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Finding Laser Files and Templates: Free Sources and Licences

Software & files6 min readUpdated: 10/2026

are explained briefly when you hover over or tap them.

For key rings, coasters, boxes or slot-together models you do not have to draw everything yourself. Many laser files are available for free, some for a fee. It is important that you know before downloading what you are allowed to do with the file, and that you check before lasering whether it suits your material.

Where to find laser files

Atomm (xTool community)

Atomm is xTool’s project platform. The earlier address projects.xtool.com now redirects there. Members publish projects with a materials list, files and step-by-step instructions. According to Atomm, registration, browsing and a large share of the downloads are free. There are also paid projects, which are sold individually or unlocked with credit. According to Atomm, a subscription is not required.

The projects are geared towards xTool machines and xTool Studio. Atomm states, however, that designs and instructions are also useful for lasers from other brands. Atomm also offers generators and customisable templates, and xTool cites more than 10,000 templates for Studio. Different licences apply to Atomm depending on the content, more on this further down.

MakerWorld: Laser & Cutting

In May 2025, Bambu Lab launched a dedicated section for laser and cutting projects on MakerWorld. According to Bambu Lab, there is a growing collection of free laser projects that can be opened in Bambu Suite with one click, the software for Bambu Lab’s lasers. Projects that combine several work steps, such as printing and laser, are currently linked by MakerWorld through links between individual projects. How MakerWorld works as a whole is explained in Finding 3D models.

LightBurn documentation

The LightBurn documentation contains project guides with downloadable project files, for example a slot-together dinosaur including a test file for the kerf. The guides also explain how to adapt slots to a different material thickness. For your own designs, LightBurn has an Art Library: this is where you store graphics, text and shapes that you often need. According to the documentation, it does not save power and speed settings, so you have to save the project yourself for that.

Generators for boxes and slot-together parts

For boxes with finger joints, shelves or holders you do not need to search for a ready-made file. Boxes.py is an open-source generator (GPLv3) that produces boxes and other parts as SVG. You enter dimensions and material thickness, and a separate parameter (“burn”) compensates for the laser’s kerf. Other vector formats such as DXF are only possible via an additional program. An online version is run by the Hackerspace Bamberg. How to measure the kerf is explained in Preparing files for the laser.

3D printing platforms and file collections

Platforms such as Thingiverse are also used for laser files. The laser manufacturer Longer describes many laser projects there from open-source undertakings, often with editable source files. There are also pure collections of free laser files. Of one of these collections, 3axis.co, Longer writes that it gathers files from many sources and that quality varies. With such collections it is often not clear who created the file and under which licence it is published.

Commercial marketplaces

On marketplaces and from individual designers you can buy laser files, individually or as a package in a subscription. The licence is set by the seller or the platform. A purchased file does not automatically mean you may sell the lasered parts. Read the terms before buying.

Licences: what you may do with the file

The same rules apply to laser files as to 3D models. Creative Commons, platform-specific licences and commercial licences are explained in detail in the article May I sell 3D prints?. Simply replace “print” with “lasered part” there.

Atomm shows how different the rules can be on a single platform. Its licence agreement (valid from 7 August 2026) distinguishes four types of content:

ContentLicenceSelling lasered partsPassing on the file
Free project with Standard Digital File Licensechosen by the designerno, private and non-commercial use onlyno
Free project with CC licencechosen by the designer (CC BY, BY-SA, BY-NC and others, CC0)depends on the CC licence, not with NCdepends on the CC licence
Paid project (Premium)commercial licenceyes, up to 1,000 pieces per projectno
Design or templatefixed platform licenceyes, with no limit on quantityno, templates may only be customised in the Atomm generators

The licence is shown with each piece of content. Take a screenshot of the licence at the time of download in case it is changed later.

Three points that come up particularly often when lasering:

  • Fonts have their own licences. If you engrave text, check whether the typeface allows use on products you sell.
  • Logos, characters and brands are protected even if a file is offered for free and under CC. A designer cannot give you rights to someone else’s brand. More on this in the section “Characters, logos and brands” in the licence article.
  • Unclear origin means unclear rights. If a file lacks the designer’s name or a licence statement, use it for private purposes at most.

File formats

FormatTypeWhat you should know
SVGVectorStandard format for laser files, readable by almost any laser software
DXFVectorFrom CAD programs, good for technical parts; check the unit of measurement on import
AIVectorAdobe Illustrator; LightBurn imports AI, xTool Studio does not list AI among its supported formats
PDFVector and pixelCan contain both; check after import what has come through
PNG, JPGPixelFor engraving only, not for cutting
LBRN2Project fileLightBurn project with layers and settings
XCS, XSProject filexTool projects; Studio has saved in the .xs format since version 1.7, older versions only open .xcs

According to the LightBurn documentation, LightBurn imports AI, SVG, DXF, PDF, PLT and HPGL as well as PNG, JPG, BMP, GIF and TIFF. According to xTool, xTool Studio imports SVG, DXF, PDF, PSD, its own project files and common image formats. You have to convert other formats beforehand, for example AI to SVG. According to its project page, LaserGRBL only knows SVG for vector import, and the import is marked as experimental.

Project files such as .lbrn2 or .xcs can contain the creator’s settings for power and speed. These values only suit their machine and material. Take over the geometry and layers, but set the values for your machine yourself, see Laser settings by material.

Check before lasering

A file from someone else can look as good as you like, but it was made for a different machine and a different material. So check:

  1. Licence: May you use the parts as you intend to?
  2. Size and unit of measurement: Check the dimensions after import. SVG and DXF files sometimes arrive too large or too small.
  3. Material thickness: Joints and slots are drawn for a particular thickness. Measure your material. LightBurn has a function for adjusting slots and tabs.
  4. Kerf: For precisely fitting slot-together parts, set a kerf offset, see Preparing files for the laser.
  5. Paths: Cut lines closed, no duplicate lines, text converted to paths. LightBurn cannot import embedded fonts, and xTool Studio does not display text from SVG files.
  6. Layers: Engraving and cutting on separate layers, engraving first, inner cuts before outer cuts.
  7. Material: The instructions may suggest a material that does not belong under your laser, such as synthetic leather containing PVC. Check this in Prohibited materials.
  8. Work area: Does the part fit on your machine? Large projects can often be split into several parts.

With a new project, first laser one part on an offcut before you use up the whole sheet.

Continue with: Preparing files for the laser, Laser software compared and May I sell 3D prints?

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