Pathhaus Guides
Single Line Fonts: Guides and Tutorials
Practical guides for laser engravers, pen plotter users, and vinyl cutter operators. Learn path optimization, export formats, machine-specific settings, and font selection.
What Are Single Line Fonts?
A complete introduction to single line fonts (SLF): what makes them different from TTF/OTF fonts, why machines need them, and how they work.
The Complete Laser Font Optimization Guide
How to optimize fonts for laser engravers: node reduction, path ordering, and preset selection for any machine.
The RDP Algorithm: How Path Simplification Works
A technical explanation of the Ramer-Douglas-Peucker algorithm, how Pathhaus applies it to font paths, and how to choose the right epsilon for your machine.
Single Line Fonts for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know
A beginner's guide to single line fonts — what they are, why you need them for laser engraving and pen plotting, and how to get started with Pathhaus.
Fundamentals
What Are Single Line Fonts?
A complete introduction to single line fonts (SLF): what makes them different from TTF/OTF fonts, why machines need them, and how they work.
Font Licensing for Commercial Projects
Understanding Pathhaus font licenses: Personal, Commercial, and OEM tiers. What each license allows, how to stay compliant, and when you need an OEM license.
Creating Your Own Single Line Font
An overview of the three ways to create a custom SLF font in Pathhaus: SLF Tracer, Handwriting Capture, and from-scratch path editing.
Single Line Fonts for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know
A beginner's guide to single line fonts — what they are, why you need them for laser engraving and pen plotting, and how to get started with Pathhaus.
Buying Fonts on the Pathhaus Marketplace
How the Pathhaus Marketplace works: browsing, purchasing, licenses, and adding fonts to your library.
Selling Your Single-Line Fonts on Pathhaus
How to become a Pathhaus creator, publish fonts to the marketplace, set pricing and licenses, and receive payments via Stripe Connect.
Optimization
The Complete Laser Font Optimization Guide
How to optimize fonts for laser engravers: node reduction, path ordering, and preset selection for any machine.
The RDP Algorithm: How Path Simplification Works
A technical explanation of the Ramer-Douglas-Peucker algorithm, how Pathhaus applies it to font paths, and how to choose the right epsilon for your machine.
Travel Optimizer: Minimizing Machine Travel Time
How Pathhaus's Travel Optimizer works, why travel distance matters, and how to use it for maximum time savings on laser engravers and pen plotters.
Export Formats
SVG vs DXF for Laser Engraving: Which Format to Use
A practical comparison of SVG and DXF export formats for laser engravers. When to use each, compatibility by machine, and common pitfalls.
HPGL Format Guide for Pen Plotters
Everything you need to know about HPGL — the native language of pen plotters — and how to use Pathhaus's HPGL export for HP, Roland, and other plotters.
G-Code for Laser Engraving: What You Need to Know
How G-Code works for laser engraving, when to use Pathhaus's G-Code export, and machine profile settings for common GRBL-based machines.
Machine Guides
Single Line Fonts for Pen Plotters
How to choose and optimize single line fonts for AxiDraw, HP plotters, and other pen plotters. Pen types, travel optimization, and export formats explained.
Fonts for Vinyl Cutting: SLF, Outlines, and Bubble Fonts
When to use single-line fonts for vinyl cutting vs. closed outlines. How Pathhaus bubble fonts work and which Cricut and Silhouette projects benefit from each approach.
Setting Up Single Line Fonts in the Glowforge App
Step-by-step guide to using Pathhaus fonts in the Glowforge app. Score operation setup, SVG import, and settings for wood and acrylic.
Setting Up Pathhaus Fonts for AxiDraw
Complete workflow for using Pathhaus single-line fonts with an AxiDraw pen plotter: Inkscape setup, AxiDraw extension, pen selection, and speed settings.
Pen Writing with Cricut: Using Single Line Fonts
How to use Cricut's pen attachment with Pathhaus single-line fonts for handwriting, addressing envelopes, and custom card writing.
Laser Engraving Font Settings for Wood
Speed, power, and focus settings for engraving single-line fonts on common wood types with CO₂ and diode lasers.
Laser Engraving Font Settings for Acrylic
Speed and power settings for engraving single-line fonts on cast and extruded acrylic with CO₂ and diode lasers. Achieving frosted, clean engraves.
Using SVG Files in Cricut Design Space
How to import, clean up, and configure SVG files from Pathhaus in Cricut Design Space for pen writing and cutting projects.
Workflow
How to Choose the Right Font for Laser Engraving
Font selection guide for laser engraving projects: which styles work best, how size affects quality, and what to look for in a single-line font.
Importing Pathhaus SVG Files into LightBurn
Step-by-step guide to importing Pathhaus SVG and DXF font files into LightBurn for laser engraving. Layer setup, scale verification, and optimization tips.
Using the Node Counter Tool
How to use Pathhaus's free Node Counter tool to analyze SVG font files, understand node density, and decide if your file needs optimization.
Pathhaus Studio Quickstart
A 5-minute guide to creating your first optimized, machine-ready font export in Pathhaus Studio.
Pathhaus API Quickstart (Enterprise)
How to authenticate, make your first API call, and integrate Pathhaus font optimization into your production workflow.
Single Line Fonts in Inkscape: Import, Edit, and Export
How to import Pathhaus SVG fonts into Inkscape, edit paths if needed, and export for AxiDraw, laser engravers, or vinyl cutters.
Production Laser Engraving Workflow with Pathhaus
How professional laser shops use Pathhaus to reduce job setup time, standardize font quality, and increase throughput with batch optimization and template files.
Troubleshooting Font Output on Laser Engravers and Plotters
Common font output problems — double strokes, jagged curves, inconsistent depth, skipped paths — and their solutions.