Text missing after converting SVG to DXF
Your design looks fine as an SVG, but once it is a DXF the lettering is gone, or it shows up in the wrong font. This is the most common SVG to DXF problem, and it has a simple cause.
Short answer: DXF cannot carry SVG text and its font. Convert the text to outlines (paths) before you export, and check that the right font is used when you do.
Why the text disappears
In an SVG, a word is stored as letters plus a font name, for example <text font-family="Arial">Hello</text>. The shape of each letter only exists once a program draws it with that font.
A DXF file has no dependable way to embed that font. Exporters and converters handle this in different ways:
- some drop text elements silently (the most frequent case);
- some write a DXF text entity that your laser software then ignores or redraws with another font;
- some convert the text to outlines, which is what you want.
In our own tests, a direct DXF export of an SVG containing live text came out without the lettering until the text had been converted to paths first.
Fix it in your design software
Select the text (or everything), convert it to outlines, then export the DXF.
| Software | Command |
|---|---|
| Inkscape | Path → Object to Path Shift+Ctrl+C |
| Adobe Illustrator | Type → Create Outlines Shift+Ctrl+O |
| Affinity Designer | Layer → Convert to Curves Ctrl+Enter |
| CorelDRAW | Object → Convert to Curves Ctrl+Q |
On a Mac, use Cmd instead of Ctrl.
Watch the font
Converting uses the font installed on the computer doing the conversion. If you received the SVG from someone else and do not have their font, the text is redrawn with a substitute, and the cut piece will not match the design. Install the font first, or ask for the file with outlines already made.
Text on a path and special effects
Text that follows a curve, has letter spacing tweaks or uses effects should always be converted to outlines in the design program. Converters rebuild text from the letters and the font, and such layouts are where results differ most.
Or let the converter do it
Our converter turns text into outlines automatically, keeps bold text bold, and tells you when a font is missing instead of silently swapping it. You can load the missing .ttf or .otf file and convert again. Everything runs in your browser; the file is not uploaded.
Check before you cut
- Open the DXF in your laser software and zoom on the lettering: every letter should be there.
- Look at the inside of letters like o, e, a, B: the holes must stay holes if you engrave. If they fill up in xTool, see holes filled when engraving a DXF in xTool.
- Compare the font with the original design.
Questions
Why is my text missing in the DXF?
An SVG stores text as characters plus a font name. DXF has no reliable way to carry that, so many converters and exporters skip text elements. Convert the text to outlines (paths) before exporting, or use a converter that does it for you.
Will the font look the same after converting to outlines?
Yes if the font is installed (or loaded into the converter) when you convert. If it is missing, a replacement font is used, so check the result or add the font file.
Can a laser cut text that is still text?
The laser follows paths. Text has to become outlines at some point; doing it before the DXF export is the safest way to keep the exact look.