Using Rasterizer in SVG-Only Mode
SVG-only mode keeps the Rasterizer's artwork-processing workflow available when you prefer not to upload laser settings or when your laser workflow does not use LightBurn.
Why SVG-only mode exists
Reliable laser settings can represent hours of testing, consumed material, careful observation, and hard-earned experience with a particular machine. Some operators are comfortable sharing those recipes, while others reasonably treat them as private or commercially valuable information. SVG-only mode lets you use Rasterizer without uploading or otherwise providing your laser settings.
Not every laser or controller is compatible with LightBurn. Your machine, materials, support requirements, or preferred workflow may be better served by different laser software. SVG-only mode lets those workflows use the Rasterizer as a raster-artwork-to-layered-vector converter.
See the broader laser engraving tool overview for non-MOPA and non-color artwork workflows.
Operators whose laser and controller work with LightBurn can also use Hatch Palettes to map artwork colors to tested hatch directions and line densities rather than MOPA Laser color recipes.
How to start an SVG-only job
Under Output settings, select SVG-Only (no laser settings). Upload the source artwork, enable the default Rasterizer swatches you want represented, and configure the processing dimensions, physical pixel size, and image preset. A Material Library and material selection are not required in this mode. Submit the form to launch the SVG-only job directly.
Palette rules
You can disable any default Rasterizer swatches you do not want used, causing source pixels to be quantized to the remaining enabled swatch colors. Keep at least one default Rasterizer swatch enabled. Because no Material Library is present to define custom mappings, SVG-only jobs use the default Rasterizer swatch colors and names, which correspond to LightBurn's standard layer palette. When an SVG-only job is submitted, edited swatch names are restored to their defaults and additional non-default swatches are excluded.
What the job creates
SVG-only mode uses the same image preparation, color quantization, preset processing, and vector-building pipeline as a Material Library-backed Rasterizer job. The completed job provides the layered .svg file.
Material Library matching, laser-setting assignment, and LightBurn project construction are skipped, so no .lbrn2 file is generated. The SVG contains color-separated vector geometry, but Rasterizer does not apply or embed laser settings in SVG-only mode.
Using the SVG
Import the SVG into software that supports your laser or continue editing it in a compatible vector application. Confirm scale, layer or color interpretation, geometry, placement, and every machine parameter in the software that will control your laser. Rasterizer does not communicate with the machine or determine safe operating settings.
Guest and member access
Both guests and signed-in members can run SVG-only jobs. A guest job uses the same five-validated-job UTC-day allowance as other guest Rasterizer jobs. Inputs that fail worker validation do not consume that allowance.
Guest jobs do not appear in Job History and do not preserve swatch edits, dimensions, presets, filters, or other preferences. Keep the page open while the job runs and download the completed SVG from the temporary link. Signed-in members receive unlimited Rasterizer submissions, account-backed Job History, and automatic restoration of the most recently used settings for each supported workflow.