If you are a new Cricut crafter wondering “What is an SVG file?” you are not alone.
I was so excited to get my first Cricut cutting machine that I had no idea what type of technical knowledge I would have to learn. And to be honest, I didn't care.
But as soon as I finally took the machine out of the box and tried to get started, I was caught up learning more tech than anticipated. I knew about JPG files and PDF files… but suddenly I needed SVG or PNG files.
Were those incredibly different? Could I convert other files I did have into SVG files? Did I always have to pay for new SVG files – and were they somehow fancier or harder to find?
Luckily, I quickly learned that SVG files are just as easy to come across (and create) and many of the other files we are used to in our personal and professional lives.
Here is the rundown to better understand SVG files, especially when it comes to cutting machine crafting.
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Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG)
SVG stands for Scalable Vector Graphic. This is a fancy way of saying that instead of pixels, the image is based on vectors, which define size differently.
Pixelated images can't be sized up without losing quality and definition from their original design. SVGs that use vector data can be sized up on any scale without losing quality.
SVG vs PNG, JPG and Other File Types
Without getting overly technical, in many cases you can use PNG and JPG/JPEG files interchangeably. This is especially true when talking about digital files and web design projects. However, while SVG files can scale infinitely larger without losing quality, they do not have the same quality of file compression.
Too technical for me behind-the-scenes, but ultimately by looking at the image above, you may better understand the value in an SVG when scaling up an image or design.
How to Convert a File Into an SVG
Thanks to both free and professional software programs, there are plenty of ways to change any image into an SVG file if it's not already created as one.
Some of the most popular programs to create and convert files into SVGs include:
- Adobe Photoshop
- Illustrator
- InDesign
- Inkscape
- Affinity
- Canva
- GIMP
If you don't have prior experience with graphic design, it will be easier to start with a commercial use file and customize in one of the programs above. (For instance, if you are creating an SVG logo.)
ElegantThemes, my personal favorite website designing software, shares this great advice. “As a rule of thumb, it only makes sense to use the SVG format for ‘simple’ images – that is, images with defined borders and clean lines. The more complex the image, the more likely it is you’ll end up with a massive SVG file that’s a chore to edit manually or animate.”
SVGs for Cricut Cutting Machines
Because SVGs use lines and points to define an image, they are ideal for “speaking” to Cricut cutting machines. The machinery is “reading” the file to learn where to cut and turn based on these details. Because SVG files are so clean cut and well defined no matter the size, they have become synonymous with “Cricut cut files.”
Where to Find SVG Cricut Cut Files
Aside from converting your own files as mentioned above, there are plenty of ways to find both free and low-cost but super high quality SVG cut files for your Cricut projects.
A few of my favorites include:
