Help Center
Learn to design, cut and assemble
Short guides, guided projects in the real studio, and fixes for the problems makers actually hit.
Browse by topic
Getting started
Your first project, from idea to a previewed production file.
- What is DIYCutLab?
- How to create your first project
- Create a design using AI
- Start with a blank canvas
- Customize an existing template
Design studio
Shapes, text, paths, layers, snapping, combining shapes and versions.
- Understanding the design workspace
- Adding shapes and text
- Editing paths and curves
- Resizing and rotating elements
- Working with layers
AI design assistant
Write prompts, edit with plain language and check what the assistant assumed.
- Writing effective design prompts
- Creating an original design with the AI assistant
- Modifying designs using natural language
- Understanding AI-generated assumptions
- Correcting AI-generated geometry
Materials and dimensions
Thickness, kerf, clearances, scale and minimum detail sizes.
- Choosing the right material
- Understanding material thickness
- What is kerf, and should I compensate for it?
- Setting clearances
- Understanding scale and measurement
Cutting and manufacturing
Printing, laser cutting, Cricut, Silhouette, vinyl and file formats.
- Preparing files for home printing
- How to print a PDF template at actual size
- How to prepare a laser cutting file
- Preparing SVG files for Cricut
- Preparing files for Silhouette
Payments and downloads
Free preview, purchase, downloads, licenses and failed exports.
- Free preview versus paid export
- How to purchase a design
- How to download files
- Finding purchased projects
- Understanding commercial licenses
Troubleshooting
Fixes for scale, double cuts, open paths, print size and failed checks.
- My SVG imports at the wrong size
- My laser cuts twice over the same line
- My cutter doesn't recognize some paths
- My printed PDF is not actual size
- My design exceeds the machine bed
Guided tutorials
All tutorialsEach tutorial opens a real project in the studio and checks your progress as you go.
Create a personalized name sign
Design a simple laser-cut box
Create a printable paper template
Design a custom vinyl decal
Turn a drawing into a cutting design
Customize dimensions and material thickness
Create a compartment organizer
Export your first SVG and DXF files
Common problems
- My SVG imports at the wrong size
Fix SVG files that open too small or too large in Cricut Design Space, Silhouette Studio, LightBurn or Inkscape, and SVGs you import into DIYCutLab with no real size.
- My laser cuts twice over the same line
Find and remove duplicated or overlapping cut lines that make a laser burn the same edge twice, char the material or cut parts loose.
- My cutter doesn't recognize some paths
Why some lines do not cut, score or draw on Cricut, Silhouette, vinyl cutters or lasers, and how to make every line do what you expect.
- My printed PDF is not actual size
The printed template or check ruler measures wrong. Find the print setting that scaled it and get a true 1:1 print.
- My design exceeds the machine bed
Fix parts that are larger than your laser bed, cutting mat or paper, or that sit outside the canvas or sheet margins.
- My image tracing is inaccurate
Improve traced outlines — missing parts, jagged edges, too many specks or wrong size — by adjusting the source image and the trace settings.
- My imported DXF has missing elements
Why some DXF content does not appear after import — blocks, hatches, text, dimensions or unknown units — and how to convert the file so it imports completely.
- My geometry validation failed
How to read the manufacturing check, find the object behind each error, and fix the most common problems before export.
In the studio
Open the Help panel in the studio's left rail for these guides, the guided tour and keyboard shortcuts without leaving your design.
Still stuck? See the FAQ or contact support with your order number or design link.