Set the finished size before you trace artwork for cutting
Set the finished size first, then trace. A trace made at the wrong size picks the wrong amount of detail and has to be cleaned up twice.
Why size comes first
How much detail a trace should keep depends on how big the part will be. A 2 in logo cut with a 1/8 in bit can only hold details larger than about 1/16 in; the same logo at 24 in can hold far more. If you trace at a random size and scale it later, the tiny nodes scale with it: a small trace blown up looks rough, and a big trace shrunk down is full of detail no bit can cut.
What to set before you trace
- Document units. Pick inches or millimeters and keep them the same all the way to CAM.
- The finished size. Scale the image to the real size of the sign or letter (for example, letter height 18 in) before tracing.
- The smallest detail you can cut. This is the bit: a 1/4 in bit can’t cut inside corners tighter than 1/8 in radius or slots narrower than 1/4 in. Set the trace’s detail or noise setting so it ignores anything smaller.
- Outlines only. Trace to filled shapes or outlines with no stroke width, so each shape becomes one closed cut line.
After tracing, before CAM
- Measure one known dimension (a letter height or the overall width) and compare it with the order.
- Clean up the trace: simplify curves, delete duplicates and specks, close open outlines. See How to clean up traced artwork.
- Export with units written in the file. DXF files can store their units; some programs leave them out, and then the next program has to guess.
How NestSigns helps
When you open a DXF or SVG, NestSigns asks which units it was drawn in and shows a hint: the unit the file says (or that it has none) and the artwork size read as inches and as millimeters. If the size looks wrong, pick the other unit before you nest. The file check then marks gaps and thin spots narrower than your bit.
Related: All help pages · Clean up traced artwork · DXF nesting online · SVG nesting online · Kerf
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