Trace a hand drawing
Here’s a quick introduction to using Trace. For a detailed tutorial, see Trace and Print a Sketch.
Glowforge owners:
- Draw with a black marker on a white piece of paper. Leave white space around the edges of your drawing.
- Place your artwork in the center of the bed.
- Go to the Glowforge App (app.glowforge.com) and sign in to get to the dashboard. Click on Create a new design in the upper left-hand corner. Select Trace a design
- The App will take you through the process of importing your drawing from the camera.
- When you’re ready, take out your drawing and place your material in the bed.
- Drag your artwork where you want it on the material. Leave a little room between your artwork and the edge.
- Click “Print,” then press the button when it blinks.
Other laser owners:
If you don't have a Glowforge, you can still use Trace to turn a hand drawing into a laser-ready design.
1. Draw with a black marker on a white piece of paper. Leave white space around the edges of your drawing.
2. Take a photo of your drawing or scan it to create an image file (PNG or JPG).
3. Go to the Glowforge App (app.glowforge.com) and sign in to get to the dashboard.
4. Click on Create a new design in the upper left-hand corner.
5. Upload your photo using Upload a file.
6. Select your uploaded artwork on the canvas, and click the Trace Artwork button on the right menu.
7. Click Export in the upper right corner to download the design as an SVG, Lightburn (.lbrn), or xTool Creative Space (.xcs) file.
8. Open the exported file in your laser's software to configure settings and print.