Free Laser Engraving Workflow: Affinity to LaserGRBL to Ray5

LightBurn is the default answer for laser control software, but it isn't free, and you don't need it. This walks through a completely free pipeline for designing and engraving artwork on a diode laser: Affinity (now free after the Canva acquisition) for design, and LaserGRBL (free, open source) for laser control. Tested against a Longer Ray5 20W diode laser, but this applies to any GRBL-based diode or CO2 machine.

Tools Needed

Affinity (free download, Windows/macOS) — Canva merged Affinity Designer, Photo, and Publisher into one free app in late 2025; only the Canva AI features require a subscription
LaserGRBL (free, Windows only)
A GRBL-based laser engraver (Ray5 or similar)

Part 1: Design Your Artwork in Affinity

Create a new document sized to your actual workpiece (e.g. 100mm x 100mm), not pixels. Set units to mm or inches under document setup so your SVG exports at true physical scale.
Design your artwork using the vector tools (pen tool, shapes, boolean ops). Vector lines/paths are things you want cut or vector-engraved (outlines, text strokes); filled shapes are things you want raster-engraved (solid fill areas). Use separate layers to distinguish cut lines from engrave fills so you can assign different power/speed settings later.
Convert all text to curves. Select your text, then Layer → Convert to Curves. This bakes the font shapes into vector paths so LaserGRBL doesn't need the font installed.
Expand strokes if needed. For shapes with visible outline strokes you want engraved as-is, convert them to filled paths (Layer → Expand Stroke) so the exact stroke width is preserved rather than a thin centerline.
Flatten and clean up. Merge complex boolean operations into compound paths where possible — overly nested groups can confuse SVG import.

Part 2: Export as SVG

File → Export, choose SVG as the format.
Set units to match your document (mm/inches, not pixels) so physical size is preserved on import.
Keep the SVG flat and simple — avoid unnecessary filters or embedded raster unless intentional.
Export to a working folder you'll pull from in LaserGRBL.

Open the exported SVG in a browser or image viewer first to confirm it looks correct and isn't distorted or missing elements before moving on.

Part 3: Import into LaserGRBL

Open LaserGRBL and connect to your laser via the COM port — GRBL controllers typically show up automatically; select the right port and baud rate (usually 115200).
File → Open File, select your SVG. LaserGRBL converts vector paths into line-tracing G-code and filled regions into raster scan G-code, depending on the import mode chosen.
For vector paths (cut/score lines), choose Line Tracing and set laser power (S value) and feed rate for scoring/cutting your material.
For filled/raster areas (engraving fills, photos), choose Grayscale/Raster engraving and set line interval (resolution) and power based on desired darkness/depth.
Check position and scale. LaserGRBL shows the design on its virtual work area — confirm the size matches your document and that it's positioned within your workpiece bounds.

Part 4: Dial In Settings and Frame

Use the Frame tool in LaserGRBL to trace the outer boundary of your job at low power — this confirms placement on your material before burning anything.
Set power/speed appropriate to your material and laser wattage. If you don't have known-good settings for the material, run a quick test grid (small squares at varying power/speed) before committing to the full job.
Run the job. Once framing and test settings look right, hit start and let LaserGRBL stream the G-code to the laser.

Summary Pipeline

Affinity (design, free) → Export SVG (physical units, curves converted) → LaserGRBL (import, assign vector/raster settings, frame, run) → Laser (burn)

Total cost: $0 — no LightBurn license, no Affinity license, just free software end to end.

Notes

If Affinity's SVG export produces messy output (extra groups, odd transforms), Inkscape can act as a cleanup pass — open the SVG in Inkscape and re-save as "Plain SVG" before importing to LaserGRBL.
Keep a personal settings log (material, power, speed, line interval) since dialing in a new laser for each material is trial and error the first time.

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