TracePen for Web App
Upload an image, pick the colour count, export to SVG, PNG, PDF, DXF Lines, DXF Hatch, or DXF Faces. Runs entirely in the browser.
Works with Figma, Illustrator, Canva, CorelDRAW, Inkscape, Cricut, Silhouette, Lightburn, AutoCAD, Fusion 360, Blender, 3ds Max, Rhino, Cinema 4D.
Plans
Free$0
- 2 colours (black & white)
- SVG and PNG export
- Unlimited traces, no sign-up
- Runs in the browser
Premium
- Unlimited colours (full multi-layer trace)
- All formats: SVG, PNG, PDF, DXF Lines / Hatch / Faces
- SketchUp plugin included
- Server-side API endpoint for batch / automation
Workflow
- Open TracePen.
- Upload a PNG or JPG (WebP / GIF / BMP also accepted).
- TracePen detects whether the image is a photo or a flat graphic and suggests a colour count. Move the slider from 2 (black & white) up to the detected maximum.
- Click Trace.
- Tweak per-layer if needed: toggle visibility, change a layer's hex, adjust stroke / noise filter / minimum region size.
- Click Save and pick a format.
Export formats
| Format | Best for |
|---|---|
| SVG | Figma, Illustrator, Canva, CorelDRAW, Inkscape, Affinity Designer, web |
| PNG | Any tool that doesn't support SVG (Photoshop, PowerPoint, Keynote, Word) |
| Print layout, vector in slide decks | |
| DXF Lines (closed LWPOLYLINE) | Cricut, Silhouette, Lightburn (Cut mode), AutoCAD, Fusion 360, LibreCAD, CNC, vinyl cutting |
| DXF Hatch (solid HATCH) | Lightburn (Fill / Scan engrave), AutoCAD visual import |
| DXF Faces (3DFACE triangulated) | SketchUp, Blender, 3ds Max, Rhino, Cinema 4D — enable Merge Coplanar Faces on import |
Free plan exports SVG and PNG at 2 colours. Premium unlocks every format at unlimited colours.
Tool-specific import
Figma / Illustrator / Canva / CorelDRAW / Inkscape / Affinity
Drag-and-drop the SVG, or File → Open / File → Import. No conversion.
Cricut Design Space / Silhouette Studio
Upload → select the DXF Lines export. Each colour becomes a separate cuttable layer, ready to Make It / Send.
Use DXF Lines, not Hatch — cutters follow outlines; HATCH fills are often ignored.
Lightburn
- Cut a shape → DXF Lines (outlines assign to Cut mode).
- Engrave a filled region → DXF Hatch (filled regions assign to Fill / Scan mode).
AutoCAD / Fusion 360 / LibreCAD
Import DXF Lines for outlines, DXF Hatch for filled regions. Every colour becomes its own CAD layer.
SketchUp (DXF path)
- Export DXF Faces.
- File → Import → set file type to AutoCAD Files → select the DXF.
- Click Options… at the bottom-right of the dialog.
- Tick Merge coplanar faces under Geometry → OK → Import.
Without Merge Coplanar Faces every triangle stays as a separate face.
Prefer native faces and a re-editable component? Use the SketchUp plugin instead — no triangle cleanup, no DXF round-trip.
Blender / 3ds Max / Rhino / Cinema 4D
Import DXF Faces. Triangles sit on a single plane — merge coplanar after import if the tool has that option.
Frequently asked
Does TracePen use AI?
No. Deterministic tracer: ADU color quantization (Celebi 2014) → Mumford-Shah region merge (arXiv 2409.15940, 2024) → grid-walk contour tracer → Potrace Bezier fit (Selinger 2003). Same image in → same SVG out, every time. Essential for production use (laser cutting, CNC, print).
What is the free tier?
2 colours (black & white), SVG and PNG export, unlimited traces, no sign-up. Covers most line-art, logo, silhouette, laser-cut, Cricut, and vinyl workflows.
What does premium unlock?
- Unlimited colours (full multi-layer trace).
- All formats: SVG, PNG, JPG, PDF, DXF Lines, DXF Hatch, DXF Faces.
- The SketchUp plugin.
- Server-side API endpoint for batch / automation.
One-time purchase. No subscription.
Is my image uploaded?
- Free tier — no upload. Everything runs in your browser.
- Premium multi-colour trace — the image is sent to an API endpoint, processed, and discarded after the response. Not stored.
What image format should I upload?
PNG is best for flat artwork, logos, screenshots, icons. JPG works for photos — raise the Noise filter to 3–6 to clean up JPEG compression artefacts before trace.
How does it compare to Vector Magic / Vectorizer.AI / Adobe Image Trace?
| Tool | Type | Pricing | Runs where | DXF for CNC / laser |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TracePen | Deterministic trace | Free · one-time | Browser + SU plugin | ✓ (Lines + Hatch + Faces) |
| Illustrator Image Trace | Deterministic trace | Subscription | Desktop | via export |
| CorelDRAW PowerTRACE | Deterministic trace | One-time | Desktop | via export |
| Inkscape Trace Bitmap | Potrace | Free | Desktop | via extension |
| Vector Magic | Deterministic trace | Subscription | Desktop + web | ✗ |
| Vectorizer.AI | AI | Subscription | Web | ✗ |
TracePen is the only free, browser-based, deterministic tracer that exports DXF Lines (for cutters) and DXF Faces (for 3D) out of the box — plus ships a native SketchUp plugin.
