Hello amazing GF owners! i am a very new owner and i am working on learning just what this amazing machine can do. i do have a project that i am hoping to get some help from design experts, since my learning curve is slow. when i upload a .png file of my logo it looks great with posative and negative, but when i upload the .svg file it seperates the “J” and the word “woodworking” from the logo image. any advice would be great. i am trying to engrave the logo and then cut an outline from there.
1 Like
Yup ! The first warning is for using a clip path as The GFUI can only crop to a rectangle (only Aliens can crop circles) So when you make your image you have to use white everywhere that you do not want any engraving to take place. I often then use a clip path as the program (Inkscape) can better size and balance the part you want to engrave. You will still get the warning under that case but if there is nothing but white clipped away you can then ignore the warning. If you would like the clip path to be the cut out you need a copy that is not a clip-path as the path itself will have no effect’
If you want many parts to be engraved together and they are images they will need to be made into a single image. If they are filled vectors they need to be the same color, the specific color does not matter a lot but they need to be precisely the same that is what the GFUI looks at when assigning layers. there is a plan about what color is higher or lower than another, but as you can grab and move layers around easily enough that is what I do,
You can have both vectors and pixels in the same SVG but while vectors can be engraved or cut or scored, pixel graphics (png, jpg,) can only be engraved.
2 Likes
I’m seeing a lot of overlap, which will likely not give you the result you are looking for. If you upload the svg including the png, I’ll be happy to take a look for you.
1 Like
Here are the originals of the .AI files and the .PNG as well as .JPG. thank you again fore your amazing support. i designed the original basic logo image and had a company create the vectors for me. 4833_JacksSons Woodworking_Logo_D_D_04.ai (1.6 MB)
Thanks for uploading. So, you want to engrave all the dark areas in the .png and then cut it all out, maybe with a small border around the edge? I notice that there is not already a border around the Woodworking part so that would have to be created in a vector program (I assume Illustrator since you uploaded .ai). Another thing to keep in mind is that there is not much contrast between the two grays in the hammer and saw so you probably won’t see any difference in the engraving. If it were me I would lighten up the lighter gray if you want to see that contrast.
Give me a few minutes and I’ll see what I can come up with.
1 Like
i am using inkscape (watching tutorials as we speak) i am working on making this into leather patches for now. i really would love to engrave just like the attached image engrave green and than do a “die cut” like a sticker around the edge.
1 Like
Okay, here’s what I came up with:
JacksSons Woodworking_Logo_Revised.svg.zip (247.7 KB)
Here’s what it looks like uploaded:
What I did:
Released the clipping mask (twice).
Took each of the elements and put a really wide stroke on them (around 20 pt).
Outlined the stroke, released compound paths and deleted all the interiors.
United (merged) all the outlines (in Illustrator it’s called Unite, don’t know about Inkscape).
Did a little editing of some parts to get a smooth outline.
Gave it a stroke, no fill.
Placed the .png file behind the outline and tweaked the placement until it looked centered.
Saved it to a 20x12 artboard (works better with Glowforge, your .png is oversized and might give you trouble.)
Good luck!
4 Likes
While @cynd11 was looking at your file I took a fast look too.
I killed the extraneous colors (and layers) and now it’s two colors, one to engrave and the other to do something like a “sticker” cut.
4833_JacksSons Woodworking_Logo_D_D_04.zip (1.1 MB)
Both the AI and SVG file are in the ZIP, here is what the SVG file looks like by itself.
Perhaps between @cynd11 and me you’ll have something you can use 
6 Likes
i wish you all were local i would buy you coffee!!! so amazing, let me see what i can do with those. thank you.
2 Likes
No worries. You get to see how two different people approached the same problem and got what looks to be very similar results that load into the GFUI with no errors.
Have fun!
2 Likes
thank you! if you have any articles videos or tips that helped you with your learning please feel free to share. as you may tell, my skill set is around a more physical design in woodworking and the digital design is new and exciting.
Go check out the Matrix in the Tips and Tricks section. A lot of people have contributed videos and tutorials for Inkscape there.
I’m an AI user, so I’m pretty much no help at all for you 
on the software training side.
2 Likes
if AI adds value than that too is a platform i would love to explore.
As an Adobe addict for way more years that I should admit to it adds value for me. I subscribe to the Creative Cloud so it would be silly for me to use anything else.
Just like in your work shop, as long as you learn to use whatever tool you have you can do amazing things. In other words, pick one software package and learn it, it really doesn’t matter which one.
BTW, I just had to see how the version I created from your file came out. I shrank it to fit a piece of scrap.
7 Likes
This is absolutely amazing! great work.
1 Like
Wow, way to go the extra mile! 
2 Likes
Shh. Don’t tell anybody but it was only a few minutes in AI and then 3:37 to engrave and cut.
You stayed true to the original file and I processed it with a chainsaw figuratively speaking.
3 Likes
Ha Ha. awesome.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed 32 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.