TracerJPG to DXF
JPG to DXF converter
Turn a JPG into cut paths a machine can follow. Monochrome tracing, real dimensions, DXF out.
SVG export is free. DXF, EPS and PDF are on the Pro plan.
Most artwork that arrives by email arrives as a JPG, and most of it eventually has to be cut. This page is that path: compressed raster in, machine-readable drawing out.
There is one wrinkle. JPG compression softens exactly the edges a cutting file depends on, so a little preparation goes a long way.
How it works
How to convert JPG to DXF
Raise the contrast first if the edges look soft
Push light tones to white and dark tones to black before uploading. This matters more for cutting than for screen work, because a fuzzy edge becomes a wobbly cut path.
Upload your JPG
Largest version you have; Tracer traces it at up to 1500px on the longest side.
Trace as a single colour
Logo / Line art, Sketch or Tattoo / Stencil. A cut file wants one outline, not a stack of coloured regions.
Export as DXF
Written in millimetres, longest side 100mm. Set the real dimensions in your machine software.
What to check
Path count. Compression artefacts become extra paths, and extra paths become extra machine movements. Tracer already drops specks and simplifies contours on export. If a simple shape still has dozens of fragments, raise the contrast before uploading, or adjust Threshold in the full editor.
Holes and islands. Anything fully enclosed falls out when cut. Add bridges where you need the inner piece to stay.
Minimum feature size. Thin strokes that look fine on screen may be thinner than your material tolerates.
Smoothness. Run the result at zoom before cutting. A wobble you cannot see on screen is a wobble the machine will faithfully reproduce in wood.
When this works and when it doesn't
Works well: logos and lettering sent as JPG, scanned drawings, high contrast artwork, silhouettes.
Works badly: photographs, soft shading, heavily compressed files, anything where the outline is a suggestion rather than a line.
FAQ
Questions, answered
No, DXF is on the Pro plan. SVG export is free.