Category: Laser

Wow this trick is a time saver! Especially if you sell your files. With all of the different equipment everyone uses, its tough to make sure you have a file type everyone uses. This trick will help you to bulk convert Inkscape file types!

This is what it looks like when you run the script.

When your ready to convert Inkscape file types, select what type of file your converting from and to and away you go!

And it’s fast!

Get some more information on the plugin and download it here.

How it works

First, you will need to have Inkscape installed.

If you don’t already have it, click ‘Download’ in the menu here.

After that, you need to download a batch script.

Scroll down to the of the page in the link and click the download button. I highlighted it in the picture above.

Next, take your newly downloaded batch file and place it in the same folder that your files are in.

After that, double-click on the batch script to run it. This will open up a command prompt, shown in the black picture above and below. You have to enter some instructions one by one. These instructions are:

1. First, type “svg” (if you are converting FROM svg) for Allowed file types for source and press Enter button.
2. Next, enter “png” (if you are converting TO PNG) for Allowed file types for output.
3. After that, enter the value of DPI (Dots Per Inch) for output PNG images. (I didn’t change this number on mine and it seemed to work ok but use this information at your discretion)

Test it out!

Feel free to test this method out on some of my free files! If it doesn’t work for you, you can always just re-download the files as they are. (But it should work 😉 )

This is something I have pondered for a while and I am sure others have too, the Glowforge electricity cost. Especially if you are looking to form a price matrix or to just figure out how to charge. In my quest to figure out how much my Glowforge cost to run, I came across, what I am calling, a Watt Watcher! This is what it really is https://amzn.to/342HIt5 #ad

This is what it looks like and it plugs right into the wall.

Plug your Glowforge right into the outlet and start working.

There are a few different modes, but the one I found most useful is in the image shown, monitoring Kilowatt hours (which I discovered are not the amount of kilowatts used in an hour).

When your engraving / cutting / scoring is done, you can use this number and multiply it by your local electric rates.

Voila, you have your Glowforge electricity cost!

The Test

Example. The first thing I did when I got mine was to plug it in to the wall and try it out. I started cutting my Moon Shelf file, found here: Moon Shelf or here: Moon Shelf Etsy. I was shocked to see how low the number was. A further inspection told me I plugged in the wrong power cable. I was actually monitoring my router.

Tip number 1: Make sure you are actually monitoring the Glowforge.

After I learned Tip Number 1, it was time to calculate the Glowforge electricity cost. I cut the second half of the pieces needed for the Moon Shelf. The remaining pieces I needed are pictured below to give a clear idea of what the Glowforge electricity cost was for.

The remaining pieces took about 9 minutes to cut.

At the end of the cut, the ‘Watt Watcher’ (https://amzn.to/342HIt5 #ad) read 0.060 kWh.

Find your local electricity rates, mine is 22.59 cents per kWh.

Multiply the readout from your ‘watt watcher’ by the local electricity rate and you will have your Glowforge electricity cost.

For this cut, my Glowforge electricity cost was 1.355 cents.