DXF Archives

Silhouette Studio can open a variety of file types.
This is a list of the most common file types that Silhouette Studio uses, but may not be all inclusive.

Basics of file types Silhouette Studio use

The following is a brief list and basic description of the most common file types you may encounter.
You will notice as you look at the following list, the software upgrades (Designer Edition, Designer Edition Plus, Business Edition) allow additional file types to be opened and used. I have broken it down into those levels so you know exactly what you may have access to.

Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Silhouette Studio Basic Edition (free)

.Studio file type

.Studio files are the Silhouette files that download to the library direct from the Silhouette Design Store or if you download them to your computer direct, they will show like the photo below where ever you have saved them.

.Studio are proprietary files and cannot be opened in other programs. This is a cut file and opens directly in the Silhouette Studio software.
If by chance when you click on the Send tab it doesn’t have bold red cut lines, simply click on the design to select it and choose Cut. Bold red cut lines should turn on around the design.

.GST

.gst files are older Silhouette files. These will still open in the Silhouette software and are compatible. You will only see this file type if you do a direct download to your computer of the files in the Silhouette Design Store.
You may or may not see both a .studio or .gst file type in the download. It just depends on when the file was added to the Silhouette Design Store.

PNG

Png files are a photo file that can have a transparent background. This will depend on how the original image was created. It is a single layer graphic file and does not contain cut lines typically.

However, in the v4.4 software there is now the option to Autotrace a transparent png. What this means is that it will trace the outer edge of a transparent png. It does not trace individual layers and colors, but only the outside edge of the design.
There are still a few bugs in this Autotrace feature depending on what version of v4.4 you are using.
For more information on Autotrace, check out this post HERE.

If you experience issues with png files taking a long time to open or the software crashing, try turning off the Autotrace option and see if it changes for you.
With Autotrace turned off, you will need to manually trace a png file using the Trace Tools.

JPEG

Jpeg files are also photo files.
They have a white background, are not cut files, and do not contain individual layers.

If you want to turn a jpeg into a cut file, it would need to be traced to get cut lines. Each file may take some different trace techniques as each image is composed of different elements.
For more on tracing check out these posts HERE.

Note: Since jpeg and png files are graphic images, they are made up of pixels. They are a flattened graphic image and the resolution is set in how it opens up. Scaling a jpeg or png file up or down can affect the image quality. You may notice this if you enlarge a jpeg or png and the edges become blurry or you get a little yellow triangle in the top left corner of the Silhouette design mat that indicates a low quality print.

DXF

Dxf files are a file type that was created in 1982 for AutoCad program. Which just means computer assisted design. So basically a computer drawing program.
It really wasn’t designed as a “cut” file.
While the Silhouette software can open a dxf file, the file itself can be larger, which can cause delayed responses when opening and working with the file. Or it can cause the software to crash as the processor on the computer cannot handle the data in the file. Dxf files can be very data heavy.
For more information on dxf file, check out this post HERE.

I would always recommend choosing a svg file over the dxf file for better cut results.

Silhouette Studio Designer Edition Upgrade

All of the file types listed below can be accessed with a Silhouette Studio upgrade of Designer Edition or higher.
For more information on software upgrades, check out the
Software Upgrades – My Favorite Features post HERE

SVG

SVG stands for scalable vector graphic. This means that they are a file type that can be scaled up or down without losing image quality.

If you are using files from outside the Silhouette Design Store, this is the file type I would recommend using. It is the higher quality cut file – Designer dependent of course.

For more information on svg files – check out these posts:
How to Open a SVG file
Reasons SVG Files Are Not Opening

Note: if a SVG file is opening in a web browser first, it is losing the svg properties. Computers default to a web browser for opening the SVG file type. Check out either post linked above on how to change the default on your computer to open a SVG file directly in the Silhouette Software. Or use File > Open in the software to open it direct.

PDF

PDFs are a common file type that we are used to seeing in other aspects of our lives, but they can also be cut files.

PDFs can be opened in the software and depending on how it was created will determine if it has cut data with it or not.
The only way to know is to use File > Open and choose Vector, then click on the Send tab and see if it comes in with cut lines.
Check out this post on Opening a PDF file in Silhouette HERE

Silhouette Studio Designer Edition Plus Upgrade

Embroidery file types – PES, DST, EXP, JEF, and XXX

Embroidery files can be fun to play with for certain projects. When opening embroidery files, keep in mind that every stitch opens as a cut line, which means that the file may need some clean up in order to be a good cut file. It can also mean that it takes your computer longer to process and open the file. This is due to every single stitch is now a cut line which equals more data on the file.
Each embroidery file may require different aspects to clean up or make it the cut file that you would like since they are all designed differently.

Silhouette Studio Business Edition

Ai/CDR/EPS

Ai/CDR/EPS Files are files designed in other graphic design programs such Illustrator or Corel Draw. One thing to keep in mind these file types can be data heavy and it may depend on your computer on how long it take to process, open, and work with these file types.

Personally, I have only used the EPS file if I do not have the SVG option for a cut file. Even my computer which is higher specs that the average Silhouette user, takes a bit longer to process those data heavy files. Be patient with your computer if opening these graphic files.

I hope now you understand a little bit more about the different file types that the Silhouette Studio software can utilize.

Have questions?
Feel free post on the
Silhouette Secrets+ Facebook Group.

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The Silhouette software can open many different file types.
Which file type depends on what upgrade of the software you have.

Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Here is how it is broken out by upgrade:

Silhouette Studio Basic (free at Silhouette America)
– gsd
– dxf
– jpeg
– png
– bmp

Silhouette Studio – Designer Edition upgrade
all of the above and
– svg
– pdf

Silhouette Studio – Designer Edition Plus
all of the above and
– Embroidery files (PES, DST, EXP, JEF, and XXX)

Silhouette Studio – Business Edition
all of the above and
– Ai/CDR/EPS Files

Silhouette Studio Upgrades can be found at several authorized retailers:
The Vinyl Spectrum, Swing Design, or Silhouette America.

Today we are going to explore the difference between a dxf and svg file.

So let’s first look at the definition of each.

DXF files are a file type that was created in 1982 for AutoCad program. Which just means computer assisted design. So basically a computer drawing program.
It really wasn’t designed as a “cut” file.

SVG files are scalable vector graphics. These are vector files that can be resized without losing image quality. These are “cut” files. They were created in 1999.

When you compare the 2 file types, there can be a BIG difference in the quality of a cut. While you can open DXF files with the Basic software, it can also be a big headache to cut a file. Because of the way DXF files are create, they can have massive amounts of edit points. Edit points are the data points that the Silhouette reads to complete a cut.

All these little gray dots are edit points that the Silhouette has to read to connect the dots.
For more on edit points, check out this post here – Let’s Explore v4 – Edit Points.

Here are a couple things you may experience when opening and cutting a DXF file:

It may take a lot longer to open
Let’s take a look at an example of opening a dxf file vs a svg file.
This video shows opening the above mandala file in dxf format versus svg format.
The dxf file took 38 seconds versus the svg file took just a couple seconds.
This will also vary depending on the user’s computer and the dxf file.
I have a higher than normal spec gaming computer that is used in the video below.

The software may crash or lock up when trying to open a dxf since it’s such a large data file.
Due to the data size of a dxf file versus a svg file, the software may just crash as it’s working to try to open the dxf file. This will vary by dxf file and computer.

Software is slow to respond and the computer is “thinking” more with dxf files.
Since it is a data heavy file it may take longer to make edits, resize, or work with the file in general.

A design takes forever to cut.
Since it has massive amounts of edit points, the Silhouette has to hit every single one of those to complete the cut.

The machine sounds odd cutting, like it’s stuttering.
This is because it is making short movements to connect the dots between those edit points.

The cut not completing cleanly because it has open edit points (red dots) and not complete lines
If you double click on a design, no matter the file type and you see red dots in it, there is a problem.
This means that the cut lines are not complete and it is a broken line.
This will affect how it cuts and in turn how it weeds.
I have drawn a simple rectangle below as an example- the red dot is a broken point.
The cut line does not completely connect to complete a cut.

Those broken edit points will need to be connected in order to close the shape. If the points are close together, double clicking on the red dot can close it, but if they are not, then you will need to connect the dots to close that cut line.

Shapes that have broken edit points cannot be filled with color as they really are not a “shape” but a line since it is not completely closed.

More on edit points on a dxf file

Since a dxf may have massive amounts of edit points, let’s take a look at what happens to those edit points when you scale the design down.

Here is what the file looks like when it’s originally opened & edit points are activated.
It opens at 9.528″ wide

Now if we scale that down, all of those edit points get squished closer together. They are still there but now you’ve taken those data points and squished them into a smaller space of 4.163″ wide.
Since there was already more edit points than necessary in a small space, you’ve now crowded them in even more.

In most cases, cutting this dxf file will just result in a mess of your material.

In the Edit Points Panel, there is the option to “Simplify” and you can try that, but it doesn’t always work or it may change the shape of the actual design.

Each file will be different in how it responds and reacts because they are created differently and are made up of different data.
Let’s compare another dxf file and svg file side by side.

On the left is the dxf file and the right is the svg file.
In this example, the edit points are not too crazy, however, you can still tell a noticeable difference between the dxf and the svg. The svg file is a much cleaner cut file.
Depending on the size you were to cut this file at, you may or may not notice a difference.

I highly recommend at least the Designer Edition upgrade to all Silhouette users and this is just one of the reasons why.
The upgrade will save you time, headache, and frustration in the long run.

For more information on my favorite reasons for each upgrade, check out this post
Software Upgrades My Favorite Features

I hope this has made the differences between working with dxf and svg files a little bit clearer. In my experience, the svg file is almost always the cleaner cut file to use.

We would love to see what you are working on!
Feel free post on the
Silhouette Secrets+ Facebook Group.

Save this for future reference by pinning the image below.