How To Make Svg Files Design Your Own Cut Files

Learn how to make svg files for Cricut and Silhouette to use in your crafts

Imagine being able to make your own personalized svg files.

Learn the 9 simple steps to make a custom quote into an svg that you can use in your Cricut or Silhouette cutting machine.

Why use svg files to create images?

SVG stands for scalable vector graphic.  

It gives you more options than a raster or bitmap file (png or jpg).

“…an SVG file can be scaled to different sizes without losing quality — in other words, the format is resolution independent.”

Source: Lifewire

Want to learn how to make svg files? Click the button below to sign up for the free course.

Using svg files

I’m sure that you’ve been there before. You decide to start a new project, maybe a mug or a t-shirt for your daughter’s birthday.  

So you head to the internet to find a cute svg file that you can buy.

A quick Google search will pull up hundreds of cut files but you don’t see any that you really like.

Maybe a few of them come close but you wish you could just tweak one or two things to get what you need.

It’s at this moment when you really feel like you are ready to start creating your own designs, but where do you begin?

Easy ways to make svg files

What you really need are easy ways to make svg files that you can use in your cutting machine.

Luckily, you have plenty of options to choose from but they are not all equal.

I get commissions for purchases made through some of the links in this post. There is no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Let’s say you want to enlarge your design and print it on a shirt.

If the image is in png or jpg format, you run the risk of it looking blurry and not sharp on your shirt.

For the best results, you want to use an svg file.

If you find that you like making them, you can open your own online shop and make money selling SVG files.

What programs create SVG files?  

There are many software programs that create SVG files.  Here are just a few of them:

• Adobe Illustrator,
• Adobe Photoshop,
• CorelDRAW,
• GIMP
• Inkscape and
• Inscape Chrome App

I’m going to cover a really easy way to make them using:

• Inkscape  

What is the easiest program to create svg files?

The easiest program to create an svg file is really just the program that you prefer to use.  

I have been using Inkscape for years and I really like it.

I’ll admit that there was a learning curve at the beginning, but just like with anything else, the more you practice, the better you get.

If you only need to convert images, check out this post about how to convert png or jpg images to svg, otherwise here are a few programs that you can use to make your svg files.

Make SVG Files in Photoshop

Photoshop is a popular option for making svg files.

If you already have the software program installed, you can export pictures and save the PSD vector layers in svg file format.

• Go to the Layer panel and select the shape layer
• Right-click on your mouse and select “Export as”,
• Select svg format
• Click “Export”

Make SVG Files with Inkscape

Now we’re at my favorite method, Inkscape.

Inkscape is an open source vector design program, which means that it’s free to use.  

The program is very similar to Adobe Illustrator.

Most of the things that you can do in Illustrator can be done in Inkscape.

Steps to Create an SVG File Using Inkscape.

Upload SVG files to Cricut or Silhouette

Step back and give yourself a pat on the back.  You have just made your own svg file.

You can now upload it to your favorite cutting machine and start crafting!

Want to learn how to make svg files? Click the button below to sign up for the free course.

Article Sources: Lifewire