The issue goes like this: I purchased an svg file. The file opens in GF as 18" x 10.4", exactly as the seller describes. If I open the same file in Inkscape, the dimensions are 13.5" x 7.8".
I wanted to make a slight adjustment to part of the file, so I opened it in inkscape, made the adjustment, and saved the file. The file then opened in GF at 13.5x7.8, exactly as it appeared in Inkscape.
Trying to manually scale up the adjusted file to “match” the 18x10.4 dimensions while in the GF app is not working well, no matter how close I zoom in, because it’s free hand (unless I’m missing some sort of snap-to somewhere). This is a 6-piece, layered project with each layer being a separate svg file. I only want to modify the 1 file. When I print the other 5 files onto my GF material, my one modified file is just ever so slightly off because I cannot get the exact scale by “hand stretching” it on the GF app.
All 6 unmodified files open in GF at 18x10.4, and in inkscape at 13.5x78 – an exact ratio match.
If I make my changes in Inkscape, and (still within inscape) scale up the entire image to 18x10, then it imports into GF at exactly 18x10, and prints out perfectly matched with the other sheets of wood. This “perfect match” is because of the precise measuring capabilities of Inkscape compared to the non-precise measuring capabilities of GF.
So… finally to the question: What causes the svg file to measure 13 inches in Inkscape and 18 inches in GF? And, is there a better way to achieve what I was finally able to achieve?
Idk why exactly it does it, it’s why I don’t use inkscape but it has to do with units per inch. I made this video based on what someone told me that fixes it:
Idk anything past that, that is in that video with inkscape so can’t really help further than that but that fixes it for me. You can also convert the original file to a pdf using an online converter then open with inkscape to “lock in” the scaling issue inkscape has.
Click the ruler icon that appears at the bottom of the app when you have some design selected. You can type in the dimensions (18"x10.4") you want and it’ll be resized precisely.
Awesome, thanks! That’s the button I was missing.
(although I would still eventually like to understand why one program opens the svg file at one dimension and another app opens the same svg file at a different dimension… at the core of the file, it’s all just mathematical text )
The answer to that is whether the design is being interpreted as 72 DPI or 96 DPI, the two common resolutions for graphic files. Most modern vector design software assumes 96 DPI. Adobe Illustrator for some reason defaults to 72 DPI when saving an SVG, yet 96 DPI when “exporting” to the same format. 72/96 is the ratio of the dimensions you’re seeing. I’m not sure what determines which is chosen when the Glowforge renders the file.
Thanks for the answer @dan84, that’s right. I’m going to close this thread - if the problem reoccurs, go ahead and post a new topic. Thanks for letting us know about this!
