Software is VERY slow

Hello, my software is VERY slow. I think I have figured out the problem though but don’t know how to fix it. I am trying to engrave a bible verse by typing it the way I want it in Word, saving it as a PDF, and importing the PDF to glowforge. I think what is happening is instead of saving the PDF as one unit or “group”, it is saving each letter individually, so when I try to move or resize it, it takes FOREVER. I figured this out when I was able to select just one letter out of a word. I do not have this same problem with a picture. Is there a simple way to group text as one unit so that I can manipulate it quicker and easier like a picture.

Rasterize it. You don’t need vectors for engraving. :blush:

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Let’s pretend I don’t know how to rasterize it. How would that be done?

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Export as JPG or PNG instead of PDF.

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Word does not all you to save it in either of those formats.

https://turbofuture.com/computers/How-to-Convert-Word-Document-into-Image-jpeg-png-gif-tiff

Word is not really an optimal choice of design software for working with the Glowforge. There is a lot of information here in the forums to help you find something more appropriate. Inkscape is a popular free option.

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I’m sorry you’ve run into trouble when trying to print your design. It looks like you’ve received some great advice from our other community members so far. Thanks folks!

The free program called Inkscape which @evermorian mentioned is a great option to explore. The process which @geek2nurse mentioned called rasterizing can be done in Inkscape (in Inkscape, it’s called “Convert to Bitmap”)

We have a guide on our support website which explains rasterizing and shows the steps to take in Inkscape. Here is a link to the guide: Rasterize Objects (Converting Vectors to Bitmaps)

Please let us know if this helps you get up and running with your design!

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@evermorian and @geek2nurse, thank you very much for your help. Downloaded Inkscape, took about 5 mins to figure out how to save text as a PNG, tested it out, and all is well. Looks like Inkscape is capable of a lot of other stuff too that I am looking forward to trying out. Thank you again for all of your help.

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Thank you for the update. I’m glad to hear that the advice from our other community members got you up and printing with your design!

I’m going to close this thread. If you run into trouble again, or have any questions, please post a new topic here on the forum or email us at support@glowforge.com and we’ll be happy to help.