What is centerline tracing and how is it different from a normal trace?

A normal (outline) trace draws a closed contour AROUND every stroke — one pencil line becomes a long thin filled shape with two edges, and an engraver draws it twice like a hollow bubble letter. A centerline trace collapses each stroke to ONE path down its middle, so the machine follows the line once, the way the pen drew it. Outline is right for filled logos you cut around; centerline is right for signatures, sketches, handwriting, wiring diagrams and any art made of strokes.

Are the traced lines smooth curves or jagged pixel steps?

Smooth curves. Since August 2026 the centerline engine fits Bezier curves to each stroke (corner detection keeps sharp angles sharp), and the DXF export can carry them as true SPLINE entities in the R2000 format — the geometry CAD tools like Fusion, AutoCAD and Rhino edit natively. The R12 export uses finely sampled polylines for maximum compatibility with older controllers.

What images work for centerline tracing?

Line art: pencil and ink drawings, signatures, handwriting, sketches, technical and wiring diagrams, single-line lettering, scanned plans and drawings with a frame or scanner border. Solid filled logos and photos are outline territory, not centerline — and the converter tells you so honestly: if your image is not line art, it is refused with a clear message and you are not charged for the attempt.

How do I run a centerline trace on VectoSolve?

Open the Laser Workspace in your dashboard and pick the Centerline preset, then upload your drawing. The result downloads as SVG plus machine-ready DXF, with G-code available. Credits come from any pack or subscription — the same balance as every other tool.

Centerline Trace: One Clean Path Down the Middle of Every Stroke

A normal trace outlines your drawing — every line gets two edges, and your engraver draws everything twice. Centerline tracing follows the stroke itself: one smooth path, the way the pen moved. Built for line engraving, CNC engraving with a V-bit and pen plotters.

On a CNC, carve these files with a toolpath that follows the line (Contour with No Offset in Carbide Create, Quick Engrave in VCarve). V-Carve and Pocket toolpaths need closed shapes and skip open lines.

Trace a Drawing as a Single Line

Opens the converter with Single Line already selected. Unsuitable images are refused, never charged.

What Makes a Single-Line File Different

Three things decide whether your engraving looks drawn or looks traced.

One path per stroke

The engine extracts the medial axis — the skeleton — of each stroke. A signature engraves as the pen wrote it: one pass per line, half the machine time of an outline trace, no hollow bubble letters.

Real curves, not pixel stairs

Strokes are fitted with Bezier curves — corners stay sharp, arcs stay smooth. DXF exports carry true SPLINE entities (R2000) that Fusion, AutoCAD and Rhino edit natively, or finely sampled R12 polylines for older controllers.

Honest about its limits

Centerline is for line art — drawings, handwriting, diagrams. A solid filled logo belongs to the standard trace instead, and the converter says so before charging you, not after.

Precision Cut output: WELDING and FAB CO. as one cut path, with the inside of every letter cut through — Straight from Precision Cut: one cut path, and the inside of D, G, A, B and O is cut through, not painted over.

New: Precision Cut

A cut path that follows your design to the pixel

Need to cut around filled shapes instead of following a single line? Precision Cut traces the outline of every shape, exactly.

Holes stay holes: the inside of O, A, R and B is cut out, even if your software ignores fill rules.
Small lettering keeps its shape: straight edges stay straight, corners stay sharp.
Clean DXF: no tiny segments that slow the torch or the laser head.

Best on one-color logos and text. Same price as a standard conversion.

Try Precision Cut

Customer artwork arriving as screenshots every week?

We also do the whole job as a service: send the customer's file, get a free quote, see the watermarked preview, then pay. From $9 a file, delivered in the format your machine reads, with no VectoSolve name in the files.

Done-For-You Service

SVG for LaserPecker·SVG for Laser Cutting·Image to DXF·Image to G-code·Tattoo Stencil Maker

Turn a Drawing Into a Single-Line File

Signatures, sketches, diagrams — traced down the middle, exported as SVG, DXF and G-code.

Start a Centerline Trace

Doing this for customers?

If laser and CNC is your business, you are probably paying per file.

An outside art service charges 6 to 26 dollars a logo and comes back the next day. Redrawing it yourself costs half an hour you could bill. A year here is $49 for 25 conversions every month, every machine format included, which works out cheaper than two outsourced logos.

See the yearly plan

Everything on this page stays free. This is only worth it if you do volume.

Written for shops