Using Inkscape with the Laser Cutter
This page should be a tutorial on how to use our Inkscape Plugin, with screen shots, directions, caveats, etc.
Link back to Laser Cutter.
Inkscape Basics
- The first thing you will need to do is create/download a design in Inkscape.
- Once you have created your design you'll want to make sure all your objects are paths so all your extensions will work with them. You can do CTRL+A to select everything then use the method in the video.
- You'll also need to either move your design to X = 0, Y = 0 or resize the document to match your design (which essentially moves it to X = 0, Y = 0). This way you can more accurately predict where the laser will start cutting.
- From time to time you'll end up with designs in the (root) layer instead of an actual named layer. You'll need to fix this before turning your design to gcode. You can just cut and paste it into an actual layer as the video shows. Once there is nothing in the (root) it will go away.
- Setting the stroke color of the paths you want to cut/engrave will be important when you want different laser settings in one design (both engrave and cut for example).
- Sizing your designs to the desired size will be important. Here is a video on how to do that while keeping everything aligned and keeping the aspect ratio.
KMLaser Bundle
We've put together a bundle of Inkscape extensions that you might find useful. You can download the bundle at our github.
Path to Gcode
This extension is the work horse for the bundle. It takes the paths from your design and turns them into gcode required to run our laser cutter. This extension is based on part of Gcodetools but has been heavily altered for our purposes.
Here's a video showing how to set up the file options the first time you use Path to Gcode:
KMLaser: Path to Gcode File Options
This extension lets you use different stroke colors to represent different laser powers (cut, engrave(heavy), engrave(light)). Here's a video showing the use of the By Color presets option:
KMLaser: Path to Gcode By Color
When using the By Color option the following stroke colors translate to the labeled actions:
| Color | Action |
|---|---|
| #000000 | Cut |
| #ff0000 | Cut |
| #0000ff | Engrave (Heavy) |
| #00ffff | Engrave (Light) |
NOTICE: When setting the hex values in Inkscape, the value is actually RGBA which has an alpha (opacity) value at the end so you will need to add an ff to the end of the values above.
Hatch Fill
This extension allows you to fill in any closed figure in your design with lines or crossed lines. This is useful when you want to engrave an entire area within your design. This extension is based on part of the eggbot extensions.
Here's a quick video on how to use it:
Hershey Text
Hershey Text produces single-stroke text that is appropriate for cnc engraving or plotters. This extension is based on part of the eggbot extensions.
Here is a quick video on the difference between it and Inkscape fonts:
Tabbed Box Maker
This extension creates the paths necessary to cut out tabbed boxes. This extension is based of the extension you can find here.
Here's a quick video on how to use it: