Image to SVG for 3D Printing

Why 3D printing projects start with an SVG

Slicers and modeling apps can extrude an SVG straight into a solid: each closed shape becomes a raised part with the height you choose. It is the easiest way to make name tags, logo badges, wall art, signs and multi-color plates without modeling anything by hand. A PNG or JPG cannot be extruded this way, and an SVG that only wraps a bitmap imports as nothing at all. The converter on this page gives you real filled paths with closed outlines.

How to make an SVG for 3D printing

1. Drop your image above. The Logo preset is selected, so each color becomes a separate group of shapes.
2. Reduce the colors to what you will actually print: one color for a single-filament part, or one color per filament for a multi-color print.
3. Turn on Remove white background so the white area does not become a solid slab.
4. Set Output width in millimeters to the real size of the print, for example 60 mm for a keychain.
5. Download the SVG and import it into your slicer or modeling app.

Importing into common software

• Bambu Studio and OrcaSlicer: recent versions can import an SVG and extrude it into a part. Check the imported size against the width you set.
• PrusaSlicer 2.6 and newer: right-click the plate or an object and add an SVG part, then set its depth.
• Tinkercad: use Import and pick the SVG. Tinkercad extrudes it automatically, and you set the height after import.
• Fusion 360: use Insert SVG on a sketch plane, then extrude the closed profiles.
• Blender: use File, Import, Scalable Vector Graphics, set Extrude in the curve's geometry settings, and convert the curves to a mesh before exporting an STL.

Design rules for printable shapes

• Minimum width. Lines thinner than about two nozzle widths (0.8 mm on a standard 0.4 mm nozzle) print poorly or vanish. Raise Threshold in Line art mode, or scale the design up.
• Floating pieces. The center of an O or A is a separate shape. On a raised design that is fine. On a cut-through design, such as a stencil or an outline frame, it falls out.
• Tiny specks. Lower Detail. Each speck becomes a separate tiny part that the slicer may skip or print badly.
• Size checks. Some apps scale SVG imports. If the size is off, scale the part by the ratio between the imported width and your Output width.

Multi-color prints

For AMS or other multi-material printers, set Colors to the number of filaments you want to use. Every color in the SVG is saved as its own path, with an id such as color-1d4ed8, so you can tell them apart. Neighboring colors overlap by about one pixel of the source image under their shared edge, which prevents gaps. If your slicer imports the whole SVG as a single part, open it in Inkscape and save each color as its own SVG, then import them one at a time and assign a filament to each.

Single-color silhouettes

For a one-color part such as a keychain or fridge magnet, the Line art preset gives you one clean outline. Pro also has a single-color cut file mode that merges every colored area of a multi-color design into one solid silhouette, which is handy for a base plate under a multi-color top.

Frequently asked questions