Laser technology has greatly evolved, especially in the fields of art and DIY. Buying a high-quality laser engraver opens a whole new universe of possibilities. However, you also need some experience in graphic design and computers to make high-quality content. You probably have tons of ideas in your mind, but you just don’t know how to create files for laser engraving. Therefore, I created this article to help you understand the concepts behind basic laser cutting and how you can make free laser engraving files.
Generally, professionals use BMP and DXF files for their laser engraving projects. However, you can also use SVG and vector files for laser engraving as well. It is important to note that you don’t need to be an experienced graphics designer for laser engraving. Fortunately, tons of websites offer free files for laser engraving.
Where to Find Free & Paid Laser Files (Cutting & Engraving)?
As mentioned above, professionals use powerful designing tools like Illustrator, Photoshop, CorelDraw, and AutoCAD to make their laser designs. However, the process requires good experience in the field alone can take several months. However, some websites offer HQ laser engraving files to help inexperienced laser DIYers.
These websites offer almost every DIY laser cutter plan that you can imagine. The problem is that you must surf numerous websites before landing on the perfect page. Moreover, you must also understand that not all websites are the same. It isn’t as simple as searching on Google, opening a link, and downloading the required files.
In this regard, some websites offer free laser engraver files while others offer some extra features, but they aren’t free. Another thing that you should consider is the difference between laser engraver file types. For instance, you can only download AI or BMP files from some sites, while others offer Vector, PDF, and even DXF files for laser engraving.
Fear not, as I have spent several hours hovering around the internet, finding high-quality websites for you.
14 Websites to Find Files for Laser Cutting and Engraving:
You must learn graphic designing to become a successful laser engraver in the market. However, it doesn’t mean that this hurdle can stop you from crafting your dream projects. Hundreds of online websites offer free and paid files, including free 3D laser engraving files, so that you can focus on your crafting skills. Here are the top 14 websites that, in my opinion, offer the best quality files. However, it is up to your judgment to choose the website that best suits your needs:
- The Hungry Jpeg
- DXFSTORE
- DXF for CNC
- CNC Designshop
- 3Axis
- LoveSvg (You can easily convert SVG to DXF.)
- Vision Engravers
- My DXF
- Free DXF
- Plasma Spider
- CNC DXF Files
- Sign Torch
- Scan2CAD
- DXF1
1. The Hungry Jpeg:
The Hungry Jpeg is probably one of the most unique and popular design websites in the world. The website offers numerous design templates that make graphic designing as simple as drag and drop. Moreover, you can download your design in almost any file format supported by your laser engraving software.
Free or Paid?
The best part about this website is that it offers both free and paid designs. Usually, the freebies come with certain limitations like you can’t convert the file format, change the resolution, and the template doesn’t include many drag-drop elements. However, you can get access to all these features and many others by paying as little as $1.
Account Needed or Not:
You must first create an account on The Hungry Jpeg to access tons of free and paid templates. However, you get several benefits like cloud storage, saving templates, and creating custom design templates with your account. Furthermore, registering on the website makes paying for paid templates a lot easier.
Number of Free Files:
Every week, the website works on a special algorithm that generates a random premium freebie. You can access and use the available free file throughout the week. However, it is only available in the paid section or in different bundles after expiration.
2. DXFSTORE:
As the name suggests, DXFSTORE is the largest collection of DXF files for laser cutting. It offers high-quality pre-designed files and design elements that you can use in different laser projects.
Free or Paid?
DXFSTORE offers both free and paid DXF design files for laser projects. The major benefit is that you can use the freebies unlimited times as long as they are available in the store. Moreover, the paid files are also saved in your account, and you can use them whenever you need them.
Account Needed or Not:
DXFSTORE offers paid design files, so creating an account is compulsory for everyone. The benefit of the account is that you can access your purchased files and custom designs anytime, anywhere.
Number of Free Files:
DXFSTORE’s freebies are available for unlimited use once you purchase them. However, the list of free files is small, with very limited usage. So, you must use the paid templates to enjoy unrestricted access to various design tools.
3. DXF for CNC:
Are you hungry for some free DXF files for laser engraving? If yes, then DXF for CNC is the perfect website for you. It offers numerous free designs that you can download and use in your projects. Moreover, it also offers graphics designers a chance to sell their work or gets paid through affiliate content.
Free or Paid?
Everything on DXF for CNC is free to download. However, you can access the premium features by investing some money. You can retrieve your investment only by selling one or two designs. So, it can be a fruitful investment in the long run.
Account Needed or Not:
You don’t need to register on DXF for CNC to access the free content. However, you are required to create an account if you wish to purchase the premium content or become an affiliate professional.
Number of Free Files:
The website offers unlimited access to free files without creating an account. Moreover, the premium content is saved in your account, and you can access it at any time.
4. CNC Designshop:
CNC Designshop is more of a tool than a design store. It offers hundreds of free and paid designs, ready to download and use in your laser projects. Moreover, it also allows you to convert various designs according to the type of laser and material.
Free or Paid?
It is a complete toolbox that offers several paid and free designs. You can register for the DesignShop membership to access numerous free designs, customization tools, and premium features.
Account Needed or Not:
You must create an account on the website to access the paid and free features. Moreover, you can use the account for a single purchase or the DesignShop membership.
Number of Free Files:
The website allows unlimited downloads of free content. However, the freebies are only available once you subscribe to a DesignShop membership.
5. 3Axis:
The problem with online websites is that they don’t offer vectors and other high-quality files. Fortunately, 3Axis can solve all these problems by offering a huge respiratory of free vector files for laser cutting. Moreover, you can also convert the files into any major format without any problems.
Free or Paid?
All 16,000+ files on 3Axis are free to download. Moreover, you can also customize, convert and preview the templates before saving them on your laptop. In short, everything on this website is free to download as long as you know what you want.
Account Needed or Not:
3Axis doesn’t require account registration to access the freebies and customization features. Moreover, you can download the files in DXF, CDR, BMP, or DWG without signing up.
Number of Free Files:
You get unlimited access to free files on 3Axis without requiring account registration.
6. LoveSvg (You can easily convert SVG to DXF):
SVG is probably the best file format for laser engraving. It allows users to design high-resolution projects that you can easily convert to other file formats. In this regard, LoveSVG is the largest respiratory with 10,000+ free to download SVG files. However, it doesn’t offer customization features or design templates.
Free or Paid?
It is one of the few websites that offer free laser files for commercial projects. However, the free use is limited and only offers common designs.
Account Needed or Not:
The website requires account registration to access the member-only SVG files. The paid files are also categorized to help you pick the right one for your project.
Number of Free Files:
You can download unlimited freebies once you sign up for a user or member account.
7. Vision Engravers:
Vision engravers are the oldest respiratory of clipart and engraving designs. The website has been active since 1993, so you can expect thousands if not millions of high-quality designs.
Free or Paid?
Vision engravers is a major community that regularly receives hundreds of free and paid design files. However, you can download the free files and use them for commercial projects without any problems.
Account Needed or Not:
The answer is both yes and no. If you are only looking for a few free practice design files, then you don’t need an account. However, you must register for a paid account if you want to join the active laser community.
Number of Free Files:
Vision Engravers offers unlimited access to the freebies to all registered and non-registered users.
8. My DXF:
My DXF is a reliable website to download high-quality, free DXF laser files. The website has been active since 2008 and offers hundreds of free designs to use in your projects. However, it is a blog, so you shouldn’t expect any premium features and customization tools. Moreover, the laser engraving sample files are only available in DXF file format.
Free or Paid?
It is a free blog that offers hundreds of DXF engraving projects. Moreover, unlike other websites, it doesn’t include any hidden charges. Still, you can donate to the moderator if you want to appreciate their efforts.
Account Needed or Not:
My DXF is an online blog that doesn’t require any subscription or user registration to access the free content.
Number of Free Files:
All design files on My DXF are available to download unlimited times. However, you can’t save or customize the design files without downloading them.
9. Free DXF:
As the name suggests, Free DXF is a website that offers thousands of freebies to all its users. Moreover, you can also convert the design into other major file formats according to your needs. The only problem is that the access to content is only available to the registered users.
Free or Paid?
The website offers both free and paid laser engraving files to its registered users. Moreover, the website deals in credits instead of dollars. You can purchase the store credits using your credit and debit cards.
Account Needed or Not:
Registering a new account is compulsory to use the website. However, it is a free registration and only takes a couple of minutes.
Number of Free Files:
You can download hundreds of freebies without even purchasing a single store credit. Moreover, all the files are available without any limitation on time and downloads.
10. Plasma Spider:
Plasma Spider is one of the largest laser communities online. It includes thousands of laser designs uploaded by various users, ready to download without spending anything. Moreover, you can also post about your problems and queries related to laser engraving to get an expert opinion.
Free or Paid?
Users post various threads, asking for free files in different laser cutter file formats. Moreover, all these files are free to download and use in your laser engraving business. However, the thread doesn’t guarantee high-quality files; it all depends on your judgment.
Account Needed or Not:
You need to create an account to post requests, comments, queries, and new threads on the forum. However, the file’s data is completely free and accessible to everyone with or without an account.
Number of Free Files:
The forum doesn’t restrict the users from accessing or downloading various files. However, it is up to you to find the right thread and design for your laser project.
11. CNC DXF Files:
CNC DXF files are the go-to place for most professionals and laser engraving specialists. The site includes thousands of free and paid laser designs in DXF and vector files. Moreover, you get owner privileges by purchasing any file from this market. In short, you can use the downloaded files in your personal and business projects without any problems.
Free or Paid?
It is mainly a paid website, one of the best-paid vector sites on the internet. However, you can still find a number of free download projects in the starter pack. So, both professionals and beginners can benefit from the huge collection of DXF files.
Account Needed or Not:
You don’t need to create an account on CNC DXF files to purchase the free and paid files. In other words, the site allows you to add various files to your cart and directly proceed to the checkout.
Number of free files:
The website provides unlimited access to the free files if you want to test the file quality. However, most professional designs are paid for, so the freebies won’t be of much use in your business.
12. Sign Torch:
Sign Torch is like the Amazon of laser engraving websites. You can browse thousands of paid projects and add various items to your cart. Moreover, it is a go-to website if you are looking for a complete collection of signs, fonts, and pre-designed projects for your laser business.
Free or Paid?
Most items in the design store are paid for. However, the website also provides a few free samples so that you can test them on your laser engraving machine. So, if you are looking for sites like Vecteezy, I suggest you check this one out.
Account Needed or Not:
Users must first sign up for an account to purchase various design items. Moreover, you can’t access the free samples without an account.
Number of Free Files:
The website only allows free files in the form of pre-sale testing samples. Apart from that, everything on the website is paid for.
13. Scan2CAD:
Scan2CAD is a complete website for every design item that you need for your projects. It offers free and paid fully customizable bundles for the users. Moreover, you can also convert the DXF files online without requiring any additional tools. So, if you are tense about the design aspects of your laser project, I suggest that you make an account here.
Free or Paid?
The website offers free and paid design bundles exclusively to its registered members. While most items are paid for, the site also offers some free tools to help you get started.
Account Needed or Not:
The Scan2CAD website is exclusive to its members. In short, you must first create an account to access various free and paid features.
Number of Free Files:
The registered users can access the freebies unlimited times. Moreover, you can download the free items with premium privileges after purchasing the membership.
14. DXF1:
If you are looking for a website that offers the best free DXF files, this is the perfect option. DXF1 offers 4,000+ free design files, signs, and symbols that you can use in your projects. Moreover, all the files are engraving-ready, so you don’t need to polish them before engraving.
Free or Paid?
All DXF files on the website are free to download for all users. However, it only offers the files in DXF format, and you need to use external tools to convert them into other formats.
Account Needed or Not:
DXF1 is a user-friendly website that doesn’t require any account registration. The only drawback is that it doesn’t offer customization nor saves your templates on the cloud.
Number of Free Files:
All the DXF files are free to download on the website, and you can download as many files as you like. In short, it is the perfect option for beginners who want to test various samples.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How to create files for laser engraving?
There are two ways to create files for laser engraving. First, you can use various designing tools like AutoCAD, CorelDraw, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Grbl if you know graphics designing. Otherwise, you can also download pre-designed files from various websites.
Where to buy laser-type cutting files?
You can purchase free and paid laser-type cutting files from various DXF1 and Sign Torch websites. Moreover, you can also get free download files from online forums like Plasma Spider.
What programs use SVG files for laser cutting?
Modern laser engravers support various laser programs for engraving and cutting the materials. In most cases, you get compatible software with the laser engraver. In this regard, tools like Laser Grbl, ezCAD, and Lightburn are the top-rated laser software for SVG and other file formats.
Conclusion:
Laser engraving opens a whole new universe of creativity and possibilities. However, you must learn to draw your mind on laser software like Illustrator and AutoCAD. Fortunately, some websites offer free and paid pre-designed files that you can use in your laser projects. Therefore, this article offers a comprehensive list of the top 14 best laser engraving files to save your time.
