Tutorial · Connecting letters
How to connect cursive letters for laser cutting
This is the problem WeldWords was built to prevent: cursive names that look connected on screen but cut into separate pieces. The guide explains the underlying letter-joining rules for laser cutting, and shows how the maker welds those joins live instead of leaving you to repair them afterward.
6 minute read · Free to follow · 2 free batch exports + 1 free single export included
Short answer
Cursive letters only cut as one piece when their strokes physically overlap and are welded into a single outline. In WeldWords, the welding happens as you type, with bridges, connector bars and letter scooting available for the rare font join that still needs help. The outline on screen is the cut path you export.
Built into WeldWords
WeldWords connects script letters as you type, shows the actual welded cut path, lets you add bridges or an underline connector when a font leaves a gap, and exports the finished word at true size.
The tutorial explains what WeldWords is doing for you, plus what to check before you cut.
What you need
- A script or cursive font
- A word or name to cut
- Laser or cutting software that imports SVG or DXF
- WeldWords, which welds as you type
Step by step
Step 1
Pick a script font that actually wants to join
Connected scripts have entry and exit strokes that overshoot into the next letter. Formal scripts with flat, squared-off ends leave gaps you will have to bridge by hand. In the WeldWords maker you can preview your own word in over 2,000 fonts before committing, so you can see whether a font joins or fights you.
Step 2
Type the name and let it weld as you type
In WeldWords the letters weld into one outline live, as you type — there is no separate weld button to forget. The outline you see on the canvas is the single connected cut path the laser will follow. If a join is missing, you see it immediately rather than after the cut.
Step 3
Tighten the letter spacing until strokes overlap
Letters that merely touch will separate at the cut line. Use the Letter spacing slider to pull the letters together until neighbouring strokes genuinely cross each other. A very small overlap is enough for wood; more overlap helps on brittle acrylic where a hairline join snaps.
Step 4
Add a bridge where a gap refuses to close
Where two strokes will not reach each other, drop in a connector instead of stretching the letters. Use the Bridge width slider to add a small bar between letters, or the Connector bar slider to run a single bar along the whole word. An underline bar (Connector bar set to Underline) is the sturdiest fix for tall, thin scripts.
Step 5
Scoot individual letters into real overlap
When one letter sits a fraction too far away, use Scoot letters together to nudge it into its neighbour until the outlines cross. This is the manual touch for the one awkward letter that automatic welding leaves almost-but-not-quite joined.
Step 6
Check the weak points before cutting
Zoom into every join, especially between a capital and the following lowercase letter. Increase stroke thickness or widen the bridge until the thinnest point is comfortably thicker than your material's break point. A join that looks fine at 100% can be hair-thin in reality.
Step 7
Set the real finished size in millimetres or inches
Enter the width or height you actually want the finished piece to be. WeldWords writes true-millimetre SVG and DXF, so when you import the file into LightBurn, Glowforge, xTool or Design Space it opens at that exact size instead of being rescaled.
Step 8
Export and cut a one-letter test first
Export SVG or DXF, send a single joined letter pair to the machine, and cut it on scrap. One scrap piece confirms the join holds before you commit a full sheet of customer names.
Tips that save material and time
- Cut a single test letter pair first — it costs one scrap and saves a whole sheet.
- Thicker material needs thicker joins; thin plywood snaps at hairline connections.
- Keep a copy of the unwelded text so you can change the name later without re-outlining.
- If a font simply will not join, an underline bar is stronger and looks intentional.
- Capitals are the most common break point — check the capital-to-lowercase join every time.
- On acrylic, make joins at least as thick as the acrylic is, or it will crack at the line.
Questions people ask
Why do my cursive letters cut as separate pieces?
Because the letters are separate shapes that only touch visually. Until the overlapping areas are welded into one outline, the cutter follows each letter's own boundary.
Do I have to weld in Cricut Design Space?
Not if the file is already welded. A welded SVG imports as one connected shape, so the weld step is done before Design Space ever opens it.
How thick should the connections be?
Keep the thinnest join at least as thick as your material, and thicker for brittle acrylic or thin ply. If you can see daylight through the join on screen, it is too thin to cut.
What if my font has flat ends and will not overlap?
Use a connector bar or bridge to span the gap, or switch to a connected script font. A flat-end formal script will never join on its own no matter how tight the spacing.
Do it now instead of reading about it
Type the word, let it weld, export the production file. Try 2 free batch exports and 1 single export, shared per account and internet connection.
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