If the issue still occurs, please let us know the date and time of the finished print.
Thank you!
It’s been a little while since I’ve seen any replies on this thread so I’m going to close it. If you still need help with this please either start a new thread or email support@glowforge.com.