Frequently Asked Questions:
What file type are your vector designs?
The vector files are DXF (drawing exchange format) files. These are the most commonly used interchange files for most CAM or CAD software programs.
The vector files are DXF (drawing exchange format) files. These are the most commonly used interchange files for most CAM or CAD software programs.
What if I need a different file type?
If you require a different file type please contact us as we may be able to generate a file that will work for you. We mainly work with Adobe Illustrator and Design Edge CAM software and it may be possible to generate other file types that would work for you, such as AI, SVG, EPS, JPG, PNG, PCM etc.
If you require a different file type please contact us as we may be able to generate a file that will work for you. We mainly work with Adobe Illustrator and Design Edge CAM software and it may be possible to generate other file types that would work for you, such as AI, SVG, EPS, JPG, PNG, PCM etc.
Will I be able to print the design files?
In addition to the DXF file you will also receive an instantly downloadable PDF file. This file contains the black and white image of your purchased design (or designs), without the DXF Design watermark. The PDF files are higher resolution and higher quality than the jpeg images displayed on our website so that you can generate a clean print to view or show your clients. The images displayed on our website are low resolution jpeg files, when you hover over the image you will see an enlarged view but the edges are not clean and crisp like they are in the PDF version. The image quality on the website has been deliberately reduced to inhibit piracy of the designs.
In addition to the DXF file you will also receive an instantly downloadable PDF file. This file contains the black and white image of your purchased design (or designs), without the DXF Design watermark. The PDF files are higher resolution and higher quality than the jpeg images displayed on our website so that you can generate a clean print to view or show your clients. The images displayed on our website are low resolution jpeg files, when you hover over the image you will see an enlarged view but the edges are not clean and crisp like they are in the PDF version. The image quality on the website has been deliberately reduced to inhibit piracy of the designs.
Can I use your designs for a different application?
Absolutely, you will receive the vector format (line drawing) and the black and white (pixel based) versions of the designs. You can use them for any application you want; for example creating quilting patterns, embroidery or knitting stitch patterns, vinyl stickers etc. All you need is the software to open and manipulate the files so you can print them onto tracing paper etc. I’d love to know what you use the designs for and please don’t hesitate to contact me if you need any assistance or a different file type etc.
Absolutely, you will receive the vector format (line drawing) and the black and white (pixel based) versions of the designs. You can use them for any application you want; for example creating quilting patterns, embroidery or knitting stitch patterns, vinyl stickers etc. All you need is the software to open and manipulate the files so you can print them onto tracing paper etc. I’d love to know what you use the designs for and please don’t hesitate to contact me if you need any assistance or a different file type etc.
Do you provide custom DXF design work?
YES, we provide a custom design service. Requests can be submitted through the custom design request form on the website. You may use this form to request a design from scratch, from an idea or photograph or a specific logo using the file upload option. You should also use this form if you need custom changes to be made (adding words or numbers) or custom re-sizing of one of our existing designs. Extra time will be required to complete the design and then get it sent to you for approval. This will depend on the nature of the request and your place in line. Time and cost estimates for custom work will be given on a case by case basis. Completed DXF files will be available by e-mail, after payment has been received.
YES, we provide a custom design service. Requests can be submitted through the custom design request form on the website. You may use this form to request a design from scratch, from an idea or photograph or a specific logo using the file upload option. You should also use this form if you need custom changes to be made (adding words or numbers) or custom re-sizing of one of our existing designs. Extra time will be required to complete the design and then get it sent to you for approval. This will depend on the nature of the request and your place in line. Time and cost estimates for custom work will be given on a case by case basis. Completed DXF files will be available by e-mail, after payment has been received.
Are your designs instantly Downloadable?
YES, all our designs are supplied as digital files, available for download immediately after you complete the checkout process. You will receive a link to download the files, via e-mail, that accompanies your receipt.
The only exception would be custom designs or if you request custom changes to be made (adding words or numbers or custom re-sizing of one of our existing designs). In this case extra time will be required to complete the design and send it to you. This will depend on the nature of the request and your place in line. Time and cost estimates for custom work will be given on a case by case basis.
YES, all our designs are supplied as digital files, available for download immediately after you complete the checkout process. You will receive a link to download the files, via e-mail, that accompanies your receipt.
The only exception would be custom designs or if you request custom changes to be made (adding words or numbers or custom re-sizing of one of our existing designs). In this case extra time will be required to complete the design and send it to you. This will depend on the nature of the request and your place in line. Time and cost estimates for custom work will be given on a case by case basis.
I received an email with a link to download the DXF files, what do I do next?
Once you have saved the DXF files to your computer you will want to try and view them in a CAD (Computer Aided Drafting) or CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) based software program.
Once you have saved the DXF files to your computer you will want to try and view them in a CAD (Computer Aided Drafting) or CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) based software program.
The designs are very detailed; will they cut clean?
All intersections or crossed paths have been removed, and the DXF files have been smoothed to reduce machine wear and ensure that the design cuts correctly. All of our designs are comprised of closed loop paths as some CNC software will only accept closed paths. Some of our designs are however very detailed and will take longer to cut. Plasma cutting by nature requires more clean-up than laser or water jet. The majority of our DXF files have been tested on PlasmaCAM™ cutting tables, running DesignEdge™ software.
All intersections or crossed paths have been removed, and the DXF files have been smoothed to reduce machine wear and ensure that the design cuts correctly. All of our designs are comprised of closed loop paths as some CNC software will only accept closed paths. Some of our designs are however very detailed and will take longer to cut. Plasma cutting by nature requires more clean-up than laser or water jet. The majority of our DXF files have been tested on PlasmaCAM™ cutting tables, running DesignEdge™ software.
Are your designs scalable or resizable?
All our designs are scalable and resizable using any vector program. A note of caution however, if scaling down you must take into consideration limiting factors such as the type of machine you are using, the kerf (cutting beam width) of your machine and the material thickness. Laser and water jet machines can cut finer detail than plasma cutting machines so scaling will need to be determined for each design at your own discretion. If you have a plasma CNC cutting machine you will want to make sure you are utilizing a fine tip consumable of between 20-40 amps to ensure that your torch kerf width is around 0.06″ or less. The majority of our DXF files have been tested on PlasmaCAM™ cutting tables, running DesignEdge™ software with variable material thicknesses up to ¼” plate. All our designs are hand drawn and hand traced, with allowances made for kerf so that you can set the offset to zero when converting to cut paths. Exceptions when scaling that need special consideration are components that need to be very precise, for example screw holes or custom sized parts.
All our designs are scalable and resizable using any vector program. A note of caution however, if scaling down you must take into consideration limiting factors such as the type of machine you are using, the kerf (cutting beam width) of your machine and the material thickness. Laser and water jet machines can cut finer detail than plasma cutting machines so scaling will need to be determined for each design at your own discretion. If you have a plasma CNC cutting machine you will want to make sure you are utilizing a fine tip consumable of between 20-40 amps to ensure that your torch kerf width is around 0.06″ or less. The majority of our DXF files have been tested on PlasmaCAM™ cutting tables, running DesignEdge™ software with variable material thicknesses up to ¼” plate. All our designs are hand drawn and hand traced, with allowances made for kerf so that you can set the offset to zero when converting to cut paths. Exceptions when scaling that need special consideration are components that need to be very precise, for example screw holes or custom sized parts.
When I try to import the DXF file my computer program freezes or I receive an error code, help?
Sometimes computer programs will freeze when the amount of information contained in the DXF file is too large for the program to process. Being patient with the loading process is sometimes all that is required to view the loaded design. You may also find that reloading the file will allow it to open just fine. When error messages are displayed it is usually due to information being interpreted incorrectly between software programs. For example, if you have a CAM program set for waterjet or laser cutting methods, it may not recognize open cut paths or single line cut paths, resulting in an error. Other error codes may result from overlapping cut paths. We have tried to eliminate the possibility of receiving these types of error codes by ensuring that all our files contain no intersections, crossed paths or overlapping cut paths and only closed loop paths. If you continue to experience problems with your CAM software I would recommend sending an e-mail to the technical support team and providing them with a copy of the DXF file you are trying to load so they can help troubleshoot the problem you are encountering with their software.
Sometimes computer programs will freeze when the amount of information contained in the DXF file is too large for the program to process. Being patient with the loading process is sometimes all that is required to view the loaded design. You may also find that reloading the file will allow it to open just fine. When error messages are displayed it is usually due to information being interpreted incorrectly between software programs. For example, if you have a CAM program set for waterjet or laser cutting methods, it may not recognize open cut paths or single line cut paths, resulting in an error. Other error codes may result from overlapping cut paths. We have tried to eliminate the possibility of receiving these types of error codes by ensuring that all our files contain no intersections, crossed paths or overlapping cut paths and only closed loop paths. If you continue to experience problems with your CAM software I would recommend sending an e-mail to the technical support team and providing them with a copy of the DXF file you are trying to load so they can help troubleshoot the problem you are encountering with their software.
I have the DXF file loaded in my CAM program but it is not recognizing any cut paths, help?
DXF files are a universal format readable by different CAD and CAM software programs. Our DXF files are supplied as closed paths, and you will need to convert them to cut paths within your particular CAM software. If your software doesn’t generate them automatically, you will need to assign cut paths and order them. It is a good idea always to check the cut path order preview immediately prior to cutting anyway. This is especially the case if you make any changes to the design work. It would be practically impossible to create DXF Files that are completely cut ready for every client, because of all the variables that need to be considered. These include the CNC cutting method employed, the CAM software being used, the size of the design required etc. By selling the DXF files as they are, each customer is spared the extra time it would take to edit the file if it was provided in a format that did not match the requirements of their CNC cutting system.
DXF files are a universal format readable by different CAD and CAM software programs. Our DXF files are supplied as closed paths, and you will need to convert them to cut paths within your particular CAM software. If your software doesn’t generate them automatically, you will need to assign cut paths and order them. It is a good idea always to check the cut path order preview immediately prior to cutting anyway. This is especially the case if you make any changes to the design work. It would be practically impossible to create DXF Files that are completely cut ready for every client, because of all the variables that need to be considered. These include the CNC cutting method employed, the CAM software being used, the size of the design required etc. By selling the DXF files as they are, each customer is spared the extra time it would take to edit the file if it was provided in a format that did not match the requirements of their CNC cutting system.
Do I need to select offsets for the cut paths?
NO, for your convenience offsets are taken into consideration as the designs are drawn. All our designs are hand drawn and hand traced, aiming for realistic appearing artwork and allowances are made for kerf (cutting beam width) so that you can set the offset to zero. Exceptions would be for components that need to be very precise, for example screw holes or custom sized parts.
NO, for your convenience offsets are taken into consideration as the designs are drawn. All our designs are hand drawn and hand traced, aiming for realistic appearing artwork and allowances are made for kerf (cutting beam width) so that you can set the offset to zero. Exceptions would be for components that need to be very precise, for example screw holes or custom sized parts.
I started cutting and the metal is warping and pieces of the design are falling out, help?
If you are using a plasma cutting machine you will want to be sure that you are using fine tip consumables (between 20-40 amps) to ensure that your torch kerf width is close to 0.06″ or less. The finer your cut width the better your cut results will be. A general rule that we use for ensuring sufficient distance between cut paths is to keep the distance between adjacent cut paths at 0.15” or greater. This helps to ensure that the metal between cut pieces will not melt out. If you are unable to use a fine tip consumable you will need to consider increasing the size of the design or editing the design to provide greater distances between cut paths. Consider also doing a test cut, isolating the part of the design that has cut paths closest together and cutting just that section of the design on a scrap piece of material before cutting the entire design. We recommend when cutting a particularly detailed portion of a design that you order your cut paths so that they are not being cut sequentially in a small section of the design. Consider ordering paths that are in close proximity by skipping every other one. This allows some cooling time between each cut. Then return to the area to complete cutting of the paths that were skipped. This decreases the chance of parts of the design falling out and helps to reduce the excessive heat and slag build up that cause warping.
If you are using a plasma cutting machine you will want to be sure that you are using fine tip consumables (between 20-40 amps) to ensure that your torch kerf width is close to 0.06″ or less. The finer your cut width the better your cut results will be. A general rule that we use for ensuring sufficient distance between cut paths is to keep the distance between adjacent cut paths at 0.15” or greater. This helps to ensure that the metal between cut pieces will not melt out. If you are unable to use a fine tip consumable you will need to consider increasing the size of the design or editing the design to provide greater distances between cut paths. Consider also doing a test cut, isolating the part of the design that has cut paths closest together and cutting just that section of the design on a scrap piece of material before cutting the entire design. We recommend when cutting a particularly detailed portion of a design that you order your cut paths so that they are not being cut sequentially in a small section of the design. Consider ordering paths that are in close proximity by skipping every other one. This allows some cooling time between each cut. Then return to the area to complete cutting of the paths that were skipped. This decreases the chance of parts of the design falling out and helps to reduce the excessive heat and slag build up that cause warping.