Tutorial · Upload nesting
How to nest your own SVG & DXF files on a laser sheet
Mixed orders — a few signs, a dozen ornaments, a run of keychains — waste the most material when you lay them out by hand. This guide shows how to pack your own cut files tightly onto as few sheets as possible.
5 minute read · Free to follow · 2 free batch exports + 1 free single export included
Short answer
Put every file in the nester file box, set copies and sizes, match the sheet to your material, choose spacing and rotation, then optimize and export one true-size file per sheet.
Built into WeldWords
The WeldWords sheet nester packs any SVG or DXF by its real shape, keeps holes with their outline, remembers your files between visits, accepts designs from the photo tracer and Word maker, and exports each sheet at the exact material size.
The tutorial explains what WeldWords is doing for you, plus what to check before you cut.
What you need
- Your SVG or DXF cut files
- The usable size of your material
- Laser software that imports SVG or DXF
- The WeldWords sheet nester
Step by step
Step 1
Add your files to the file box
Upload any SVG or DXF, or send designs from the photo tracer and the Word maker. Every file stays in your nester file box in this browser, so you can add more over several sessions for a bigger job.
Step 2
Check the units
Files with a real size (mm or inches) keep it. For files without one, choose millimetres, inches or pixels before uploading so nothing comes in at the wrong size.
Step 3
Set copies and sizes
Give each file a number of copies and a width, height or percentage. Resize everything at once with Scale everything.
Step 4
Match the sheet to your material
Type the usable bed or stock size and tap ⇄ to flip between portrait and landscape. Leave clamps and honeycomb edges out of the size.
Step 5
Pick spacing and rotation
Set the gap between pieces (1.2 mm minimum, 2–3 mm for thick acrylic or wood) and allow sideways / upside-down placement for tighter packing.
Step 6
Optimize the sheet
Nesting packs pieces by their real outline, not a box, so small items drop into the gaps of big ones. Holes and inside details travel with their outline. Overflow goes onto extra sheets.
Step 7
Export each sheet
Download every sheet as its own SVG or DXF at the exact material size, ready for xTool, Glowforge or LightBurn.
Tips that save material and time
- Allow rotation — it often saves a whole sheet.
- Use 2–3 mm spacing for 3 mm+ acrylic or wood.
- Flip the sheet with ⇄ if your stock is landscape.
- Files stay in the file box until you remove them.
- Send traced objects straight to the nester from the photo tracer.
Questions people ask
Is the sheet nester free?
You can lay out and preview sheets for free. Downloading production files uses your plan's exports.
Does nesting change the size of my designs?
No. Pieces keep their size unless you resize them yourself. Nesting only moves and rotates them.
Do holes and inside details stay in place?
Yes. Holes, letter counters and inner cuts are grouped with their outline and move together.
Can I mix files from different places?
Yes. Uploads, traced photos and names from the Word maker all land in the same file box and nest together.
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.
Try it in the maker