Slice SVG layers for Cricut: stop colors stacking

How it works

1. Upload a layered SVG whose colors sit on top of each other.
2. Check the size it was read at and the before and after preview: on the right each color is cut only where it shows.
3. Choose the colors to cut: a background starts as Don't cut; tick Don't cut on any other color you don't want.
4. Add an overlap if you like (0 to 3 mm), so the lower colors run a little under the edges above them.
5. Download one SVG, a DXF, or one SVG per color, ready to cut from vinyl, paper or felt.

How to cut it in Cricut Design Space

1. In Design Space click Upload, then Upload Image, then Browse and pick the downloaded SVG. Click Upload and add it to the canvas.
2. It comes in at the same size your original file did, every color already knocked out: no Slice or Weld needed. Use the single SVG for this: per-color files are each cropped to their own shapes, so they don't line up.
3. Design Space names every layer after the file, so tell the colors apart by their color on the canvas or their order in the Layers panel. If the design comes in as a Group, open it with the arrow next to Group; you don't need to Ungroup.
4. Click Make: each color goes on its own mat.

Frequently asked

What does Knock Out Layers do?

In many layered SVG files every color is a whole shape stacked under the colors above it, so Cricut Design Space cuts the hidden parts too and the layers pile up. Knock Out Layers cuts each color only where it shows, the same as using Slice on every pair of layers, all at once. The design looks the same; each color just stops where the color above it starts.

Which files work?

An SVG with filled shapes or lines in two or more colors, such as a design made in Inkscape, Illustrator or Affinity Designer. Lines count as shapes as wide as they are drawn. Turn text into outlines (shapes) before you save the file. Pictures inside the file are left out, and the notes after upload say what was skipped.

What is the overlap for?

With 0 mm each color is cut exactly where it shows, so the pieces meet edge to edge. A small overlap (0.5 to 1 mm, at most 3 mm) lets each lower color run a little under the edge of the color above it, so a layer placed slightly off leaves no gap.

Why is one color left out at first?

When a file starts with a rectangle that covers the whole design, that is usually a background, not something to cut, so it starts as Don't cut. Untick Don't cut to cut it too. White is a color like any other: white shapes are cut from white vinyl.

Will it import into Cricut Design Space at the right size?

Yes. The SVG comes in at the same size your original file did, with every piece filled in its own color, so the colors show on the canvas. For Cricut Design Space, use SVG: the DXF (one layer per color) is for Silhouette Studio, Brother CanvasWorkspace and other cutter software. Design Space crops every file it uploads to its own shapes, so the one-SVG-per-color files don't line up with each other: use the single SVG to keep every color in place, and the per-color files to cut one color at a time.

How much does it cost?

Uploading and previewing are free. Downloading costs 5 credits per file, taken from your free monthly credits first (a free account gets 25 credits every month). After that, every overlap, color choice and file type of the same file is free.

Can I use any SVG I find online?

No. Only upload designs you own or have permission to use: your own designs, or files whose license lets you cut them. QuietBookCut is a tool for making your own projects, not for copying someone else's work.